Photo by Carmen Cheng | Washtenaw Voice
by Pam Hennigan
Contributor
The upcoming midterm election is drawing plenty of attention as pro- and anti-Trump activists jockey for political offices.
The 2016 presidential election year has inspired many newcomers of all walks of life to run for office. According to a January article in Time Magazine, a record number of women have run for office, stating “There is an unprecedented surge of first-time female candidates, overwhelmingly Democratic, running for offices big and small, from the U.S. Senate and state legislatures to local school boards.”
In fact, Michigan Democrats recently endorsed women for two of the top three slots on November’s ballot, attorney general and secretary of state, and a top contender for governor is also a woman.
It can feel overwhelming to decide who and what will best represent you and your ideas. Here’s a guide to getting ready for the state’s primary election Aug. 7, and the November election:
• Are you eligible to vote?
• You must be a U.S. citizen
• You must be a resident of the state you plan to vote in
• You must be at least 18 by the next election date
• You must not serving a sentence in jail or in prison
• You must register to vote. In Michigan you register to vote at the Secretary of State, and there are deadlines. You can either go to the SOS and fill out the application or you can register by mail by downloading the application and mailing it directly to your local clerk.
• The deadline for registering to vote in the Aug. 7 primary election is July 9.
• The deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 6 general election is Oct. 9. You won’t have to re-register unless you move to a new residence, change you name, or have served a prison or jail sentence. If you are ever unsure, you can always contact your local county clerk’s office or Secretary of State office, or you can use this website to look yourself up to see if you are a registered voter.
Absentee ballots
If you need to vote absentee, you will need to complete a form and submit it to your city or township clerk.
Qualifications for an absentee ballot:
• Expecting to be out of town on election day
• In jail awaiting trial or sentencing
• Unable to attend polls due to religious reasons
• Being age 60 or older
• Unable to vote at the polling station without assistance
• Appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence
What’s on the ballot?
You need to know what the elections are going to be about. Looking at a sample ballot will help. You can look up a sample ballot by going to http://www.michigan.gov/ From there you can find your representative, see if you are an eligible voter, and look at a sample ballot.
Offices to be filled this year include:
• U.S. Senate
• U.S. House
• Governor
• Attorney General
• Secretary of State
• State Board of Education
• State Board of Regents
• State Senate
• State House
• State Supreme Court
• Intermediate Appellate Courts
• Local judges
• School boards
• Municipal government
Where to vote?
If you are registered in another state or community, you can file an absentee ballot. If you are local you can find your polling station by going to https://webapps.sos.state.mi.us/MVIC/votersearch.aspx.
Just enter your info and you can see where your polling station is, your local clerk location, as well as your voting district info. This page with your info will also show you sample ballots for upcoming elections for your specific districts.
other things to be aware of:
• Most polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Michigan requires photo identification to vote.
• Michigan has prohibited election related materials such as pamphlets buttons and clothing within 100 feet of a polling station.
• Some daycares and community centers offer free or reduced child care for election day.
• There are laws against voter intimidation.
For a list of voter rights and visit https://www.michigan.gov/documents/voter_rights_poster_104427_7.pdf.
WCC students and staff members can also use WCC’s TurboVote system to register to vote, request an absentee ballot and get election reminders via text or email. It’s free and available at http://wcc.turbovote.org
