Michigan’s ‘It’s sooo simple’ early voting campaign rolls out new digital tools for voters

As early voting got underway in Michigan on Thursday, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced new digital election tools for voters.

The nonpartisan voting tools, which Benson debuted at a press conference at the Detroit Pistons Performance Center to kickstart the state’s “It’s sooo simple” early voting campaign, include an information texting tool, absentee ballot tracking tool and an online fact center. The digital tools were shared alongside updates about the state’s election security efforts, which included the Department of State allocating $5 million in grant funding, which local election clerks can spend on cybersecurity.

Election officials can also spend grant funds on physical security for election sites or additional voting equipment. Grant funds for local election commissions come from funds appropriated to states under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, a news release said. The cybersecurity recommendations that inform the grant program are based on recent recommendations of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, according to the release.

Voters in Michigan can can sign up for the MI Vote Info Texting Tool by texting VOTE to 833-868-3009 to receive a one-time text with information on five topics: how to request an absentee ballot, how to find an early voting site, making a plan for Election Day, how to become a poll worker and a link to Vote411, a nonpartisan election information guide written by the League of Women Voters Education Fund.

Michigan voters have been able to track their absentee ballots using the online Michigan voter information center, but now they can register to receive those notifications by email and see where their ballot is in the process. Users can also learn when their ballot has been accepted for tabulation.

There are three ways to sign up: when registering to vote, when submitting an online absentee ballot application or by visiting the online Michigan voter information center and clicking on the signup link.

Benson also relaunched the Election Fact Center, the state’s official source of nonpartisan information on elections and voting. It includes facts about some of the most common questions and responses to false claims about elections that the department has seen this year.

State officials also asked the public to report instances of election misinformation to Misinformation@Michigan.gov. 

“With absentee voting beginning today, we are entering a critical phase in this fall’s election season,” Benson said in the release. “I know that I, along with the 1,600 bipartisan professional clerks across our state, will continue to spend every minute that we can working to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in our state. We will do that because it’s our honor, our duty, and because we know that the votes our citizens will cast in the next 40 days will define the future of our country. So today is a call to action – for every eligible Michigan citizen – to take the time to check your registration and choose the voting option that’s best for you.”