COURTESY PHOTO

ALPENA — The Northern Michigan Community Conversation Tour focusing on election integrity will visit Alpena on Thursday.

Two Michigan nonpartisan organizations, Keep Our Republic and Michiganders for Civic Resilience, will host the event.

This week, the tour will visit five communities throughout the state where voters can learn more about what happens after they cast their ballot, foster a deeper understanding of the election process, and equip themselves to combat misinformation surrounding election integrity.

“This event is very much a conversation,” Keep Our Republic Executive Director Ari Mittleman said. “The community is invited to ask questions, from, ‘What happens after you mail in votes?,’ to, ‘What happens after the polls close?’ And there’s no such thing as a bad question.”

Thursday’s event takes place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Alpena Community College’s Granum Theatre and is free to attend.

With the election approaching, the organizations hosting Thursday’s event want to show the importance of each vote and how Alpena County data makes its way to Lansing.

“We want people to believe in the process,” Mittleman said. “We want to educate people, because, for better or worse, there’s a lot of money being spent in campaigns, and politics are heavily in the air right now.”

Thursday’s event will feature several speakers, including former state reps Lisa Posthumus Lyons and Christine Greig, former state senator and current Co-Director of Michigan Political Program Tonya Schuitmaker, and Alpena Clerk and Treasurer Anna Soik.

Keep Our Republic has a unique focus on the unconventional threats facing the election system, according to the group’s website. The organization also discusses ways to help strengthen trust in the electoral system, focusing on election integrity to ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to vote and have their votes counted and properly certified.

The organization has councils in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and has hosted events such as Thursday’s since the group began in spring 2020, really kicking off with Michigan events last fall.

“Keep Our Republic and Michiganders for Civic Resilience have joined together to lead community discussions about election integrity and transparency,” Mittleman said. “Both organizations are equally represented by Democrats and Republicans to foster an environment of trust and accountability, which is crucial in today’s polarized election climate. As we embark on our Northern Michigan Community Conversation Tour throughout Michigan, we hope citizens will find renewed energy and restored faith about the election 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.