Elections belong to people like us…and you!

Click on the inspiring testimonials below (or the names on the left) from local veterans, clerks, and teachers who are fighting to protect our democracy. Their hopeful messages are reminders of just how safe, secure and transparent Michigan’s elections are—and that our elections belong to the people.

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.

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.

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.

The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan political organization whose vision is a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.  With active Leagues in all 50 states and more than 800 Leagues across the country, we engage in advocacy, education, litigation, and organizing to protect every American’s freedom to vote.

For my part, I feel so immensely proud and lucky to do this work for our democracy – work that includes helping produce our Non-Partisan Voter Guide for the state. I also manage the League of Women Voters of Michigan’s Statewide Nonpartisan Board of Canvassers Observer Program.

I joined the U.S. Army because I always wanted to do something bigger than myself. My biological father, a combat vet, set an example I was proud to follow. I loved the discipline, the purpose-driven objectives. And I loved the feeling of serving my country.

It also showed I could do hard things, which I had to after sustaining a serious back injury that required multiple surgeries and use of a wheelchair. That experience prompted me to obtain a law degree so that I could help other vets obtain the support and benefits they earned.

Once you’ve worn the uniform, the commitment to the Constitution it represents is instilled forever. Which is why the sense of patriotism I felt while serving, and continue to feel even more now, is prompting me to speak out about the upcoming elections, and the baseless claims from some that there is cause for concern that our elections will be fair and accurate.

I’m here to assure you that the divisive propaganda some are spreading is completely without merit. Michigan’s elections are fair and accurate because of the people and safeguards put in place to ensure the outcome is fair.

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.

When I enlisted in the Army just after graduating from high school, I was mainly motivated by the prospect of being covered by the GI Bill so that I could attend college when my three years in uniform were up. But my time in the military affected me in ways I could not have imagined, helping shape my worldview as an adult.

Particularly impactful was being stationed overseas, where I was able to see firsthand both authoritarian governments as well as countries where democracy was struggling to gain a foothold in the vacuum left behind when the Iron Curtain crumbled. Looking back, I am struck by the intense desire of so many people in other countries to have a say in how they are governed.

Then I look at what is happening in the United States and am filled with dismay. In the last election, about one-third of Michigan’s eligible voters failed to cast a ballot.
That’s deeply troubling. Every time an eligible citizen fails to vote, that person is sending the message that they are comfortable being ruled without having any input. That kind of mindset is a danger to democracy.

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!

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.

During my nine years with the ACLU of Michigan, I have spent the majority of my time working on our election protection program. Given that perspective, with Election Day almost upon us, I can say with great confidence that we and our allies have never been more prepared to play our collective role in guaranteeing that Michigan’s elections remain fair, and the outcome can be trusted.

With more than100 pro-voter organizations across the state banding together to provide oversight and assistance, the aim of Michigan’s Election Protection Program (EPP) is to ensure every eligible Michigander knows their voting rights and can cast their ballot free from barriers.

While we continue to do this vital work, we have also created plans and put procedures in place to deal with any potential threat to our elections.

We. Are. Ready.