Across the state, clerks carry out the vital work of ensuring our elections run smoothly, safely, and securely. They are devoted public servants who work in our counties, townships, and cities, making sure you can vote and that our democracy thrives.  This election year, our hope is to introduce you to some of these hardworking members of our community with brief conversations about what they do and why they are committed to this important work. We kick off this new series, Local Election Leaders, with Livonia City Clerk Lori Miller. 

Why did you want to become a clerk? 
Clerk Lori Miller: Because of my passion for voters’ rights, belief in our democracy and its processes, and my love for the Livonia community. 
When I started in the Clerk’s Office back in 2007, I learned the importance of our office as being the point person for citizens with local government. The Clerk plays an integral part in our community and serves as the liaison between the Executive and Administrative branches and serves residents in various capacities. I became increasingly interested in the election processes and decided to become an accredited Elections Official and then ran for the elected Office of City Clerk.

What is the best part of your job?
Clerk Lori Miller: Voter education allows me to go out into the community to meet residents at events and activities and engage with them at their level. This creates a dialogue between local government and the residents. Voters have questions and may not know where to get the correct information. By providing basic information and answering questions, our democracy and the entire community will benefit. I would say the second-best part of my job is administering Oaths of Office and welcoming in new Board and Commission members and new members of our Public Safety divisions.

What is the most challenging part of your job? 
Clerk Lori Miller: Combatting mis- and disinformation and rebuilding the community’s trust in local government.

What do you want voters to know? 
Clerk Lori Miller: I am available to answer any questions they may have. My office and I take our roles in local government very seriously. I will be spending a great deal of time this year and in the future to be out in the community to promote our office, educate voters, recruit much needed election poll workers, and conduct as many voter registrations as possible. I hope to form partnerships with local businesses and civic organizations to assist me in my endeavors and will promote clear and transparent communication.

Click here to learn more about Clerk Lori Miller

This article was originally published on the Affiliate Support & Nationwide Initiatives (ASNI) blog. ASNI is an internal ACLU program that connects ACLU staff from across the country with programming and organizational support. 

I grew up with strong ties to my culture and heritage, but I also grew up in a post-911 world, where some of my earliest memories are becoming acutely aware of what it meant to be an Arab American—I’d always been seen as, at best, an ‘other’, or at worst, a threat. This is in stark contrast to the worlds of the ACLU and the ACLU of Michigan, and unsurprisingly at the same time close to so much of the intersectional work we do on the ground. Joining a cultural perspective and details on the fight for rights, this ASNI Stories blog holds my answer to “why the ACLU of Michigan.”

Michigan is home to the country’s largest concentration of Arab Americans and I am just one of thousands of Arab Americans who call this state home. I am a second generation Palestinian American, descending from grandparents who were courageous enough to leave the only home they’ve ever known in the 1940s and 1960s respectively. Their story is a common one among Arab Americans (a shameless plug: the history and evolution of Arab American immigration is beautifully detailed in the exhibits at the Arab American National Museum.)

But coming into the realization didn’t feel foreign. Being Palestinian means I know injustice deep in my bones. My family history is rife with stories of war and life under occupation. But, we are more than the trauma we hold. We are a resilient, beautiful, and thriving community.

We are also not just one thing.

Thinking about the intersections of my heritage, I immediately hear again Tata Traore-Rogers, Deputy Director of Affiliate Support & Nationwide Initiatives (ASNI), speaking about the many identities we hold, and how we are not defined by one of them, or even a set of them. Instead, I know our complexity is a kind of personal treasure map. A place from which we embark into spaces, and a potential entry point for those from different communities. This is true whether we are talking about joys or struggles, languishing or thriving, or even just your average day.

I’d like to share a bit more about my map with you in hopes that it leads you somewhere generative and informs if not your work than our shared sense of community and belonging.

The beauty of Arab American traditions is unmatched—whether it is traditional cross-stitching, a giant family feast, or a wedding celebration—our traditions are what keep us connected to each other and to our homelands. This fight for connection can be one of the only explanations as to why I found myself as a career organizer. I thrive on building connections and community, which is what I get to spend every day doing at the ACLU of Michigan.

Nothing has felt more urgent and invigorating than our work defending and protecting democracy in Michigan communities who are most at risk of disenfranchisement, including Arab American voters who hold enormous political power.

This work was borne out of the incredible work of Arab American organizers in Dearborn from ACCESS and EMGAGE, who work year-round to ensure that Arab American voters can cast their ballots without barriers. Their pro-voter work throughout Dearborn led them to building a relationship with the Dearborn City Clerk and City Council, where they worked for years to make Dearborn elections accessible to the whole community. Their tireless advocacy resulted in the translation of ballots into Arabic for the first time in 2022.  We continue to work alongside partners like ACCESS, to pass the Michigan Voting Rights Act—which will require that Michigan Elections be accessible to Arabic-language speakers.

The work of our partners to make sure that Michigan’s elections are accessible and representative of the Arab American community in Michigan cannot be understated; Arab Americans have had to fight tooth and nail to be represented in this country—and there is still such a long way to go.

This election cycle, tensions are high, and Arab Americans in particular are feeling left behind by our country’s leadership. The pain is real. The hurt is real. And the desire to disengage in our electoral system is real. Disaffectedness is fuel for mis- and disinformation; we have seen firsthand how anti-democratic actors can weaponize this to undermine our democratic systems.  

But the antidote here isn’t a platitude about why voting is important; instead, we need to meet people where they are—and make the case for why their voice is critical to democracy. Here at the ACLU of Michigan, we’ll be undergoing a series of focus groups to better understand how this disaffectedness shows up, and how we might be able to overcome it.

If it is true that our democracy only works when everyone participates, then it is incumbent on us to do everything we can to ensure that one of the most vibrant communities in Michigan is reflected in our democracy.