VNP Weekly Update: August 9, 2024

The Headlines

Michigan’s primary election on Tuesday proved that everything we’ve done to improve our democracy is working, but there is still room for improvement. Here are the toplines of what I saw in this primary. 

  • Turnout was low, but over half of voters cast their ballots using absentee or early voting. According to unofficial results, just over 2,004,000 voters cast ballots in the August primary. Over 1.2 million of those votes were actually cast before Tuesday, through either absentee voting or early voting.  
  • Election Protection still matters. Although there were scattered reports of electioneering which was documented by election monitors, by and large this election went smoothly for voters. 
  • Voters want pro-voter candidates representing them in Lansing. They made that clear by supporting VNP Pro-Voter approved candidates in the vast majority of their primary races.

The Details

Voter Turnout

  • This election’s turnout reflects a decrease in both Election Day and absentee voting from the August 2020 election, as well as a slight decrease in early voting from the presidential primary in February. 
  • One thing to note: in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary of State’s office mailed all registered voters an absentee ballot application ahead of the August and November elections. This likely boosted both awareness of and participation in the 2020 August primary, and further demonstrates how valuable voter education and advance outreach is for increasing voter turnout.
    • Total turnout in this year’s August primary election was above the 2016 August primary, when Michigan voters did not have access to early voting or no-excuse absentee voting. 
  • What this says to me is that in order to get more voters participating in the democratic process, we need to make sure voters have both options that meet their needs, as well as more information about the varied races that are on the ballot and how these races will impact them, so they are motivated to cast their ballot. 
  • When voters don’t feel motivated or empowered to vote, extremists are able to swoop in and take control. We can’t let that happen in Michigan.

Election Protection

  • In coalition with Promote the Vote, Voters Not Politicians once again deployed volunteers and staff to serve as nonpartisan poll challengers for early voting centers and Election Day polling places. 
  • Our poll challengers observed and reported a few issues across the state, including building accessibility concerns, and signage issues, at early vote centers and on Election Day. 
  • One VNP volunteer poll challenger, Melissa Z., described the experience in their own words: “Being a nonpartisan poll challenger is so easy, rewarding, and important! It’s great to see the process working smoothly, and to be the eyes and ears of democracy, ready to protect voters’ rights. The training is informative and easy, and if there is a problem at a polling place, you just inform the challenger liaison and call the election protection hotline, and they take it from there.”
  • Overall, Michigan’s robust election procedures performed exactly as they should in this election, and clerks and voters enjoyed a fairly smooth Election Day.
  • These same procedures will be in place for the November election, and there is no reason why Michigan voters shouldn’t enjoy an equally smooth Election Day in November. 

Pro-Voter Candidates

  • In 2022, Voters Not Politicians gave Michigan voters the information they needed to elect a pro-voter majority in both chambers of Lansing’s state legislature. As a result, that pro-voter majority passed a series of laws that went above and beyond to implement the expanded voting rights that voters enshrined in Michigan’s constitution that same year.
  • As the state’s leading pro-democracy grassroots organization, Voters Not Politicians knows voters want to maintain that pro-voter majority this cycle. That’s why a dedicated committee of VNP staff and volunteers set up a process to identify pro-democracy, pro-voter candidates who share our commitment to a government that reflects the will of the people, and who will make strengthening and protecting our democracy a priority.
  • In Tuesday’s primary, VNP pro-voter approved candidates prevailed in 88% of races.
  • Through the Pro-Voter Approval process, Voters Not Politicians aims to ensure that voters know which candidates share our pro-democracy and pro-voter values, so that they can make an informed decision when they fill out their ballot. Our approval process uses data such as voting records, questionnaire responses, and interviews with candidates to determine if a candidate is eligible for VNP approval.

What’s Next

With so much attention being given to the presidential race, we must use this opportunity to highlight other important down ballot races,  including the state house and Michigan Supreme Court elections. Every election matters, and every voter needs to make their voice heard this November. 

Voters Not Politicians will work to remind voters of the importance of electing pro-democracy candidates so the Michigan Legislature can continue passing legislation that strengthens Michigan’s democracy and benefits Michigan voters, not politicians. We will soon begin our next round of approvals so that voters know who their pro-voter candidates are well before the November 5 election.

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