Michigan Election Coalition

The Michigan Election Coalition, a project of State Voices, is a non-partisan grass-roots organization dedicated to election reform in the state of Michigan. Our mission is to ensure the fundamental right of every eligible voter to cast an accurately recorded and counted ballot in a fair, secure, and transparent election process.

2008 Election

Prior to November’s historic election, the Michigan Election Coalition (MEC) focused its efforts on supporting the election administration work of city and county election officials. Building relationships with election officials through open and honest dialogue about Michigan’s election system enabled the MEC's effort to predict and therefore, limit, Election Day election administration problems through the development of a Hotspot Report. The Hotspot Report, which listed the MEC partner organizations most prevalent election administration concerns, along with the geographic areas where these problems were most likely to occur on Election Day, was instrumental in the development and execution of a coordinated Poll Monitor Program. The MEC Poll Monitor Program placed volunteer Election Challengers in various polling locations throughout the state on Election Day. With a focus on the identified hotspots, Election Challengers reported election administration problems that were observed. MEC Coalition partners also organized voter engagement forums to educate and prepare voters for Election Day. These forums were geared to educate voters about their rights under Michigan election law, which was especially important given the number of first time voters that were registered in the state. Additionally, the MEC executed information campaigns directed toward voters whose homes were in foreclosure and voters who had voted provisionally in the 2006 elections to inform them of their voting rights. By highlighting the work of the MEC and others in the voting rights community, we also drew attention to election administration problems that continue to act as barriers to voting, demonstrating that more work remains to be done.

• Read the full MEC Hotspot Report
• Read the full 2008 Michigan Election Coalition Post-Election Report

2009 and Beyond

The MEC's work in 2009 and beyond is guided by the following principles:

• We want it to be easy for eligible persons to get on the Qualified Voter File, whether through Election Day Registration, pre-registration of minors or Universal Voter Registration. We want it to be very, very hard to illegitimately purge persons from the Qualified Voter File.
• We want eligible persons to be able to vote conveniently, whether through no-excuse absentee voting or early voting. We want votes counted accurately (minimize spoiled absentee ballots, audit legislation).
• We want to expose deceptive practices and we want perpetrators of deceptive practices held accountable.
• We want ballot order of candidates rotated by precinct, not set so candidates of the party of the Secretary of State are always first.
• We want appropriate language access available for voters who require language assistance at the polls.

In the Media

The MEC has been featured in the following media:

• Long lines could await Michigan voters Nov. 4 - by Alexa Stanard, Michigan Messenger
• Lose your home; lose your right to vote? - by Jim Wishner, Public News Service
• Election Protection: Watching the polls, and watching the poll workers - by Curt Guyette, MetroTimes
• City prepares for expected spike in voter turnout - by Julie Rowe, Michigan Daily
• Election 2008: Educated Voters - by Michigan Nonprofit Association, Policy Portal
  

Michigan Election Coalition Partners

Michigan Election Coalition Advisory Members

• Danielle Atkinson, Michigan Voice
• Brandon Jessup, Michigan Forward
  
• Neila Johnson, Project Intersect
• Rich Robinson, Michigan Campaign Finance Network
• Brandon White, Michigan Prospect

Contact Information:

Tierney Eaton

Director, Michigan Election Coalition

719 Griswold Street, Suite 600

Detroit, MI 48226

(313) 965-8987

tierney@statevoices.org