NEWS RELEASE: 2014 "ExpressSOS" Voter Registration Drive to visit four southeast Michigan universities

Media Release from Secretary of State Ruth Johnson

-- For immediate release --

2014 “ExpressSOS” Voter Registration Drive to visit four southeast Michigan universities

Mobile Branch Office

Stops next week are part of 3,000-mile college registration drive this fall

 

LANSING, Mich. - Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced today that the Mobile Office is heading to southeast Michigan next week to visit four colleges and universities to offer voter registration and other services to students, staff and area residents. The stops are part of the 2014 “ExpressSOS” Voter Registration Drive, which includes visits to 20 universities and colleges statewide.

“Today’s college students have the right and the responsibility to have their voice heard on Election Day and that begins with registering to vote,” Johnson said. “I encourage students, faculty, staff and other residents to stop by our Mobile Office to ask questions and register to vote. They are also welcome to take care of any other SOS business they may have, such as renewing their license plate tabs or changing their address.”

Johnson will be visiting Macomb Community College at 3 p.m. Tuesday to highlight National Voter Registration Day.

The Mobile Office will visit:

  • University of Michigan from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, on the Michigan League circle drive at 911 N. University in Ann Arbor;
  • Macomb Community College from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23 indoors at the Dimitry Student Center at 44575 Garfield Road in Clinton Township;
  • Schoolcraft College from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24 indoors at the VisTaTech Center at 18600 Haggerty Road in Livonia;
  • Eastern Michigan University from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25 outside the Student Union on the patio, at 900 Oakwood St. in Ypsilanti.

“The Secretary of State’s Mobile Office provides an accessible and convenient way for students, faculty and staff to register to vote without leaving campus,” said Cynthia Wilbanks, University of Michigan’s vice president for government relations. “We are pleased to partner with the Secretary of State again to make this visit possible at U-M.”

The last day to register to vote for the Nov. 4 election is Oct. 6.

The visits are part of Johnson’s far-reaching efforts to ensure every eligible voter is registered to vote, including:

  • A postcard sent to every 18 year old on their birthday reminding them to register to vote.
  • Voter registration for newly sworn citizens at naturalization ceremonies across the state.
  • A policy in which office customers who come in for personal ID or driver’s licenses are asked if they want to register to vote, provided they are U.S. citizens.

Johnson also reminds residents to visit the online Michigan Voter Information Center, a single, comprehensive source designed for voter convenience at www.Michigan.gov/vote. The site offers sample ballots, as well as information on absentee ballots, polling locations, voting systems and candidates. A mobile version is also available.

Many of the department’s services can be found online at www.ExpressSOS.com.


For media questions, please call
Gisgie Dávila Gendreau at 517-373-2520.


For more about the Secretary of State's Office:

To find Secretary of State office locations and services, visit www.michigan.gov/sos. Sign up for the official Secretary of State Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/michsos and Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/michigansos. Online services are available at www.expresssos.com.

Customers may call the Department of State Information Center to speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).