County gets first ever third-party candidate on fall ballot
For the first time in Butler County history, voters will have a chance in November to vote for a countywide third-party candidate.
Michael Bagdes-Canning of Cherry Valley is running for county commissioner as a Green Party candidate.
Bagdes-Canning this month submitted 459 nominating signatures to the county bureau of elections, which was more than enough for him to appear on the ballot for the Nov. 3 election.
To be on the ballot as a third-party candidate, candidates have to to get 2 percent of the total votes from the highest vote-getter in the last countywide election cycle. In Bagdes-Canning's case, he had to get 409 signatures.
Shari Brewer, director of elections, said the election bureau had to go back to the 2013 election to get that number. The candidate with the highest vote total that year was Coroner William Young III with 20,450 votes.
Bagdes-Canning will appear on the ballot along with Republicans Leslie Osche and Kim Geyer and Democrats Jerry Johnston and Kevin Boozel. Each voter can vote for two candidates. The top three vote-getters will become commissioners.
Regis Young, longtime former director of elections, said he cannot recall any other cases of a third-party candidate appearing on the ballot for county office.
“As long as I remember, no,” said Young, who was director of elections from 1988 to 2010.
