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Oakland County is taking several steps to keep 2020 elections safe and secure during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Oakland Together 2020 Democracy Initiative.
In June, the Oakland County Safe, Healthy, and Secure Election Advisory Council was formed to identify challenges and make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners to support local elections with safety measures during the pandemic. These measures aim to protect Oakland County voters and election workers while preserving the democratic process.
The council has focused on four key areas: easy and informed absentee voter participation, safe polling locations with full implementation of health protocols, trained election workers and precautions for vulnerable workers, and adequate equipment to count ballots and promote confidence in elections.
The most recent program suggested by the council and adopted by the Board is the Oakland Together Absentee Ballot Program. This program will provide return postage with the November 2020 election absentee ballots so that voters may bail back their ballots without any fees. Read more about the program here.
Several additional resolutions have been adopted by the Board related to the initiative including the creation of an interlocal agreement to facilitate local communities partnering with the county clerk to process and count absentee ballots and the dedication of funds funds for new voter tabulation equipment and the purchase of a new virtual election worker training program so that all communities can train new workers remotely. Read more about the initiative here.
Expert business counselors from Oakland County’s small business team are helping business owners and entrepreneurs who may have had their operations or plans interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The small business team is offering a series of workshops in August that focus on business strategies for responding to the pandemic, including:
- Starting a Business
- Pivoting Your Business to Thrive in a New Environment
- Market Research Basics During the Coronavirus Crisis - Consumers Have Changed, Will You?
- How to Write a Business Plan in the New Economy
All workshops are free unless otherwise noted and require pre-registration. The full schedule can be found here.
Oakland County retail stores, restaurants and personal service businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic can apply for part of the $32 million Oakland Together Small Business Recovery Grant fund.
The grants – which range from $2,500 to $10,000 – provide an infusion of capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses or other similar ones that occur in the ordinary course of business. In June, the Board unanimously voted to allocate $32 million to create the recovery grants. Only businesses that operate a physical location in Oakland County are eligible to receive grant funds through this program.
Applications are accepted online at www.oakgov.com/covid/grants, which also describes the program in detail and lists the types of eligible businesses. Eligible businesses include:
- Retail trade
- Food and lodging
- Business and personal services
- Entertainment and recreation
- Construction and maintenance services
The funds are intended to support for-profit businesses with 100 or fewer employees that suffered actual or anticipated losses from March 2020 through July 2020 due to the pandemic.
For more information, visit www.oakgov.com/covid/grants.
Oakland County has allocated $1 million in emergency financial assistance for Oakland County veterans, service members and eligible family members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Financial assistance can be provided for:
- Housing
- Utilities
- Food assistance
- Child care
- Home and vehicle repairs
- Other expenses related to COVID-19
Applicants must be a resident of Oakland County have received honorable or general under honorable conditions discharge from the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, National Guard, Reserves or women’s auxiliaries or be a dependent of the veteran. To apply, complete an application at https://publicdocs.oakgov.com/Forms/VeteransGrant.
To learn more about qualifications and required documentation, visit www.oakgov.com/covid/grants/Pages/veterans. Those with questions can also call 248-858-0785.
Oakland County Michigan Works! is offering an interactive virtual workshop every Tuesday to help prepare job seekers for remote, online interviews, which are the norm for many employers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oakland County Michigan Works! has created the workshop to provide job seekers with tips and strategies to help prepare them for an interview process that may be unfamiliar to them.
The free workshops are held Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. through August 25. To register and view workshop topics, visit OaklandCountyMIWorks.com.
Oakland County, in partnership with Honor Community Health, offers free drive-through COVID-19 testing to Oakland County residents by appointment only (same day appointments are not available):
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Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1200 N Telegraph Rd., Pontiac
Medical Examiners Facility (Bldg. 28E) Parking Lot
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Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
27725 Greenfield Rd., Southfield
Oakland County Health Division Parking Lot
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Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
45175 W 10 Mile Rd, Novi
Novi Civic Center Parking Lot
Individuals are screened for symptoms, age, and whether or not they are part of a priority testing population, etc. before an appointment is scheduled. Those over the age of 18 should call Oakland County’s “Nurse on Call” at 1-800-848-5533 to schedule an appointment.
COVID-19 testing is also available to any resident of the tri-county region (Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County) through the Coronavirus Community Care Network located at Joe Dumars Fieldhouse at the State Fairgrounds in Detroit. To schedule an appointment, call 313-230-0505 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information on testing, visit oakgov.com/covid.
Residents can still fill out the 2020 Census if they have not done so yet.
The Census is your opportunity to be counted and shape the future of Oakland County because our community benefits the most when the Census counts everyone.
To participate, visit www.2020census.gov, call 844-330-2020, or call the number associated with your preferred language.
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