Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

Democracy Drumbeat: August 2, 2022

Election Updates

It’s Election Day!

Today is Primary Day in Michigan! Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., and you can vote as long as you are in line by 8 p.m.

Due to redistricting, your districts and maybe even your precinct may have changed this year. Double check your polling location and see a sample ballot at mi.gov/vote.

If you still have your absentee ballot at home, make sure to sign it and return it to your nearest drop box or clerk’s office (check locations at mi.gov/vote) by 8 p.m. tonight!

Not registered to vote? No problem. Michigan has same day voter registration, so make sure to check mi.gov/vote to find your local clerk’s office or satellite locations where you can register and vote all in one trip!

866 Our Vote Hotline

If you have any questions about voting today or experience any problems accessing your clerk's office or polling location, you can call the nonpartisan election protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) or one of the language specific hotlines:

  • Spanish - 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)

  • Asian Languages - 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)

  • Arabic - 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)

Grow Detroit’s Young Talent Interns

We recently welcomed and trained a new cohort of interns from Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, an organization in the city that provides meaningful summer employment opportunities for Detroit youth, ages 14 to 24. Since 2020, Michigan LCV has partnered with GDYT to offer an internship program that provides young people experience in the world of environmental/voting rights advocacy and education.

Our five interns, Rose Abou Assaly, Maya Farr, Thomas Jenkins, Saniya Crawford, and Janiya Hughes, will be working with our Democracy For All Team in Detroit through the middle of August! Keep an eye on our Democracy All-Stars section to learn more about some of the team!

Voting Rights Actions You Can Take:

  • Check out our 313 Votes and 616 Votes websites for important election information and voting options in Metro Detroit and West Michigan.

  • Download the Know Your Rights Guide - a nonpartisan resource designed to help voters navigate Michigan’s voting laws and ensure we can all successfully cast our ballots - in English, Spanish, Arabic, or Bengali.



Democracy All-Stars: Rose Abou Assaly

Our “Democracy All-Stars” spotlight features champions working on the frontlines to protect our freedom to vote, engage voters and ensure our democracy works for everyone.

This week’s Democracy All-Star is Rose Abou Assaly!

Rose is a senior at the University of Michigan where she is studying Political Science and Secondary Education with an emphasis in history at the School of Education. Rose is extremely passionate about education and education policy, a passion she cultivated through her experiences advocating for students in low-income, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Rose is currently interning with Michigan LCV’s Democracy For All team through our partnership with Grow Detroit’s Young Talent. This is Rose’s second summer working with our Direct Voter Contact program to get a glimpse of political work but most importantly — educate and guide Michigan citizens to vote successfully.

What compelled you to get involved in voting rights/systems change/democracy work?

Voting rights are essential for the execution of our democratic rights as citizens. For effective change to happen in our cities, states, and country everyone should participate in the election process. Change is made when people vote and are represented accurately in places they would not otherwise be. I want for everyone’s voice to be heard and I want for accurate representation to be implemented in the spaces that create major change in our communities and societies.

What democracy issues do you think are most important in your community?

Education is crucial, especially in my community. People often feel they aren't educated enough to vote or voting is too complicated. Even when they get to voting they are oftentimes confronted with a list of names that are foreign to them. I think educating the community about who, when, where, and why they should vote is important. Also having easy access to candidate information is another important aspect to voting rights. These things could truly improve voter turnout in our community.

What is one of your proudest moments while working in the democracy space?

My proudest moment while working in the democracy space is getting to be a part of an education cycle. Attending webinars and getting educated about voting rights and being able to educate individuals about the process of voting and their rights as voters. One phone call I had two weeks ago was about a woman who initially wasn’t interested in the phone call. However after going through the script with her she was able to receive the information she needed to be able to drop her ballot off at the clerk's office because she didn’t think she would have time the day of to go to the polls. She thanked me and was pleased to see the process of voting was not that difficult for her. Even though calls like these are very hard to come by, having that moment pushes me to keep working to make those calls and remind voters their voices in this democracy matters.

Thank you, Rose, for your hard work and dedication to our democracy!

Do you know someone in your community who is a Democracy All-Star? The Democracy For All team is looking for more Democracy All-Stars, and would love to highlight them and their work fighting for democracy for all. You can send a submission for a Democracy All-Star in your community to [email protected].


Questions & Answer:

Q: I recently lost my wallet, and with it, my drivers license. Can I still vote today even if I don’t have my ID? - Cody from Grosse Pointe

A: You can! You’ll be asked to fill out an affidavit, or a short signed statement, stating that you are you. - Brooke Harris, Voting Rights Manager


Submit a question for the Democracy For All team!

Do you have questions for us? We want to hear from you!

If you have questions about the Democracy For All team’s work or topics covered in the Democracy Drumbeat, you can submit your question using this form.

We will review your questions and pick one to answer in the next issue of the Democracy Drumbeat!

Thanks for reading and have a great week!