The Metro: Detroit coalition 482Forward hoping to boost voter turnout in the city

Voter turnout in the city of Detroit has been historically low, with the number of residents casting ballots in the last presidential election hovering around 50%. 

There’s been a lot of focus on changing that this election. Some efforts to draw voters to the drop boxes, the early voting centers and the polls have been in the works for a long time. 

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The organization 482Forward has been educating people all over the city about what’s at stake on the ballot. They’ve been on the streets, canvassing, holding voter forums and voting parties, sending out text messages and more to emphasize the importance of local races, but has this boosted early voter turnout?  

Amani Foster, communications lead with 482Forward, joined The Metro on Monday to discuss the organization’s nonstop work to engage voters in Detroit. She says a lot of the work 482Forward has been doing this election is trying to get the people who are already a part of their base to reach into their own communities and encourage people to vote.

“We have a voter squad captain kind of campaign that we have going on where we have each of our members getting 10 of their friends to go to the polls and vote early with them. It could have been at one of our early voting events, or it could have just been at any center that’s, you know, local to them just to go vote early. And once they do, they become a part of our voter squad,” said Foster. “And so that kind of helped us to reach those people who feel like, I just need that one tap, that one push, to really get me to the polls, because I don’t see how it impacts me or you when I vote.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on Nov. 4, 2o24:

• Tomorrow is Election Day, and over three million Michiganders have already cast their ballots with mail-in and early in-person voting. If you’re planning to vote on Tuesday, you’ll need a voting plan. That includes being informed, knowing if you’re registered, where your polling location is, and how you’ll get there. Here to talk about all of that and more is WDET’s Digital Manager and Editor, Jenny Sherman.
• There’s a partisan divide about confidence in election accuracy. Republicans are becoming less confident in election results and Democrats are becoming more confident. Yet access to voting is increasing. In 2022, Michigan voters passed a ballot measure that requires at least nine days of early in-person voting ahead of state and federal elections. Last week on WDET’s Created Equal, Stephen Henderson spoke with two experts on democratic participation to find out how early voting will impact this election. David Becker, who is the director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, and Dale Thomson, a professor of political science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, joined the conversation.
• Dance for Democracy, which considers itself the longest running  voter outreach and dance party, aims to empower dancers nationwide to vote. The non-partisan group believes it’s a way to get young voters involved while helping them find a new community. Stacey Hotwaxx Hale, Haute to Death, and WHODAT are just a few local names performing on election night. To chat more about Dance for Democracy, Ellen Vial — co-director for Dance for Democracy, joined the show.

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