Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has announced several nonpartisan voter information tools and election security updates ahead of the upcoming General Election in November.
As part of the rollout, Michigan voters will now have access to a new voter information texting tool. Voters can sign up via text to receive a one-time text with a link about five different topics:
- Request an absentee ballot
- Find your early voting site
- Make a plan for Election Day
- Become a poll worker
- Link to Vote411, the League of Women Voter’s nonpartisan election information guide
While voters have already been able to track their absentee ballots online via the Michigan.gov/Vote website, voters can now register to receive those notifications directly to their email inbox. Voters can see exactly where their ballot is in the process at all times and learn exactly when it has been accepted for tabulation by their clerk.
The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) is now running a new early voting advertising campaign, “It’s Sooo Simple.” The campaign includes a series of social, streaming, and static ads. The Secretary of State’s office said the goal of the campaign is to increase awareness of the convenient options available to Michigan voters: vote absentee, at an early voting site, or on Election Day.
The MDOS also relaunched the MDOS Election Fact Center – Michigan.gov/ElectionFacts – an official source of nonpartisan information on elections and voting in Michigan. The site includes facts about some of the most common questions or false claims about elections that the department has seen this year.
MDOS has also allocated $5 million in grant funding for jurisdictions statewide. The grants can be used to boost physical security and resiliency against cybersecurity threats, as well as to purchase additional voting equipment. Congress appropriated funds to states for the grants under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the state Bureau of Elections released the grant program based on recent recommendations of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), as well as security exercises conducted with local election officials.
