Attorney General Nessel, Secretary Benson invite students to voter engagement townhall

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel will host a virtual Get Out the Vote Rally for Michigan college students on Tuesday, October 20, at 5 p.m. At this nonpartisan event, Benson and Nessel will remind students of the key deadlines and voting rights information they need to know to make their plan to vote.

The event is co-sponsored by the Michigan Association of State Universities, Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities, Campus Vote Project, the ALL IN Challenge, the Big 10 Voting Challenge, Campus Election Engagement Project, and PIRGIM Students.

“In a year where we’re expecting record-breaking turnout, we’re working hard to ensure our students and young people have the tools and information they need to vote, many for the first time,” said Benson. “This is going to be an historic election, and we want every voter, especially new ones, to feel confident in the process and in exercising their rights.”

“Voting is a crucial democratic right we must exercise, and I am delighted to team up with Secretary Benson for this event to make sure Michigan’s college-age voters are informed and ready to act on Nov. 3,” Nessel said. “The young people of this state are blazing their own trails, and it’s important that they are equipped with the tools to ensure their voice is heard. At a time when there is so much misinformation out there, it’s imperative that the brilliant young minds who attend our colleges and universities know that they have a say in the future of this state and our nation.”

Last year, Benson launched the Michigan Collegiate Voting Challenge to support and recognize college and community colleges for their work to increase student voting on campus. At the event, students will be encouraged to vote and beat the rival schools participating in the challenge. Michigan has 34 participating campuses, with 76 percent of Michigan students attending a participating school. Schools can still sign up to participate, or learn more information at Michigan.gov/VotingChallenge.

Also available online at Michigan.gov/StudentVoting is a toolkit with student-specific messaging and links to helpful sites for student voters, including directions on how to use Michigan.gov/Vote to make a plan to vote. The page is a one-stop shop for student-related voter information and resources, created in response to feedback from students, including the Michigan Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force, on their needs to make voting access easier.