DEARBORN HEIGHTS – In addition to state elections, voters in Dearborn Heights will see new and familiar names on the November ballot for School Board, City Council, and charter commission seats.

Congressional races

Running for the one U.S. Senate seat is Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, Republican Mike Rogers, Libertarian Lydia Christensen, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Tim Long, Green Party candidate Douglas P. Marsh, and Natural Law Party candidate Walter P. Kristy. 

Recent polls show that El-Sayed and Rogers are neck and neck in the race for the seat. Rogers, a former member of Congress and former FBI agent, is making his second consecutive bid for the Senate after narrowly losing the 2024 election to Democrat Elissa Slotkin.

El-Sayed, a physician and former director of the Detroit Health Department, won the Democratic nomination in August following a closely watched primary. If elected, he would become the first Arab American and Muslim to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

Rogers and El-Sayed have offered sharply different positions on health care, the economy, immigration and U.S. foreign policy, including the wars on Iran and Gaza and American military assistance to Israel.

Campaigning to represent the 13th Congressional District are Democrat Donavan McKinney; Republican T.P. Nykoriak; U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Chris Dardzinski; Green Party candidate Raelyn Light and Working Class Party candidate Simone R. Coleman.

State races

Voters in all precincts will be faced with deciding on a new governor among Democrat Jocelyn Benson, Republican John James, Libertarian Anthony Hudson, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Donna Brandenburg or Green Party candidate Douglas Campbell. 

With term-limited Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson running for governor, voters will choose her successor from among Democratic Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II; Republican Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini; Libertarian Christine Sloan; U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Scott E. Aughney and Green Party candidate Eric Borregard.

In the race to succeed term-limited Attorney General Dana Nessel, voters will choose from among Democrat Eli Savit; Republican Doug Lloyd; Libertarian Jason Dye; U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate John Perry Ludtke Jr.; Green Party candidate Jeff Polonowski and Natural Law Party candidate Doug Dern.

Voters will also select between Democrat Abbas Alawieh, Republican Harry Sawicki and Working Class Party candidate Larry Darnell Betts for the position of state senator and Democrat Jalal Abdallah or Republican Hassan H. Nehme for state representative.

Also on the ballot are two seats on the State Board of Education with Democrat Judith Pritchett, Democrat Tiffany Tilley, Republican Terence Collins, Republican Bree Moeggenberg, Libertarian Charles Essner, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate William Mohr II, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Christine C. Schwartz, Green Party candidate Wissam Charafeddine, Working Class Party candidate Mary Anne Hering, and Natural Law Party candidate Kelli Monroe running.

Vying for the two available positions of regents of the University of Michigan are Democrat Paul Brown, Democrat Amir Makled, Republican Lena Epstein, Republican Michal Schostak, Libertarian Andrew Chadderdon, and U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Kyle Maas.

There are also two positions as trustees of Michigan State University, with Democrat Brianna Scott, Democrat Kelly Tebay Zemke, Republican Julie Maday, Republican Roger Victory, Libertarian Daniel R. Patterson, Libertarian Will Tyler White, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Janet Sanger, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate John Sanger, Green Party candidate John Anthony La Pietra, and Working Class Party candidate Yaz Ozbek running to fill the seats.

Voters will also select two governors for Wayne State University from among Democrat Shereef Akeel, Democrat Richard Mack, Republican Andy Anuzis, Republican Christa Murphy, Libertarian Alex Avery, Libertarian Jami Van Alstine, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Jeff McDonald, Green Party candidate Paul M. Ragan, Working Class Party candidate Suzanne Roehrig, and Natural Law Party candidate Kathleen Oakford.

Judicial races

Voters will select two Supreme Court justices from among incumbent Megan Kathleen Cavanagh, incumbent Noah P. Hood, Thomas W. Howe, Cassandra Morse-Bills, Michael Warren and Jody White.

Running for incumbent positions for a six-year term as judge of the Court of Appeals District 1 are Mariam Saad Bazzi, Anica Letica and Christopher M. Murray, while incumbent Andrew J. Lievense is running for a partial term.

There are 16 incumbent positions for six-year terms as judge of the Third Circuit Court with David J. Allen, Chandra W. Baker-Robinson, Christopher M. Blount, Nicole L. Castka, Bradley L. Cobb, Chris Dingell, Charlene M. Elder, Helal A. Farhat, Nicole N. Goodson, Edward J. Joseph, Mary Beth Kelly, Don Knapp, Cylenthia LaToye Miller, Carla G. Testani, Margaret M. Van Houten, and Shannon Nicol Walker running, while incumbent Aliyah S. Sabree is running for a partial term.

Shakira Lynn Hawkins is the only non-incumbent running for the non-incumbent six-year term for judge of the Third Circuit Court.

Sarah Colegrove, Suzanne Fanning and Vanessa M. Moss are running for judge of Wayne County Probate Court which is a non-incumbent position.

Incumbent Mark J. Plawecki is on the ballot looking to remain judge of the 20th District Court.

City races

For the Dearborn Heights City Council, one seat serving a partial term to end on Dec. 31, 2027 is up for grabs with only incumbent Bob Constan running. 

Constan, a lifelong resident of Dearborn Heights, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Michigan and a juris doctorate degree in law from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and has been practicing law for more than 20 years in the city.

Constan, who previously served the 16th District in the State House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013, has been on the City Council since 2013.

The Crestwood School District is seeking to fill one partial board seat with the term ending Dec. 31, 2028 and two full term seats ending in 2032.

The candidates for the partial seat are Hass Beydoun and Zainab Mroueh, while former City Councilman and Treasurer Zouher Abdel-hak, incumbent Billy Amen, Ali Fawaz and Kathi Kobeissi Martin are vying for the two full term seats.

The D7 School District is looking to fill three board seats with only two candidates. 

Both incumbents Wendy Anderson and Leslie Windless are seeking reelection, while Mary Beth Beltowski is not seeking reelection.

Voters will also have to decide if there will be a general revision of the City Charter. If approved, voters will then elect nine members to a Charter Commission.

There are 11 candidates vying for the Charter Commission seats: Mohamed Hamieh, Elyana Hussain, Carly A. Ladd, Krystina Laslo, Dana Mohammad, Susan Riegle, John J. Riley II, Sam Sakka, Nancy Schneider, Elisabeth Sobota-Perry and Kelli Tamburro.

Proposals

There are also two state proposals on the ballot.

Proposal 2026-1 is a proposal to convene a constitutional convention to draft a general revision to the State Constitution. If passed, elected delegates would convene in 2027 to draft a general revision to the State Constitution for presentation to voters.

Proposal 2026-2 is a proposed law prohibiting campaign contributions from certain regulated utilities and government contractors while applying campaign finance laws and regulations to additional types of political communications. If passed, this proposal would prohibit regulated electric and gas utilities, contractors with more than $250,000 annually in government contracts and people and organizations with substantial connections to these contractors from making campaign contributions to those who run for or hold offices that would impact them, expand laws regulating spending on political communications, including those requiring donor information, to apply to communications clearly identifying candidates or ballot questions even if they do not advocate for or against them, and apply the law requiring disclosure of who paid for political communications to internet political communications.

Authority

A renewal of the Wayne County zoological authority millage in support of the Detroit Zoo, which would be a renewal and restoration of the levy of 0.10 mill on all taxable property in Wayne County for 10 years, which is an unchanged millage rate from those previously approved by voters in 2008 and 2016. Funds would be disbursed to the Authority and transferred to the Detroit Zoo as permitted by law and all funds are subject to annual independent audits. 

The Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority also has a proposed 0.2 mill tax on all taxable property located within Wayne County be imposed by the Authority for ten years to provide historical museum services on the ballot.

The general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters can preview their ballots and find their polling location on the Secretary of State website.