The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, December 5, 2019 — 3A
Professors, students reflect on
online voting registration system
Electronic option will save costs on paper and mailing, increase accuracy of voter profiles
MADELINE MCLAUGHLIN
Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan’s
Secretary
of State Jocelyn Benson
announced Monday that
Michigan residents can
now
register
to
vote
and update their voter
registration
status
online. In a statement,
Benson
announced
the online option was
implemented primarily as
a means of enabling more
streamlined, convenient
means of registration for
citizens.
“This fast, convenient,
cost-effective and secure
option to register to vote
will enable many more
people
to
participate
in
democracy
and
help
Michigan’s
clerks
maintain
complete,
accurate and up-to-date
voter rolls,” Benson said.
In
the
statement,
Benson’s office outlined
a number of benefits to
implementing
online
voter
registration,
namely
cutting
costs
on
paper
applications
and mailing, increasing
accuracy
for
applicant
files,
facilitating
more
frequent voter updates
and allowing for ease and
convenience
for
voters
trying to register.
Michigan is now one
of 38 states to allow
electronic
registration.
Legislation to implement
online voter registration
was passed by the state
legislature
in
2018.
After
identifying
their
residency from a driver’s
license or state ID, users
can register or update
their registration through
an
online
tool.
Those
without a driver’s license
or state ID are able to use
the streamlined website
to learn more about the
means by which they can
register.
LSA
junior
Carolyn
Chen, director of voter
registration for College
Democrats,
reflected
on
the
importance
of
enacting
legislation
that eases the burden
often
associated
with
registering to vote.
“Voting
registration
laws are the number one
reason
why
American
voter turnout is low,”
Chen said. “In a cost
benefit
analysis,
the
benefits
of
voting—
having
your
one
vote
sway the entire election.
(These
benefits)
are
way less than the costs
of having to register—
taking the initiative to
print
out
registration
forms and mailing them
into
the
city
clerk.
Anything that will help
make voter registration
easier will be a great step
for democracy.”
Chen
went
on
to
discuss
how
Michigan
legislators
should
be
cautious in the program’s
implementation,
inasmuch
as
it
may
hinder
some
citizens
from registering.
“There are still some
issues that need to be
solved since the online
registration is so new,”
Chen said. “Some states
are including new ID laws
with online registration
which will just suppress
more
voters
as
well
as
some
issues
with
mistakes in the system
purging some voters, but
nothing is perfect and
this will be a great step
forward.”
The
voting
announcement
came
after
Michigan
began
automatic
voter
registration
in
conjunction
with
the
distribution of driver’s
license and state ID cards
in
September.
Despite
these
recent
changes,
longstanding
methods
of
voter
registration,
like registration by mail,
will remain options for
citizens.
Benson’s
public
statement
claimed
that young voters were
particularly likely to take
advantage of the online
voter registration system.
In 2017, the University of
Michigan launched the
Big Ten Voting Challenge,
a nonpartisan effort to
incite civic engagement
among younger citizens
and students across Big
Ten
universities.
Edie
Goldenberg, U-M political
science and public policy
professor,
spearheaded
the
movement
at
the
University.
In
an
interview with The Daily,
Goldenberg
noted
that
while she was happy with
the
implementation
of
online registration, she
wanted
individuals
to
remember the program
was
only
for
in-state
students.
“I
am
delighted
that
this
is
going
to
be
implemented,”
Goldenberg
said.
“It’s
going
to
make
things
much easier, especially
for
students.
But
it’s
important to remember
that it’s only available for
students who have either
a
Michigan
driver’s
license or a Michigan
state ID.”
While
this
program
could
open
doors
for
Michigan
residents,
it
does not apply to out-of-
state students, who make
up a large portion of the
student body, Goldenberg
said.
“We
have
students
from outside the state
of Michigan who might
want to vote in Michigan,
they have the right to do
that — any college student
may choose to vote either
at home or where they’re
studying,”
Goldenberg
said.
“So
for
those
students, they can’t use
electronic registration.”
She
concluded
by
reflecting
on
the
importance of legislation
that
allows
for
more
streamlined
voting
registration, as it enables
citizens to exercise one of
their most fundamental
rights.
“I think that voting
is
one
of
the
most
fundamental
rights
that
citizens
have,”
Goldenberg said. “And I
think that young people
haven’t
participated
as much as I wish they
would,
and
therefore
…
their
priorities
and
interests are not being
heard as much as older
people’s
priorities
and
interests are.”
was the first to apply for a
recreational marijuana license
upon its availability on Nov. 1.
The operational marijuana
facility
prepared
before
Proposal
1
was
passed,
anticipating
the
eventual
outcome.
Narmin
Jarrous,
executive
vice
president
of
business
development,
explained
Exclusive
Brands
used the general template for
approval of a medical facility to
apply for recreational sale.
“We
knew
recreational
marijuana
would
eventually
be approved, so we always
had that kind of in our sights,”
Jarrous said.
“Once
it
got
approved,
we went into overdrive. We
used
the
medical
facility
application as a guide and
kind of guessed our way
through to figure out what
we’d
anticipate
on
the
application. It was really a
year-long process.”
The
process
involved
working with city officials,
local businesses and the Ann
Arbor community. According
to
Jarrous,
all
players
have
been
very
receptive
to working with Exclusive
Brands and other businesses.
“The
city
made
sure
everything was in regulation,
and we worked closely with
them to understand the city’s
rules and city’s regulations
and their concerns,” Jarrous
said. “And then we tied that
into our application, and we
made sure that everything
from our building, to the
traffic flow, to our hours of
operation, were in regulation
with the city and convenient
for the businesses around
us. We only want to have
a positive impact on this
community, and I think we’re
doing a pretty good job at it,
and we’re hoping that it only
grows.”
LJ Horowitz, Kinesiology
senior,
is
president
of
Green Wolverine, a student
organization that educates
students on the medicinal
advantages
of
cannabis,
discussed
the
growth
of
the cannabis industry and
current
policies
revolving
cannabis. While he believes
Ann Arbor is one of the
best places in the world to
use cannabis, he expressed
concern with the rollout of
recreational
marijuana
in
regards to possible shortages.
This, he said, was one of
the topics of the Michigan
Cannabis Leaders Summit,
which took place last week.
“We already had a weak
harvest in Michigan, and
then with the adult use, that
is surely going to run out
very quickly,” Horowitz said.
“Just because there’s no limit
on how much you can really
purchase, and there’s only
really three stores in the Ann
Arbor area. It’s going to be a
real supply issue pretty soon,
and you’re going to see the
prices sky-rocket probably
after the new year. In which
case
they
probably
won’t
come down again until the
summer. At least that’s the
prediction.”
He
emphasized
while
recreational purchase is a
step in the right direction,
there will need to be a
consistent effort to ensure
a stable supply for medical
patients. He also emphasized
the importance of setting
a good example model for
other states on the path
to
legalizing
recreational
marijuana.
“With
regards
to
recreation, I don’t want it to
seem like I have a negative
viewpoint on it because of
this price raise, I think it’s
great; it’s going to be really
great for the city and state,”
Horowitz said. “It’s more
so that they really need to
figure out the supply chain
and make sure that that’s 100
percent safe and equitable
for the medical community
as well as equitable for the
recreational
community.
Just
because
right
now
it’s being rolled out really
inefficiently.”
Jarrous
said
Exclusive
Brands is receptive to these
concerns and will always
prioritize its medical patients
first.
“Our number one priority,
we’ve said this time and time
again, is always going to be
to
our
patients,”
Jarrous
said. “Above the recreational
entry, above the recreational
users,
who
we
love
and
appreciate, we’re dedicated
to the patients who use this
as medicine and need this to
live comfortable lives.”
Students such as Public
Health senior Sydni Warner
have
mixed
feelings
on
recreational
sales.
While
dispensaries
will
produce
a higher quality product,
Warner
wonders
if
this
increased access could extend
possible underage purchase
of marijuana with fake IDs.
She
also
emphasized
the
need
for
currently
incarcerated
individuals
under
marijuana
charges
to be considered for early
release,
especially
where
Black people are much more
likely to be arrested.
“Often those in jail for
these
charges
are
Black
men, an already historically
marginalized
community
when it comes to drugs and
crime,” Warner said. “While
I
recognize
that
at
the
time of conviction they had
committed a crime, I believe
that the time they have faced
up until now should be ample
time to serve for a crime that
is no longer illegal.”
Warner,
an
Ypsilanti
resident,
believes
that
legalization
could
widen
racial socio-economic gaps
between Ypsilanti and Ann
Arbor,
as
well
as
other
Michigan areas.
“Gentrified areas such as
particular regions in Detroit
are projected to have a large
number of dispensaries in
the next coming year, most of
which is owned by whites,”
Warner said. “This to me
shows
that
white
owners
are taking advantage of a
system that was previously,
and still in most places,
used
to
reprimand
and
discriminate
against
poor,
low
socioeconomic
status
Black men. I just simply
think it’s unfair to have large
percentages of young Black
MARIJUANA
From Page 1A
Jones drew on data from the
2017 University of Michigan
Campus
Climate
Study.
According to the study, Black
engineers
have
different
experiences compared to other
engineering students.
“In the area of feeling that they
are treated fairly and equitably
by others, Black students report
much lower than the overall
population,” Jones said. “When
asked if they feel that they belong
at University of Michigan the
majority of students said ‘yes.’ In
this case the outliers were Black
students.”
Rackham
student
Jocelyn
Jackson, a first-year Ph.D. student
in
Engineering
Education
Research and the national chair
for the National Society of Black
Engineers,
attended
Jones’s
talk. She reflected on how she
hopes faculty will take initiative
to bring about change in the
engineering community.
“I think that the people who
are really curious to learn and
everyone that did come to the
seminar I hope that they are able
to hear diverse perspectives, but
then think about what they’re
going to do and how they’re going
to be a change agent,” Jones said.
Jones said students would
most
likely
be
engaged
in
engineering and STEM fields
if they had the support of their
community. She recalled that
students she spoke to often felt
isolated by peers in large lecture
halls and revealed anonymous
quotes from students at the
school of engineering.
“‘No one wants to partner
with me in class. I’m always
the last choice because I’m
Black,’” Jones recalled the
student telling her.
Jones then went on to
explain how professors and
advisors at the University of
Michigan can communicate
with Black engineers in order
to provide a more supportive
and welcoming community.
“When
you
see
them
isolated
if
there’s
group
work then perhaps this is
where you make the groups,
perhaps you go in and you say
‘I know this is going to be an
issue, so I’m going to create a
situation where we’ve got to
be inclusive,’” Jones said.
Rackham student Corin
Bowen attended the talk and
expressed how she hopes the
face of engineering at U-M
and in America will change.
“The demographics that
currently exist in the College
of Engineering does not
represent this local area,
they don’t represent the
state, they don’t represent
the country, and they don’t
represent the world. We have
to move in that direction
and we need the kind of
structural changes that we
started touching on today
in order to do that,” Bowen
said.
ENGINEERS
From Page 1A
As the implementation of the
feature expands, some users are
finding ways to get around it to
show off their likes.
LSA freshman Lucas Felpi
is
an
international
student
from São Paulo, Brazil. Felpi’s
Instagram account is verified as
a result of internet fame from
being of the few students to
receive a perfect score on the
National High School Exam in
Brazil. Instagram had started
testing the new feature in Brazil
months before Felpi left for
Michigan. Even after coming to
the United States, the version of
the app on his phone still does
not show likes on his posts.
Felpi said being unable to see
likes did not affect how often
people used Instagram in Brazil
and predicted that it will have
a bigger effect in the United
States.
“From my knowledge, I don’t
think it changed,” Felpi said. “I
don’t think anyone uninstalled
Instagram because of it. I don’t
think usage stopped. I think
it has the same importance as
it had before, but it was like
an enforcement that they’re
not gonna have likes anymore
and
people
complained
for
like a week or a few days and
then it was over. Everyone just
continued using it. I think this
is going to be bigger here. I
don’t think the use is changing
because Instagram has a strong,
solid user base and people are
not letting go now.”
As an alternative, Felpi said
users were posting the number
of likes a post got on their
Instagram stories, since they
were able to see the number of
likes on their own posts.
However, some influencers
think
the
change
will
significantly
impact
users.
Business
sophomore
Alyson
Koh, who runs the food account
@AllySnacks, believes this new
feature will be detrimental to
Instagram’s business model.
“To be honest, I think it’s
detrimental
to
Instagram’s
business model because if people
don’t
have
that
measurable
statistic,
what
is
Instagram
going to do next?” Koh said. “I
actually appreciate their move
toward wellness and mental
health
with
their
platform
because it makes people more
self-conscious when it should
just be about the picture and the
gallery of photos you are posting
and not how many people are
viewing it. But I think people
think will jump to another
platform instead if they don’t
have the concrete measurement
of statistics. I think it will affect
it in a sense that people will
not use Instagram as often,
but I think that the people who
stay will still be there for the
content.”
Korcari agreed. She thinks a new
app will come up in response to
Instagram getting rid of likes.
“This might cause for another
app to come out to try to do what
Instagram was doing. If another
app does come out, then I believe
people will jump on that like how
people left Facebook or Twitter to
jump on Instagram,” Korcari said.
“However, I’m interested to see if
taking away the likes is going to
increase the use of Instagram or
decrease it. I feel like it could go
either way.”
Kim said the testing is still going
on and that there is no set date for
this new feature to be released.
“We are testing and have yet
to come to a final decision about
private like counts,” Kim wrote.
Businesses
themselves
have
also used Instagram to promote
their products through exposure
through social media influencers
and advertisements. Bivouac is
one of those companies which
emphasizes social media in their
marketing.
While
Instagram’s
new feature may not affect how
Bivouac markets its products,
there are concerned about the
use of other businesses marketing
with Instagram.
Coco
Herreria,
a
social
media
manager
at
Bivouac,
said she thinks Instagram has
been moving towards forcing
businesses to purchase ads since
they
first
launched.
Herreria
noted Instagram has changed the
algorithm to control what photos
are being viewed by users.
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
INSTAGRAM
From Page 1A
“We acknowledge and affirm
that you are the expert on your own
body, identity, and experience,” the
website reads. “As the initiation of
hormone therapy is a new service
at UHS, for now, we are following
the WPATH Standards of Care to
ensure that you receive the high-
quality care you deserve.”
In an interview with The Daily
after the event, Engineering senior
Violet
Boyse-Peacor
said
she
was concerned when she found
out UHS still uses the WPATH
Standards of Care, as she feels it is
an older practice.
“It’s easy, but it’s also a pain to
get informed consent because you
have to get to Ypsilanti (to Corner
Health
Care
Center),”
Boyse-
Peacor said. “When I learned that
you had to use WPATH (at UHS), I
was slightly surprised.”
Boyse-Peacor
said
she
has
previously traveled to Corner
Health Care Center to receive
gender-affirming
care
under
the
informed
consent
model.
Engineering junior Caitlin Beach
told The Daily telling students to
travel to Ypsilanti for hormone
therapy has caused the Corner
Health Care Center’s waitlist to
become months long, preventing
them from quickly receiving the
care they desire.
“(The
WPATH
model)
doesn’t give respect to the people
looking for the service,” Beach
said. “It gives respect to people
who are practitioners, who are
psychiatrists, not the patient.”
Beach said sending students
elsewhere for care using the
informed consent model could
potentially cause students to lose
trust in other UHS services.
“When you’re going that far to
avoid that process, you’re not going
to be as confident when you go for a
surgery (at the University) and you
need three letters (of consent) to do
that,” Beach said. “Right now, it’s
inefficient and overall increases the
number of hours put into a patient
when it shouldn’t need to be that
way.”
At the town hall, attendees
discussed their own experiences
when
attempting
to
receive
gender
reaffirming
care
at
UHS.
Individuals
voiced
concerns regarding the current
WPATH model, saying it puts
up
unnecessary
barriers
for
those wishing to receive gender-
affirming care.
To address this issue, the
attendees plan to reach out to
the Trans Care Team and set up
a meeting early next semester
to discuss the possible steps to
achieving the informed consent
model. By talking to the team
along with other professionals at
UHS, the group said they hope
to continue the conversation of
informed consent, discuss ways
the team is helping them as well as
ways they would be able to improve
their care.
Honey said she has received
care from the Trans Care Team at
the University and had a positive
experience. She hopes the group
can help them better serve the
LGBTQ+ community on campus.
“I found that the doctors were
really supportive,” Honey said.
“They are open to talking to
students, I felt heard … In a lot of
ways, this whole meeting is about
helping them out as well.”
UHS
From Page 1A