Your vote is your future. The statewide general election on November 8 will set the tone for your district, our beautiful state of Michigan, and the nation for years to come. Use your voice to help us #GetOutTheVote and keep climate in the equation.
Follow along with our Climate Voter Action Plan on social media, or sign up to get a weekly reminder straight to your inbox with important deadlines and helpful resources. Then, amplify your influence to everyone you know digitally with a quick email forward or a share on your socials of choice using the hashtag #ClimateVoterActionPlan!
Day 21: Election Day is One Week Away; What's Your Voter Plan?
Just seven days remain until Election Day on Tuesday, November 8 – do you have your voting plan in place? Are you voting in person at your clerk’s office this week, or heading to the polls day-of? How are you getting there? Can you arrange a carpool to help friends and neighbors make it to the voting booth, too (in fewer vehicles, for a climate-friendly option)?
Day 22: Vote For Those Who Can't
It’s one of the things people like best about pets: they can’t speak any requests when you come through the door after a long day, and instead exhibit an unspoken love and understanding. But sadly, that also means they can’t offer that intuitive sixth sense they have when it comes to storms and bad guys, to articulate their first-hand perspective on the changing climate. If animals could talk to us, what do you think they might say? That their habitats, food sources, and more are all dwindling in the face of a manmade climate crisis? This Tuesday, vote for those who can’t and give a voice to our beloved furry friends.
Day 23: From Now On, Count On Your County Clerk!
If you haven’t registered to vote, or secured your absentee ballot yet, pay a visit to your local clerk as soon as you’re able! At this point, it would be wise (and save you time!) to fill in your ballot while there and hand it right back over.
Day 24: How to Track the Election Results
We’re all on the edge of our seats to see if we successfully elected climate champions into office. To keep track of the election results as they roll in, check out the candidate listings on your county clerk’s website to find out if they’re updating the count on election night. Just remember that these results remain unofficial until they are certified by the county and/or state board of canvassers.
Day 25: Get Out and VOTE, and Thank Your Clerks!
It is Day 25 and our final action alert of the 2022 #ClimateVoterActionPlan. You know what to do: get out there and #GetOutTheVote! And then, please be sure to thank your local clerks, who have been working hard behind the scenes since the summer to ensure the most seamless voting experience for you and fellow Michiganders.
Day 16: The Climate Movement Must Be Intersectional
Power structures and social structures play a role in people's perceptions of our movement, shaping personal experiences with environmental injustices and the climate crisis. It's imperative that the climate movement be intersectional, drawing upon those varying perspectives, so that solutions address the affects felt by all: unlike our systems, the climate crisis does not discriminate. It has implications for health and wellbeing across the board. To start Week 4 strong, we urge you to dive into some research around the intersections between climate justice and other civil rights and social justice movements. If you're not sure where to start, we recommend this Planet Detroit article, this video from Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action, and this collection of features and resources from Miigwech, Inc.
Day 17: Register to Vote in Person
Your voter registration application needs to be received or postmarked at least 15 days before an election. But if you haven't registered yet, don't fret—you just have to stop by your clerk's office to knock it out in person. You have up until 8 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, November 8) to do so.
Day 18: This Is OUR Future
Did you know? Youth age 18-29 are the least likely to vote. What's more, voting patterns reveal white populations still turn out to vote more than other races—it's time to level the playing field. Your vote represents your families, your neighbors, the communities with which you identify. It secures YOUR future – and let's face it, the elderly simply will not suffer the consequences of a climate crisis for as long as you and your siblings, or your children, will feel the effects.
Day 19: Absentee Dropboxes & Hand Delivery
If you are voting via absentee ballot and want to avoid the possibility of postal delays, it is recommended you hand-deliver from here on out. Your ballot must be received by your city or township clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can either drop it off right at your clerk's office or in the nearest drop box.
Day 20: Request an Absentee Ballot Before It's Too Late
If you read yesterday's action item and your heart dropped, rest assured: it is not too late to request your absentee ballot, but it IS time to put it at the top of your priority list. The Friday before the election, 11/4, marks the last day online and mail requests can be received by your clerk.
Day 11: View Your Voter Guide
Have your candidates responded to Vote411's voter guide? Navigate to vote411.org/ballot and enter your location to learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on issues important to you. It will only return the candidates that will appear on your ballot November 8. You can even keep this information for reference when you're ready to vote! And if your candidates haven't covered the questions you want answered, here's how you can encourage them to reply!
Day 12: Why are YOU a Climate Voter?
Climate is an intersectional issue with implications across almost all aspects of our lives and livelihoods. It is the foundation for our future health and safety, security, economy, communities and justice—the list goes on. Tell us: why are YOU a #ClimateVoter? So you can continue living in the place you call home, without risk of environmental hazard? For your sibling who has asthma, to whom air quality is critical? Because your career depends on it? Share your "why" with us on Instagram and TikTok or submit your thoughts through this form, and we'll send you a custom profile photo frame—and, with your permission, share to our audience!
Day 13: Find Candidate Forums
The League of Women Voters has chapters across the state that each organize voting education events and candidate forums. Search your local league to find a forum near you and learn everything you need to know about the representatives you're electing to office.
Day 14: Absentee Ballots 101
We've warned you of the deadlines for requesting and returning absentee ballots, but wondering what it takes to fill one out? We'll show you how. Head back over to the MiCAN Instagram and TikTok for a video walkthrough, where we'll have our most important tips (like remembering to sign the back of your ballot!).
Day 15: Vote For Those Who Can't
Do you have little siblings? Young children, or grandchildren? Niblings? Full of life, and beacons of innocence? Channel your love for them this election season and cast a vote on their behalf. They may not be old enough to have a say, but the decisions made today will have the biggest impact on their futures – especially when it comes to electing climate champions.
Day 6: Are you registered to vote?
You’ll feel so good once you get this important first step out of the way, and on average, it takes only two minutes to check off the list. See deadlines for completing your voter registration in Michigan online, by mail, and in person here (while you’re there, you may as well follow their easy set of steps to register today!).
Day 7: Make sure your friends are registered, too
So, tell us: were we right or were we right? How long did it take you to register to vote as yesterday’s #ClimateVoter action item? Hop over to the MiCAN socials and tag your friends in the comments to let them know how quick and easy it was to follow the prompts (or visit your clerk!) and empower them to do the same.
Day 8: Learn the importance of the 26th amendment
White men who own property or pay taxes have always had the right to vote, as established by the constitution in 1789. It took two centuries, until 1971, for citizens of any race and any gender over the age of 18 to be able to cast a ballot, finally thanks to the 26th amendment.
In 1870, the 15th amendment granted black men the right to vote—but because states have the power to set voting requirements and in many cases employed poll taxes, literacy tests, the “grandfather clause,” and outright intimidation, most were still denied their constitutional right.
White women over the age of 21 and born in the U.S. were guaranteed suffrage by the 19th amendment in 1920, followed by Native American men and women in 1924, when they were finally granted U.S. citizenship. Later, the 24th amendment prohibited poll taxes in federal elections, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 secured voting rights for adult citizens of all races and genders in the form of federal laws that enforced the amendments.
The struggle for the expansion of suffrage in the U.S. was fought and died for by our predecessors so that we could exercise the most basic right of voting for those who will represent us in our government. Just 50 years ago, 18- to 21-year-olds could not vote. Within our lifetimes, most people of color could not vote.
Yet, voting patterns reveal that white populations generally turn out to vote more than other races, and youth age 18-29 are the least likely to vote. Why continue to allow old white men to dictate your future?
Day 9: Mail back your absentee ballot
Requested an absentee ballot? Keep in mind, if your voting plan involves mailing back your ballot, it is recommended you do so by at least two weeks before Election Day. Drop your signed (don’t forget this step—be sure to add your signature on the back!) and sealed ballot into your nearest outgoing mailbox by Monday, October 24 for peace of mind that your vote will count. It is also an option to hand-deliver it to your clerk’s office or drop box. All ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on November 8.
Day 10: Register online to vote
Registering online with no travel or lines is no doubt convenient, but be advised that the last day to do so is Monday, October 24. Don’t delay – take the two minutes to register online today.
Day 1: Find Your Clerk
Your clerk is your best source of information specific to you and your location. Simply enter your street address at the link below to find your clerk, who can help you register to vote, request and track your absentee ballot, and more.
Day 2: What's On Your Ballot?
Wondering what to expect on your ballot this election? Enter Vote411, another excellent resource where you can view your personalized voter information, powered by the League of Women Voters. Here, you can even follow the steps to get registered to vote (did you know it only takes an average of two minutes?), discover upcoming debates and forums in your area, and educate yourself on campaign finance information.
Day 3: Voting Absentee—In-Person—With Your Clerk
If you can, of course, vote in person at the polling booth on November 8—but if for any reason that presents a challenge for you, please know that it is an option to vote beforehand with an absentee ballot, right there at your clerk's office. Get in touch with your local clerk for more information.
Day 4: Vote For Those Who Can't
Remember, voting is a privilege that not all have the rights or ability to exercise. This election, think of the cherished people, places, and things in your life that are affected by the results at the polls but don't have a say in shaping them. We all deserve a livable future: your innocent younger siblings, beloved grandchildren, playful pup, big backyard tree, the lakes that make our state great and all of the life they sustain.
Day 5: Empower Your Friends
Once you've done your part, connect with your friends and make sure they catch up! Encourage them to sign up for our notification of weekly climate voter action items, and head over to today (10/8)'s post across our Michigan Climate Action Network social media profiles to tag them in the comments and make them aware of these helpful resources.