Know What You're Seeing: A Volunteer Guide to Election Concerns

The PIME Tour of Michigan wants volunteers who are careful, calm, and fair. Here is how to tell what matters and what to do next.

From today through Election Day, November 3, volunteers with the PIME Tour of Michigan will visit election sites across the state. Taking a photo is the easy part. Knowing what you are recording and reporting it the right way are useful. The job is simple: visit election sites, record what you see, and send in any irregularities. Please identify yourself and describe what you are documenting: Tell us the who, what, where, and when. Then email to TourOfMichigan@proton.me.

Start with a calm look

Most things that look odd at first have simple explanations. A busy office, staff moving paperwork, or a procedure you haven't seen before are usually just part of the job. When something does seem off, don't jump to conclusions. Take a moment, step back, and ask yourself what you actually saw.

Write down the facts

Good notes answer five questions:

• Where did it happen? Give the address or site name.

• When was it? Include the date and time.

• What did you see? Describe actions, not guesses about motives.

• How do you know? Say whether you saw it yourself or heard about it.

• What does the footage show? Keep the camera steady, and never film ballots or people voting.

PIME asks volunteers to separate an observed irregularity from a verified violation. You can report the first. Only officials and courts can confirm the second.

Ask before you assume

If you are unsure what you are seeing, it is fine to ask a staff member a polite question. Don't argue, and don't press. If staff ask you to stop filming or leave, do so.

Know where to turn

• Send footage and notes to PIME at TourOfMichigan@proton.me for review.

• Call 911 if anyone is in danger.

Follow the rules

Stay lawful and stay out of the way. A summary of Michigan guidance says other photography and video are not allowed within 100 feet of a polling place on Election Day.

Stay accurate

Part of the Tour's focus comes from questions about 2020 registration forms in Muskegon. Some of PIME's focus comes from GBI Strategies, a voter-registration company. In 2020, a police report in Muskegon described suspicious registration forms. Analysis of the activities of this group indicate a highly organized and well-funded election operation that was active across Michigan.

In fact, this group logged over 7,900 hours of canvassing across nine cities in Michigan in 2020 and 104 packages filled with suspicious registrations were sent out to multiple clerks across Michigan in 2020. Michigan State Police even conducted warranted searches at three critical GBI Strategies’ locations in the cities of Muskegon Heights, Grand Haven, and Southfield in October 2020.

Volunteers who share what they see accurately keep the Tour credible.

Join the Tour

Email TourOfMichigan@proton.me. PIME is not affiliated with any government agency. This article is general information, not legal advice.