There are no excuses for being an uninformed voter in the upcoming state and local election races and proposals. The League of Women Voters has accessible information on every candidate and their positions in all the races and on proposals in each county. An increased presence of false political ads and bad actors are deliberately trying to mislead and misinform with false content in the Nov. 3 election. Not only does the content exist, but it is becoming more difficult to distinguish it from real content. Being socially conscious and mindful takes skill when viewing social media and in the age of AI particularly.
What’s at stake for Michigan in the coming election? All 13 Michigan seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and an open race for the state’s
U.S. Senate seat. Also, open races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, all 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives, all 38 seats in the state Senate, two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court and numerous statewide education board positions. Locally, voting for various county and municipal government positions, judicial seats for local courts, board members for local school districts and local and statewide ballot issues.
The Michigan League for Woman Voters candidate forums, printed voter guides and online VOTE411 voter guides provide candidates' unedited responses to questions. To know your ballot in advance on Michigan races and proposals, see the website for your county at the Michigan League of Voters. Call your local city or township hall if you have questions about precent locations and hours.
In this election, as in every election, every vote counts.
Mary B. Killeen
Howell
(Editors note: The Detroit Free Press 2026 Voter Guide also serves as a voter resource. It includes candidates' responses to questions on everything from data centers to taxes, affordability and more.)
Here's a provocative guilt trip to make you vote
It is your fault. Yes, this is a guilt trip, but it is justified. You are guilty.
If you fail to make a few, well-considered black marks on a piece of paper, and deliver that paper to a mailbox or a voting center, you are at fault.
If later you find yourself bemoaning the lack of health care insurance for your sick baby, stop it. You were instrumental in creating this situation.
If your brother is sent to the hell of war, a war whose goal, now, is a return to the situation existing prior to its commencement ‒ a nuclear agreement and an open strait ‒ be silent. This is on you.
If you cannot afford gas or food or rent, stop complaining. You didn’t spend half an hour making informed dots on a piece of paper.
If your neighbors ‒ the ones who help you at the drop of a hat ‒ if their children are ripped from them, or are shot in the street by unidentified, masked lowlifes employed by a nominal, thoughtless supreme leader, who is to blame?
If a natural disaster strikes, an unmanageable forest fire, say, and our northern neighbors and one-time friends decide, this time, not to help us, though they always have, that’s on you.
If someone you know needs but cannot receive an abortion, well, this is very much your doing. You should have made some dots on a ballot.
If you believe the United States will remain the world leader in scientific research and innovation, think it through. Is the path to this excellence achieved by systematically dismantling the Department of Education and by withholding research funding? Really? Don’t believe … think!
If a toddler at your son’s playschool dies of measles after having infected your son and others because his parents are ignorant and gullible, as a non-voter you relinquish your right to complain.
Stop believing. Start thinking. Stop complaining and sit down with your ballot. Research candidates. Ignore the vile attack campaigns, the ones with manipulated, emotion laden, severely edited, fact-less drivel. Think. Research. Make it personal, because it is. Horrible things are being done to our country. To us. Vote.
Robert Greene
Detroit
We're on thin ice
Scientists continue to debate how much of a role climate change played in the deadly floods that shook Nepal in late August. Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that it’s affecting mountain ranges across the world.
In many mountain valleys, locals depend on the plants that grow there for food, medicine and the grazing of livestock. As temperatures rise, plant ranges are shifting to higher altitudes in response, which may threaten these cultures’ way of life.
Meanwhile, glaciers from the Alps to the Rockies are in dire straits. Switzerland’s glaciers have lost 20% of their volume over the last five years, and in North America, glaciers have shrunk by an average of 33%.
While the odds of an earthquake causing a chunk of ice falling down a mountain and flooding a valley at any given time are slim, do you really want to be there when it happens? I don’t think so.
Luke Daniels
Rochester
The American dream is more like a nightmare
The American dream for young people has become the American nightmare.
Youngsters are uncertain about college education because with or without college they face a daunting job market. Many are driven to live in their parents’ homes after schooling because they cannot afford their own housing. When they find employment, they seem unable to hold a job for long.
Young folks have difficulty finding sturdy partners to form a marriage with, but when they do they are unable for financial reasons or unwilling for selfish reasons to bring children into this life. There is an overall decline in ethics and declining religious knowledge and faith in their ranks.
Young adults are addicted to social media, have little interest in picking up a newspaper to learn about the community, and many or most have not read a serious book since their school days, if then.
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross, Utah
And, on other news of the week:
I'm glad that Kimberly Guilfoyle lost her ambassadorship after asking Trump donors to pay her credit card bill came to light. But this is only a tiny step.
When the president himself routinely uses his position to enrich himself and his allies — from crypto schemes to shoddy merchandise — it is no wonder that cases like this exist.
Paul Bacon
Hallandale Beach, Florida
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: There are no excuses for being an uninformed voter | Letters
