Leading up to this year’s election The Metro has discussed how Detroit’s turnout needs to improve. According to the city’s unofficial results, nearly 22,000 more people voted this year than in the 2021 mayoral election.
After a quick update on turnout in Oakland County with clerk Lisa Brown, we were joined by Al Williams, who leads ground efforts with Lift Every Voice and Vote in Detroit. The non-profit organization encourages voting by working with local churches.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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In the 12 years since the city of Detroit declared bankruptcy, a new generation of voters came of age.
A sizeable portion of Gen Z—those born between 1997 and 2012—are now old enough to cast their ballots in Tuesday’s election. That group in 2022 voted at a higher rate in their first midterms than Millennials, Gen X, and likely Boomers when they were the same age, making them a relatively more civically engaged cohort.
As we approach a different kind of off year election, when the keys to the future of Detroit are up for grabs, just how engaged is Gen Z in local politics?
Guests:
Imani Foster – Communication lead with 482forward, a coalition that supports education in Detroit.
Jonathan Shepard – Film marketing and journalism student at Wayne State University and the multimedia manager for the the school’s newspaper.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
DETROIT (AP) — Detroit voters will choose a new mayor Tuesday in the city’s first open-seat mayoral race in a dozen years.
City Council President Mary Sheffield and Triumph Church pastor Solomon Kinloch, both Democrats, will face off for the city’s top job after placing first and second in the Aug. 5 nonpartisan primary. The winner will replace outgoing three-term Mayor Mike Duggan, who is running for governor of Michigan as an independent.
The city faces a vastly different situation than it did when Duggan was first elected in 2013. In July of that year, it became the largest U.S. city ever to file for bankruptcy. The city now has a budget surplus, 12 years of balanced budgets and projected economic growth for the next five years. Homicides and violent crimes are down, while the city’s population has increased for the second consecutive year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Still, the next mayor will face numerous challenges, including a shortage of affordable housing and vast economic disparities along racial lines.
Sheffield has led the field in fundraising throughout the campaign. As of the August primary, her campaign fund more than doubled that of her eight competitors combined.
In the general election, she has far outraised and outspent Kinloch. As of Oct. 19, her campaign had spent more than $1.8 million on her campaign and had roughly $772,000 in the bank. By that same point, Kinloch had spent about $160,000 on the race and had less than $11,000 remaining in the bank.
Since receiving more than 50% of the vote in the August primary, Sheffield has picked up key endorsements from Duggan, as well as from two of her former primary opponents, former city council president Saunteel Jenkins and city council member Fred Durhal. Jenkins received 16% of the primary vote, narrowly losing a spot on the general election ballot to Kinloch, who received about 17%. Durhal received about 3% of the vote.
Soloman Kinloch (left) and Mary Sheffield (right) face off in the race for Detroit’s next mayor this November
The Detroit electorate is overwhelmingly Democratic. In the 2024 presidential election, voters in the city supported Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris over Republican Donald Trump by about a 9-1 ratio.
At a September rally in Howell, Michigan, Vice President JD Vance sent a public message to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that the administration is “happy” to send the National Guard to Detroit. “All you gotta do is ask,” he said.
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
Michigan’s mandatory recount law does not apply to Detroit’s mayoral race. Instead, candidates may request and pay for a recount, with the payment refunded if the recount changes the outcome. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
What to expect on Tuesday:
How late are polls open?
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The AP will provide vote results and declare the winner in Detroit’s mayoral race.
Who gets to vote?
Any voter registered in Detroit may participate in the mayoral general election.
What do turnout and advance vote look like?
There were more than 518,000 registered voters in Detroit as of the August mayoral primary.
Turnout in that primary was about 17% of registered voters. About 32% of mayoral primary voters cast their ballots in person, while the remaining 68% voted early in person or by absentee ballot.
Turnout in the 2021 mayoral general election was about 19% of registered voters, with about 67% of voters casting early or absentee ballots.
As of Monday, nearly 45,000 ballots had been cast in Detroit before Election Day.
How long does vote counting usually take?
In the August primary, the AP first reported results at 8:32 p.m. ET, or 32 minutes after polls closed. The vote tabulation ended for the night at 4:30 a.m. ET, with 100% of votes counted.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.
Voter turnout in Detroit is low. Only a fraction of registered voters cast a ballot when Election Day comes. But there are people and organizations that want more people to be heard.
Lift Every Voice and Vote is a non-profit that aims to educate citizens about the election process. The organization is partnering with the Black church community to help mobilize more people.
Al Williams is a business owner and active in local politics. He also coordinates the ground efforts for the non-profit. He joined the show to discuss how their efforts educating members of Detroit churches about the benefits of voting can shift how they understand voting, share that knowledge, and hopefully improve turnout.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation announced a new platform that will match entrepreneurs with the best fitting lender.
The website is designed to help small businesses navigate financial options through partnerships with local Community Development Financial Institutions.
Applicants visit the website, submit the criteria for the type of loan and amount they need, and the algorithm will match them with the best lenders.
DEGC Senior Vice President Derrick Headd calls the hub a central command center for the city’s small business ecosystem. “One place where you can find financing options, technical assistance, and service organizations. Everything you need to have a thriving company.”
Lenders participating in the hub include ProsperUS, Detroit Development Fund, Invest Detroit and more.
Eligible applicants must be located in the city, have documented cash flow, and cannot be affiliated with any business prohibited by federal law.
Additional headlines for Thursday, September 25, 2025
Pastors seek high voter turnout this mayoral election
Detroit voters will elect the city’s first new mayor in 12 years this fall. A coalition of pastors is working to educate and mobilize their flocks to decide between City Council President Mary Sheffield and Reverend Solomon Kinloch.
Organizers say 12 churches took part in the Lift Every Voice and Vote campaign in the August primary. They want five times that number mobilizing voters in the general election.
Al Williams leads Lift Every Voice and Vote Detroit. He admits its hard motivating voters in the city. “I think that the history of our mayoral elections, past two or three mayoral elections, have shown us that the excitement has gone down every single mayoral election. Yes, it has made it a challenge.”
Less than 20 percent of eligible Detroit voters cast ballots in the August primary.
Proposed ordinance requires body cam footage be made public
A proposed Detroit ordinance would require police to release body camera footage within 30 days of police shootings and other incidents including the use of non-lethal weapons like tasers, pepper spray, tear gas, bean bags and rubber bullets.
Under the proposed ordinance, footage must be posted on a public website. Exemptions would be allowed upon written request from the Detroit Police Department or Wayne County prosecutor.
Exceptions apply to footage captured during federal or state task force operations, footage prohibited by court order and footage determined to be prejudicial to a civil matter.
James Baldwin Sidewalk Libraries
The City of Detroit and the Detroit Public Library will be hosting the James Baldwin Sidewalk Libraries across the city. Detroit ACE and the Charles H. Wright Museum also partnered to launch the reading campaign.
Boxes designed to help residents find or donate books by and about author James Baldwin will be placed in Detroit neighborhoods.
The initiative completes the work started by artist Sabrina Nelson, whose landmark exhibit on Baldwin debuted last fall.
The initiative is being launched during Black Reading Month in Detroit.
Fashion business management degree now offered at CCS
The College for Creative Studies in Detroit is now offering a fashion business management degree. The degree will take 90 credits and just over three years to complete.
Students will learn merchandising, styling, marketing strategy, brand development, trend forecasting, and fashion communications. No portfolio is required for admission.
Visit the College for Creative Studies and look under the listing of undergraduate programs more information and to apply.
Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
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In November, Detroit residents will vote for the next mayor and fill seats on the city council. It will be the first change in the city’s mayoral leadership since 2013, when Mike Duggan was elected as a write-in candidate.
There has been positive momentum in Detroit since that time. City services have improved, new development continues to pop up in the downtown and midtown areas, homicides are down and the city’s population is increasing. But despite that, a key issue in our politics lingers.
Only a fraction of Detroit residents show up to vote.
According an analysis by the Detroit Free Press, voting in municipal elections has dropped over the last 20 years while turnout in presidential and gubernatorial elections remains steady.
Free Press editorial page editor, Nancy Kaffer, joined the show to discuss their findings and share why residents in low turnout areas aren’t voting.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Voters in Detroit face a defining choice in the August 5 primary election. But right now, fewer than 10% of registered voters have participated. Most of those ballots have been mailed in. In‑person early voting, which ended August 4, was minimal.
That is a little surprising this year, given Michigan’s no‑excuse absentee law, which voters approved in 2018. It lets anyone request a mail-in ballot without needing a reason.
This is also the city’s first competitive mayoral race in over a decade, with three-term Mayor Mike Duggan running for governor of Michigan. In other words, it’s a pivotal chance for leadership change. But turnout, so far, doesn’t yet reflect this moment.
Meanwhile, voter accessibility has been a question. During the 2021 election, disability advocates filed an ADA complaint saying key voting information, like where and how to vote, was inaccessible online for users of screen readers, affecting thousands of Detroiters. And, some polling locations across metro Detroit remain inaccessible to voters with disabilities.
To discuss this, Detroit’s top election official, City Clerk Janice Winfrey, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro.
The Metro has spoken with all of the candidates running for mayor. You can find those conversations at WDET.org/voterguide2025.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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Registered voters not casting a vote is a problem in the city, one that seems to be bigger here than in other Midwest cities.
In Central Ohio’s Franklin County, the 2024 presidential election turnout was 66%. In Milwaukee, it was 85%. In Chicago, it was about 68% — and that’s the lowest it’s been in 80 years. But in Detroit, during the same election year, it was just 47%.
Mara Ostfeld is the research director at the Center for Racial Justice and a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She joined The Metro on Wednesday to share insights into why some Detroit residents don’t vote, and how to increase voter turnout.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
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