TRAVERSE CITY -- Some candidates for the Traverse City Commission and Traverse City Area Public Schools board voted in nearly every local election in the past five years, while others missed nearly half the elections in their communities.
Suzann E. Brooke, Julie Davis, Kelly M. Hall, Mary Manner, Julie Puckett, Gary Appel and Diane Viskochil all are vying for seats on the TCAPS board.
Puckett can claim the only perfect voting record among those candidates, according to documents provided by township clerks and the Traverse City clerk's office. Puckett cast a ballot in 12 out of 12 elections in Acme Township dating through 2004, Acme Clerk Dorothy Dunville said.
"I think (voting) is really important. You can't really complain unless you're part of the process, and I always make sure I'm part of the process," Puckett said. "To me, it's sort of our duty to go."
Brooke hit 13 of 14 elections in Traverse City, Davis and Viskochil voted in eight of 11 in Garfield Township, and Appel voted in seven of 11 elections in Peninsula Township. Both Manner and Hall cast ballots in six of Peninsula's 11.
"To tell you the truth, I'm surprised," Hall said. "I try to vote in every election."
Most elections missed by both Manner and Hall were primaries. Viskochil said she lived in North Carolina during part of that time and said she didn't receive absentee ballots.
Jody Bergman, MaryAnn Moore, Michael Gillman and Deni Scrudato seek seats on the Traverse City Commission, and Chris Bzdok is running unopposed for mayor.
Scrudato voted in 14 of 14 elections in the city, making her the lone commission candidate with an unblemished record. Gillman and Bergman weren't far behind with 12 and 11, respectively.
Moore voted in six of 14, and Bzdok cast his ballot in eight.
Moore said she lived in Northport for a period and missed some Traverse City elections.
"I'm usually a pretty good voter," she said. "It is what it is."
Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
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