Election Guide

FEATURE

Vote with confidence

A guide from the Detroit Documenters By Outlier Media

IF YOU WANT TO SEE CHANGE, ONE THING YOU CAN DO IS VOTE.

oter turnout in the ugu t ma oral primar for etroit wa le than . e than of the cit regi tered oter turned out for the general municipal election the same year.

Elections are your chance to decide who to hire for the job of public servant. We put together a helpful voting guide unlike most others to help you through. In tead of telling people who to ote for and wh we re here to help ou nd the resources to decide for yourself. ow do ou choo e where to tand on i ue a ecting ou ow do ou e t elect candidate that will upport our cau e hich candidate ha e the a ilit to actuall create change ur guide will help ou ta e it tep tep in an easy to understand way — written for Detroiters, by your fellow Detroiters, the Detroit Documenters.

What’s in here and how to use it

The purpose of this voter guide is to equip you to make well-informed decisions before you cast your valuable vote. It will help you understand:

• The importance of a primary election • Your own values and priorities • Pitfalls to avoid • The power of a public official • How to research a candidate • How to cast your ballot

By the end, you should have a better understanding of how to vote to support your interests and tips for how to stay involved after the election to make ure o cial are wor ing for ou.

You can also check our Election Glossary (available online) if you’re unfamiliar with any of the terms in the guide.

HOW TO VOTE IN THE DETROIT PRIMARY AND KEY DATES TO KNOW

BY KATE ABBEYLAMBERTZ

Voter pitfall to avoid: Missing out on the election because you’re not registered. Not having the proper identification or mail delays can cause problems when registering to vote or returning your ballot. Transportation issues or work obligations can prevent you from reaching the polls on voting day. Avoid these pitfalls by planning where and when you’ll vote.

THIS YEAR, MICHIGAN’S primary is ue da ug. . It i the nal da to ca t your vote, but you can also vote ahead of time. Before you think about who you’ll vote for, make sure you have the basics in check: know how to register to vote, how to receive and return your ballot on time and to the right place.

First, keep the Michigan V oter Information enter it.l t l hand . You can use the site to check your regi tration tatu nd our cler of ce atellite oting location and our polling place; see your ballot; register to vote; and request an absentee ballot.

Register and vote for the first time in Michigan

If you have never voted in Michigan before, you will have to register. After July 18, you must register in person at our cler o ce. ou can regi ter and then immediatel ote an da the o ce is open, until 8 p.m. on Election Day – though you can save yourself anxiety, and possibly time, by registering sooner! In Detroit, you can also register and vote at 13 satellite voting centers, which maintain regular hours through Aug. 1.

You are eligible to register and vote in Michigan if you are:

• a U.S. citizen, • you have been a resident of a

Michigan city or township for at lea t da ug. ou will e ear old ug. and • you are not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison.

Identification you’ll need when you register and go vote

When you register, you must provide proof of residency, which is a document

with your name and current address. Paper or electronic documents are acceptable as are pictures of your documents or ID on your phone. Accepted proof of residency documents include:

• a Michigan driver’s license or state

ID card, • a utility bill, a bank statement, • a paycheck, • a government check or • any other government document.

You will get a receipt of your voter registration. If you register after July 18 and don’t vote when you register, you must bring that receipt with you when you go to vote.

You can register to vote without a photo ID or proof of citizenship. You will be asked for a photo ID if you register in person, but if you don’t have one, you are allowed to register without it by signing a form. (You will still need another proof of residency as listed above.)

If you are voting at the polls or a satellite voting center and have a photo ID or our oter identi cation card ring them with you. You’ll be asked to show a photo ID, but are not required to have one. If you don’t, you must sign an af da it that will allow ou to ote.

If it our r t time oting in ichigan and you registered through the mail or a voter registration drive, you may need to show additional documentation when you go to vote at the polls. You can bring paper or electronic documents, either a photo ID with your name and picture (regardless of the address or with no addre or an o cial document with your name and address, including:

• driver’s license or personal ID card from any state with name and photo, • high school or college ID with name and photo, • passport, military or governmentissued photo ID with name and photo, • tribal ID with name and photo, • current utility bill with name and address, • bank statement with name and address, • paycheck stub or any other government document with name and address

Vote at the polls on Election Day

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you are in line at 8 p.m., you are allowed to vote. Find your polling place at mvic.sos.state.mi.us.

Vote absentee

Michigan election law allows any voter to cast an absentee ballot without giving a reason. V oting absentee may be a good option for voters who have di cultie getting to the poll on Election Day for transportation, work, health or other reasons.

You may also see absentee voting referred to as “voting at home,” “early voting” or “vote by mail.” These terms are sometimes used interchangeably in Michigan.

Request and return absentee ballots by mail

You can submit an online request to have an absentee ballot mailed to you or submit a written request to your cler o ce until ul a long a the request is received by 5 p.m. But both the ecretar of tate o ce and oting rights advocates recommend making your request as soon as possible to ensure your ballot is returned in time. ul i their la t recommended da to return your absentee ballot by mail, though again earlier is better. After that cuto date ou till ha e e eral option to vote without going to the polls.

Other ways to vote before Election Day

At any time up until 4 p.m. Aug. 1 (the day before Election Day), you can request an absentee ballot in person and then ll it out in the ame i it at our cler o ce or at a atellite oting location.

If ou ll out a allot at home ou can also return it to a ballot drop box if your city uses them. In Detroit, all satellite oting center include drop boxes. There are seven additional drop boxes around the city. Your ballot must be in a drop box or received by your cler o ce p.m. on lection a .

If you have an issue with your absentee ballot — it never arrives or comes too late, you make a mistake, you lose it, or something else — you can still vote! Before 4 p.m. Aug. 1, you can request to “spoil” your ballot with your cler o ce and recei e a new allot to ll out while ou re there. ou can al o spoil an absentee ballot by signing an a da it at our normal polling place on Election Day. If you received an absentee ballot that you can’t use, keep it and bring it with you to spoil it.

Other things to keep in mind

• College and university students can register to vote at their home or school address. • If you are in pre-trial detention, if you were previously incarcerated but are no longer serving time and if you are on probation or parole, you are allowed to vote. earn more a out e ort to en ure voting access for Michiganders in pretrial detention, are about to be released from prison, or are otherwise impacted by the justice system from the V oting Access for

All Coalition. • You have the right to an accessible polling place and voting machine.

You can receive accommodations like curbside voting if your polling place is not accessible. he ecretar of tate o ce ma e some voting information available in multiple languages. In certain cities, you have the right to receive a ballot at the polls or absentee in other languages – Arabic-language ballots will be made available in Hamtramck and Dearborn for the r t time thi ear. engali language ballots are available in Hamtramck. Spanish-language ballots are available in Clyde Township, Covert Township, and the City of Fennville. If there aren’t ballots available in the language you read, you can receive assistance from an individual of your choosing who is not an agent of your employer or union.

See more details about your rights and Michigan voting requirements in this guide from michiganvoting.org. If you have a problem voting, you can get help by calling 866-OUR-V OTE (866687-8683), a national nonpartisan voter helpline administered by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. You can also access the hotline in languages other than English:

WHY A PRIMARY ELECTION MATTERS SO MUCH

BY MEG KRAUSCH

Voter pitfall to avoid: Not voting because “nothing ever changes.” Local elections can be decided by a small number of votes, and local officials make decisions about things that affect you everyday like schools, housing and transportation. Casting your vote and staying involved after the election is one way to make change.

VOTERS IN DETROIT are about emocrat. hi mean that mo t of the competition for candidates in partisan races actually happens in the primary, within the Democratic party ballot. For many of the big races, the pani h ngli h — dmini tered by NALEO Educational Fund ra ic ngli h — dmini tered by Arab American Institute (AAI) • Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi,

Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog,

Urdu, V ietnamese or English: I —

Administered by APIAV ote & Asian

Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) n

election is more or less decided by the time the general election happens although there are de nitel e ceptions to this, and both the primary and general elections are important).

The basics

Primary elections are the chance the voters have to decide who will be nominated by each political party to run in the general election.

All the candidates appearing in the August primary can be found at mielections.us.

In a partisan race, such as for U.S. Senate or Congress, primaries narrow the eld down to one candidate within each political party. or a nonparti an o ce — li e judges — the primary is used to narrow the total eld of candidate . hi primar election will e the r t one since the voter approved Michigan’s redistricting process to address gerrymandering. Because of this redis-

tricting, there are fewer incumbents elected o cial running again to eep their eat and new candidate thin the might ha e a etter hot ma ing the primar more competiti e than u ual. ou can nd our di trict at bit.ly/3ztOGnM. he winner of a primar in ichigan will be the candidate that gets the most votes, but a candidate doesn’t need to get a majority of votes to win.

W hy should I vote in a prim ary?

The candidate of your choice needs our upport in the primar to impro e their chances of being in the November general election. ewer ote o erall in the primar and in lower pro le race further down the ballot mean that each vote carries more weight. In 2018, about twice as man people oted in the o em er general election (194,260) in Detroit as oted in the ugu t primar . In ome primar race for the tate Legislature, under 10,000 votes were cast. This also means that it’s easier for pecial intere t group or well nanced candidate to influence the election in the primar . ower le el race li e the e are important too ecau e the are often tepping tone to higher o ce. Michigan Gov. Gretchen W hitmer wa r t elected to the tate ou e of epre entati e efore going on to the tate enate and then the go ernor mansion, where she now has a national pro le.

Even if the candidate you vote for doe n t win our primar ote till matter . olitical partie and candidates might decide to devote more or less attention and resources toward certain demographic policie and i ue a ed on oter turnout and primary results. Candidates who receive igni cant upport ut ultimatel don t win primar election can ometime till influence the winning candidate and the platform the ta e with them to the general election. n

VOTE WITH CONFIDENCE: START WITH THE ISSUES

BY DAMIEN BENSON, KAYLEIGH LICKLITER

Voter pitfall to avoid: Voting for a candidate you don’t agree with. Avoid the sense of unease that can come with voting by informing yourself on everything you’ll be voting on in the election.

IT C A N B E O V ER W H ELM IN G to thin a out where ou tand on all the i ue a pu lic o cial might ha e influence o er. here are u t o man i ue o nd out where ou fall on the political pectrum ou can ta e thi ui pewr r.ch r from the ew e earch enter a nonparti an thin tan .

You can also use this candidate scorecard we de eloped it.l to give yourself an organized way to write down the issues you care most a out and what ind of action ou want elected o cial to ta e on tho e i ue .

Typical voting issues

W hile each election is unique, t pical i ue found in man election include a polic go ernment pending policing hou ing and health care. ow to nd out what candidate thin a and do a out our particular issues candidate campaign we ite and ocial media account t picall pro ide information about where they stand on e i ue including written tatements and videos of media interviews. earch online for a candidate name and add e word for the i ue ou care most about.

You can also reach out to the candidate campaign directl ia email or phone.

Incumbent congressional candidates ha e an o cial go ernment we ite and man of them po t regular update a out e i ue the are legi lating for and again t a well a their prioritie while in o ce. heir we ite al o pro ide contact information and lin to their social media accounts. n

‘HIRE’ THE BEST CANDIDATE: UNDERSTAND LOCAL POLITICIANS’ JOBS

BY BYRON KEYS

C A M PA IG N S M IG H T B E “a race,” but after the election is won, candidates must get down to the business of governance, whether they are in the legislative, executive or judicial ranch. he e role can in ol e peciali ed ill or nowledge that aren t re uired to run for o ce. ere i more a out the re pon i ilitie of ome of the e po ition ou ll nd on the ug. allot which ma help ou a sess which candidate you want to vote for. o chec all the o ce ou ll e oting for pre iew our allot i iting ichigan.go ote and loo ing up your voter information.

G overnor

Michigan governors are elected in o ear election two ear after . . pre idential election . he go ernor mu t e an e ecti e administrator and someone who can ring di erent people and po ition together to go ern e ecti el and ma e good on their promi e to voters. The governor should also be omeone ou tru t to ma e decisions on their own because they can u e e ecuti e order to proclaim or end an emergency, or to reorganize tate agencie create ta force and cale ac pending the egi lature appro e .

o t go ernor come to the o ce with go ernment e perience ut management and negotiation ill can al o e gained in the pri ate ector. The governor does not need to be an e pert in e er a pect of running the state. The governor does need to e a le to delegate re pon i ilit ta e the coun el of e pert and come to an independent deci ion. epartment heads may disagree on a course of action and an e ecti e go ernor mu t e a le to par e the information and ma e the e t deci ion.

The state constitution lays out the go ernor re pon i ilitie which include: signing into law or vetoing ill pa ed the egi lature commanding the tate ational uard reorganizing state executive agencies and department and appointing department head for tate agencie (but a majority of the state Legislature can ote to di appro e of one of the go ernor pic within da of the appointment .

Candidates for governor or lieutenant governor of Michigan must be at least 30 years old and have been a registered voter in Michigan for the four years before they run for the o ce. he go ernor i limited to two terms of four years each.

U nited States H ouse of R epresentatives

em er of the . . ou e are part of the legi lati e ranch. he are re pon i le for writing and pa ing federal law the er e on committees, and they answer question from and pro ide er ice to

their constituents trying to navigate federal systems or issues.

U.S. House members serve in a body where they are one vote out of 435, but even if they are not a member of the House leadership, they are a leader. House members should be able to work with others and be able to negotiate to get laws passed. ou e mem er maintain an o ce in a hington . . and an o ce in their district. lected o cial in the . . ou e of Representatives must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the United States for seven years before they run, and a resident of the state they represent at the time of their election. While it is not required, most members of the House live in their districts.

Every state will have at least one member of the House, and the number of seats each state gets depends on population. Michigan has 14 seats in the House. Because the 2020 Census showed Michigan lost population, the state will lose one House seat, going from 14 to 13 House seats, starting with this election. There are currently seven Republicans and seven Democrats serving.

Members of the House serve twoyear terms and are not term limited.

M ichigan State Senate

State senators need to have similar qualities as their federal counterparts. Michigan has 38 State Senate districts.

State senators have to write and pass legislation, collect taxes, propose the state’s budget, provide oversight of the executive branch and serve on committees that can investigate issues like the state unemployment system, the integrity of the 2020 election or the conduct of elected o cial . he hould e intere ted in getting things done and willing to work for their constituents. Leadership and the ability to work with people across political lines are great skills for state senators to have.

To serve in the State Senate, candidates must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 21 years old, live in the State Senate district they represent, be registered to vote in the district they represent, never have been convicted of subversion, and never have been convicted of a felony involving breach of public trust in the 20 years before they’re elected.

State senators serve four-year terms and are limited to two terms.

M ichigan H ouse of R epresentatives

The requirements to serve in the State House are identical to those for the State Senate, but State House members serve two-year terms and they are limited to three terms.

There are 110 house districts in Michigan and along with state senators, they make up the Michigan Legislature and participate in all the activities of Michigan senators. Once again a elected o cial tate representatives must be leaders in and advocates for their community. The ability to work with others to achieve the common good and compromise are necessary skills for legislators at any level.

W ayne County Executive

Candidates for Wayne County executive have to be registered to vote in Wayne County and at least 18 years old. The county executive — a position introduced less than 40 years ago in 1983 — serves a four-year term, and there are no term limits. There have been only 4 Wayne County executives so far, William Lucus, Edward H. McNamara, Robert A. Ficano, and current incumbent Warren C. Evans.

The county executive oversees all county departments and appoints unelected department heads. Leadership skills and the ability to negotiate are important skills for this relatively new position. n

GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES: HOW TO RESEARCH THE PEOPLE ON YOUR BALLOT

BY DAN IGNACIO, KAYLEIGH LICKLITER

Voter pitfall to avoid: Voting for someone you know almost nothing about. Voters sometimes rely only on name recognition or political advertising to pick a candidate. That can land a voter choosing someone they don’t really agree with or that they feel very invested in and are less likely to hold accountable after the election. A little bit of research will help you feel more confident when you cast your ballot.

YA R D SIG N S. O N LIN E A D S. Flyers. When election season comes, it’s hard to escape the deluge of campaign ads.

But political ads might not make it an ea ier to gure out what each candidate on your ballot stands for. Well-funded candidates can pay for good advertising, but not everyone can a ord to flood our ocial media feed or mailbox.

So, who are your candidates anyway? Let’s do some research.

Your ballot

You can preview your ballot by visiting Michigan.gov/vote and looking up your voter information. You’ll see the same ballot that you’ll get at the polling station or in the mail. Ballot questions like millages are also sometimes on the ballot.

Now that you have a list of names and o ce up for election it time to start digging.

In a hurry?

Remember that local, county and tate race will a ect ou and our neighbors more directly. Lesser-known o cial li e our cit councilmem er county prosecutor or state senator can have a more immediate impact on your day-to-day life than the U.S. president. We suggest starting your research from the bottom of your ballot.

And like any research, it’s important to read multiple sources. Everyone has biases and nobody can cover every detail. Read at least two sources on your candidates.

Voter guides

Research doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You might want to do your own online searches, but other people may have already done a lot of legwork for you. onpro t and new outlet a candidate to ll out ue tionnaire which are often included in voter guides. V ote411 is a well-known voter guide prepared by the League of Women V oters, a national nonpro t that ha a chapter in Detroit. V ote411 also lets you save a list of your chosen candidates, which you can print and take into the voting booth. (Yes, you can bring notes to the voting booth! It’s not a test!) Detroit Documenters has also made a candidate scorecard based on the V ote 411 guide that you can use. Just go to bit.ly/3z67sAa and click on “use tem-

plate” in the upper right hand corner to get a version you can use for yourself.

Local publications also publish voter guides, including WDET and BridgeDetroit and Detroit Free Press. If you want to see and hear your candidates, etroit i i erent record inter iew .

Endorsem ents

Voter guides are not editorial endorsements, which some news outlets also publish. Confusingly, some brand their endorsements as “voter guides.” If it pushes opinions instead of facts, it might not be a great voter guide for you.

Endorsements are opinions. They may help you decide which candidates to support, but endorsements are an incomplete resource when you’re just starting your research.

Campaign websites and social media

Campaign websites can help you learn a out our candidate . peci call ou ll want to nd a page where candidates list political issues that matter to them and how the will tho e i ue . ou can u uall nd thi under the “issues” or “platform” page.

Some candidates might not have a website, especially in races that have less competition or funding. These races are still important to research! Search for your candidates on social media, like Facebook and Twitter, and read how they discuss certain issues. If a candidate does not have a website, does not have a strong social media presence and does not answer questions for voter guides, that might be an issue for you.

D igging deeper

If you want to look past what candidates say about themselves, check out allotpedia. It e actl what it ound like: An encyclopedia that covers many politicians and election races. Not all their article are fle hed out ut all of them include sources. Many of them link to campaign websites and social media pages.

Online searches are the most powerful tool when researching candidates. If you search for a candidate’s name, add keywords like “news,” “Michigan,” or the issues you care most about, or the pu lic o ce the re running for. periment with keywords until you feel like you’ve read enough.

W hat to consider

As you research, you might encounter a dizzying array of candidates, all trying to hit major talking points and wide-reaching political priorities. Maybe all the candidates in a particular race sound great to you. To narrow them down, we suggest forming a concrete picture of what you would like to see in your chosen candidate.

The candidate’s party might be a make-or-break situation for you. But their political background is just as important.

If they’re a new candidate, what is their campaign platform? What issues are they outspoken about? You can u uall gure thi out through new coverage, campaign websites and social media pages.

You may also want to consider a candidate’s personal background: Their pa t wor e perience the communit where they live and their community involvement might tell you how they would govern. Or you might want someone who knows your community well because they live and work there.

What is their character or personality? And how much should that matter?

Certain qualities can make a leader more e ecti e. If an o cial i attempting to pass legislation but cannot gain the support of their colleagues, it may prevent them from doing meaningful work. If you want to rank candidates on the qualities you want to see in an elected o cial u e the etroit ocumenters candidate scorecard, available online. n

HOW TO LOOK UP A POLITICIAN’S VOTING RECORD AND JOB PERFORMANCE

BY KAYLEIGH LICKLITER

Voter pitfall to avoid: Voting for the candidates on faith when you can have information. Pay attention to past scandals or unethical behavior. Be aware that being a well-known “voice” in a community doesn’t guarantee that person will be effective if elected. Appearance and popularity don’t serve the people well — principled, intentional and productive officials do.

W H EN A C A N D ID A T E has never held pu lic o ce oter ha e to ta e some of their promises on faith. But when a candidate has held public o ce efore or i currentl er ing there are a wealth of publicly available document ou can u e to nd out how much that candidate has achieved and how the interact with other o cial .

W hat legislation or public policies have they introduced or helped to get passed?

Information about every bill U.S. Congress members have sponsored or co-sponsored is available on their pro le .

You can look up bills in the Michigan Legislature by their sponsor. You can also look up your representatives’ pro le on their o cial ou e of epresentatives or Senate website. These often provide more information about bills they’ve sponsored or supported.

What’s their voting record? . ou e of epre entati e recent votes can be found on the member pro le page of the ler of the . . oll all ote for oth cham er of Congress are tallied and posted online by bill number within one hour following the vote. ou can nd out how tate legi lator voted on a particular bill if you have the bill number.

oes your public official seem e ec tive in their current role?

Nearly all business conducted by state and city governments must be done in meetings that are open to the public, per the Open Meetings Act. Michigan Municipal League provides a summary of the act’s requirements.

Watching or attending public meeting allow ou to ee r t hand how elected o cial are oting. ttending public meetings is a great way to see our elected o cial in action and help ou decide whether the are e ecti e in their roles.

For judges, you might be able to watch courtroom videos to see how the treat defendant and plainti . The 3rd Judicial Court and 36th District Court, both based in Detroit, let you watch live and recorded court cases.

To determine whether an elected o cial i e ecti e it important to consider what they’re trying to do and whether it accurately represents the community. Another consideration is whether they’re adequately representing all of their constituents. It’s important that elected o cial ma e decisions that are inclusive of residents who come from diverse backgrounds and uni ue e perience .

oes your public official handle them selves as a professional?

uring meeting pu lic o cial follow rules to maintain “decorum,” or propriety. Professionalism in government indicates a level of competence required for a go ernment to e ecti el er e it citizens. Lack of professionalism can make establishing good governance even more of a challenge than it already is. u lic o cial often face conflict opposition, and criticism. Namecalling and unprofessional language in re pon e onl add fuel to the re. It also takes away from the reason they are there — to best serve your needs. There are many ways to respond to conflict while holding pu lic o ce or running for election. Ask yourself if their response makes sense and is rational. n

WHO’S TRYING TO SWAY MY VOTE?

HOW TO FOLLOW THE MONEY IN CAMPAIGNS

BY DAVID PALMER

Voter pitfall to avoid: Voting for “bought and paid for candidates.” Corporations and special interest groups spend large sums of money to back candidates they believe will be friendly to their concerns. If you notice one or two candidates in a race have sent you 10 times as many mailers as the rest, there is a reason — follow the money!

B EC A U SE ELEC T IO N S matter, there are plent of people tr ing to influ ence how ou ote. roup of citi en and other elected o cial do thi endor ing candidate mall and large donor do thi gi ing mone directl to candidate and there are olitical ction ommittee that donate mone u ad erti ement or pon or e ent de igned to help get the candidate the fa or elected. nder tanding how thi influence wor and how to na igate it can ma e ou a more con dent oter.

Follow the m oney

one ma e it wa into our elec tion through a num er of di erent a enue . here are direct contri ution to candidate and human intere t group and corporation . an didate ha e to di clo e contri ution made to them and thi information can e found on federal tate and count campaign nance we ite ut not all the group that donate to candidate ha e to di clo e who their donor are o it i till hard to now who i actuall gi ing mone to candidate . he e ind of donation are called dar mone .

In the . . upreme ourt ruled in iti en nited . that there can e unlimited and political contri ution to I organi a tion al o nown a uper . uper can get donation from group that don t ha e to di clo e their donor to the pu lic. he don t contri ute directl to candidate ut pend mone on ad mailer or other communica tion in federal race in hope of elect ing or defeating a particular candidate. he ichigan ampaign inance ct of go ern how mone impact politic in the tate and what candidate ha e to di clo e. or e ample candidate for go ernor can recei e up to per election c cle from indi idual donor candidate for tate enate can get a ma of ma and candidate for tate ou e can get a ma of . nce people are elected to o ce and are no longer candidate the do not ha e to di clo e an nancial contri u tion the get from lo i t or an one el e ma ing ichigan one of onl two tate with uch latitude according to the ichigan ampaign inance etwor .

Follow the m oney from donations

here are a wide range of ta e empt nonpro t organi ation that al o rai e and pend mone to influence elec tion . ome nonpro t can t pend mone thi wa . etroit ocumenter i ho ted utlier edia a c nonpro t that cannot and doe not ee to influence election . hat wh thi oter guide i encouraging people to ote in general ut not peci call for an candidate or propo al. c ocial welfare organi a tion on the other hand can pend up to of it annual re enue to upport or oppo e candidate and other allot propo al . ther nonpro t li e c la or union and c u ine league can al o pend to upport or oppo e candidate and allot propo al . andidate running for the . . ou e of epre entati e enate and re ident ha e to le campaign nance report with the ederal lection ommi ion . ee ing to influence federal election mu t al o le with the . or e ample entering the name eorge loone into the o un der nd contri ution from peci c indi idual followed o ngele in the cit eld ring up contri u tion made etween and totaling more than . million. or tate le el race the ecretar of tate pu li he campaign nance report from all candidate ee ing o ce in a di trict or uri diction that include more than one count . complete li t of candidate for tate of ce in the ugu t primar can e found on the we ite. lic on an candidate name to e directed to their tate campaign nance we ite where ou can re iew their donation . he e di clo ure include the name addre and contri ution amount of each donor for the reporting period. ount cler recei e campaign nance report or intra count o ce li e count commi ion heri and for local go ernment o ce li e cit council or town hip cler . If ou re intere ted in who donate to candidate running in a ne a land acom count election go to the e ite and loo for campaign nance tatement .

Follow the m oney in advertisem ents

If an ad i paid for a candidate committee it need to a o. i ewi e if it i not authori ed an candidate committee it mu t al o a o. aluating the content of political ad erti ing i part art and part cience. If ou nd an ad erti ement reall trou ling or compelling ou can re iew the campaign nance record for the organi ation running the ad to learn a out their prioritie and contri utor .

The w ho, w hat and w hy of endorsem ents

ndor ement of political candidate or allot initiati e are e pre ion of pu lic upport indi idual politi cal partie intere t group and media organi ation . common ource for di co ering endor ement i the candidate them el e . andidate will proudl li t their endor ement on their we ite in commercial and on their campaign literature. ho can ma e an endor ement

Indi idual endor ement can e a imple a a per on ma e another elected o cial ta ing to ocial media to a the upport a particular candi date for elected o ce. olitical partie u uall ma e their endor ement at their con ention . hen a political part nominate a candidate oter can ta e that a an endor ement. ocal unit of political partie can al o ma e endor ement e en if the don t ha e the power to nominate candidate on their own.

A ny informal or formal collection of human wor ing toward a peci c goal can e called an intere t group and man endor e candidate . Inter e t group can e profe ional a ociation nonpro t or u t group of indi idual li e a parent teacher organi ation or a rec league hoc e clu . Intere t group determine their own criteria for endor ing or oppo ing candidate . ome intere t group al o di tri ute candidate ur e and pu li h their re ult .

In ichigan intere t group or in di idual upporting or oppo ing can didate in an election are re uired to regi ter a a olitical ction ommittee once a per on or group recei e or pend or more in a calendar ear in order to influence tate or local election . pending mone pu lici ing an endor ement i an acti it that would ee to influence an election.

In ome ca e the intere t group or will pu li h it li t of endor ed candidate perhap on a we ite or in their new letter. or e ample an intere t group li e a la or organi ation will end a range of communication to it mem er to ma e them aware of their endor ed candidate . he ma e en a mem er and upporter to fundrai e or olunteer for their fa ored candidate . ditorial oard of media organi a tion can al o ma e endor ement pu li hing them efore the election. ther media organi ation li e ridge ichigan ha e clearl tated rea on for wh the do not endor e political candidate .

H ow m uch should you pay attention to endorsem ents?

ndor ement are made indi idu al and intere t group with an agenda. Intere t group are tr ing to influence our ote in an election and their en dor ement are a ig part of that influ ence. ow much weight ou gi e to an endor ement hould align with how much ou now a out and agree with the group doing the endor ing. n

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO TO THE POLLS IN DETROIT

BY MALAK SILMI

MAK E A PLAN TO VOTE! If you’re voting on Election Day, get your tran portation in order nd our polling place by looking it up here and learn more about what you will nd at the poll .

If you aren’t voting from home and can’t drive to the polls, you can use public transportation like SMART and u e to get to the poll . o nd the uic e t route to our polling location or a ballot drop box, u e the ran it app.

Who will be at the polling place?

Election workers, also known as poll workers, are available to assist ou and an wer an ue tion at the poll . If ou ma e a mi ta e on our ballot or the tabulator machine isn’t working, an election worker should e a le to help.

Poll watchers are people who wish to observe the election process, but they are not allowed to approach oter at the poll . oll challenger are appointed by a political party or a uali ed intere t group to o er e the election process and may challenge the actions of election workers or the eligi ilit of a per on to ote. owever, they are not allowed to directly approach voters and can only challenge through election wor er .

Challengers aren’t allowed to take an picture in the polling location. he mu t ha e an o cial identi cation card from the party or organization that they represent, and they can be expelled from a polling place if election workers deem them “disorderl .

How straight ticket voting works (don’t forget the nonpartisan section!)

There are three sections of the ballot: partisan, nonpartisan and propo al .

During the general election, straight ticket voting is available for the partisan section since the candidates are already narrowed down for each part .

You can select a political party to automatically vote for the candidates of that party in each of the partisan race . ou can onl elect one part Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, . . a pa er or ing la reen or atural aw. r ou can ma e your selections individually for each race in that ection.

You will still need to make individual selections even if you choose to vote a straight party ticket for the nonpartisan section and proposal ection of our allot.

Some races, like for a school board, allow you to cast a vote for more than one candidate. hen that i the ca e your ballot will say that at the top of that ection.

Accommodations and voting assistance

ederal law re uire polling place be accessible to voters with disabilitie . oter can call the epartment of Elections at 313-876-0190 to check if their assigned polling location is acce i le.

Poll workers are obligated to provide whatever assistance is needed to facilitate the voting process for voters with disabilities, according to the law. he it of etroit ha hired disability activists in the past to train and sensitize poll workers to better er e oter with di a ilitie .

Report problems or concerns

If you have a problem voting, tell a poll wor er. If the poll wor er i the person causing the issue or cannot solve it, call the election protection hotline at . he hotline i al o a aila le for pani h pea er at and for ra ic pea er at and for engali antone e indi Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Urdu, ietname e or ngli h I . n

STAY ENGAGED: WHAT COMES AFTER THE ELECTION

YOU HIT THE POLLS, NOW WHAT?

BY PAUL WARNER, KAYLEIGH LICKLITER YOU HIT THE POLLS, now what? ou ha e done our ci ic dut . hether you went to the polls or mailed in a ballot our ote wa ca t. ere how ou can continue to stick to the path of the ci icall engaged citi en.

How do you even know who won?

Most major news outlets report election re ult ut man al o call race making a prediction on who won before all the allot are counted. e ult ma ta e ome time to nali e. e ure to nd re ult on either government websites or reliable news outlets, rather than checking the candidate we ite not e er one li e admitting the lo t . nce the election are nali ed the county clerk should have a list of local winner of race on their we ite. o nd information on local elections, go to Detroit’s Department of Elections website or to the Michigan oter Information enter ite.

Research, cast and repeat

Now remember, when it comes to oting the primar i u t the r t round. In o em er general election you will repeat the process, but there may be some more research to do on ballot initiatives or candidates from political parties whose primary you didn’t participate in.

After the election, but before swearing in

hen omeone win a general election, it will be at least a couple of month efore the ta e o ce in anuar . ow do ou ee what the are up to until that time? Social media is a great tool to track and interact with elected o cial . r ou can ic it old school and make them stick to their word contacting them directl . all email or write them at their campaign head uarter efore the mo e into ta pa er pro ided o ce . oe our pu lic o cial eep their word? Do they seem attentive to concerns?

hen a candidate run for o ce the often list priorities and actions they plan to ta e once elected. ou ma want to consider the candidate’s experience and plan to addre e prioritie . detailed plan indicates they are taking the desired position seriously and will be read to er e on their r t da of o ce.

By providing residents the opportunity to share their experiences, public o cial can en ure program and er ice are wor ing e ecti el and are ed when the re not. ou ma want to consider how willing and/or hesitant they are to provide the public with this opportunit . hen concern are rai ed elected o cial hould nd an wer and create olution . or e ample if re ident have shared concerns about a particular program treating them unfairly, o cial can re ue t a legi lati e re iew on how the program was implemented or call for more o er ight.

Continuous dialogue with con tituent hould e a two wa treet. cial hould not u t deli er their me age the hould al o hear ue tions and input from their constituents and e ea to get in touch with.

Getting your voice heard

You can sign petitions or get directly in ol ed with an elected o cial olunteering for their o ce. ou can get involved in groups that deal with issues ou care a out. or nonparti an ci ic engagement, join a group like us — the Detroit Documenters — and cover meetings so the general public can stay informed on ci ic e ent . emem er our ta dollar pa for that o ce in a hington and an ing regardle if ou oted for a particular o cial. ta involved and have a say in how your hard earned ta dollar are pent.

Politics has a lot of specialized terms and candidates, talking heads, and o cial ometime u e the e term to make things seem harder to under tand. or an election glo ar ee it.l cI .

CREDITS | Concept, research and outline: Sonja Stuckey, Detroit Documenters | Published by: Outlier Media in collaboration with Detroit Documenters | Written by: Detroit Documenters Damien Benson, Dan Ignacio, Byron Keys, Meg Krausch, Kayleigh Lickliter, Gina McPherson, David Palmer and Paul Warner | Additional writing by: Kate Abbey-Lambertz, Lynelle Herndon, Noahaz Kincade and Malak Silmi at Outlier Media | Edited by: Sarah Hulett and Lindsey Smith at Michigan Radio, Sarah Alvarez, Erin Perry and Kate Abbey-Lambertz at Outlier Media | Detroit Documenters Media Partners are: WDET, Detroit Free Press, Planet Detroit, BridgeDetroit, Detroit Metro Times and Chalkbeat Detroit.