Not many high-ranking officials can say they’ve worked for the University of Michigan for nearly a quarter of a century, but Cynthia Wilbanks is one who can.
Wilbanks is retiring as vice president for government relations around the beginning of 2021. After 22 years of directing UM’s government relations program at the local, state and federal levels, Wilbanks said she will welcome a change of pace, but is careful not to have too much of a plan.
Cynthia H. Wilbanks: Vice President for the Office of Government Relation
“After 25 years of being ‘scheduled’ and ‘on the go,’ I’ll enjoy some time without commitments,” Wilbanks said. “I’m also looking forward to spending more time with my husband, enjoying some warmer weather and a little more golf.”
Dr. Luke Shaefer, co-author of $2 A DAY: LIVING ON ALMOST NOTHING IN AMERICA, presents major thoughts and ideas from his book and discussion on poverty in rural America. Read more about his message HERE.
It’s the first presidential election since Michigan voters approved a 2018 proposal to vote by absentee ballot without stating a reason. Add in the coronavirus pandemic, and there’s been a huge increase in ballot requests, inundating clerk’s offices as they work long hours to keep up. A lot of their time is spent answering phone calls from voters wanting to know if their ballot has been sent or received by the clerk.
Part of the Citizen Design Interaction program, students worked with the Secretary of State’s office. As the team interviewed some of the 1,500 township and city clerks across Michigan, they kept hearing the resource challenges offices faced with extraordinarily high demand for mail-in ballots.
Using a process pioneered by Nick Sexton and Steve Gerhart from the city of Ann Arbor, the team worked with municipal IT departments to create and pilot an automated email notification system. As clerks update information in the statewide Qualified Voter File about ballot status, emails are automatically sent to voters in those cities and townships.
