The Michigan Secretary of State's Office and City of Detroit will partner this year for the Nov. 3 General Election to ensure the integrity and accessibility of voting.
Related: How to register to vote in Michigan
Related: Find your polling place in Michigan
Related: How to get an absentee ballot in Michigan
Related: View your sample ballot for the 2020 election
There will be 14 new satellite clerk offices throughout the city, and there will be recruitment and training for additional staff and election workers in Detroit.
At the same time, all four professional sports teams will work with the city to promote voter education, help election workers and the state.
“Partnerships are critical to running smooth, secure elections and the additional staff, resources and support from the city, county and state will further strengthen our election system as we navigate this unprecedented time,” Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey said. “Detroit voters should feel completely confident that their voices will be heard when they cast their ballots ahead of and on November 3rd.”
“Democracy is a team sport and as a longtime resident of the city of Detroit I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Clerk Winfrey to ensure she has all the support she needs as her team prepares for the culmination of one of the most challenging election cycles in modern history,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson added. “We are all in this together and will work collaboratively with her office, the City of Detroit, and Wayne County to ensure every vote is counted and our elections are secure.”
The improvements and other items being worked on include:
- Opening 14 additional satellite clerk offices – for a total of 21 across the city – where voters can register and request and return absentee ballots starting October 5. The offices will be open six days a week, staffed by City of Detroit employees and operating in recreation centers and other facilities.
- Installing more than 30 secure ballot drop boxes across the city that will be continuously monitored and secure.
- Recruiting and training at least 6,000 election workers to ensure every one of the city’s 182 polling locations and 134 absentee counting board is fully staffed.
- Little Caesars Arena will provide space for physically distant in person training for new election workers to ensure election workers and staff are fully prepared to execute their duties on Election Day.
- Hiring additional staff to support the City clerk’s office, including Christopher Thomas, former Michigan Bureau of Elections Director, who will serve as a senior advisor.
- Revising protocols for ballot counting and sorting to make more effective use of high-speed scanners (tabulators) and reduce the potential for error.
“The City of Detroit is committed to ensuring our elections are safe, secure, and accessible to all,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “That is why I am making numerous City staff available to support Clerk Winfrey and her administration as they prepare for the election and many more available to serve as election workers on Election Day.”
