Editorial: Absentee ballots should be on the way to you any minute

According to the schedule released by the state the absentee ballots should be on their way any minute to local clerks who will then be sending them out to voters to fill out for the primary election.
We worked to get information on local candidates so voters will have time to read their backgrounds, look at their pictures, and consider their choices. We know the election isn’t until Aug. 4, but once the ballot is in your hands, the election has begun.
Some prefer to vote in person, but with the coronavirus still in the air, those voters may be fewer. This is looking to be a record year for absentee ballots.
We appreciate the candidates who cooperated with our project and sent in their thoughts and their versions of their backgrounds for voters to consider. Of course, there is always more to each story, but this is what they are presenting for your consideration in their own words.
Some didn’t send pictures. One township candidate didn’t send anything, so we wrote up his section from his 2016 answers. Should be pretty close.
There are 17 candidates running for seven offices in Sumpter and 10 candidates running for seven offices in Van Buren. We ran out of space in this week’s paper, so information on the candidates for 34th District Court Judge and Michigan House Districts 12, 17, and 21, which cover this area, will be published next week.