Elections belong to people like us...and you!

For me, joining the military was embracing a family tradition. I was the first woman, but in the generations before me, all the men had served, including my father – who often told me how much he loved his time in uniform. So, even though I studied music in college and taught for one year after that, joining the Navy’s Student Flight Officer program seemed like a natural thing to do. I would likely still be serving alongside my comrades today if a flight-related medical issue hadn’t forced me to leave aviation.

Despite the change of course, the solemn oath I took to defend the Constitution will always guide me.

That is why I’m speaking out now.

In this moment, our democracy needs defending as much as it ever has – not only by people in uniform, but by every Michigander who values the rights and liberties that we can so easily take for granted.

Luckily, the Constitution is clear: Eelections are administered by the states.

Here in Michigan, local clerks and other officials ensure our elections are fair and the outcomes are accurate. It is a job they’ve done exceptionally well over the years, but they need our support. If you’re a Michigander and can see yourself joining the ranks as an election inspector (i.e. poll worker), I wholeheartedly encourage you to reach out to a clerk’s office, in your local area or anywhere in Michigan, for more information. You can also obtain information here.

Or, like me, you could sign up with a credentialing body, such as the non-partisan organization Promote the Vote, to play the important role of election challenger, whether that is at the absent voter ballot processing facility, early polling location, or an Election Day polling place. When you hold the challenger credential, you have the power to advocate for voters and challenge any errors in the election process in real time, helping to even further guarantee elections are run to the letter of the law.

The more each of us directly engages in democracy, in any way, the stronger it becomes.

Remember: elections are where we must exercise the greatest voice we have as Michiganders – our vote!

Will you please join me in the good fight?

As the Grand Rapids City Clerk, I, along with my colleagues across the state, have the privilege and responsibility of helping protect democracy by ensuring Michigan’s elections are fair and accurate.

Michigan has about 1600 clerks in cities and townships across the state who carry out this sacred work. We, along with our staff and community members, help carefully administer our elections. Together, we do it to the letter of the law as we ensure every eligible vote is accurately counted.

I can say with complete confidence that our elections are safe, secure, fair and accurate.

And I’m far from alone in believing that.

A recent survey by the University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy found that 95 percent of the people most directly responsible for election administration are “very confident” in their jurisdiction’s ability to conduct fair elections.

Notably, that certainty crosses all party lines.

“Confidence in local election administration is consistently high across jurisdiction sizes and similar among Republican, Democratic, and Independent local officials,” according to the report.

Unfortunately, the survey also found that the general public is not as convinced as we are that Michigan’s elections are fair, and the results accurate.

Despite overwhelming confidence in their local government’s ability to carry out elections, only two-thirds (65%) of local election officials believe their residents are “very confident” of the accuracy of elections in their community, according to the report.

This is one of the biggest concerns election administrators have according to the UM study – the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation about our elections. Politicians who continue to wrongly deny the validity of the 2020 election results, and keep raising concerns that have no factual foundation, bare much of the blame for the sowing of baseless doubts.

Here’s the truth: Me, like hundreds of other clerks across Michigan, in a system that is deliberately decentralized, work with dedicated staff and community members who keep our elections safe.

Transparency is key.

We’re not just completely open about the process – we actively seek media scrutiny and the involvement of community members, who can see for themselves the safeguards in place by becoming part of the process, either as poll challengers or poll workers. You can learn more about both roles here.

Our elections are safe and fair because we, as a community, make sure they are.

If you are not already part of the process – especially if you have any doubts about it – now is the time to engage. You can see for yourself how democracy works as you are, at the same time, helping strengthen it.

As someone who teaches social studies, I remind my students every day of an essential truth: Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Thomas Jefferson told us that a free nation demands a well-informed electorate. And when Benjamin Franklin walked out of the Constitutional Convention, his challenge was simple: we have "a republic, if you can keep it." The power has always belonged to "We the People," and true democratic accountability rests squarely in our hands. When we sit back, disengage, or lose faith in our public systems, we aren’t just giving up on institutions, we are giving up on ourselves. In this country, we are the government, but only if we show up and claim it.

I don’t just teach that civic power; I live it. Years ago, when our local school board lost touch with our community’s values, I refused to be a bystander. I stepped into the arena, ran for a seat, and served for a decade until our families had the accountable leadership we deserved.

That is the energy our democracy requires right now. Casting a ballot is where your power begins, but real civic agency goes so much further. It means doing the homework to stay sharp, asking the tough questions, and refusing to stay silent. One vote matters, but when you inspire five friends, coworkers, or neighbors to get off the sidelines and join you, you don't just participate, you move the needle.

When you step into the voting booth, trust the process. Michigan’s elections are run with airtight checks, balances, and bipartisan oversight by dedicated local clerks and election workers who ensure every vote counts. That system works because our neighbors show up to run it. If you want to take it a step further, step up: serve as an election worker, be a challenger, and see democracy transparently from the inside. Find out how to do that here.

Be the accountability. Be the voice. Show up, bring your community with you, and keep our republic strong!

As Genesee County Clerk & Register of Deeds, I, along with my colleagues across the state, have the privilege and responsibility of helping protect one of our most fundamental rights: the right to vote.

That is why I am excited to see a new report, from the University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, examining how local officials across our state feel about their ability to administer fair and accurate elections. The continuation of a project that began in 2009, this survey contains results that are reassuring in many ways. Most notable, but not at all surprising, is the certainty local election officials have in our ability to produce accurate election results every single year.

“Among township and city clerks, who are most directly responsible for election administration, 95% are ‘very confident’ in their jurisdiction’s ability to conduct elections accurately,” according to the report.

Even more notable is that this confidence crosses party lines.

“Confidence in local election administration is consistently high across jurisdiction sizes and similar among Republican, Democratic, and Independent local officials,” according to the report. “Across every partisan group, just 1% or fewer say that they are ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ confident in their jurisdiction’s ability to administer an accurate election this fall.”

In other words, Michiganders who’ve been elected to protect our state’s voting process and guarantee accurate results are close to unanimity in knowing that we are up for the job. Those of us who have dedicated our careers to this work overwhelmingly believe in the systems that are in place.

Unfortunately, the report also reveals a troubling disconnect; the general public is not as convinced as we are that Michigan’s elections are fair, and the results accurate.

“Despite overwhelming confidence in local government’s ability to conduct elections, only two thirds (65%) of local officials believe their residents are ‘very confident’ of the accuracy of elections in their community,” according to the report.

This is in large part due to a high degree of misperception among voters stemming from politicians who continue trying to cast doubt on the 2020 election results, although many of those politicians won their own local elections. The most prominent of these deniers is of course, the President of the United States, who keeps promoting lies and conspiracy theories about the outcome, which have been disproven time and time again. Even though those accusations have been thoroughly debunked both in Michigan and nationally, the fear mongering persists because President Trump and his allies believe they can alter truth and history by spreading unfounded fears instead of facts.

Facts like this: Michigan’s elections are built on checks, balances, transparency, and the participation of people from across our communities. Elections are administered locally by city and township clerks and their staff, alongside trained community members who serve as election workers and observers. These folks represent both the Democratic and Republican parties and work tirelessly to ensure every step of the process is carried out according to law and subject to public scrutiny.

It is also important to note that Michigan has one of the most decentralized election systems in the country. With 83 county clerks and more than 1,600 city and township clerks across the state all operating under the scrutiny of citizen poll workers and observers claims of election rigging are absurd.

Despite that, and all the other safeguards built into Michigan’s election system, clerks like me still find ourselves in a position where we need to debunk the propaganda being spread by people who value political power above rule of law.

One of the respondents to the survey summed the situation this way:

“The rise of election misinformation and the resulting distrust in democratic systems have fundamentally shifted the landscape for municipal clerks and election officials. What was once a largely administrative, behind-the-scenes role has become a high-stakes, public-facing position that requires navigating a ‘hyperpartisan’ environment.”

Having to spend considerable time combatting false information distracts from the vital election work we have been entrusted to carry out. As this report highlights, we are already under-resourced and underfunded. Responding to baseless attacks only makes our job even more difficult. The important takeaway here is that Michiganders have the means to counter the fear mongers and fabricators, and it begins with each of us casting a ballot this November.

Participating in democracy is the best way to defend it.

Beyond voting, I also encourage members of our community to become even more involved in the process by signing up to be poll workers and observers, who carefully monitor the election process to ensure it is followed to the letter of the law. If you have doubts about the election process, then get involved firsthand rather than trusting conspiracy theories based only on false information and inflated egos.

Speaking not only for myself, but my fellow clerks as well, we firmly believe that transparency is vital, and that your participation isn’t just welcomed. It is crucial.

As a veteran high school English teacher, I’m able to gain a lot of valuable insight into how young people perceive the world and their place in it. Particularly telling, I think, is how deeply Octavia E. Butler’s dystopian novel The Parable of the Sower resonates with my students.

Butler uses science fiction to examine a world where corporate oligarchs rule in luxury while the vast majority of Americans, abandoned by their government, are left to fend for themselves. Published in 1996, and set in 2026, the dismal future Butler foreshadowed can seem perilously close to becoming reality.

That is...if we let it!

My hope is that, with so much on the line, vast numbers of Michiganders will be motivated to make their voices heard by casting ballots this November.

If we want a government that serves the needs of all of us, we must send the message that we are highly engaged and intent on holding our elected officials accountable.

When we do that, we do so with the confidence that, whatever the number of ballots cast, people and procedures are in place to ensure a fair and accurate outcome.

It starts with locally elected clerks and other election officials who prove year after that they are up for the job of overseeing elections that have multiple safeguards built in.

Beyond that are the average citizens who sign up to become either a poll worker or a poll challenger, both of which provide the sort of transparency that guarantees elections are run to the letter of the law. To learn more about the different roles and how you can fill one, go here.

And if that is not for you, then ensure you protect your rights and the rights of others by voting and encouraging others to vote. Every citizen's vote has a right to be counted!

However you choose to engage, the takeaway lesson is this:

The future has not yet been written. It is our story to tell, and it begins with using our votes to make our voices heard!

As someone who served in the Marines, I have grave concerns about the current administration’s use of our armed forces – not only abroad in another misbegotten war, but also here at home. It is not the role of the military to act as a domestic police force, or show up at polling places – an action the president has refused to rule out.

The oath I swore to defend the Constitution did not expire when my time in uniform ended. These days, when it comes to protecting democracy, I’m thinking the best defense is a good offense. That starts with you and me and every other eligible Michigander turning out to vote.

In that regard, we can all be foot soldiers. So, if you haven’t yet registered to vote, please do so right away.

Here’s something you can be sure of: When you do vote, people and systems are in place to make certain the outcome can be trusted. That is because local election clerks and workers carefully administer our elections to the letter of the law, ensuring every ballot cast is counted and done so accurately. They have earned our trust for good reason. They are on the front lines, ensuring election integrity.

And they can use your help. If interested, you can go here for information about how to be a volunteer to be a poll challenger or apply to be hired as a temporary poll worker.

One thing about engaging in the fight for democracy:

You don’t need to wear a uniform to do it . You just need to show up!