We’re in the thick of a big election year, and there is no shortage of responsibility being laid on those who are eligible to vote. It would seem that every organization and campaign is putting pressure on voters to exercise their civic duty to participate in elections. That’s fine. However, in the state of Michigan, it has become increasingly difficult to cast your vote if you do not have countless hours on election day to stand at your specified polling location. This needs to change.
As a university student, I’ve experienced the convoluted process of registering and voting in Michigan. I registered in my hometown during summer vacation of 2012, but I was back at school by the time November rolled around. I had classes on Election Day and no reliable transportation to speak of. I was told that if I had not yet voted in person at my assigned polling place, I would not be allowed to receive an absentee ballot at my school address. There was no way I could make it to my polling place before it closed, and I thought my hands were tied. Luckily, I had registered to vote in person, which allowed me to vote absentee even though it was my first time participating in an election.
Why is this process so difficult to navigate? Even as a college student who took a political science course, it was ridiculously difficult to find out what was really going on. I had an easier time figuring out how to register my address with the Netherlands municipality during my study abroad experience – where all of the instructions were written in Dutch – than it was to register to vote in my home state. Something is definitely wrong with this picture.
We cannot have a true democracy if every eligible voter is not allowed to register and cast a ballot. Michigan is far behind the times when it comes to modernizing voting and providing greater access for everyone on Election Day. Long lines at the polls are unacceptable in 2015. Voting is one of the most important ways that we can make sure our representatives serve ordinary people in Michigan, not just wealthy, powerful special interest groups and their lobbyists. It is our right and responsibility to vote. In order to exercise that right, we deserve a streamlined and convenient system that does not discourage people from voting. Our democracy depends on it.
