Next Tuesday is the primary election in Michigan, and groups such as the Voting Access for All Coalition are encouraging people to make a plan to vote.

Michigan has many options for how to vote: You can go in person on Election Day, or you can request an absentee ballot, and return it by mail or early in person at your local election clerk's office.

Charles Thomas, a retired postmaster and voting rights and criminal justice advocate for the Coalition, said a lot of organizations are doing work to cut through the misinformation and disinformation, so everyone is aware of their voting rights.

"I would definitely, definitely, definitely direct people to Vote411, so that they can become more knowledgeable voters," Thomas urged. "It'll take you directly to everything that's on your ballot, and you can really have a very full understanding of who it is that you're voting for before you cast your vote."

In Michigan, Republican and Democratic candidates are printed on the same ballot for the primary, and registered voters need to pick one side to fill out in order for it to count. If a voter accidentally splits the ticket by voting on both sides of the ballot, they can "spoil" it and fill out a new one.

E.B. Jordan, also with the Coalition, who founded a nonprofit for transitional housing for women coming out of prison, S&D PJ Housing, echoed the importance of getting educated about the candidates and their policies.

"If they're not for the people, you should make sure you know what they stand for," Jordan asserted. "And it's really important to do the local elections and get the right people in seats, and the ones that's really gonna help the returning citizens, the seniors, and the vets; they need a lot of help."

Kathi Harris, president of the Grand Rapids chapter of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, who works with the Coalition, noted despite historically lower turnout rates in primaries compared with general elections, it is worth it to vote next week to decide what your options will be in November.

"I want our Michiganders to understand how important getting out to vote, how important this election is," Harris stressed. "We have to start with the primaries. And that's to get those on the ballot that we want to represent, regardless of their party, whoever we go for the primaries."

Legal groups are weighing an appeal after a court ruling this week that left voters in several states, including North Dakota, at a disadvantage in making use of the Voting Rights Act.

At issue is their ability to sue based on racial discrimination. A three-judge panel with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a pathway under Section Two of the landmark law for voters to bring lawsuits if they feel local and state election policies have violated their civil rights. The decision stems from a recent redistricting victory for a pair of Native American Tribes in North Dakota.

Mark Gaber, senior director of redistricting for the Campaign Legal Center, said he was shocked by the latest outcome.

"The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has done what no court in the country has ever done, and there's been 400-plus Voting Rights Act cases filed for decades," Gaber pointed out.

The decision affirmed a ruling from the full 8th Circuit, which said language in this section of the law does not specifically mention private individuals. One judge filed a dissenting opinion. The 8th Circuit covers seven states, and civil rights groups said if the outcome stands, voters in those states would have to lobby the Justice Department to bring a case forward.

Gaber noted the problem with asking the Justice Department is, the agency is not equipped to move quickly on such requests.

"They simply don't have the resources," Gaber pointed out. "The individual voters who are familiar with what is happening in their localities and on the ground are frankly, in many cases, better suited to bring these cases."

The Justice Department is also part of budget-cutting moves by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the Native American Rights Fund said this week's ruling sets a dangerous precedent for minority voters who do not want to be silenced.


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Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has seen the last few bills of the 2025 legislative session cross his desk and as the ink dries, policy experts reminded Montanans some bills will face the courts before they take effect.

Gianforte signed Senate Bill 490, which changes the Election Day cutoff for same-day voter registration from 8 p.m. to noon. It also eliminates early registration the Monday before Election Day, shifting the deadline to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Zuri Moreno, state legislative director for the advocacy group Forward Montana, said the change especially affects Montanans who drive long distances to vote.

"We've already heard from the courts that you're not supposed to mess around with same-day voter registration," Moreno pointed out. "It just takes away that opportunity for working folks and young folks and rural people across the state."

Montana's Supreme Court ruled last year banning same-day voter registration is unconstitutional. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the decision.

Laws passed this session may still be challenged in court, including those centered on the LGBTQ+ community, which was targeted by at least 23 bills. Moreno noted the "community really showed up this session."

"We saw so many folks sharing personal stories and public testimony, so many folks showing up for lobby days and rallies," Moreno recounted. "Thousands of people engaged in the legislative process, which is essential."

In a win for renters, Gianforte also signed House Bill 311 , which requires rental application fees to be returned to people who do not end up signing a lease.

During every big election, tens of thousands of California voters make a mistake on their mail-in ballot and often get differing advice on how to fix it, depending on who they ask. A new bill aims to standardize the response.

Assembly Bill 1072 would require the Secretary of State and county elections officials to come up with clear answers, applicable statewide.

Kim Alexander, founder and president of the California Voter Foundation, said the problem causes widespread delays in counting.

"In Orange County in the last election, officials had to duplicate over 40,000 ballots," Alexander pointed out. "There are other reasons why ballots have to be duplicated, but the primary one is that the voter made a mistake filling out their ballot, indicated a different choice, and it has to be remade."

Common mistakes include accidentally filling in the wrong bubble, signing the witness signature box or signing their spouses' envelope. If there is time, the county will often send a new ballot.

Alexander noted a common set of instructions should be posted on the website of the Secretary of State and every county registrar.

"They are instructed, typically, to cross out the choice and fill out the choice that they preferred and draw an arrow to it or circle it to indicate that is their intent," Alexander explained. "What they should not do is initial it, and sometimes voters think that's what they should do."

The outlook for the bill is good. It is currently on the consent calendar for the Assembly Appropriations Committee.


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