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Joyce Democracy Grantees Ramp Up Great Lakes Voter Education, Protection Efforts

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Investing in nonpartisan voter education, protecting voting rights and safeguarding fair elections in the Great Lakes region is a core mission of The Joyce Foundation’s Democracy Program. With early voting underway, and just about two weeks before the November midterm election many of Joyce’s Democracy Program grantees have created resources designed to empower voters by providing accurate information and getting them safely and easily to the polls.

“The stakes for this election are especially high. Every vote and every voter counts. The work that our grantee partners are doing to ensure that every eligible citizen has accurate and accessible information to exercise their right to vote is essential to preserving our democracy,” said Carrie Davis, Democracy Program Director. “We continue to invest in these initiatives because we know they’re working and making a difference.”

Here’s a snapshot of what these nonpartisan organizations are doing to get out the vote:

National

  • Election Protection is a coalition of nonpartisan organizations providing state-specific, comprehensive information on voter registration, locating your polling place, voting hours and helping troubleshoot problems. Voters can also receive information and receive assistance through a hotline in English, Spanish, Arabic, and several Asian languages, a live chat feature, and via text.
  • Common Cause is promoting a package of voting tools that, in addition to looking up voter registration and polling location information, also allows voters to track their ballots and provides voter information for returning citizens as well as a portal dedicated to stopping online disinformation.

College Students

  • Campus Vote Project has an interactive map of state-specific guides of what students need to know to be able to vote at home or at school (here’s an example from Wisconsin).

Illinois

  • Chicago Votes voter mobilization programs include Unlock Civics which features Cook County Jail Votes, an initiative that successfully facilitated a polling location inside Cook County Jail–the first in the nation to do so.

Michigan

MichiganVoting.org, supported by a broad coalition of nonpartisan voting rights organizations, is a one-stop shop for statewide info on voter registration, absentee and in-person voting, and “know your rights” materials in multiple languages.

Minnesota

Common Cause Minnesota’s I Vote! MN 2022 initiative aims to combat mis- and disinformation, facilitates volunteer opportunities and spearheaded the “Me + 3 GOTV pledge” encouraging voter registration, early voting and asking at least three others to do the same.

Ohio

  • League of Women Voters Ohio also has compiled a one-stop voter information page where you can look up what’s on your ballot, learn about judicial elections, and volunteer opportunities to help with Election Protection or learn about serving as a poll worker.

Wisconsin

About The Joyce Foundation

Joyce is a nonpartisan, private foundation that invests in evidence-informed public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.

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