Blog: My City Votes in 2025

Education and civic engagement are the foundations of democracy. Voters Ed Fund is ready to work with local community partners to expand our civic education programs and empower  Michigan voters, but we need to break through the increasing levels of damage caused by misinformation over several election cycles.

Over the last two years, we have built relationships with local organizations and community leaders in Flint, Pontiac, Grand Rapids, Muskegon Heights, Benton Harbor, and Warren through our My City Votes program. It has always been our goal to continue developing these partnerships in order to grow the grassroots activist community in Michigan and ensure every community has the power to create people-powered change. 

In 2025, My City Votes will work to support local community partners and expand the civic engagement and education programs we offer to ensure Michiganders are empowered with the tools to advocate for their unique and diverse communities. We will develop lasting partnerships with local organizations and voters in key cities, lending our resources and expertise to support voters in historically underrepresented communities to make their voices heard. 

Our plans for My City Votes communities in 2025 include election education during the May, August, and November local elections, educational town halls in partnership with local officials, and expanding our Democracy Academy program, tailored to the needs of individual communities, to reach voters where they are and help them engage with local government. We also plan to identify vacancies on municipal boards and commissions and engage community members to consider serving on those boards

My City Votes 2025 will build on the work Voters Ed Fund has done throughout the last two election cycles to support local municipalities and community organizations in building a more educated, engaged, and empowered citizenry.

Benton Harbor accepts elections grants

Two grants to improve elections have been awarded to the city of Benton Harbor.

City commissioners this week voted to accept $10,000 from the More Responsive Government 2024 Grant Program to purchase two new tabulators for absentee ballots.

City Clerk Tiffany Moore told them about the other grant.

“$7,000 from the Voters Not Politicians Education Fund, and that is used for communication and public relations strictly related to the November 2024 election,” Moore said. “So, you’ll be seeing signs throughout the city directing you on where to go to vote, how to register to vote, how to obtain an absentee ballot. There’ll be information about early voting on there. We’ll partner with Voters Not Politicians for some direct mailers, possibly some events, and maybe even a billboard.”

Moore said the new tabulators will be especially helpful as the city is expecting around 1,000 absentee ballots to be cast in the November 5 election. It’s mailed out 878 so far and has already received 92 back.

Moore tells residents who haven’t received an absentee ballot but want one to contact the city clerk’s office.

This story was originally published by WSJM. Read more here: https://www.wsjm.com/2024/10/08/benton-harbor-accepts-elections-grants/

Blog: My City Votes Makes a Difference – Because Each Vote Counts

In 2022, Voters Ed Fund launched a comprehensive Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign in five cities across Michigan, mobilizing low-propensity voting populations for the 2022 general election. My City Votes is an innovative program that collaborates with city officials and local community organizers to develop city-specific voter education and outreach campaigns including websites, events, direct mail, targeted canvassing and text-banking, and more to increase voter engagement, turnout, and overall civic participation.

In 2024, Voters Ed Fund relaunched My City Votes and expanded to six communities: Pontiac, Muskegon Heights, Warren, Benton Harbor, Flint, and Grand Rapids. While some of these are smaller municipalities, Grand Rapids and Warren are the second and third largest cities in Michigan, and represent a large population of low-propensity voters who are at risk of not voting in this election. We are also continuing our work to support voters in Detroit, as part of the Detroit Votes partnership that continues this year. 

We know that in close elections, like we saw in 2016 and 2020, just 2 votes per precinct can determine the outcome of the elections. That’s why it’s so important to reach low-propensity voters now and let them know that their vote really does matter. 

Through our partnerships with officials and community organizations, voters will receive multiple contacts from trusted messengers that provide the information and encouragement they need to participate in this election. In Grand Rapids, for example, our local partners from the Grand Rapids Hispanic Center and Creston Neighborhood Association will soon begin knocking doors! Their early start in those communities will especially make a difference in getting voters ready to vote when absentee voting begins later this month. 

We’re excited to see how My City Votes will impact turnout in this November’s election, but the My City Votes program is about more than any one election. By partnering with local leaders, it is our goal to help build voter power in communities across Michigan, and to make sure voters know that every election matters and every vote counts.

Help Us Reach 200K Voters through My City Votes

Using citizen lobbying as a force for change

“Citizen Lobbying: Advocating to Your Local Government” was recently presented virtually by the Democracy Academy, as a project of the Voters Not Politicians Education Fund (Voters Ed Fund).

Voters Not Politicians is a voter-led prodemocracy political reform movement in Michigan.

“Learning how lobbying can be used is a force for change at the local level,” said Alyson Grigsby, education programs manager For Voters Not Politicians.

Grigsby added the presentation was being held to help citizens understand their power as citizens and advocates to their local government. She pointed out the right to lobby is protected by the First Amendment and a way to petition the government for a redress or to give money.

According to Grigsby, citizen lobbying can look like contacting not only elected officials, but city managers and department heads.

“This could involve calling, sending emails, writing letters, attending meetings or inviting officials to your coffee hour or group meeting. It could involve lobbying your officials via public comment. You might also consider writing a letter to the editor of a local publication to gather public support and help find allies. This also brings attention to officials.”

Participants in the virtual event were invited to look at real-life case studies of citizens using their power to lobby their government. The case studies helped show the variety of issues and interests citizens can lobby for.

“Even if your goals are unsuccessful initially-and I want to put out initially-for getting something passed, you get that internal satisfaction of being connected to the community in general on something you’re passionate about,” said Grigsby.”…Sometimes there will be roadblocks to trying to get something adopted related to funding or understanding how it should be particularly implemented. I don’t want you to take this as a loss….It’s OK because it shows the people and you that this is something people can do by engaging directly with the democratic process.”

This story was originally published by Flint Courier News. Read more here: https://theflintcouriernews.com/using-citizen-lobbying-as-a-force-for-change/

My City Votes 2024 Just Got Even Bigger

As we prepare for the November General Election this year, Voters Ed Fund has been building up our partnerships with local clerks, mayors, and other trusted community leaders in our My City Votes communities to make sure that voters, especially those in underrepresented communities, know their voting options and have confidence in local and state election systems.

We are excited to announce that we are officially adding another municipality to our My City Votes 2024 campaign: Warren, Michigan, the third largest city in our state!

To be selected as a My City Votes municipality, communities must meet a few specific criteria, including having an above average population of historically disenfranchised voting groups, higher rates of poverty, and below average voter turnout rate compared to the state at large. Our goal is to reach low-propensity voters in these communities and give them the information and motivation they need to get out and vote.

Warren, as the third largest city in Michigan, has a population of over 135,000, and provides Voters Ed Fund with an opportunity to reach even more voters from historically marginalized communities. Thanks to cooperation from the Warren Mayor, we will be targeting an additional 53,000 voters to help them to exercise their constitutional right to vote this November. 

While we’re excited to be expanding to another city, our work in Warren was not part of our original budget for this program. That means in order to make sure we can make the impact we want to have in this city, we’ll need to raise an additional $100,000 between now and September, when this campaign will fully launch. If you want to support My City Votes 2024, and the work of Voters Ed Fund to educate, motivate, and empower voters in historically marginalized communities, make your tax-deductible donation here.

Voters Ed Fund Presenters Ensuring Michiganders Can Vote with Confidence in 2024

In February 2024, Michigan voters participated in the most accessible statewide election in Michigan’s history, taking advantage of new options such as early voting and the permanent absentee ballot list. However, many Michiganders don’t yet know how much more secure, modern, and accessible our elections have become.

That is why the Voters Ed Fund has been training volunteers to inform their communities all over Michigan about their new voting rights.

Group of people seated in chairs around the perimeter of a room.

Throughout 2023, many city and township clerks told us that the best way organizations like Voters Ed Fund can support them is by informing voters about the upcoming election changes. Therefore, as part of our Proposal 2022-2 Implementation program to ensure the successful initiation of Michigan’s new voting laws, Voters Ed Fund has launched an ongoing Voter Educator training program that prepares volunteers to give their own presentations on Michigan’s new voting laws. Since November, Voters Ed Fund has trained over 50 volunteer presenters across 27 municipalities.

To ensure this pivotal voter education reaches a wide scope of voters across Michigan, we encouraged volunteers to engage organizations within their own communities including block clubs, Democratic or Republican clubs, faith organizations, and unions. Since the start of our program, Voters Ed Fund volunteer Voter Educators have already given 22 presentations to over 600 voters across Michigan.

Voters Ed Fund isn’t done educating Michigan voters. We continue to host training sessions to empower volunteers to become Voter Educators and inform their local communities about Michigan’s elections. You can join them in this mission: sign up for an upcoming Voter Educator Training (hosted monthly) to learn how you can help empower your community through voter education!

Interested in securing a VNP voting rights presentation for your local civic, religious, or community group? Reach out to Education Programs Manager Alyson Grigsby at alyson@votersnotpoliticians.com or request a presenter using this online form.