LANSING, Mich.-- Fewer voters cast their ballots Tuesday than when Governor Rick Snyder was elected.

That's according to Fred Woodhams, spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office.  Woodhams says 1.3 million Michiganders visited the polls during the primary, accounting for approximately 20.3 percent of active voters. Active voters are defined by the Secretary of State as people who have voted within the last six years. Woodhams says approximately 17.9 percent of registered Michigan voters cast a ballot Tuesday, but that number may be skewed because people who have moved out of the state may still be registered to vote in Michigan.

A day after primaries for many West Michigan communities, a Kalamazoo city commissioner is kicking off his campaign for re-election.

Don Cooney is seeking an eighth term as a city commissioner.           

 “This is a challenging time especially for Michigan cities.  I have learned a lot through my many years on the city commission.  I look forward to using my experience and knowledge to help our City meet the challenges and continue on its path to excellence,” Cooney said earlier.

Cooney is social work professor at Western Michigan University and the associate director of the Lewis Walker Institute for Race and Ethnic Relations. He’ll formally kick-off his campaign at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

First winner of the Pothole Pocketbook Contest receives $500 for pothole-related repairs

LANSING, Mich. – Nicole VanPutten of Kalamazoo is the first winner of the Pothole Pocketbook Contest and will receive $500 for pothole-related repairs to her vehicle, the Michigan Transportation Team (MTT) announced today. VanPutten submitted her $700 repair bill after her husband hit an unavoidable pothole on his way to work.

“My husband drives from Kalamazoo to East Lansing every day because he works at Michigan State University,” VanPutten said in her entry. “He [had] been avoiding the same hole, but it [had] been getting larger and larger. Finally, it was just too big and he hit it. It caused $700 in damage to our VW. The entire wheel had to be replaced ... and they had to keep our car for four days.”