PEG 6th Congressional District Newsletter 393
November 1, 2024
About · Volunteer Opportunities · Newsletter Archives · Events · Highlight
Spread the Word!
You Can Vote In Person Even if You Have an Absentee Ballot
With an absentee ballot, you can take an absentee ballot to your early voting site, or to your polling place on Election Day, and feed it into a tabulator!
Once you arrive at the voting site, you must sign in and let the voting personnel know that you have an absentee ballot.
- The inspector for check-ins will have you complete an application to vote (name, address, date of birth) and show your ID or sign an Affidavit of Identity.
- The Inspector will verify your registration and voting precinct and will enter verification in the e-pollbook. The records will be updated to indicate that you have an absentee ballot and have brought it with you to a voting location.
- You will be directed to the voting booth. If your ballot is completed but you’ve made an error, you will have to let the voting personnel know and they will spoil your ballot and give you a new ballot to complete.
- You will feed the ballot into the tabulator. Make sure your ballot goes through the tabulator and is not rejected.
Cover all of your bases by joining the permanent mail ballot list so that an absentee ballot (not just an application to get one) is automatically sent to you before every election. Apply here, and toward the end of the form you can choose to join the permanent list. This way, if you’re unexpectedly unable to go to your polling place on election day, you, a family member, or roommate can take the absentee ballot to a secure drop box.
(Image credit: Trevor Irvin / Copyright 2024 The Southerland Report.)
Look at What Democrats Have Done in America Since 2016
In Michigan, we voted for Democrats throughout our government. Together, we added
- gun safety to protect us
- reproductive rights for men and women
- political fairness to the election process
- public funding to safeguard our children’s health and education
- voting rights and protections for every eligible voter
- and so much more.
We created real grassroot groups by the boxcar load and added millions of members who are doing something.
We learned to speak about what matters most — freedom, equality, fairness, honesty, respect, kindness, commitment.
And this was just in Michigan. That’s what Democrats did!
Have questions about what’s on your ballot? Go to mivoter.org.
Harris and Walz Rally for Votes and Victory in Burns Park
To the crowd of Michiganders mobbing the tiny park, vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz introduced Kamala Harris as a former prosecutor who loves America. Harris’s speech was filled with her laughter and optimism. It was as if she were a gracious hostess, inviting us into a democratic home, one which recognized the similarity of Americans rather than their differences. As she said, “We have the opportunity to turn the page and chart a new and joyful way forward.”
Among the actions she called for were:
- The lowering of prices for necessities and medications, in contrast to Trump’s planned 20% sales tax which would cost the average family $4,000 per year.
- The cutting of taxes on the middle class and a $6,000 tax credit for a child’s first year of life “that will lift America’s children out of poverty.”
- The cutting of taxes on small businesses and bringing down the cost of housing and health care costs, in contrast to Trump’s desired end to ACA.
- The buoying of Social Security and Medicare, in contrast to Trump’s wish to cut these programs.
- The fight for freedom: This includes freedom over our bodies, freedom to vote, freedom from gun violence, freedom to drink clean water and breathe clean air, and freedom to love whom you love.
Why did Kamala Come to Ann Arbor this Week?
Harris closed her speech by reminding viewers that their vote is their voice and their voice is their power. She exhorted listeners to get out the vote so we’d win in a week.
Why Did Kamala Come to Ann Arbor This Week??
The Ann Arbor community is heavily Democratic. So why did Harris and Walz hold a rally here? The answer might be found in voter participation data from 2016. That year, Trump won Michigan by just over 10,000 votes out of 5 million ballots cast. Out of 103,000 registered voters in Ann Arbor, just under 62,000 voted. Delving further into the data, there were significant differences in turnout of registered votes based on age:
83% of those 18-21
48% of those 22-30
44% of those 31-40
54% for those 41-50
69% for those 51-59
77% for those 60 and over.
It’s important to note that a certain percentage of registered voters — especially young voters in a transient city like Ann Arbor — move out of the district every year, and it can take several voting cycles to remove them and other inactive voters from the registration rolls. Regardless, even if the numbers are off by 10 or 20%, the turnout is low compared to a college town like Madison, Wisconsin, which sees an 85% turnout rate!!
Turnout for the Democratic ticket is crucial! Remind your friends and family to vote!
| (More) Events and Ideas for ACTION!#GOTV #VoteReady |
Which of Your Neighbors Hasn’t Voted Yet?
Distill Social will show you how to find them. Join one of Distill Social’s Zoom sessions at 7:30 PM on any night through this Sunday, November 3 to find out. At these sessions other proven opportunities will also be presented.
In 2016 Trump won Michigan by 2 votes per precinct. There could be 2 more voters on your street.
Follow the Washtenaw County Democratic Party and the Michigan Dems’ One Campaign
- Help is needed to rescue and cure votes already cast for Kamala Harris & Dems
Help voters fix their mail-in ballots when those ballots have been rejected by the Clerk’s office because they contain an error. Call (“cure”) or visit (“rescue”) these voters to help them correct their ballot. Uncured ballots are not counted and are lost votes. These are guaranteed votes for Kamala Harris that will be left on the table. Sign up for Ballot Cure phonebank training or Ballot Rescue in-person visit training.
- Poll greeting
On election day, greet voters near voting locations and offer them a slate card with a summary of Democratic voting recommendations on election. Sign up to be a Poll Greeter.
- Canvassing in Washtenaw County!
- Ann Arbor: Canvassing in Ann Arbor with the One Campaign. Sign up here for Thursday and Friday. Sign up here for the final days, Saturday through Tuesday.
- Western Washtenaw / Saline: Weekday canvassing in Saline and Western Washtenaw County with the One Campaign! Sign up here for Thursday and Friday. Sign up here for the final days, Saturday through Tuesday.
- Get Out the Vote with Students in Ann Arbor
Table and talk with them about registering to vote in Ann Arbor, Democratically endorsed candidates, and the importance of casting their vote as soon as possible. As a bonus:
- Pups to the Polls! Volunteers with Dogs & Cats Needed!
If you have a calm and cool four-legger who likes to hang around with students, bring them. It is a great conversation starter. Many time slots available! Please sign up here.
- Help with afternoon tabling at U of M
Sign up here for 1 — 4 PM slots. All tablers will meet at the U of M Dems staging location on the first floor of Mason Hall.
- Virtual Phone Banking
For first timers (or those who need a refresher!) – phone banking training will be held at the beginning of each session. Sign up for the Zoom link here.
- Protect Michigan Voters! Be a Poll Observer
Poll Observers are the eyes and ears on the ground at polling places across the state. They ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot. We will train, assign, and support you to make sure that you are as effective as possible during Early Voting and on Election Day. Find out more and watch the training video or sign up for live online training.
Action Needed: Volunteer with End Gun Violence Michigan Action
You can make phone calls to voters, send text messages to your own social network, or go door-to-door. It’s only by talking to people 1-by-1 that we can make a difference on the issue of gun violence. Sign up here!
- Mondays, 7 pm: texting friends and family with other volunteers on Zoom. This is a
- elational organizing program, so you would text your own social network to inform them about Michigan’s new gun laws and voting.
- Saturdays: Canvassing for gun-sense candidates in Michigan. Currently, we are canvassing Oakland County for Shadia Martini, who is running for Michigan House in District 54, and there may be opportunities in the future to support other candidates.
“You can’t put guns in people’s hands and then claim no responsibility when they murder people.” —Dr. DaShanne Stokes
Saturday, November 2. Party at the Polls
Join Survivors Speak and friends for local voter parties in Ypsilanti. The events are free and open to the public.To volunteer for neighborhood canvassing or event support, email to volunteer@survivorsspeak.info. New West Willow Neighborhood Association, 2067 Tyler Rd. 1–4 pm
Visit the PEG Events Page for more upcoming events at www.equalityingov.org/events!
Election Resources
Have questions about voting?
The Michigan Voter Assistance Hotline (833-648-6837) is a wonderful resource supported by the Michigan Democratic party and made available a few months before each election. Though the majority of callers are Democrats, it is available to all voters regardless of party affiliation. Staffed by trained volunteers, a backup staff is on the ready for complicated issues. If people call the Hotline and no one answers, they can leave a message and their call will be returned.
Common questions fielded by the Hotline are in regard to absentee ballots, registration status, and poll locations. But hotline volunteers provide accurate, up-to-date voting information on as many issues as possible.
Accessible Voting
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) at the University of Michigan has created an Accessible Voting Guide. It is available in a visual format as well as a plain text version. Information on Accessible Voting is also available on the State of Michigan website.
Go to Ballot Power to check
- Your Voter Registration
- Your Current Voting Status
- Your Local Clerk’s contact info
- Your Ballot Drop Box Location(s) and Hours
- Your Early Voting location
- Your Election Day Voting Location
Things Everyone Can Do from Home that Will Help Us Win
Ballot Power and NAACP Detroit Partner Up To Get Out The Vote!
Through Election Day on November 5, Ballot Power and NAACP Detroit volunteers will contact Detroit voters. They’ll provide crucial information about absentee voting, early voting options, and Election Day polling locations. This campaign aims to boost voter participation and engagement in the democratic process. You will NOT BELIEVE how easy the process is; just click the “send text” button on this webpage, and then the system loads another voter. Click “send text” again, and keep going!
Inform Michigan Voters (Together or Solo) with Michigan Resistance
From Michigan Resistance: We are an activist group that has been around since 2016. Usually, our focus is on promoting progressive legislative action and stopping things we find harmful. What we do is text people in a certain district and ask them to call their own representatives and ask them to do something. During campaign seasons, we focus on informational texting, such as letting Democrats from purple districts know what their Rep has done for them, or who the liberal supreme court candidates are. If you are interested in joining us, please call or text Terryl Sperlich at 810-516-0923.
Register Swing Staters to Vote with Field Team 6
Field Team 6 offers virtual opportunities to help Democrats win this November. Their mission: “Register Democrats. Save the World.” While many organizations only work with registered voters, FT6’s goal is to register new Democrats, making a larger tent. Partnering with organizations like NOW and The Union, FT6 focuses on swing states through texting, phone banking, and postcarding. These activities aim to register likely Democratic voters. There’s a role for everyone interested in contributing.
Join Field Team 6 to contact unregistered likely Swing State Democrats and turn them into registered Democratic voters! Sign up here:
