APPLYING TO SERVE ON THE COMMISSION

First, you must be a registered voter in Michigan. Check your voter registration status here. 

(If you aren’t registered to vote, click here to find out how to get registered.)

A small group of people is disqualified from serving on the Commission.

Have you or one of your close family members (parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, or spouse) been one or more of the following in the past 6 years? If you answer YES to anything below, you may be disqualified: 

• A candidate or elected official of a partisan office? (Partisan offices include state Legislator, elected precinct delegate but do not include nonpartisan offices like some mayors, city council, or school board) [YES/NO]
• A leader or official of a political party? (Examples: the Michigan Democratic Party Chair or the Oakland County Republican Party Treasurer) [YES/NO]
• A paid consultant or employee of an elected official, political candidate, or political action committee (PAC)? (Examples: campaign manager of Gov. Whitmer’s 2018 campaign or a paid consultant of the Realtors PAC of Michigan) [YES/NO]
• An employee of the state Legislature or a political appointee? (Examples: staff member of a state Representative/Senator or the Michigan State Transportation Director) [YES/NO]
• A registered lobbyist agent or employee of a registered lobbyist agent? (Applies only to lobbyist agents who are required under state law to register with the Michigan Bureau of Elections and those agent’s employees) [YES/NO]

If you are unsure or cannot answer any of the questions above, click here to review more information about eligibility requirements on the Secretary of State’s website. 

If you answered NO to all of the questions above, you are eligible to serve on the Commission. Please continue to Step 2 ↓

You are ready to start the application form. 

Click here to open the online application portal on the Secretary of State’s website. 

The entire application should take 15-20 minutes to complete and is divided into 8 sections. Your application will be saved after you complete each section. Carefully review the instructions at the beginning of each section. The application asks for information* including:

• Full name
• Address
• Phone number
• Basic demographic information
• Two optional questions about why you would like to serve

Note: After you review and submit your online application, you are not done yet! You will need to get it notarized.

Click the “Print Application” button (DO NOT SIGN YOUR APPLICATION YET) and go to step 3 below ↓ 

Note: If you’re unable to apply online, you can choose to fill out a paper application. Click here to download a paper application. For a paper application, make sure you print all 6 pages and initial each page in the box provided in the top right corner. Carefully review the instructions on the left side of the page. When you are finished with your application, take a moment to make sure you completed every required question (some questions are optional) — but DO NOT SIGN YOUR APPLICATION YET because you will need to sign in front of a notary.

*Applications are only made public if you are randomly selected for the pool of 200 semi-finalists. Per the Secretary of State, the application is a public document, and your email and phone number will be kept confidential to the extent authorized by law. 

You can get your application notarized while staying at home to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Secretary of State’s office published a list of FREE remote and electronic notary services on their website here.

Once your application is signed, go to step 4 below ↓

You can either:

• Submit your application via email: Email your notarized application to MDOS-NotarizedApplication@Michigan.gov OR
• Mail your completed application to: Michigan Department of State, PO Box 30318, Lansing, MI 48909 (applications must be postmarked by June 1, 2020, to be considered)

The application process will close on June 1, 2020. 

On July 1, 2020, the Secretary of State will use statistical weighting and random selection to narrow the pool to 200 “semi-finalists” (60 Republicans, 60 Democrats, and 80 unaffiliated) who, as a group, represent the geographic and demographic diversity of the state. A list of these 200 semi-finalists will be made public and submitted to the state Legislature.

On August 1, 2020, the four Legislative leaders will submit a list of applications that will be removed from the semi-finalist pool (up to 20 total). 

On September 1, 2020, the Secretary of State will randomly select the final 13 Commissioners (4 Republicans, 4 Democrats, and 5 voters who are unaffiliated with either major party). 

No later than October 15, 2020, the 13 Commissioners will meet together for the first time. 

Click here to review the full timeline.