See the Summer Success from Voters Ed Fund

During 2023, we at the Voters Ed Fund have been working on three main projects to increase voter education statewide and inform voters about their expanded voting rights: 

Proposal 22-2 Implementation: Also known as our Clerk Engagement program, volunteers across the state are working with their local city and township clerks to identify gaps in implementing Proposal 22-2 and provide grassroots support to ensure that Michigan voters can benefit from expanded voting access in next year’s primary elections. In total, we have recruited 222 clerk engagement volunteers across 45 counties, and have received 70 reports from interviews with municipal and county clerks, representing a total of 1,764,110 registered voters.

Facilitator from APIA Vote leads workshop in Warren.

Democracy Academy: In 2023, the Voters Ed Fund launched Democracy Academy, a series of in-person workshops to identify short-term and long-term solutions to low voter turnout in municipal elections statewide and expand local civic engagement. Our volunteer-led team has been hard at work over the summer to roll out our pilot workshops featuring our first learning module, Making the Case for Local Election Voter Turnout. We are pleased to announce that we have hosted three workshops in Kalamazoo, Warren, and Monroe, garnering 65 attendees total. Throughout this workshop series, we have partnered with local community organizations including the Kalamazoo NAACP, APIA Vote, and Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters. We are continuing our statewide tour throughout September with workshops in Lansing on September 9th and in Marquette on September 12th. 

My City Votes (MCV): The Voters Ed Fund is working hand-in-hand with local clerks, mayors, and other trusted community leaders across the state to make sure that voters, especially those in underrepresented communities, know their voting options and have confidence in local and state election systems. My City Votes is a strategic collaboration with city officials and community partners to maximize voter education of expanded voting services and critical voting deadlines, prioritizing voters with the lowest propensity to vote. MCV will collaborate with city officials in six communities during the 2023-2024 election cycle: Flint, Pontiac, Grand Rapids, Inkster, Benton Harbor, and Muskegon Heights.

Interested in learning more or getting involved in our education fund programs? Please reach out to Education Programs Manager Alyson Grigsby at alyson@votersnotpoliticians.com.

Blog: Sharing What We Love About Our Democracy (And What We’re Taking on Next)

“Would you like information about your new voting rights, courtesy of Voters Not Politicians? We ended gerrymandering in 2018, expanding voting rights in 2022, and now we’re working on bringing ethics and transparency reforms to our state government.”

This might sound familiar to you if you happened to walk by the nonprofits section of the Ann Arbor Art Fair last month. Organized by the Ann Arbor team of Voters Not Politicians volunteers, the VNP table was a space to share information about the pro-democracy success Voters Not Politicians has achieved in our state. Volunteers passed out flyers that detailed new voting options that are available in Michigan, thanks in part to the thousands of VNP volunteers who gathered over 171,000 signatures to put Proposal 2 on the ballot in 2022. 

Volunteers also shared the pro-democracy priorities that Voters Not Politicians is working on right now, including explaining how we can bring ethics and transparency reforms to the legislature and governor’s office, and introducing the problem of, and solutions to, prison gerrymandering. Many attendees were excited and curious to hear about these new avenues of democracy reform, and we look forward to sharing more information and mobilizing the public to enact these changes.

We also had an incredible opportunity to get feedback from everyday Michigan voters on their thoughts of the current state of democracy in Michigan and in the country as a whole. Several attendees took the time to share their thoughts on our democracy and on Voters Not Politicians’ growing pro-democracy movement, including a mother interviewing her young son on what democracy in America means to him. Volunteers at the table also shared why they take the time to work with Voters Not Politicians and the value they feel our organization brings to Michigan’s democracy.

While every Michigan voter has benefited from the pro-democracy successes of Voters Not Politicians and Voters Ed Fund, the Ann Arbor Art Fair, and other tabling events this summer, have given us the opportunity to remind the public of the value of Voters Not Politicians’ grassroots pro-democracy movement: from ending gerrymandering, to expanding voting rights, to launching innovative voter outreach and education programs. 

Even our staff here at VNP got the opportunity to come out and enjoy the weather and the work of our dedicated volunteers! We’d like to thank the entire Ann Arbor volunteer leadership team, especially Lisa, Rita, and Marie for their work in organizing this opportunity, as well as every volunteer who took the time to staff the VNP table and share their passion for VNP and voting rights with their fellow Michiganders. And an extra special thank you to Chris for filming and editing the attendee and volunteer interviews into a powerful profile of Voters Not Politicians’ impact on our strengthening democracy. Look out for that video on our website and socials this month!

Blog: Democracy Academy Hosts First Workshop

We are happy to report that Democracy Academy has completed our first pilot class in the City of Kalamazoo. On Monday, June 12th, our team successfully completed our first workshop with 15 participants. Participants included volunteers and leaders from El Concilio, Outfront Kalamazoo, NAACP, League of Women Voters, and the YWCA; along with general community members.

Beginning this year, Democracy Academy is hosting a series of educational workshops to explore the problem of low voter participation in municipal elections, how our current system perpetuates low turnout, and why the result is eroding our community-level democratic institutions. Participants will learn what they can do to lead the change to make voting in local elections a priority in their communities. 

Our first workshop was a fantastic opportunity for local community activists to convene and discuss the work ahead for the 2023 local election season. We thank them for spending their valuable time with us for an evening of learning and engagement. 

Participants also provided us with constructive feedback through post-workshop surveys they completed at the end of the evening. We will use this feedback as we revise and improve our materials and presentation for future workshops later this summer.

Blog: We Interviewed Local Clerks About Proposal 22-2 Implementation: Here’s what they have to say about the work ahead

Proposal 22-2, passed by voters in 2022, is now being implemented. Once the supporting legislation has been signed into law, 1,603 local and county election clerks will be responsible for ensuring that the Prop 22-2 amendment is carried out across Michigan’s 1,520 local election jurisdictions. 

From late March to late May 2023, Voters Not Politicians Education Fund interviewed more than 30 municipal election clerks throughout the state of Michigan to learn and share their perspectives on the work ahead. 

The interviews revealed several key findings. Firstly, all of the clerks expressed the need for additional financial support from the state to adequately fund elections in 2024, regardless of their jurisdiction’s size. Many clerks highlighted uncertainty regarding their plans for early voting, with 16 out of 33 respondents still undecided and awaiting guidance. Another notable finding was that a majority of clerks have little experience in administering pre-paid postage for absentee ballot return envelopes. Regarding publicly-disclosed donations to fund elections, there was a lack of clarity among clerks. Nearly half of clerks expressed uncertainty as to whether they would accept or seek such donations, indicating a need for more guidance from state authorities in order to move forward.

Lastly, the clerks emphasized the importance of voter education over the next two years. They stressed the need for comprehensive education on the election process, the changes introduced by Proposal 22-2, and the security measures in place that ensure fair and accurate elections. They hope to see voters well-informed and empowered to participate in the electoral process.

Read our Full Report

We could not have completed this comprehensive report without our Clerk Engagement Volunteers! We express our heartfelt gratitude and utmost appreciation to our remarkable volunteers who have dedicated their time, energy, and passion to this project. Your generosity and selflessness inspire us all and remind us of the power of collective action. To each and every one of our volunteers, thank you for making a difference in the lives of others. Your dedication to civic engagement leaves a lasting legacy of compassion and hope for the people of Michigan.

Blog: Votes Ed Fund Publishes New Report: Ensuring the Equitable Distribution of AV Drop Boxes

In addition to engaging election clerks, Voters Ed Fund is using a data-driven approach to make substantial contributions to understanding the work needed to implement Proposal 22-2. In early April, we published Implementing Proposal 22-2: Ensuring the Equitable Distribution of AV Drop Boxes. Our publicly shared report was disseminated to volunteers, stakeholders, coalition partners, and the Michigan Secretary of State to better understand the number of drop boxes that will need to be added across Michigan to provide the required number of AV Drop Boxes. Our report found that 709 additional AV Drop Boxes will need to be added this year across 630 election jurisdictions. 


Voters Ed Fund is working with a robust coalition of more than a dozen nonpartisan organizations. We meet weekly to share updates, materials and timelines to make sure our collective work is as effective and efficient as possible. As the nonprofit that has been the first to launch this kind of program in the state, Voters Ed Fund is sharing information we are learning from volunteers and clerks.

Blog: Voters Ed Fund Continues to Engage Election Clerks

As of May 1st, Voters Ed Fund has recruited 128 volunteers in 39 Michigan counties to support implementation of Proposal 22-2, which voters overwhelmingly approved last November to guarantee more ballot access. Voters Ed Fund volunteers continued meeting with their clerks throughout April and by month’s end had met with local clerks in 15 municipalities (22 total since March) across 10 counties, representing 576,043 registered voters. Our goal is to identify gaps in implementation and the concerns of both clerks and voters, and to provide grassroots support to local election administrators who must comply with the directives of Proposal 22-2. With our large, distributed network of trained volunteers, Voters Ed Fund is well suited to monitoring and supporting implementation across numerous municipalities, including population centers and historically underrepresented communities.