“If you’re going to kick authority in the teeth, you might as well use two feet.” — Keith Richards

Well, folks, it’s happening. Important election dates start rolling today.

The Michigan Democratic Party will meet today in Detroit to name their picks for candidates not chosen by primary election, including attorney general and secretary of state.

On April 19, candidates have to file nominating petitions to appear on the August ballot, making clear which primary races will see competition and which candidates will advance unopposed.

On April 23, the Republicans hold their nominating convention.

Then we have the May 3 election, when Hillman Community Schools will ask voters to approve the sale of $22.1 million in bonds for school renovations. Those millions would be paid back with an estimated 3-mill tax increase that would cost the owner of a $100,000 house $150 more per year for the next 30 years.

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Then the Aug. 2 primary, which decides which candidates advance to the Nov. 8 general election, which decides who gets to take office come Jan. 1.

The most important date on that list, folks — and not just for political junkies like me and Steve Schulwitz — is April 19. That’s when you should start paying attention.

That’s because, in many places, including Northeast Michigan, the summer primary election matters far more than the general election in the fall.

Even after the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission this cycle took over from the Legislature the drawing of congressional and legislative district maps, many places — thanks to geographic culture and self-segregation — still heavily favor one party over the other.

So, depending on where you live, it’s very, very likely — though not guaranteed — that one party’s winning candidates in August will march right on to victory come November in races for county board, the Legislature, and any other partisan contest.

In Lansing, for example, whichever Democrats win the primary are all but guaranteed to win in November, because Ingham County — where Joe Biden won 65% of the vote in November 2020 — heavily favors Democrats.

Here in Northeast Michigan, where Donald Trump carried 65% of the vote, whichever Republicans win the primary are mostly assured a November win.

So, the list of candidates generated after the April 19 filing is an important one to pay attention to, to study and contemplate. Those are the candidates you really want to get to know. That’s the primary list, and that’s the election you really want to vote in.

Unfortunately, too few folks do so.

According to data from the Alpena County clerk, August voter turnout has trailed November turnout by an average 29 percentage points in every election since 2010. Turnout in the 2012 primary trailed that November by a whopping 43 percentage points.

Because of the essentially uncompetitive nature of most November races here, that low August turnout means a small share of the electorate — always less than half, usually less than a quarter — pick our officeholders.

That’s a consequential fact, because the people who end up winning in November go on to make consequential decisions affecting YOUR life.

The Alpena County Board of Commissioners, for example, has allocated $500,000 toward the Alpena Resource Recovery Facility’s efforts to build a new facility. That’s a lot of taxpayer dough wrapped up in one decision.

Up in Lansing, though both measures were vetoed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Republican-controlled Legislature recently passed an income tax cut and a gas tax holiday that would have put more money back into the pockets of every Michigander (the Democrats argued the little bit of money most Michiganders would save in taxes wasn’t worth the big blow to the state budget). Tax cuts of some kind definitely remain on the table, however, as the Capitol gets to work on the 2022-23 state budget.

Both the county commissioners and the state legislators making those decisions faced primary voters in August 2020, when 41% turned out in Alpena County, compared to 69% in November, when Republicans earned 68% of the straight-party votes.

So, if you really want to make a difference in local elections, make sure to vote in August.

And, if you want to make informed decisions in August, it’s time to start paying attention once that April 19 list gets finalized.

Justin A. Hinkley can be reached at 989-354-3112 or jhinkley@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinHinkley.

CORRECTION: This column has been updated to reflect that the Alpena County Board of Commissioners has allocated $500,000 to the Alpena Resource Recovery Facility’s efforts to build a new facility. That information was incorrect in an earlier version of this column.