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Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) launched Michigan’s “It’s sooo simple” early voting campaign Sept. 26. The campaign aims to use digital resources to simplify the election process and includes an information texting tool, absentee ballot tracking system and online fact center.
Edie Goldenberg, faculty advisor for TurnUp Turnout, an organization that focuses on nonpartisan civic engagement as well as voter registration and education, told The Michigan Daily that these new tools increase accessibility for seniors who are unfamiliar with technology.
“I think (the tools are) making voting easier for young people,” Goldenberg said. “They’re even making it easier for a lot of people, I think the very senior people … some of them are not so digitally literate, shall we say, or comfortable.”
The MI Vote Info Texting Tool is featured in the early voting campaign. It sends users a one-time text message including information on becoming a poll worker and how to obtain an absentee ballot and make plans for Election Day. It also links to Vote411, an impartial election guide from the League of Women Voters Education Fund.
Laura Dudgeon, director of the Michigan League of Women Voters Dearborn-Dearborn Heights, said the League included their voting guide in the text tool to continue their historical legacy .
“The reason the league started was because women wanted to make sure their vote would count the most effectively, so they all got together and started learning who was on the ballot, what was going on and sharing the information,” Dudgeon said. “A hundred years later, we’re finding and gathering information on the candidates. We’re putting it together, sharing that information on how you can vote, ways to vote and helping people register.”
Apart from the texting feature, the state of Michigan has improved its monitoring system for absentee ballots as a part of the campaign. Previously, voters could check the status of their ballots on the Michigan Voter Information Center website, but they may now choose to get email alerts. This includes updates on where the ballot is in the process and confirmation when it has been accepted for tabulation.
Benson said in a press release that Michigan has entered an important phase in the voting process with the release of absentee ballots.
“With absentee voting beginning today, we are entering a critical phase in this fall’s election season,” Benson said. “Today is a call to action — for every eligible Michigan citizen — to take the time to check your registration and choose the voting option that’s best for you.”
To combat misinformation, Benson relaunched the Election Fact Center in the campaign. The center is an official source of nonpartisan information about Michigan elections and voting that addresses common questions and debunks false claims about elections.
LSA junior Zena Aljilehawi, chair of the Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force 2024, told The Daily official, nonpartisan sources are important sources of accurate information for voters.
“I’m a student who’s really involved in the civic engagement sphere, and it’s very difficult to verify what information is correct and what isn’t,” Aljilehawi said, “So I always tell the students to go to official, nonpartisan sources.”
Alongside these digital initiatives, Benson announced updates to the state’s election security efforts. The Department of State has allocated $5 million in grant funding for local election clerks to bolster cybersecurity measures, enhance physical security at election sites and purchase additional voting equipment. These funds were appropriated by Congress under the Help America Vote Act and are based on recent recommendations from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Daily Staff Reporter Matilda Sophia Mottola can be reached at msophy@umich.edu.
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