Voter Turnout in Oakland County Communities in Aug 5 Election
(Kurt Metzger, Aug. 13, 2025)
Oakland County, MI – The August Primary was held on August 5, with all registered voters in 5 communities – Novi city and township, Oakland Township, Pontiac and Southfield, and registered voters in select precincts in 2 other communities – Lyon Township and Northville, eligible to vote.
City of Pontiac voters went to the polls to winnow down the final November opponents for Mayor, Councilmember at Large and Library Board. Only 6,342 registered voters, or 12.8 percent, cast their vote.
Voters in the City of Southfield also went to the polls to narrow the Mayoral field from three to two. The final count was a 12,213 turnout, representing 19.0 percent of all registered voters.
The City of Novi had a Public Safety Facilities Bond Proposal on the ballot, generating a turnout of 9,583 registered voters, or 20.6 percent. The measure passed with 54.8 percent of the vote. This translates to only 11 percent of total registered voters making the funding decision for the community.
Voters in Oakland Township were asked to both renew and increase their Library Millage. The turnout of 4,259 registered voters, 25.7 percent, approved the renewal with a 77.7 percent Yes vote, while the millage increase received 60.6 percent approval.
The final election, Northville Public Schools requested approval of a Sinking Fund Millage Renewal Proposal. The Oakland County portion of the district also includes precincts in Lyon township, Novi township, Novi and, or course, Northville. The turnout was 22.9 percent (2,732 voters), with 66.3 percent voting Yes.
I will save you from one of my regular tirades about low voter turnout. Suffice it to say, voting is still one of our most basic rights in America. If we don’t use it, we are apt to lose it.
