A voting guide from the Detroit Documenters

Vote with confidence

Jul 27, 2022 at 4:00 am

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A voting guide from the Detroit Documenters

Outlier Media

If you want to see change, one thing you can do is vote.

Voter turnout in the August 2021 mayoral primary for Detroit was less than 15%. Less than 20% of the city’s registered voters turned out for the general municipal election the same year.

Elections are your chance to decide who to hire for the job of public servant. We’re putting together a helpful voting guide unlike most others to help you through. Instead of telling people who to vote for and why, we’re here to help you find the resources to decide for yourself.

How do you choose where to stand on issues affecting you? How do you best select candidates that will support your causes? Which candidates have the ability to actually create change? Our guide will help you take it step by step, in an easy to understand way — written for Detroiters, by your fellow Detroiters, the Detroit Documenters. We are in debt to Sonja Stuckey for proposing this project and getting it off the ground.

What’s in here and how to use it

The purpose of this voter guide is to equip you to make well-informed decisions before you cast your valuable vote. It will help you understand:

The importance of a primary election
Your own values and priorities
Pitfalls to avoid
The power of a public official
How to research a candidate
How to cast your ballot

By the end, you should have a better understanding of how to vote to support your interests and tips for how to stay involved after the election to make sure officials are working for you.

You can also check our Election Glossary if you’re unfamiliar with any of the terms in the guide.

Have more questions about voting in Detroit? Email us at [email protected].

How to vote in the Detroit primary and key dates to know: How to register to vote, see your ballot, vote at the polls or cast your ballot early

Why a primary election matters so much: How primaries work and why it’s extra important to vote in them

Vote with confidence: Start with the issues: Use this quiz and candidate scorecard to decide what issues to prioritize when you vote

‘Hire’ the best candidate: Understand local politicians’ jobs: Before you cast your vote, learn more about elected officials’ roles and responsibilities

Get to know the candidates: How to research the people on your ballot: How to find information about candidates and issues on your ballot

How to look up a politician’s voting record and job performance: When a candidate has held public office before, you can learn a lot about how much that candidate has achieved and how they interact with other officials

Who’s trying to sway my vote? How to follow the money in campaigns: Understanding how this influence works and how to navigate it can make you a more confident voter

What to know before you go to the polls in Detroit: If you’re voting on Election Day, make a plan to vote, find your polling place and learn more about what you will find at the polls

Stay engaged: What comes after the election: You hit the polls, now what?

Election glossary: Understand common terms: Use this handy resource when you want to learn, or double check, the meaning of a political term

Credits:

Concept, research and outline: Sonja Stuckey, Detroit Documenters
Published by: Outlier Media in collaboration with Detroit Documenters
Written by: Detroit Documenters Damien Benson, Dan Ignacio, Byron Keys, Meg Krausch, Kayleigh Lickliter, Gina McPherson, David Palmer, and Paul Warner
Additional writing by: Kate Abbey-Lambertz, Lynelle Herndon, Noah Kincade, and Malak Silmi at Outlier Media
Edited by: Sarah Hulett and Lindsey Smith at Michigan Radio, Sarah Alvarez, Erin Perry, and Kate Abbey-Lambertz at Outlier Media

Detroit Documenters Media Partners are: WDET, Detroit Free Press, Planet Detroit, BridgeDetroit, Detroit Metro Times, and Chalkbeat Detroit

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Originally published by our media partner Outlier Media. It is republished with permission.

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About The Author

Outlier Media

Outlier Media is a Detroit-based service journalism organization. We identify, report, and deliver valuable information to empower residents to hold landlords, municipal government, and elected officials accountable for longstanding problems. By keeping residents first, we hope to give more than we take and leave...