I have a long-held belief that everything that happens is a reaction to the last thing that happened. Which is why I’m holding my breath for the election on Nov. 5, and the weeks and months to follow.

Do you feel that, too, knowing that the last thing that happened in the realm of presidential elections was on Jan. 6, 2021? That sense that we, as citizens, need to do our part and vote but that beyond that, who knows what will unfold? There are concerns about voter intimidation, harassment or interference with poll workers, contentious lawsuits.

Well, the best antidote for uncertainty and anxiety in the small corner of the world I occupy is fact-based, rational reporting – from the White House down to your city hall. And that is what MLive is committed to, and delivering, leading up to this consequential election.

“That's our superpower – we are the legitimate source for news, especially in our core communities like Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids,” said Sara Scott, senior director of news for MLive. “We're really the only source for who is running for your township board. Who is running for your county commission? Who's running for sheriff? Who's running for prosecutor?

In Scott’s words, it’s “all hands on deck” at MLive for the 2024 election cycle. We are pulling reporting resources from throughout the state to detail not only local-level campaign issues and candidates, but also to cover the dizzying schedule of appearances around the state by the presidential nominees and their running mates.

Since February, that is 45 visits and counting – each of them with traffic-stopping consequences for communities across Michigan as police details shut down highways and byways.

“I feel like almost everybody has been impacted by these visits in some way,” said Scott. “I made the mistake a couple of weeks ago of trying to go get a prescription in East Lansing and that was the day that Tim Walz was (in town).

“I finally just gave up. I'm like, it's gonna have to happen a different day. I can't get there.”

To pull it together, from local mayor to presidential hopefuls battling for votes in a critical swing state, MLive has made a concerted effort to give you information you need, updated daily and in many formats. We’ve also made it free through the election cycle to all readers who register with MLive. You can read details on how to do that here.

What you’ll get includes:

An upgraded MLive Michigan politics newsletter – offered Monday through Saturday –that features the very best of our political offerings. It’s free, and you can sign up for it here.
A daily countdown to the 2024 election story, highlighting the latest news in the presidential race, the U.S. Senate race, as well as what folks need to know about their local and state races. You can find easily by navigating to mlive.com/politics.
MLive reporters digging in deep on what it means for Michigan to be a swing state, and why the candidates are blitzing us. The daily countdown post, mentioned above, includes updated visit schedules for the candidates and their proxies.
Features, analysis and other valuable information: What does early voting look like so far? Who is still uncommitted and what are they thinking? Are you burned out on the election? What happened in 2020, and what does that portend for election results in 2024?
And of course, our traditional MLive Voters Guide, done in conjunction with the League of Women Voters. The guide, found at this link, allows you to enter your address and access your ballot – all the way down to local races. It also offers candidate bios and answers to questions on key issues by race (responses are voluntary and depend on candidate participation).

What happens on Nov. 5 and in the months following is consequential. It deserves the best an informed electorate can do, and the best credible news organizations can do to prepare the electorate. We’re doing our part.

“All of the fact-checking and all of the sourcing we’re doing is more important than ever,” Scott said. “It’s a lot of work and it’s a little overwhelming at times, but I’m very proud of the work our team is doing every day. It’s critical to our democracy.”

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