ALPENA — A Northern Michigan Community Conversation Tour focused on election integrity will visit Alpena on Thursday.
Two nonpartisan Michigan groups, Keep Our Republic and Michiganders for Civic Resilience, are hosting the event.
This week, the tour will visit five communities across the state to prepare voters to learn more about what happens after they cast their ballot, gain a better understanding of the electoral process and combat misinformation about the integrity of our elections.
“This event is really about conversation,” said Ali Mittelman, executive director of Keep Our Republic. “The community can ask questions ranging from, 'What happens if I mail my vote?' to, 'What happens if the polls close?' There are no bad questions.”
Thursday's event will be held at Alpena Community College's Granum Theatre from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and attendance is free.
With the election approaching, the organizers of Thursday's event want to show the importance of each vote and how Alpena County's data makes its way to Lansing.
“We want people to have faith in the election process,” Mittman said. “For better or worse, there's a lot of money going into election campaigns and politics are intense right now, so we want to educate people.”
Thursday's event will feature several speakers, including former state representatives Lisa Posthumus Lyons and Christine Greig, former state senator Tonya Schuitmaker, now co-director of the Michigan Politics Program, and Alpena Clerk-Treasurer Anna Soik.
According to the group's website, Keep Our Republic has a unique focus on non-traditional threats facing our electoral system. The group also discusses ways to strengthen trust in our electoral system, with a focus on election integrity to ensure that all voters have the opportunity to vote and that votes are counted and properly certified.
The organization has councils in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and has been hosting events like Thursday's since the group launched in the spring of 2020, hitting full steam with an event in Michigan last fall.
“Keep Our Republic and Michiganders for Civic Resilience have joined forces to lead a community discussion about election integrity and transparency,” Mittelman said. “Both organizations are equally represented by Democrats and Republicans, fostering an environment of trust and accountability that is crucial in today's polarized election environment. As we kick off our Northern Michigan Community Dialogue Tour across the state, we hope that citizens return with renewed energy and confidence in our electoral process.”
For more information about the event and Keep Our Republic, visit KeepOurRepublic.org
Torianna Marasco can be reached at 989-358-5686 or tmarasco@thealpenanews.com