BUC Community
BEYOND VOTING

Where BUC members and friends can get information about safe voting
AND ways you can help get out the vote in 2020. 

There are dozens of ways you can get involved in the 2020 election, and lots of sites with information on how to vote. Here we have collected some of the material we have offered this year all in one place for your convenience. If you know of anything you think would be a good addition to this site, please use the "Contact Us" page to let us know.

What if your Absentee Ballot doesn't arrive?

What if your plan is to vote absentee and you watch your mailbox every day but your ballot never arrives? Some cities have a plan for that. Here are a few local ones we have found.

What To Do!

Ballot Power puts the
knowledge in your hands

Ballot power is a website that makes it so easy to keep up with the status of your absentee ballot; it even sends you reminders!  Thanks to Marcia Mahood for sending this in; if you see something to share, please send it to [email protected]

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Who ya gonna call?

Your questions answered, your voting problems solved -- just call 1-866-OUR-VOTE !

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VNP’s Michigan Drop Box Locator Project 

The greatest barrier to absentee voting is voters' concerns that their ballot may not be received on time and won't be counted if they return it by mail. This tool makes it easier to vote absentee.

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Michigan Voter
Information Center

This is a website of the State of Michigan, where you can
--register to vote,
--request an absentee ballot, and
--best of all, find out if your absentee ballot has been received by your clerk! Plus a LOT more. Check it out!

Go to MVIC Website

Know Your Candidates

It's easy to learn more about your candidates before you vote. Here are some ways.

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Another Way to Help: Work on the Environmental Voter Project

Millions of people who DO care about the environment have NOT been voting!  The Environmental Voter Project is working to fix that.  Read more about the Project here, including Annis' experience.

Environmental Voter Project

You CAN help get out the vote

There are many ways you can stay safe at home and still help get out the vote this year, and you can spend as little or as much time as you want. Here are some things you can do. 

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Oakland County Times posts candidate interviews

The Oakland County Times website invites every candidate in the County to be interviewed and posts the videos.  Check here often for new videos of YOUR candidates.  And go to the Michigan Voter Information Center to get your ballot which lists your candidates.  

Link to interview videos

Looking for an easy way to help get out the environmental vote?

BUC's Sharon Kirchner is one of thousands of volunteers writing personalized letters as part of the Sierra Club's campaign to nudge low propensity environmental voters into action. She shares her thoughts on the process here.

Click here for Sharon's thoughts, AND more info on getting involved

Is working the polls right for you?

We need poll workers more than ever.
Mary Jo Ebert has worked in the past several elections, and shares her experience here, plus offers info on how you can sign up.

Read about Mary Jo's experience here

Two More BUCers who are helping keep democracy alive

Donna Larkin-Mohr and Harper West share their experiences phone banking, canvassing, and even becoming a Precinct Delegate.

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Voting Ins and Outs

The ACLU says one way you can help Get Out the Vote is to post a photo of yourself voting.  Here are a few other tips I learned by experience.

What NOT to do when voting

PROPOSAL 1 safeguards funding for conservation in Michigan

Learn more about this proposal and why it's good for the environment in Michigan

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Where to drop off your absentee ballot

Worried about the postal service? Don't trust your ballot to the mails--instead DROP IT OFF at your town's drop box. Here's a list of them in Oakland County.
(To get the complete list for all of MI, go to https://www.michigan.gov/documents/sos/Ballot_Dropbox_Locations_697191_7.pdf

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No Postage Worries for Oakland County

Many don't know that mailing our absentee ballots costs 65 cents--more than one stamp. But the Oakland County Commission voted in July to pay the cost of postage for our ballots in Oakland County--removing one more barrier to free and accessible elections.

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