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Vote from Home in the August 4 Primary: July 14 Is the Recommended Deadline to Request Your Absentee Ballot
Want to vote from home in Michigan’s August 4 Primary Election? If you are not already on the Permanent Mail Ballot List, coalition partners recommend requesting your absentee ballot online or submitting a paper application by July 14. This gives you time to receive your ballot, complete it, and return it to your city or…
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How to Spoil Your Absentee Ballot and Vote a New One in Michigan
Some candidates may end their campaigns after absentee ballots have already been mailed and after some voters have returned their ballots. Michigan voters who want to change their selection may have options to cancel their original absentee ballot and vote a new one before the August 4 Primary Election. In this situation, “spoil” means that…
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DOJ Election Monitors Coming to Three Michigan Cities: What Voters Should Know
The U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed that it plans to send federal election monitors to Detroit, East Lansing, and Lansing during Michigan’s August 4 Primary Election. Federal election monitors are not unusual. The Department of Justice regularly sends staff to observe elections in Michigan and other states, often to monitor compliance with federal voting…
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Independence Day and the Fight for the Vote
Independence Day commemorates the country’s Declaration of Independence and its promise of self-government. Honoring that promise also requires us to remember those who were originally denied it and the generations-long fight for access to the ballot. In 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered his famous speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” calling on…
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August 4 Primary Election: Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Information
Michigan’s August 4 Primary Election is almost one month away. Before voting, make sure your voter registration is up to date at the address where you currently live. To vote in Michigan, you must be registered. If you have moved, changed your name, or are unsure whether your registration is current, check now so you…
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July 4 Freedom Rally for Krystal Clark and Women at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility
VAAC is joining 28 community partners for a Freedom Rally for Krystal Clark and women incarcerated at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility on Saturday, July 4, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. July 4 is a day when people reflect on freedom and rights. This rally calls attention to concerns about environmental conditions, medical care,…
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Free ID Clinic on July 7 in Ferndale
Voting Access for All Coalition, Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Jews for a Secular Democracy, and Affirmations Community Center are bringing Michigan Department of State services and community resources for a free ID clinic on Tuesday, July 7. The clinic will help community members obtain or update identification needed for many parts of…
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Supreme Court Ruling Protects States’ Ability to Count On-Time Mail Ballots
On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Watson v. RNC that states may continue to count mail ballots after Election Day when state law allows a grace period for ballots postmarked by Election Day. The case focused on a Mississippi law that allows mail ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by…
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VAAC in the Community: Recent Events, Photos, and Voter Education Across Southeast Michigan
Over the past few weeks, Voting Access For All Coalition has been participating in community events across Southeast Michigan, supporting partner organizations, sharing civic and ballot education, and helping eligible voters register. At many events, VAAC’s role looks similar: we show up to participate, support the organizing organizations and their missions, answer questions, provide nonpartisan…
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Michigan Election Court Update: Current Voting Procedures Remain in Place
Several recent court decisions have addressed voter information, documentary proof of citizenship requirements, mail ballot procedures, federal citizenship databases, and the counting of absentee ballots. For Michigan voters, the immediate takeaway is that current voting procedures remain in place. Michigan’s unredacted voter file has not been turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice, documentary…