Who advances from Grand Rapids’ First Ward city commission primary?
Grand Rapids’ First Ward City Commission primary was held Tuesday, August 4, 2026, with Jordoun T. Eatman, Lindsey Perez-Plescher and Steve Tibbe competing in the nonpartisan race. As of the latest check of the city’s official results page, no verified First Ward winner or final turnout figure had been posted.
The city’s turnout page says its reports are based on data provided by precincts during the day and that official results may differ. It also says overall dashboard numbers include absentee ballots, while hourly numbers do not.
What is at stake
The election concerns a vacant First Ward seat on the Grand Rapids City Commission. City materials say the current four-year commission term began January 1, 2022, and expires December 31, 2026. The same document says a person appointed to fill the vacancy serves until the end of that term.
The August 4 primary is part of the process for determining who will hold the elected office for the relevant commission term. The primary should not be described as permanently filling an office beyond the term identified in the city’s materials unless the official election process confirms that result.
The candidates
Kent County’s official candidates and proposals list identifies the Grand Rapids First Ward City Commissioner race as a four-year-term, nonpartisan contest with a vote-for-no-more-than-one instruction. The listed candidates are Jordoun T. Eatman, Lindsey Perez-Plescher and Steve Tibbe.
The county list was updated July 27, 2026. It identifies Eatman, Perez-Plescher and Tibbe as Grand Rapids residents and lists their petitions as the filing method.
Voting and ballot counting
The Grand Rapids City Clerk’s election information identified August 4, 2026, as the city’s next election. The city’s page said eligible citizens could register through 8 p.m. on Election Day, with registration from July 21 through August 4 handled in person with the local clerk and proof of residency.
Early voting was offered July 25 through August 2 at St. Peter and Paul School, GRPS University and Ottawa Hills High School. The city said all voted absentee ballots had to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
The city also scheduled early absentee-ballot tabulation on selected days before Election Day. Its election information page said the absent-voter counting board would resume at 5 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, and continue until finished. That means absentee ballots could be added to election-night totals after polls close.
What happens next
For First Ward residents, the immediate question is which candidate advances from the three-person field and what the official vote count shows. The city’s results page should be treated as the primary place to verify turnout information and any posted race result, while Kent County’s election system provides a second official election-results source.
Until an official result is posted, the race should be described as unresolved. The practical consequence for the First Ward is that residents remain without a confirmed elected successor to the vacant seat, while the city’s published term information continues to identify December 31, 2026, as the end of the current four-year commission term.
Sources
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