People in 34 Michigan Counties Can More Easily Vote Absentee in May 5th Primary
By MUUSJN on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020
MAY 5TH PRIMARY COULD OPEN DOOR TO STRONGER, SAFER PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS
Michigan’s May 5th primary election, without having any candidates on the ballot, is making history!Presidential candidates Joe Biden (D) and Donald Trump (R) have already been chosen by their parties. What makes this primary election unique is that is being held in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic. The Secretary of State (SOS) Jocelyn Benson wants to prevent voters and poll workers for catching this terrible disease. Local governments were given the option of postponing their election or holding it with a proactive approach to encourage citizens to vote absentee. After being given this option to postpone, 34 of 55 counties are moving ahead with elections for mostly school millages or local bond issues which they believe can’t wait until the fall. Click HERE to see which Michigan counties are holding primary elections and see what issues are on their ballots.
The historic change in this election is that the SOS is mailing absentee voter applications to each registered voter in the jurisdiction holding a May 5th primary. The State is providing postage paid return envelopes so people can vote from home. In an April 24th press release, the Secretary of State urged voters to cast their absentee ballots by mail as soon as possible. Approximately 740,000 voters were mailed applications for absentee ballots; 213,000 submitted their applications and already 66,355 people have mailed their ballots. Local clerks still must keep at least one polling place open for people who want to vote in person. Clerks’ offices must be available for same day registrations or ballot drop-offs.
Scott Reilly, a UU voter registration activist from Southfield, said that this experiment in absentee voting will provide a precedent for how things may go in the big 2020 election this fall. A strong turnout now can set the stage for a better voter turnout in the fall. Also, this election will test how local officials can hold live elections that may involve social distancing and using proper health precautions.
CALL TO ACTION #1: People in the 34 counties where the May 5th elections are being held (click HERE) should encourage their friends and neighbors to request a ballot and vote absentee. If the COVID-19 returns — or hasn’t fully left us in the fall — absentee voting likely will be very smart way to vote.
CALL TO ACTION #2: If you know someone who has not registered to vote (maybe a young person or a newcomer to Michigan) or if someone who has changed their address, tell them they can take care of these things on the SOS website. Click HEREto register to vote or to update their voter registration.
MUUSJN will soon be launching a statewide Get Out the Vote campaign. People from 17 UU congregations have expressed an interest in promoting the vote. We’ll be providing actions people can take from their own homes. For more information about volunteering to Get Out To Vote, contact Randy Block at 248-224-5572 (cell).
Category: News |