🛡️ Civil liberties & constitutional rights
ACLU Fund of Michigan
Michigan • 501(c)(3) charitable fund
Tax-deductible charitable gifts support legal programs, public education, and special projects.
Donate on ACLU Fund of Michigan →
The People's Portal v1.1 • Oakland + Wayne Resource Expansion: Features and resource links are being refined. Verify time-sensitive government, election, and legal information with the linked official source.
🔑
Powered by Civic Key
Scan. Know. Act.
The People's Portal is free to use. Civic Key is the physical access product designed to put trusted civic resources in people's pockets.
💵 The Civic Dollar
Support rights, trusted information, legal aid, democracy, and local community needs.
What do you need to do?
🗳️ Vote & Elections
Everything you need to prepare for upcoming elections in Michigan.
MUST KNOW
2026 General Election
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Polls open 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM local time.
Add Election Day to Google Calendar📅 Critical Legal Milestones
Sept 24
Absentee Ballots Available
Add to Google CalendarClerks begin mailing requested absentee ballots to registered voters.
Oct 19
Online/Mail Registration Deadline
Add to Google CalendarLast day to register online or by mail (after this date, you must register in-person with proof of residency).
Oct 24
Mandatory Early In-Person Voting Begins
Add to Google CalendarState-mandated early voting sites open daily (minimum 9 consecutive days, through Nov 1).
Nov 3
Election Day
Add to Google CalendarIn-person registration open at clerk office. All absentee ballots must reach the clerk by 8:00 PM to be counted.
Register to Vote Online
Check My Registration Status
What's on My Ballot? (Sample Ballot)
Find My Local Clerk Contact Details
Find My Polling Place / Ward Precinct
📞 Non-Partisan Protection Hotlines
👤 Find My Representatives
Direct connections to federal, state, county, and local representatives.
🇺🇸 Federal Representatives
🌳 Michigan Legislature
Michigan has 38 State Senate Districts and 110 House Districts. Identify yours below:
🧩 Who Handles Which Issue?
Avoid the runaround. Tap any card below to launch an immediate call or direct legal lookup:
🗑️ Trash, Roads & Zoning
Local neighborhood services governed by municipal offices.
Municipal📜 Local Laws & Ordinances
Noise level, animal leash rules, parking, or safety ordinances.
Ordinance Code🏢 County Health & Budgets
Regional services, county health clinics, water systems, sheriff.
County🌳 State Law & Statutes
Michigan laws, state highway issues, and Lansing-level budgets.
State Legislature⚙️ Michigan Agency Issues
Unemployment insurance, environment/EGLE permits, state roads.
State Agency🏛️ Federal Law & Congress
National policies, foreign relations, military, post office, tax laws.
Federal🇺🇸 Federal Programs & Help
Social Security, Medicare, immigration/passport, veterans affairs.
Federal agency🗳️ Voting & Ballot Questions
Voter registration, absentee ballot status, polling locations.
Elections🏫 School District Policies
Curriculum, school district budgets, boundaries, superintendent.
School Board⚖️ Fraud & Consumer Scams
Unlicensed contractors, price gouging, fake business operations.
Attorney General☎️ Contact My Government
Direct, tap-to-call links and instant email composers for Michigan executive leaders.
🌳 Michigan Executive Leadership
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D)
Chief Executive • State Administration & Budget
Attorney General Dana Nessel (D)
Chief Legal Officer • Consumer Protection & Civil Rights
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D)
Elections Chief • Vehicle & Voter Registration
✉️
Interactive Constituent Email Composer
Select an official and an issue topic to automatically generate a professionally cited email letter:
Civic Key will place your message into a simple constituent-email structure. You can edit the result before sending.
🏛️ Attend a Public Meeting
Public bodies in Michigan are required by law to conduct business openly.
🏫
School District Board Finder
Select or search any of the 28 Oakland County school districts to access their elected board meetings:
District Name
Meeting Target: Board of Education Meetings & Agendas
ISD Oversight: Oakland Schools Intermediate School District
School District Civic Hub
Understand. Track. Participate.
Use your district portal above for local decisions, then Michigan's official education-data tools for statewide accountability and financial information.
🏫 Board & Meetings
Find board members, meeting dates, agendas, minutes, livestreams, public-comment rules and contacts on your district's official site.
📊 District Performance
Explore enrollment, attendance, graduation, assessments and accountability data.
Open Accountability Data ↗💰 Budget & Transparency
Review official district financial metrics and use the district site for budget and compensation transparency reports.
Open MI School Data ↗📄 Plans & Agreements
Check the district site for strategic plans, improvement plans, partnership agreements, audits, superintendent information and other public documents.
💡 Civic-Lite: What does a school board do?
A school board generally sets district policy and strategic direction, adopts budgets, hires and evaluates the superintendent, approves major contracts, reviews district performance and conducts public meetings. Day-to-day operations are generally managed by the superintendent and district administration.
Specific responsibilities can vary by law, district policy, contracts and the issue involved.
🧭 School Problem? Start Here.
Classroom / teacher concern
Teacher or school principal
Teacher or school principal
District policy / board decision
Board of Education / district administration
Board of Education / district administration
Special education concern
School or district special-education office; official state resources when needed
School or district special-education office; official state resources when needed
Superintendent / district leadership
Board of Education
Board of Education
📋 County & State Level Meetings
Track and participate in meetings beyond the municipal level:
🏢 Oakland County Board Calendar
County budgets, public health, safety, and infrastructure.
📅 State Committee Meetings
House & Senate scheduled agendas, rooms, and testimony notices.
📜 Bills & Legislation
Search active bills, full PDFs, summaries, and fiscal analysis.
🌱 EGLE Public Notices & Hearings
Air, water, and waste permits and hearings by city/ZIP code.
🔔 State Meeting Alerts
Subscribe to get email notices about upcoming committee hearings.
📣 Make My Voice Heard
Turn a concern into a clear civic action: public comment, petition, complaint, records request, or direct outreach.
Choose the action that fits your goal.
You do not need special legal or government knowledge to start. Civic Key helps you organize the message; always review your final text and use the receiving body's official submission process.
🎤 Prepare a Public Comment
Meeting rules and time limits vary by public body. Use this structure, then check the meeting notice for the body's current public-comment rules.
1. Identify yourself: “My name is [NAME], and I am a resident of [COMMUNITY].”
2. Name the issue: State the agenda item, proposal, or concern in one sentence.
3. Explain the impact: Give one or two relevant facts or a brief personal example.
4. Ask for an action: Clearly say what you want the board, council, or agency to do.
5. Close: Thank the body for its time and public service.
📝 Petition Starter
Draft the core language for a community petition. This creates text only; check the target government's rules if you are seeking a formal ballot initiative, referendum, recall, or other legally regulated petition.
📨 Submit a Complaint or Concern
Organize the facts before contacting a department, agency, elected official, inspector, or oversight body.
🧭 Other Ways to Act
📜 Know My Rights & Laws
Constitutional protections, Michigan statutes, and local laws decoded.
1️⃣ First Amendment
Freedom of speech, religion, press, peaceful assembly, and petitioning government.
2️⃣ Second Amendment
Right to keep and bear arms to support a well-regulated militia.
4️⃣ Fourth Amendment
Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures of person or property.
5️⃣ Fifth Amendment
Due process, protection against self-incrimination (right to remain silent), and double jeopardy.
6️⃣ Sixth Amendment
Rights in criminal prosecution: speedy public trial, impartial jury, and right to counsel.
Michigan operates under its 1963 Constitution, which provides state-level civil rights protections and establishes county/municipal governance structures.
Ever encountered a cryptic number like **MCL 15.261** on a public notice? Here's how to decode it instantly:
Decoding Example
MCL 15.261
MCL
Mich. Compiled Laws
Mich. Compiled Laws
15
Chapter Index
Chapter Index
261
Section Number
Section Number
In this example, MCL 15.261 resolves directly to Section 1 of the Michigan Open Meetings Act!
Choose the situation you are experiencing:
🔎 See What Gov is Doing
Direct, search-ready databases tracking bills, votes, budgets, and school metrics in real-time.
📊 State & County Budget Tracking
Monitor exactly how your taxpayer dollars are spent and allocated at county and state levels:
Open Michigan Spending Portal
State expenditure databases, payroll registers, and vendor payments updated monthly.
Oakland County Fiscal Transparency
Annual Financial Reports, Citizen Guides, and county fiscal scorecard dashboard.
Oakland County Check Registers
Monthly, un-audited county line-item checks and actual expenditure reports.
🏛️ Legislative Votes & Bill Tracking
See what bills are moving through Lansing and how your specific representatives voted:
MichiganVotes (Voter Transparency)
Non-partisan search engine showing plain-language summaries of bills and direct lawmaker voting tallies.
Search Statutes by Keyword (MCL)
Search current Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL) by text terms or citation chapter numbers.
Search Active Legislative Bills
Find official House and Senate bill PDFs, fiscal impact notes, and current committee status.
🏫 School Districts Data & Metrics
Compare educational funding, test results, and graduation data for Oakland County schools:
🌐 Open Government Public Datasets
Access raw public datasets, maps, and demographics provided by state agencies:
⚖️ Hold Government Accountable
Tools to request public records, enforce transparency, and challenge violations under Michigan law.
📑
Instant FOIA Request Generator
Under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (MCL 15.231), you have the right to request, inspect, and copy nearly any public record. Use this tool to draft an official request:
💡 Core FOIA Rules to Remember:
- Response Timeline: Public bodies must respond within 5 business days of receiving your request (with a possible 10-day extension) [18].
- Cost Exclusions: They can only charge reasonable labor and photocopy costs. If the records serve a public interest, you can request a fee waiver.
- Right to Appeal: If your request is denied, you have the right to appeal to the head of the public body or file a lawsuit in state court.
⚖️
Open Meetings Act (OMA) Rights Guard
Under MCL 15.261, nearly all government boards (school boards, councils, commissions) must conduct deliberations and decisions openly. You have a legal right to attend, tape/photograph, and address the board.
Your Core Rights Checklist:
Right to Attend: No person can be required to register or provide their name as a condition of entry.
Right to Speak: Boards must designate a time for public comment, typically offering 3 minutes per speaker.
Right to Record: You have the absolute right to record, photograph, and video-broadcast any open meeting.
Minutes Access: Draft meeting minutes must be available for public inspection within 8 business days.
Point of Order: Meeting Violation Script
If a board attempts to block public comment, prevent recording, or go into a closed session without stating an allowed legal reason, go to the microphone and read this script:
"Point of Order, Mr./Madam President. Under the Michigan Open Meetings Act, MCL 15.263, this public body is required to conduct its business and allow public comments in an open, public setting. Furthermore, MCL 15.267 dictates that any closed deliberations must be preceded by a recorded 2/3 roll-call vote citing specific statutory exclusions. I request that these objections be noted on the official record of today's minutes."
🛡️ Challenge Rights Violations & Scams
If your civil rights have been violated, or you have fallen victim to local retail/contractor fraud, file a complaint directly with the State Executive:
🤝 Get Involved
Become an active defender and leader in your immediate community.
⚡
Official Application & Registration Portals
Tap any of these official state and county links to submit your registration or application online:
🗳️
Become a Paid Election Worker
Sign up with Michigan's non-partisan Democracy MVP Portal to get hired and trained.
👀
Poll Watcher & Challenger Guidelines
Download the official Department of State Observer Handbook (PDF Guidelines).
🏢
Apply for Oakland Advisory Boards
Submit your official online application (Form 79) to join county boards and commissions.
🌳
Serve on a Michigan State Board
Apply for a gubernatorial appointment to serve on one of over 200 statewide panels.
✍️
Direct Clerk Inquiry & Mail Composer
Rather than searching blindly, select your community below. The app will auto-draft a customized legal inquiry or application letter and queue it directly in your mail app:
🆘
Community Resource Navigator
What do you need help with?
Tell us where you are and what is happening. We'll point you toward the strongest places to start.
Privacy-friendly: You do not need to enter your name, Social Security number, bank information, or medical diagnosis.
Important: Program funding, eligibility, hours, waitlists, and shelter availability can change. The Portal prioritizes verified starting points and does not guarantee eligibility, funding, or an available shelter bed.
📍 My Community Hub
Choose from Oakland County's 63 municipalities. Verified officeholders appear where a sufficiently current source was confirmed; otherwise Civic Key sends you to the official municipal directory instead of guessing.
Municipality Name
City
🎉 Community Events & Recreation
What’s happening locally
Open Community EventsOfficial municipal or local recreation source.
📍 Municipal Hall / Main Office
↗ OFFICIAL SOURCE
👥 Local Government Representatives
🧭 Oakland County Help & Community Resources
💵 The Civic Dollar
Small contributions. Your choice of impact.
Choose what you want to support.
Civic Key does not process or hold your donation. Each button sends you to the organization's own website, where you can review its giving options and decide whether to donate once or set up recurring support.
Before donating: Organization types and tax treatment differ. Review the recipient's current donation page and disclosures. Inclusion here is informational and is not an endorsement of every position or activity of an organization.
🛡️ Civil rights, education & community advocacy
NAACP Empowerment Programs
National • 501(c)(3)
The charitable partner of the NAACP supports training, education, research, and advocacy.
Donate on NAACP Empowerment Programs →🛡️ Digital rights & privacy
Electronic Frontier Foundation
National • 501(c)(3)
Supports civil liberties in the digital world, including privacy and free expression.
Donate on Electronic Frontier Foundation →🗳️ Nonpartisan voter education
League of Women Voters Education Fund
National • 501(c)(3)
Supports voter registration, voter guides, candidate forums, debates, and election information.
Donate on League of Women Voters Education Fund →🗳️ Voter ID information & assistance
VoteRiders
National • 501(c)(3)
Helps voters understand voter-ID requirements and obtain the identification they need.
Donate on VoteRiders →🗳️ Democracy education & rule of law
Protect Democracy Project
National • 501(c)(3)
The charitable Project focuses on public education and work to strengthen democratic institutions.
Donate on Protect Democracy Project →📰 Free knowledge / Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation
Global • Nonprofit
The nonprofit organization behind Wikipedia supports free and open knowledge.
Donate on Wikimedia Foundation →📰 Independent investigative journalism
ProPublica
National • 501(c)(3) newsroom
Independent nonprofit investigative journalism focused on accountability and public-interest reporting.
Donate on ProPublica →📰 Nonpartisan Michigan journalism
Bridge Michigan
Michigan • Nonprofit newsroom
Fact-based nonprofit journalism focused on Michigan government, policy, communities, and public life.
Donate on Bridge Michigan →📰 Detroit community journalism
Outlier Media
Detroit / Metro Detroit • 501(c)(3) newsroom
Community-centered journalism and accountability reporting focused on information Detroit residents can use.
Donate on Outlier Media →📰 Press freedom & government transparency
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
National • Nonprofit
Provides legal resources and support involving public records, open meetings, courts, and press freedom.
Donate on Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press →⚖️ Civil legal assistance
Lakeshore Legal Aid
Michigan • 501(c)(3)
Supports civil legal services and access to justice for eligible Michigan residents.
Donate on Lakeshore Legal Aid →♿ Disability rights & accessibility
Detroit Disability Power
Detroit / Michigan • Nonprofit
Works to build the political power and inclusion of disabled people across civic and community life.
Donate on Detroit Disability Power →🤝 Hunger relief & food rescue
Forgotten Harvest
Metro Detroit • 501(c)(3)
Rescues and redistributes food to help address hunger and food insecurity across Metro Detroit.
Donate on Forgotten Harvest →🤝 Broad community support
United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Southeast Michigan • Nonprofit
Supports community initiatives addressing household stability, children, families, and basic needs.
Donate on United Way for Southeastern Michigan →🔄 Want recurring support?
Use the organization's official donation page to see whether monthly or other recurring giving is available. Civic Key does not store payment information or create subscriptions in this prototype.
Civic Key v0.6
🗳️ Election + Action Hub
Understand the ballot, find the right government office, and take a useful civic action.
Sep. 24
Absentee ballots available
Absentee ballots available
Oct. 19
Online/mail registration deadline
Online/mail registration deadline
Oct. 24–Nov. 1
Early voting
Early voting
Nov. 3
General Election
General Election
👤 Meet Your Candidates
Civic Key does not endorse, rank, score, or infer candidate positions. Candidate records use the same fields and sourcing standard for everyone.
2026 Michigan Candidate Listings ↗ Candidate Listings by County ↗Candidate card: office • district • party when applicable • campaign contact • campaign website • stated priorities • sources • last verified.
If no public position is located: “No position located in sources reviewed.”
If no public position is located: “No position located in sources reviewed.”
🔀 Compare Candidates
Every candidate gets the same topics. Fields remain blank until sourced records are added.
Economy / Budget — Candidate A: — | Candidate B: —
Healthcare — Candidate A: — | Candidate B: —
Education — Candidate A: — | Candidate B: —
Housing — Candidate A: — | Candidate B: —
Public Safety — Candidate A: — | Candidate B: —
Environment — Candidate A: — | Candidate B: —
Voting / Elections — Candidate A: — | Candidate B: —
📝 Ballot Proposals in Plain English
Each proposal will show official wording, a neutral summary, what YES does, what NO does, and an officially documented fiscal effect when available.
Verification rule: no Civic Key summary is published until it is matched to official ballot language.
Official Michigan Ballot Information ↗
⚖️ Meet Your Judges
Cards will identify court, candidate, incumbent/challenger status when officially established, professional background, candidate statements, campaign links and sources. Civic Key does not assign ideological scores.
Michigan Judicial Ballot Access ↗🏛️ Who Handles My Problem?
Choose an issue to see where to start.
⏱️ How Much Time Do You Have?
2 minutes: Check registration, save your clerk, or identify representatives.
5 minutes: Read one ballot summary, email an official, or check the next agenda.
15 minutes: Compare candidates, prepare public comment, or review a proposal.
30+ minutes: Attend a meeting, volunteer, research a public record, or prepare a FOIA request.
📖 Civic Dictionary
Quick People's Portal definitions, plus links to larger civic glossaries when you need more.
Need a term we don't have?
📚 Civics360 A–Z Glossary ↗ 📘 Civics Matter Glossary ↗ 🏛️ U.S. House Congressional Glossary ↗Access + Newcomer Hub
🌎 New to Michigan?
Resources for immigrants, lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, newcomers and families navigating life in Michigan.
🌐 Translate Civic Key
Choose a language to translate The People's Portal interface using Google Translate. Machine translation may contain errors; names, addresses, legal citations and official source documents should be checked in their original form.
🧭 Newcomer Starting Point
Start at the level that fits your question. Your selected municipality in My Community remains your local-government doorway.
Michigan — Office of Global Michigan ↗ Oakland County — Refugee & Immigrant Resources ↗Oakland County currently lists employment navigation, English instruction, housing, health care, child care, transportation, education, public assistance, legal/civil-rights referrals and professional-licensing help for eligible refugees and work-authorized immigrants.
🪪 Immigration & Permanent Residency
Use official federal tools for immigration forms, case information and permanent-resident services.
USCIS — Green Card Resources ↗ USCIS — Online Tools & Case Status ↗ USCIS — Official Forms ↗Important: Civic Key provides navigation, not immigration legal advice. Eligibility and consequences can depend on individual status and circumstances.
🇺🇸 Citizenship & Naturalization
USCIS — Citizenship Resource Center ↗ Citizenship Test & Study Resources ↗Permanent residents can participate in civic life in many ways, but voting eligibility is different from citizenship. Use official election guidance before registering or voting.
⚖️ Immigration Legal Help
Michigan Legal Help — Immigration Help Basics ↗ Global Michigan — Legal Resources & Scam Warnings ↗ Official ICE Online Detainee Locator ↗Michigan Immigrant Rights Center: Michigan Legal Help currently directs Michigan-based immigrants to MIRC at 734-239-6863. Verify current services/eligibility when calling.
💼 Work, English & Credentials
Oakland County Michigan Works! — Refugees & Immigrants ↗Current Oakland County services include job-search help, career advising, training/education navigation, English-language assessment and referrals, and professional-licensing resources for eligible participants. The county also advertises free EnGen English instruction through Oakland County Michigan Works! locations, subject to availability.
🤝 Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Services
Michigan Refugee Services ↗ Employment, Education & Social Services ↗ Refugee Health Services ↗Refugee-program eligibility is status-specific. The State of Michigan lists qualifying humanitarian categories and program requirements on its official pages.
Stay connected locally
📲 Civic Alerts
Prototype a privacy-conscious text alert subscription without requiring a name or account.
📱 Get Local Civic Alerts
No name required. Choose your community and the updates you want.
✓ Prototype subscription created
In the live system, this is where Civic Key would send an enrollment confirmation with STOP/HELP instructions.
🔒 Privacy by Design
Civic Alerts is designed around collecting only what is needed to deliver the service.
Needed: mobile number, selected municipality, alert preferences, consent record and subscription status.
Not needed: name, birthday, political party, candidate preference, exact GPS location or voting choices.
Analytics: favor aggregated counts such as subscribers by municipality, alert delivery, Civic Key link clicks and resource interactions.
Future business + impact layer
📊 Civic Key Engagement
A sample of the generalized analytics Civic Key could track without building named civic profiles.
1,284
Alert subscribers
63
Oakland communities
4,816
Resource interactions
1,907
Official-site click-throughs
Illustrative numbers only. These are interface mockup values, not actual Civic Key participation data.
🏆 Community Participation
Leaderboard concept: celebrate community engagement without publishing subscriber identities.
🥇 Pontiac1,284 actions
🥈 Southfield1,097 actions
🥉 Ferndale941 actions
Illustrative numbers only. Future rankings should measure neutral platform engagement—not turnout claims or political preferences.
Physical product + community impact
🔑 Civic Key Editions
Carry Civic Key for yourself—or help put civic access into someone else's hands. Explore the planned Plastic and Premium Metal editions, anonymous referral concept, organization options, and how premium purchases can help support free community distribution.
Plastic Civic Key
Affordable everyday QR access designed for individual use, community outreach, and free or sponsored distribution.
Premium Metal Civic Key
A durable supporter edition planned to help fund free keychains, bookmarks, and information cards in targeted communities.
Physical products are in development. Product mockups, specifications, manufacturer, pricing, and availability will be added later.
🔑 My Civic Key
Your selected municipality becomes the starting point for a future personalized civic dashboard: election, meetings, hearings, candidates, representatives and quick actions.
🗳️ Next election
Nov. 3, 2026
Nov. 3, 2026
🏛️ Local government
My Community
My Community
👤 Candidates
Official listings
Official listings
⏱️ Quick action
I Have 5 Minutes
I Have 5 Minutes
Prototype: correction email is a placeholder until Civic Key has a permanent contact inbox.