While democracy is foundational to American governance, it is especially relevant during presidential election years. This is when the American people have the chance to make their voices heard and elect their leaders. Messages about the importance of democracy likely resonate with many law students, who chose to pursue a profession that is intrinsically intertwined with our democratic government. The Michigan Voting Project (MVP) works every year to provide law students with non-partisan opportunities to volunteer in elections, protect democratic processes, and discuss trends pertaining to voting rights. This fall, MVP worked harder than ever to help the Michigan Law community engage with our democracy during a critical election year.
One of our primary goals was registering as many voters as we possibly could, as voter registration is one of the biggest barriers to participation in the electoral process. Registration can be confusing and daunting, especially for new voters. To demystify this process, MVP provided easy access for law students to register to vote, in Michigan or any other state. From the first day of 1L orientation until the last day possible, MVP members spent long hours tabling and registered over 230 law students to vote.
MVP also helped undergraduate students register to vote by supporting a new initiative launched by Michigan Law Professor Roseanna Sommers. Professor Sommers and her team conducted voter registration drives in undergraduate classrooms, where she and other presenters gave a short presentation about voting while MVP members and volunteers helped students fill out registration forms. We gave 123 presentations and spoke to approximately 10,275 students in less than two months, registering 551 students on the spot.
Once voting was underway, MVP shifted gears from registration to getting people to the polls. Now that Michigan offers in-person early voting, we organized five “Walk to the Polls” events to encourage students to vote early and beat the Election Day lines. Each 1L super section took a break from stressing about doctrinals to enjoy some sunshine and vote, and MVP hosted a school-wide “spooky” walk to the polls on Halloween.
On Election Day, MVP partnered with Promote the Vote (PTV) and Michigan United to coordinate election volunteer opportunities for law students. Students volunteered with PTV’s nonpartisan election hotline to assist voters with issues or questions about voting. Others went to polling stations on Election Day and volunteered as poll watchers and election protection challengers, who can issue legal challenges when poll workers are not properly implementing Michigan election law. Some students went to Detroit and oversaw absentee voter ballot counting as challengers with Michigan United. In all, over 70 Michigan Law students volunteered on Election Day through one of these opportunities.
Thank you to all students who engaged with MVP’s programming in any way this year. Democracy is not guaranteed, it requires participation and hard work to protect it. At Michigan Law, MVP will always be in that fight.
A special thank you to MVP’s Naomi Jaffe for contributing this article to Res Gestae.
