Michigan's online and mail voter registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 19, and early in-person voting opens Saturday, Oct. 24, for Northville and Novi voters.

Ahead of those deadlines, No Kings organizers announced plans for Oct. 17 events in Northville and Novi. Organizers said Oct. 13 that 78 events were planned statewide to encourage participation in the Nov. 3 general election. The mobilization, dubbed "No Kings 4: Vote Early," focused on voter registration and helping residents understand their voting options rather than endorsing candidates, according to Michigan Advance reporting republished by The Oakland Press.

"It's moving from protest to power," Ryan Bates, executive director of End Gun Violence Michigan, said at an Oct. 13 press conference promoting the events.

Eliza Sokoli, a senior at Oakland Early College in Farmington Hills and founder of the Teen Action Network, a youth-led chapter of the progressive group Indivisible, helped organize the effort. Sokoli, who is not yet 18 and cannot vote in this election, said the goal was getting neighbors to encourage each other to cast ballots.

Emily Busch of the Michigan Freedom Coalition said the movement was responding to what she described as threats to democratic institutions under the Trump administration. She cited immigration enforcement, restrictions affecting universities and the news media, health care costs and trade policies. Busch said she became involved in political organizing after her son was inside Oxford High School during the Nov. 30, 2021, mass shooting that killed four students.

Though the movement grew out of protests against the Trump administration, organizers said the Oct. 17 events would be nonpartisan and would not feature political candidates.

Angela Davenport, executive director of the Voting Access for All Coalition, outlined key voting deadlines at the press conference. Eligible residents can register in person at their city or township clerk's office through Election Day, Nov. 3, with proof of residency.

Davenport urged residents not to assume a criminal record disqualifies them from voting. In Michigan, otherwise eligible residents who are not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison can vote, she said. That includes people on probation or parole.

Michigan’s required nine-day early-voting period runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, although some communities begin earlier. Novi Civic Center, 45175 W. Ten Mile Road, serves voters from Novi city, Novi Township and Northville city. Northville Township voters use Township Hall.

Voters can request absentee ballots through their local clerks.

Older adults who need rides to the polls can call Novi Older Adult Transportation at 248-735-5617 or Northville Senior Services at 248-449-9934, according to Oakland County.

Key dates:

  • Monday, Oct. 19 — Deadline to register to vote online or by mail
  • Saturday, Oct. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 1 — Early in-person voting for Northville and Novi voters
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3 — Election Day