If you haven't signed these petitions yet, sign.

If you are a signature collector, don’t quit now, you are needed more than ever! If you haven't returned your micro-circulator packet with signatures, return it this weekend!

– Reproductive Freedom For All - our freedom to decide

– Promote the Vote - our freedom to safely vote

I HAVE NOT SIGNED YET:

Sign ASAP:

Bridge Community Cafe. 217 W. Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

• Thursday, June 30. Noon–3 pm

Emmet County. Park at the Marina. Bay Street, Harbor Springs, MI 49740

• Thursday, June 30. 6–8:30 pm

Join us at one of these events to sign! Email waverjanet@gmail.com for more ways that you can do your part.

I HAVE NOT HAD TIME TO READ UP ON WHAT OR WHY I AM SUPPOSED TO SIGN:

Read the summary here on the PEG website about how the petition process in Michigan works.

­­­­ABSENTEE BALLOTS – How, When, and Where

ALL REGISTERED VOTERS ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE BY MAIL

REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATION

• By mail prior to every election
• Apply for an absentee ballot online  

To use the Online Absent Voter Ballot application tool below, you need to be registered to vote in Michigan and have a valid Michigan driver’s license or state ID. If you need to register to vote, click on "Registering To Vote." If you don’t have a Michigan driver’s license or state ID but you are registered to vote, go to "Absentee Voting" for more information on how you can apply for an absent voter ballot. If you have a Michigan Driver's License or State ID you can submit an online application at Michigan.Gov/Vote. Residents can apply in person at the City Clerk's office on the second floor of City Hall, 301 E. Huron St.

    Also, the State of Michigan's "Voter Information Center" has links to check voter registration, check for polling place, apply for an absentee ballot, and more: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us

FACTS ABOUT ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS-PERMANENT LIST

• Click here to submit your request to be placed on your City or Township’s Permanent Absent Voter List.
• Voters on the Permanent Absent Voter List are sent an Absent Voter Ballot Application by mail prior to every election. 
• The voter can choose whether or not they would like to submit the Application to receive a ballot.
• Voters on the Permanent Absentee Voters list are NOT automatically sent a ballot. You must complete and submit an application request in order to receive a ballot.

If you are NOT ON THE PERMANENT ABSENTEE VOTERS LIST, you must initiate a request for an absentee ballot. This year the Secretary of State will NOT send out an absentee ballot application to every registered Michigan voter.  This is different from the 2020 election which was an exception due to Covid!

DATES TO KNOW ABOUT ABSENTEE VOTING FOR AUGUST 2ND ELECTION

July 29, 2022 – deadline for requesting absentee ballot

• Is the request deadline a postmark or receipt deadline? - Received

August 2, 2022 - deadline for returning a voted ballot by mail

• Is the return deadline a postmark or receipt deadline? - Received

To vote absentee, a request must be received no later than 5 pm the Friday before the election. The ballot must then be returned by 8 pm on Election Day.

A Life Line for Voters

The Democratic party established the Voter Assistance Hotline to provide “clear, up-to-date, and accurate information” to voters. In our current environment in which claims of voter fraud circulate like water, it also provides a means of reporting “voting incidents” to their legal team as well as documenting issues related to provisional and absentee ballots throughout the state.

If you are interested in getting trained to staff the hotline, you can register at this web site:

https://www.mobilize.us/midemsvopro/event/398380

You can also receive phone bank training here:

https://www.mobilize.us/midemsvopro/event/399432

In Michigan, a felony conviction expungement restores your right to serve on a jury

On October 12, 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law "Clean Slate,” the felony conviction expungement package. As a result, some offenses are automatically set aside, and other crimes must be applied for. Before this package of laws, one could not serve on a jury. However, when one has a conviction set aside, it is considered to have not had a previous conviction. So the right to be on a jury is restored. One can answer “No” on a jury questionnaire. Read more

Other crucial benefits of the “Clean Slate” package are the ability to find a job and earn a living, and to find housing. Some highlights of the bills include:

• “Creating an automatic process for setting aside eligible misdemeanors after seven years and eligible non-assaultive felonies after 10 years. [NOTE: Not implemented until April 2023.]
• Expanding the number and revises the types of felonies and misdemeanors eligible to be set aside by application. 
• Revising the waiting periods before being eligible to apply for a set aside. 
• Treating multiple felonies or misdemeanor offenses arising from the same transaction as a single felony or misdemeanor conviction, provided the offenses happened within 24 hours of one another and are not assaultive crimes, or involves possession or use of a dangerous weapon, or is a crime that carries penalty of 10 or more years in prison.  
• Expanding set aside eligibility to various traffic offenses.
• Allowing a person to petition to set aside one or more marijuana offenses if the offense would not have been a crime if committed after the use of recreational marijuana by adults became legal in the state.”

Biden signs new LGBT executive order amid a raft of bills targeting trans youth

In the middle of Pride Month and due to the new laws targeting LGBT youth, President Biden signed an executive order protecting access to health care and housing. The Executive Order intends to counter new state laws targeting transgender youth and gender and sexual orientation. Some aspects of the order include:

• "Directs HHS to release new guidance for states on how to expand access to comprehensive health care for LGBT patients
• Orders the Education Department to release a sample school policy that includes LGBT students." – Read more

Companies covering out of state travel expenses for abortion services – Support them!

With the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last week, there are at least 13 states banning abortions. It is good news that numerous large corporations have stated a willingness to reimburse their employees for costs associated with traveling out of state to access abortion services.

According to The Hill, a number of major employers have expanded their benefits to include travel, with the list of corporations growing. The Hill currently lists the following companies:

• Disney
• Meta
• Condé Nast
• Zillow
• Buzzfeed
• Dick’s Sporting Goods
• Amazon
• Levi Strauss & Co. 
• JPMorgan Chase
• Starbucks
• Yelp
• Microsoft
• Apple
• Citigroup
• Mastercard
• Netflix
• Tesla
• Lyft

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