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Washtenaw 
County 

reported record levels of 
voter turnout this election, 
according to the Washtenaw 
County elections site. 

Nearly 19,600 Ann Arbor 

residents out of the more 
than 
42,000 
registered 

voters across the city cast a 
ballot in the election, a voter 
turnout rate of nearly 50%. 
Students also turned out at 
a rate of around 15% in Ann 
Arbor, with 7,368 expected 
student ballots cast.

The 
Michigan 
Daily 

obtained 
voting 
rate 

predictions from Neighbors 
for 
Democracy, 
an 

organization 
aimed 
at 

increasing 
voter 
turnout 

in 
Ann 
Arbor 
for 
the 

2020 
election. 
Final 

results demonstrated that 
turnout outperformed the 
organization’s 
original 

predictions 
by 
16% 
for 

registrations and 10% for 
votes cast. Neighbors for 
Democracy predicted that 

7,368 students would cast 
ballots, with numbers from 
the University of Michigan 
Museum 
of 
Art 
satellite 

polling station. 

Ann 
Arbor 
City 
Clerk 

Jacqueline 
Beaudry 

said 
there 
were 
5,412 

registrations 
and 
8,501 

ballots turned in at the 

University 
of 
Michigan 

Museum of Art, a satellite 
polling station that opened 
in late September. 

According to a Michigan 

Daily survey of nearly 1,900 
students from last month, 
out of the 1,845 University 
students registered to vote, 
only 33.3% were registered 
in the city of Ann Arbor.

Overall, 
nearly 
20,000 

ballots were cast from all 
five wards. As of now, it 
is 
estimated 
that 
about 

7,368 
University 
students 

cast their ballots in Ann 
Arbor for the 2020 general 
election.

In 
2016, 
about 
16,740 

students voted in the general 
election out of about 25,557 
who were registered. 

Grace Hermann, president 

of the University’s chapter 
of College Democrats, wrote 
in a statement to The Daily 
that students recognized the 
importance of their vote in 
this election and that efforts 
by 
student 
organizations 

helped 
increase 
voter 

turnout.

“In general, I think a 

lot of students on campus 
understood 
how 
much 

their vote meant this year, 
especially in a state as 
critical 
as 
Michigan, 
so 

it was really exciting to 
see young people not only 
stepping up and voting but 
also stepping up to make 
phone calls, send texts and 
volunteer to get out the 
vote,” Hermann said.

K.P. Unnikrishnan is a 

volunteer at Neighbors for 
Democracy, an organization 
that aimed to increase voter 
turnout in Ann Arbor for the 
2020 election. 

JULIA FORREST & 
VARSHA VEDAPUDI

Daily Staff Reporters

Washtenaw County sees record 
levels of voter turnout in election

Nearly 19,600 Ann Arbor residents out of over 42K registered voters cast a ballot

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
2 — Wednesday, November 11, 2020 

MICHAEL BAGAZINSKI/Daily

U-M released its plans for the winter semester Friday. 

ADVERTISING

WMG-contact@umich.edu 

On Friday, the University 

released plans for the Winter 
2021 semester. Here’s what you 
need to know.

What does this mean for 

housing?

Undergraduate 
students 

currently 
living 
in 
the 

residence halls will have their 
housing contracts canceled. To 
live on-campus next year, they 
will have to apply for housing. 
The 
University 
has 
listed 

health concerns, financial and 
academic needs, international 
status, employment as Housing 
ResStaff and other extenuating 
circumstances 
as 
potential 

justifications 
for 
living 
in 

the 
dorms. 
The 
University 

will only house one student 
per room in residence halls. 
The 
specific 
process 
for 

reapplying will be shared with 
on-campus students. Graduate 
and professional students can 
continue living in their current 
housing because of low case 
numbers in their communities.

Most 
undergraduates, 

including 
those 
living 

off-campus, 
are 
strongly 

encouraged to stay at their 
permanent 
residences 
and 

access instruction remotely.

Will there still be in-person 

classes?

Yes, but only classes more 

effectively taught in person or 
essential to licensure will meet 
in person, continuing with the 
University’s 
guidance 
since 

the stay-in-place order. No 
instructor will be required to 
teach in person. There will be 
fewer hybrid classes because of 
feedback from instructors on 
the format’s difficulty. 

What 
will 
COVID-19 

testing look like?

Undergrads 
living 
in 

residence 
halls, 
attending 

in-person classes or activities, 
using U-M buildings, working 
or doing research on campus 
will undergo mandatory weekly 
testing. Other students, faculty 
and staff will have access to 
weekly asymptomatic testing. 
Residence halls will require 
students to test negative for 
COVID-19 before moving in or 
out. Overall, the University said 
there will be “major increases 
in asymptomatic testing for 
all members of the campus 
community.”

How will public health 

policies be enforced?

The University will take 

a 
stricter, 
no-tolerance 

approach 
to 
public 
health 

policy violations. Gatherings 
of three or more in residence 

halls will result in automatic 
probation, and students who 
violate policies in quarantine or 
isolation housing will have their 
housing contract terminated. 
Off-campus 
students 
who 

violate COVID-19 restrictions 
will be referred to the Office 
of Student Conflict Resolution 
and/or the Washtenaw County 
Health Department.

Will there be a spring 

break?

While Spring Break is still 

canceled for the Winter 2021 
semester, the University will 
have two mid-week, one day 
“well-being breaks” on Feb. 
24 and March 23 without any 
scheduled academic activities. 

Will 
the 
University 

buildings still be open?

Yes, the libraries, Unions and 

recreational sports buildings 
will remain open in the winter 
semester, though hours will 
be modified. Lounge spaces 
in University Housing will be 
available through reservation-
only.

Will the dining halls offer 

dine-in services?

No. 
Dining 
halls 
will 

continue to offer “grab-and-go” 
dining only. 

What 
mental 
health 

resources will be offered?

Counseling 
and 

Psychological 
Services 
will 

expand their staff by eight new 

counselors to combat long wait 
times. Wolverine Wellness and 
CAPS will continue to offer 
their services virtually. Student 
Life will also offer a wide range 
of 
virtual 
extracurricular 

programs and events related to 
health and well-being.

Why did the University 

change course from the fall 
semester?

University President Mark 

Schlissel wrote that the fall 
semester saw an “unacceptable 
level of COVID-19 cases among” 
undergraduate students that 
threatened to strain public 
health 
capacity. 
The 
top 

concerns moving forward are 
the cold and flu season and 
colder weather that may move 
people to congregate indoors, 
as well as the surge of COVID-
19 cases across the state and 
country. While the stay-in-
place order reduced student 
cases in Washtenaw County, 
they remain high overall with 
a weekly test positivity rate 
of around 4%. The University 
also cited community feedback 
including continued requests 
for more testing, public health 
guidance and lessons from the 
current semester.

Daily Staff Reporters Jasmin 

Lee, Calder Lewis and Dominic 
Coletti can be reached at itsshlee@
umich.edu, 
calderll@umich.edu 

and dcoletti@umich.edu. 

JASMIN LEE, 

DOMINIC COLETTI 
& CALDER LEWIS 
Daily Staff Reporters

What you need to know about 
U-M’s plan for winter semester

Administration releases details of protocol for classes, operations in 2021

See TURNOUT, Page 3

“It was really exciting to 
see young people not only 
stepping up and voting but 
also stepping up to make 
phone calls, send texts and 

volunteer to get out the vote.”

