Blog: Gearing up to Protect Our Elections – Again!

In partnership with Promote the Vote’s Election Protection Program, Voters Ed Fund is re-launching our Nonpartisan Election Challenger and Observer Recruitment Program for local elections on November 7th.

We are committed to recruiting and training volunteers to protect voters’ rights and help keep Michigan’s elections safe, free, fair, and transparent. 

Poster of Uncle Sam pointing at viewer. Text: We Need YOU to Help Protect our Election. Sign up to become a poll challenger today!

Become an Election Challenger Today!

Voters Ed Fund’s goal is to recruit 250 volunteers who will observe election administrators and poll workers and advocate for voters at risk of voter disenfranchisement at the polls. We are also recruiting volunteers interested in serving as election challengers at early voting sites piloted in select cities throughout the state. 

Sign up here to become an election challenger!

Why do we need nonpartisan election challengers?

Nonpartisan election challengers are crucial to protecting voters from being disenfranchised at their polling place by…

  • Being the voter’s advocate. A nonpartisan election challenger’s only priority is protecting the rights of the individual voter – not the party or candidates on the ballot.   
  • Monitoring the election process at polling locations, satellite offices, and absent voter counting boards.
  • Raising an official objection, called a “challenge,” if the challenger does not believe that the poll worker is following Michigan’s election law.

What are the expectations for volunteer election challengers? 

  • Commitment to nonpartisan volunteerism while serving as an election challenger.
  • Interested in learning about voting rights and how to protect voters from being disenfranchised. 
  • Complete training and assessment before Election Day (appx. 2 hours)
  • Available on Election Day or during the Early Voting period – We encourage Election Day volunteers to be available the entire day. Still, shorter shifts will be available for those with work and family obligations. Early vote center poll challengers do not need to be available for the whole day.

If you’re ready to observe elections and help protect the fundamental right to vote this Election Day, sign up to be a nonpartisan election challenger today!

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.