Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday that her office had charged five non-U.S. citizens with illegally voting in Michigan during the November 2024 general election.

Nessel's office also charged a U.S. citizen who allegedly registering her noncitizen husband to vote.

The attorney general's office said it had investigated 38 cases involving suspected noncitizen voting or similar allegations in elections held between 2009 and 2025. In addition to the six cases in which charges were announced Thursday, the office said it had closed 10 cases without charges, and 22 remained under investigation.

Nessel said her office investigates all claims of noncitizen voting, even though such cases were rare compared with the tens of millions of ballots cast in Michigan during the years covered by the investigations.

The charges, she said, "reflect the severity of the allegations, the sanctity of our democracy, and the tremendous consequences of voting illegally."

Republicans, both nationally and in Michigan have been pushing for stricter requirements to verify citizenship when people register to vote. Democrats have countered that falsely affirming citizenship on a voter registration application is already a felony and that additional requirements could disenfranchise eligible voters.

Michigan Democrats gathered Tuesday in Ann Arbor to kickstart what the party hopes is a coordinated campaign for the November general election.

Democratic leaders said the campaign has already built 20 offices across the state to help anchor events over the next several months.

The Ann Arbor event featured several of the state’s leading Democratic figures, including U.S. Congresswomen Debbie Dingell.

She expressed urgency about uniting the party before November, after some bruising interparty fights before last week's primary elections.

“Why are you here? Because you're worried about our democracy, and we're going to fight for our neighbors, our communities and our country. And that's why we're going to win in November,” said Dingell.

Democratic candidate for state attorney general Eli Savit also attended the event and echoed the need for a cohesive party vision, even if there are differences on specific policies.

"At the end of the day, what does unite us ... is our fundamental values as Democrats. And I've been seeking to distill it down, but the one value that I think is most important, that I know everybody in here shares, is that we care about each other," Savit said.

"That means that we want every child in our state and our country to grow up and drink clean water and breathe fresh air, and be able to go to schools that are not just adequate, but are excellent,” Savit continued.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said the party's candidates need volunteers to work on their campaigns and canvass for support.

“What I can promise you is that you're going to have a team at the party that will be out there with you. And so when you're in that last block of your turf and that last house, which is, you know, farther away than you'd like, just remember that every single thing that we care about is on the line,” said Hertel.

Republicans have criticized candidates nominated by Michigan Democrats as "radical" and said their policies amount to "Marxism" and "socialism," although none of the top Democratic candidates in Michigan has advocated for communism or — in contrast to some other states — described themselves as a democratic socialist.

Michigan’s Invasive Species Program is encouraging residents to look out for signs of the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (ALB).

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said there are currently no viable chemical controls, diseases or predators to help control the population. So the DNR says it's critical to identify signs of the beetle before it spreads.

The ALB is a wood-boring beetle that is considered invasive to North America. The species attacks at least 12 types of hardwood trees, including maples, horse chestnut, birches, elms and willows.

Cheryl Nelson is a Forest Health Outreach Forester for the Michigan DNR. She said August is the most common time to see signs of the ALB.

“This time of year, especially August, is a great time to check for ALB, because August is generally the time that the adult beetles emerge from the trees,” said Nelson. “Also this time of year, as well as other times of year, you can also see the damage that they cause from either the females chewing little depressions in the wood where they lay their eggs as well as the exit holes.”

The exit holes are approximately the diameter of a pencil. These holes can typically be found in tree trunks and branches.

“What happens is the beetles themselves, once that female lays the little egg in the little depression, then the little larvae, once it hatches, tunnel into the tree and they end up going in the tree so deep and so far that not only do conventional pesticides, insecticides not reach all of the tree, but also all of that damage and removal of that wood weakens the tree itself,” said Nelson.

Nelson said this becomes especially concerning in storms. She said if the tree has internal damage from the beetle, it will not recover and is more likely to fall.

But she said the beetles do not typically spread from one location to another rapidly.

Nelson said the beetles are known to jump from tree to tree rather than flying excessive distances. She said that is why the most effective control method is to eliminate not only the infested tree, but the surrounding trees as well.

“What happens is in an area where ALB is found, the only way to remove them, because chemical controls are not viable, is to remove all of that infested wood, as well as surrounding a buffer of trees around to help protect,” said Nelson. “That goes with them not being very efficient flyers or movers. So they do not move from tree to tree very fast or over land distances very fast. That keeps them in a more tight circle, a more controlled setting, rather than just spreading out very quickly.”

Another containment strategy the DNR is recommending is to not move firewood. Nelson said since ALB does not travel far on its own, moving firewood from one location to another may transport the beetle to new locations.

“Don't transport it from one household to another, one area of the state to another. Try and buy certified heat treated firewood at your location or look for certified heat treated firewood where possible. This is going to be the number one thing you can do to help prevent the spread of ALB, as well as other numerous invasive species in helping protect Michigan's urban and forested landscapes,” said Nelson.

Michigan’s largest free tuition program for adults to attend community college has lowered its eligibility to 21.

Traditionally, adults 25 and older have been eligible for Michigan Reconnect. In the state’s 2027 education budget, lawmakers have included an additional $25 million to expand the program for 21- to 24-year old Michigan residents.

Michigan Reconnect is designed to fully cover tuition for students attending an in-district community college, and a large discount for students who are going out of district.

But this expansion for adults age 21 and up is only for a year.

Ryan Bliss is the executive director for the Michigan College Access Network.

He said that despite this expanded age group option only lasting for a year, the need is not going anywhere.

“It was passed as part of the budget, and not passed as part of a permanent change to the program. [Senator] McCann and other partners will be working over the rest of this legislative year and into the next, if we need to, to make it permanent, because we know the problem isn't going to go away in one budget cycle,” said Bliss.

Michigan has been extensively funding postsecondary education programs such as the Michigan Achievement Scholarship for recent high school graduates, and Michigan Reconnect for adults 25 and older. However, Bliss noted, a large population of individuals were excluded from receiving state funding.

“The Michigan Achievement Scholarship includes the Community College Guarantee and Michigan Reconnect. 21 to 24 year olds are not eligible for either of those in the traditional sense,” said Bliss. “This was sort of a lost population that even if they had made up their mind to go to school or go back to school, there was not a lot of state-based financial aid for them. So this Reconnect 21 program helps to solve that problem by reducing that age of eligibility.”

This is not the first time that Michigan Reconnect has been available for 21- to 24-year olds.

In 2023, the state temporarily offered this expansion. According to the state, this was done to help Michigan reach the goal of “Sixty by 30.” In other words, to have 60% of adults earn a postsecondary education or training by 2030.

As of 2024, the most recent available data, 51.6% of Michigan residents had either a postsecondary degree or short-term credential.

Sarah Szurpicki is the Deputy Director for MiLEAP’s Office of Higher Education.

She said the first expansion was an attempt to combat disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic.

“The original expansion of Reconnect down to age 21 was through federal COVID recovery dollars. It just was a limited funding source that ended, and so we had to only do it temporarily,” said Szurpicki. “It was a COVID recovery program because those were adults, young adults who had likely been disconnected from education during the coronavirus pandemic.”

For someone who may be on the fence about applying to Michigan Reconnect, Szurpicki said there are many reasons why it’s a safe bet.

“For anyone who's thinking about, how do I earn a little more? How do I find a career that I really love? How do I make sure that in this time of uncertainty I have a stable path? Investing your time and energy and letting the state pay the tuition and going back to college is the closest thing to a guarantee you can have of finding that stable path for yourself and your family,” said Szurpicki.

Michigan’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program has increased the income threshold to qualify, allowing more people to participate.

The state's thresholds are pinned to federal guidance, which is updated yearly based on inflation. Under the updated WIC income eligibility guidelines, a family of four can now qualify with an annual income of up to $61,050. This is an increase of more than $1,500 from last year.

WIC is a federally-funded program that serves lower-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, as well as infants and children up to age 5 who are at a nutritional risk.

Kristen Hanulcik, the state's WIC nutrition coordinator, said the program provides critical nutritional aid to ensure a family's needs are met.

“We provide a whole network of support," she said.

Families can purchase food including fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, whole grains, and infant foods with their WIC,” said Hanulcik.

The program also provides ongoing nutrition education as children grow. And there's breastfeeding education and support, she said. "When support is needed beyond nutrition, we can also help connect families with other community resources to meet their unique needs.”

Participants can exchange WIC food benefits at approved grocery stores and pharmacies.

While the program's name refers to women and their children, Hanulcik said other family members are allowed to participate.

“We also welcome dads, grandparents, foster parents, and other legal guardians to apply for benefits for the kids in their care,” said Hanulcik.

According to the state, nearly 190,000 women, infants, and children under 5 receive food from WIC monthly. Additionally, nearly half of all babies born in Michigan receive WIC benefits.

Kristen Hanulcik encouraged any family that is in need of additional support to look into updated qualifications.

“For those that are interested in applying for WIC, if they're familiar with the MI Bridges platform, they can start there. They can also visit michigan.gov/wic or download the WIC Connect app to find the nearest clinic and give them a call to get started,” said Hanulcik.

Wayne County voters have passed a countywide transit millage in Tuesday's primary election.

The millage will expand transportation services for approximately 350,000 Wayne County residents who have minimal transportation options if they are not able to drive.

Supporters say Wayne County residents will now be able to commute to the neighboring Oakland and Macomb counties more easily due to an increase in public transportation routes and vehicles.

Connectivity has been a longstanding issue, particularly for residents who commute to and from communities that originally opted out of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) service.

Megan Owens is the executive director of Transportation Riders United.

She said this millage will eliminate this issue by establishing a connective system.

“For decades, Metro Detroit struggled with a kind of a patchwork system where some communities have transit and some don't. This decision finally eliminates that,” said Owens. “No longer will a single municipality be able to just opt out of the transportation services that seniors, people with disabilities, students and others need.”

She said her organization is thrilled to ensure that everyone has at least a baseline level of service if they are unable to drive.

For the 26 Wayne County communities that were already participating in the Wayne County transit millage before the primary, taxes will remain the same. This millage is a continuation of current services, along with an expansion to new areas, such as Detroit, which has its own transportation system.

Assad Turfe is the Deputy Wayne County Executive.

“This millage here, we're going to collect about $8 million from Detroit taxpayers, and the $8 million is going to be reinvested back into DDOT (Detroit Department of Transportation),” said Turfe.

Opponents to the millage, including the organization, Not SMART Wayne, say that the system is too inefficient and underused to justify a countywide tax without seeing significant improvements first.

Turfe said a variety of community groups came together to make this millage possible.

“We got a united Wayne County, a connected Wayne County, for the first time in Wayne County's history. And ultimately now there is no more transit gaps between the three counties between Wayne, Oakland and Macomb. So we're finally in line with our neighboring counties, and we look forward to the future of great public transportation here in Southeast Michigan,” said Turfe.

A group of Michigan activist leaders have created a statewide election protection initiative for the August 4 primary.

The Hands Off Michigan Coalition is an effort to promote election safety, security, and ensuring eligible voters can cast a ballot without intimidation.

The coalition includes grassroots networks, labor unions, and advocacy groups.

Scott Holiday is executive director of Detroit Action. He said the purpose of the coalition is to promote the integrity and authenticity of elections in Michigan.

“We are coming together to draw attention to the process of free and fair voting in the state of Michigan,” said Holiday. “Lift up the security of voting in Michigan and ensure that there is visibility around the process from all angles.”

This effort is a response to baseless voter fraud claims regarding the 2020 election that President Donald Trump recently resurfaced in a speech.

Holiday said the coalition wants to ensure that people understand that voting is their right and it cannot be impeded.

While the U.S. Department of Justice has announced it will monitor voting in several Michigan jurisdictions during the primary, coalition leaders are also joining in.

“We are coordinating training for people to be trained as observers, election observers, all the way to legal challenges,” said Holiday. “We are establishing a communication channel to ensure that if there is an interference that we can route community aid and resources to where there is a potential problem.”

Holiday said there are resources and information that eligible voters should be aware of prior to the election.

“You can look on the secretary of state’s website, and trusted organizations like vote.org also have great information about how to vote, where to vote and that if anybody tries to stop you from voting that there should be help available either by your local clerk or organization on the ground actively at your polls.”