When you receive your ballot, follow the instructions carefully. A large number of absentee ballots were 'spoiled' in the primary election because the voter failed to sign the envelope. If you have questions about your ballot, call your local clerk.

Voters should return their completed absentee ballot as soon as possible to their local clerk. The League urges you to HAND DELIVER your completed ballot to your local clerk or in your clerk's dropbox, instead of using the US Mail. Most Michigan cities and townships have drop boxes; click here to find your clerk's dropbox location(s).

To check to see if your absentee ballot has been received by your clerk, click here. 

The VOTE411 website, which the national League of Women Voters launched in 2006, serves as a "one-stop-shop" for nonpartisan election related information and responses to relevant questions for federal and state races and ballot proposals. Information for the November, 2020 election is now available on VOTE411.org.  Here are the easy steps to accessing the races and proposals on your ballot:  1) Visit VOTE411.org.  2) Type in your address and submit.  3)  Click "explore now" to find out what's on your ballot.   4) Click "Gto to my races" then click on the race that you want to review.  Click here to access the PRNT voter guide that will also be available in libraries in late September. 

The League of Women Voters never supports or opposes any candidate or political party, but it may endorse or oppose a ballot proposal when we can apply an established League position.  The League of Women Voters urges a YES vote on the two Michigan ballot proposals:

#20-1:  Michigan Use of State and Local Park Funds Amendment and

#20-2:  Michigan Search Warrant for Electronic Data Amendment1

Local Leagues should be consulted for endorsements of county or local ballot proposals. 

If you are 16 or 17, or a registered voter in Michigan, you can be a poll worker on November 3 and get paid for your work! "Democracy is a team sport, and now more than ever we need people to get in the game. Election workers are our most valuable players,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Sign up here to register.

For those who are already signed up to be poll workers, click here to access videos and other resources furnished by the Michigan Secretary of State that serve as a good supplement to local training of poll workers. 

Read the complete LWV statement HERE.

In June, 2020, LWVMI joined a lawsuit demanding that laws put in place by the 2018 passage of Proposal 3 be enforced, including counting votes made by absentee ballot if the ballot is postmarked on or before Election Day, requiring clerks to immediately process absentee ballot requests and having local clerks pay for postage for returning absentee ballots. Read the statement from LWVMI President, Christina Schlitt in Bridge Magazine.

UPDATE 7-14-20: The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against the League in a decision on July 14, 2020. The League appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court. On July 31, 2020, the Supreme Court voted 4-3 to decline hearing the case which means voters must return their ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day for them to be counted. “The League is extremely disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear our case, which would have allowed absentee votes to count if they were postmarked by Election Day,” said Christina Schlitt, president of the League of Women Voters of Michigan. “Our fight is not over. The League will continue to push to remove barriers to voting, to help ensure voting is accessible and convenient and every registered voter in Michigan can participate fully in our democracy."

UPDATE 8-17-20:  LWVMI has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider their decision.  “New information concerning projected post office delays in handing absentee ballots reinforces the importance of what we originally asked for –allowing absentee votes to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day,” said Christina Schlitt, president of the League of Women Voters of Michigan. “The Court’s decision could help prevent the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters in the November election and ensure voting is accessible and convenient for every registered voter in Michigan in November and beyond.” Read more here.

UPDATE 9-18-20:  In a similar but separate suit brought by the Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans, Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens ruled that absentee ballots can be counted after election day in 2020 provided they have a postmark no later than November 2 and are received by the local clerk within 14 days of the election.

The League of Women Voters supported Proposal 3, "Promote the Vote", which was passed by Michigan voters in the November, 2018 election. This new constitutional amendment ensures that every eligible person can vote and that every vote will be counted. It safeguards our elections with audits and more accurate voting lists, and removes barriers that can make it harder for citizens to fulfill their responsibility to vote. Michigan citizens are now guaranteed these new voting rights:

• A citizen can register to vote anytime with proof of residency. Click here for details.  Click here to watch a short video about registering to vote in the November, 2020 election. 
• All registered voters can access to an absentee ballot for any reason.  To apply for an absentee ballot, click here to access the application.
• The right to vote a secret ballot is protected.
• Military service members and overseas voters will get their ballots in time for their votes to count.
• Voters have the option to vote straight party.
• Citizens will be automatically registered to vote at the Secretary of State’s office unless the citizen declines.
• The accuracy and integrity of elections are ensured by audits of election results

For detailed information about voter registration, click here.  Another great source of voting information for Michigan voters is a Know Your Rights booklet produced by the ACLU and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

The League of Women Voters of Michigan was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the State of Michigan concerning PA 608, which imposed a myriad of new restrictions on ballot initiatives. The League supports and encourages the grassroots efforts to initiate legislation, to amend the constitution or to recall our elected officials through the ballot initiative process. We are very pleased with the Court of Claims judge’s decision on September 27, 2019 which supported the claims that a 15% limit on the percentage of initiative signatures that come under any U.S. House district is unconstitutional. Also cited as unconstitutional is the requirement that petition circulators fill out a check box on the petition indicating whether they are paid or volunteer staff. On January 27, 2020, the Michigan Court of Appeals agreed with the lower court's decision to strike down the changes to Michigan's ballot drive law, declaring the changes unconstitutional. The court's ruling removes unreasonable barriers to circulating petitions in Michigan and vindicates the constitutional right to petition.  Read information about the court's decision here.

UPDATE 8-28-20:  The Michigan Senate and House of Representatives appealed the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court.  The Supreme Cout ruled this as moot on August 28, 2020, which vacated the lower court's ruling. Read the decision here.

Inclusiveness enhances the organization’s ability to respond more effectively to changing conditions and needs, and therefore, LWVMI will in both principles and practices promote the inclusion in participation in any activity of LWVMI all persons whatever their gender, race, socio-economic status, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin or disability. Read more about the League's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by clicking here.

The League of Women Voters of Michigan is one of 21 members of the Oil and Water Don't Mix Coalition that sent a letter to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality ("MDEQ") and the US Army Corps of Engineers ("Corps") on June 29, 2017 regarding Enbridge Oil Company’s joint application to the MDEQ and the Corps (No. 2RD-DFDK-Y35G) to install 22 anchor supports on the Line 5 pipelines in the Mackinac Straits. The Coalition members are Michigan organizations dedicated to the protection of Michigan’s water, natural resources, public trust in those resources, the environment, communities, and the health, safety and general welfare of citizens.

The Coalition organizations are requesting that MDEQ and the Corps take the following actions with regard to Enbridge’s joint application:
1. Reject as incomplete due to its overly narrow scope of review;
2. Require a comprehensive review of Line 5 in the Straits that includes an assessment of adverse environmental impacts, risks, and feasible and prudent alternatives;
3. Temporarily terminate the transport of crude oil in the Line 5 pipelines during this comprehensive review; and
4. Hold a formal public hearing given that Enbridge Line 5 occupies publicly owned waters and bottomlands and the threat of a catastrophic oil pipeline rupture to the Great Lakes are of tremendous controversy and have generated an extraordinary level of public engagement. Read the entire letter here.

Other resources:
Under-the-Straits tour of Pipeline 5 (3 min. video)
Area businesses expressing concern about Pipeline 5 (3 min video)