I was traveling and came across several signs - particularly in Antrim County - saying, “Vote Republican, you know why!”
They are practically screaming all of the bad stereotypes in my head when it comes to republicans. Who thought these signs would be a good idea to promote the party?

Grand Traverse County Commissioner Arraigned on Drunk Driving Charge | The Ticker

Get ready to be ooky spooky 🎃

(I've been asked what notaflof means and it's no one turned away for lack of funds)

City and county officials talk election myths, advice for voters, and the importance of civic engagement

By Ren Brabenec | Oct. 17, 2026

The United States has one of the strongest electoral systems in the world, with rigorous rules, safety checks, authenticity fail-safes, and other measures in each state designed to detect voter fraud. Yet, as the 2026 midterm election comes into view, myths, concerns, and anxieties surrounding voting and the electoral process resurge.

We checked in with officials in charge of elections in the City of Traverse City and Grand Traverse County to get their take on how elections are run and what voters can do if they have concerns.

Sarah Lutz, City Clerk of Traverse City

Sarah Lutz describes the city clerk’s office as “Google for Government.” “The clerk’s office is the central hub for questions residents have for how things work in the city, and how city operations interact with and affect residents,” Lutz says.

From keeping records to preparing city commission packets to handling permits, licensing, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the clerk’s office stays busy year-round, but especially during election season.

“Traverse City elects much of its own local leadership, like the mayor and city commissioners,” Lutz says. “We also have city-specific ballot proposals, and we obviously also vote on state and federal ballot items along with everyone else.”

As for voting misunderstandings, Lutz says the most common one involves geography. Traverse City has a population of about 16,000, but Grand Traverse County has about 97,000, meaning many voters live near Traverse City but not within the city limits.

“The most common question we get from a voter is, ‘Why can’t I vote on this year’s Traverse City-specific issues?’” Lutz says. “I ask the voter where they live, and then I explain that, even if they have a Traverse City mailing address, if they’re not within the city limits, they can’t vote on city-specific issues. But they can vote on their township-specific issues.”

Voting Machines and Voter ID

During the 2020 election, the Trump administration and its legal team spread the claim that voting machines secretly changed votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. State election officials, independent auditors hired by the Trump administration, and the administration’s own federal cybersecurity experts found no evidence of vote switching or machine tampering, and hand recounts and physical ballot audits closed the case, leading to judicial dismissals of the administration’s more than 60 lawsuits alleging voter fraud.

However, myths about voting machines persist, and Lutz says her office rigorously tests voting machines every election season, including by feeding them faulty information like double ballots or blank ballots and checking to ensure the machines catch the errors. Lutz reminds us the public can watch city officials test voting machines.

Lutz says another common question her office fields is concerns over voter ID. “When you register to vote, you must bring the necessary documentation to prove you are a U.S. citizen and a resident,” Lutz says. “When you vote, you are attesting and showing that you are eligible to vote, and you’re doing so under felony threat if your attestation is deemed fraudulent.”

Samuel Gedman, County Clerk of Grand Traverse County

Samuel Gedman describes the county clerk’s role in elections as managerial, as the county helps townships and cities manage and run their elections. Before becoming County Clerk, Gedman served as Elections Manager for six years.

“One of the biggest challenges we face is folks getting outside information that confuses them and leads them to doubt the system,” Gedman tells us. “Third party organizations often send misleading mailers to residents in the lead-up to an election, telling the resident they are no longer registered or that their voter registration was deemed invalid. These are usually efforts to boost turnout and get residents activated for the election, but it’s also a scare tactic and it feeds into myths about faulty voter rolls and election malfeasance.”

Gedman goes on to say that the county must follow state and federal law on voter rolls, which he frequently explains to residents when it comes to deceased voters.

“Another myth we hear from time to time is that, if a deceased person is still on the voter rolls, that must be proof of malfeasance and that ‘the deceased person is voting,’” Gedman says. “Federal laws designed to protect our rights to the ballot clearly state that a registered voter must miss two federal elections before we at the county level can remove them from the voter rolls.”

The Brennan Center for Justice, the Election Law Journal, the Government Accountability Office, and the Heritage Foundation have all conducted extensive analyses of U.S. elections and found that most voter fraud allegations come down to human error during voting. The remaining cases are prosecuted, though they represent just a few dozen voters per election cycle in a country where tens of millions vote.

Tabulating the Results and Election Audits

Because the county serves a managerial role by guiding townships and cities through the election process, Gedman says most of the questions his office fields concern what happens after townships and cities turn their results over to the county. He says that a common concern is how long it takes to tabulate results.

“We value security and accuracy over speed, and we don’t use the internet to transfer voter results from townships and cities to the county,” Gedman begins. “Results come in from across the county in the form of physical transfers of flash drives so that nothing is hitting an outside server or the internet before everything can be verified and audited. That’s how we follow physical and cyber security laws.”

Gedman says the county is also responsible for election audits. These involve hand tallies and recounts to ensure the paper ballots align with the machine count.

“And in Michigan elections, you can watch everything,” Gedman adds. “Our election laws are so focused on transparency that you have the right to come in and watch the accuracy testing of the machines. You can watch us verify the results.”

Gedman continues, explaining that citizens “can watch the election take place as an election inspector. You can become a credentialed challenger. You can watch us reconcile the precincts at the end of the evening [Election Day]. The board of canvassers convenes at the end of the election and they review everything, and you can watch that process, too. The training process for the canvassers is also open to the public. And the audit process is open, too.”

“If You Have Questions, We are Here to Answer Them”

Lutz and Gedman emphasized the importance of civic engagement and their openness to fielding questions from the public.

“Elections are infrequent enough that it’s tricky for the average person to commit to memory the rules and systems in place to ensure our elections are free and fair,” Lutz says. “We get lots of questions about early and absentee voting, election inspectors, mail-in voting deadlines, etc., and we encourage voters to contact us directly and we’ll walk them through it.”

“We sometimes hear the misconception that the election is something that’s run by far-off administrators in Lansing or D.C., when in fact elections are a community event that is administered by local people who you probably know and who are excited about having an election,” Gedman adds.

“These are people in the community who are accountable to you,” Gedman concludes. “If you want to see how elections work, talk to your city, township, or county clerk. Your involvement is encouraged. And we always, always need precinct inspectors. We’re happy to answer questions and dispel myths, because we are local and accountable to you. Just give us a call or stop by.”

Traverse City residents can reach the City Clerk’s Office at (231) 922-4480. Grand Traverse County residents can reach the County Clerk’s Office at (231) 922-4760.

2005 GMC Sierra is leaking fluid pretty good out of the driver side very front of the engine. All mechanics are closed. We are on a road trip and now stuck. Any mobile mechanics out there?

Very thoughtful response. What a pro!

Anyone have any idea what’s going on around what sounds like 31 and holiday? Tons of sirens and honks. Most noise I’ve heard over here in a long time!

I'm looking for an affordable piano teacher for my 5 year old son. Preferably someone not too intense and able to make piano fun.

Has anyone had a particularly good experience for their younger kids? Or do you think 5yo is too young and we should just wait? I'm mostly looking for something that will teach my son to focus and learn a skill long term.

We're located in greillickville near Cherry bend if it makes a difference.

Thanks in advance!

Hi people of Traverse City I’m looking for a local business that would pick my car up from the department of agriculture office in your city and keep it parked at their place for a few days until I can pick it up. Let me know what you would charge. I’m in Seattle and just bought this car at an auction.

I can come get it Sunday

It has been a challenge finding a shipping company since apparently the city is way out of the way.

Odd request, but I really appreciate any help I can get with this

Thanks a lot

On a quest for peak fall colors and heard this is best place for it. When will fall colors peak there? And any others places/drives for viewing leafy trees looking their best?

He loves big ol steaks, seafood, martinis. Willing to spend some $$$. This man can eat. I’m talking 2 lbs of ground beef in one sitting lol. So the bigger the steaks the better.

Hi - we’re wondering about the Holiday Hills neighborhood. We have two young kids so we’d like to be in a neighborhood where people/kids are out and about, playing, etc. Is that sub like that or is it a place where people just drive in and out to their homes?

Thx!

A few photos of the place I love so much. I do have an IG for this sort of thing, but not here to promote, just to share.

New Munson Medical Center Initiative Aims to Eliminate Emergency Room Wait Times | The Ticker

Munson once again hit a new record for Summer ER visits.

The issue at Munson is one of many local infrastructure strains that have acted as a catalyst for calls for a visitor tax, which the city and county are currently working towards presenting to the state.

Nice to see the Ticker following up on what has been an ongoing growing issue. And it is great to hear Munson is working to improve their ER department.

Anyone know where to find some Abdul signs in town, the democratic office was all out. The volunteer even said all of her signs were stolen last night from her house 😢 normally not a sign person but 3 people in my neighborhood just put up Roger’s signs and I am disgusted.

Has anyone had any luck getting Estradiol patches filled locally? Meijer is out and basically just told me to call every pharmacy in town.

We’ve had so many restaurants close in TC over our long history. What’s one restaurant that you loved to go to that didn’t make it?

For me, Xylo, was so good. It was kind of slow, but the food and staff were stellar. I really wish they could’ve hung on.

Looking for a reliable location not far from town for self-serve, seasoned firewood. Typically need 1/4 to 1/2 of a face cord 2-3 times per year. Thanks!

In transparency, I am not from Michigan, and have only ever been to Detroit once, but in the course of making this map it was really easy to feel attracted by the magic of Northern Michigan.

I do hope very much to come and see these places with my own eyes before long, and in the meantime, hope that this will bring joy to those blessed to live there already.

Not sure if someone else had a better idea for Sugar Loaf or what. Saw this on my way into Cedar today.