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Flint council sets special primary for March and general in August for 3rd Ward seat
Summary
After debate and public comment, the Flint City Council voted to schedule a special primary election for March 6, 2025, and a special general election for Aug. 5, 2025, to fill the 3rd Ward seat; nominations must be filed by Jan. 21, 2025.
The Flint City Council voted to schedule special elections to fill the vacant 3rd Ward seat, setting a primary for Tuesday, March 6, 2025, and a general election for Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025.
Council members approved the schedule after a lengthy discussion about the timing and the city clerk’s guidance on Michigan election law. The council also set a filing deadline for nominating petitions: petitions must be turned in by close of business on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. The clerk advised that petition rules require 75 valid signatures for candidates seeking the council seat and noted the deadlines correspond to state statutory dates for regular municipal election scheduling.
The vote followed public concern and disagreement among councilmembers over whether to appoint an interim councilmember or to proceed directly to an election. Council members who supported the vote said it followed charter guidance and the clerk’s legal guidance. One council member noted that state law sets the earliest available election dates in May, August and November and that, under the rules the clerk cited, May was the earliest feasible regular election slot for a vacancy. The council chose the March primary and August general dates to conform with Michigan’s schedule for regular elections that service municipal vacancies in this instance.
The clerk told the council that nominating packets would be available the day after the vote and that the election will use the 2021 ward boundaries for petition signatures because the election fills the seat elected in 2021. The clerk added that petition forms and guidance would be posted and that staff would provide maps indicating who is eligible to sign or run under the older ward boundaries.
Councilmembers cast a roll-call vote to adopt the scheduling resolution; the roll-call showed seven “yes” votes and no “no” votes. The motion passed and the clerk indicated candidate packets and instructions would be available immediately.
What’s next: Candidates wishing to run for the 3rd Ward seat must gather 75 valid petition signatures from registered voters in the 2021 Third Ward boundaries and file the petition with the clerk’s office by 4 p.m. Jan. 21, 2025. The council’s scheduling clears the way for ballots and administrative planning ahead of the March primary and August general election.
