Usually, they are found in school gymnasiums or church fellowship rooms. Voting booths are among the most intimate spaces in American democracy.

The process is typically quiet and quick, and it is supposed to be equal. But this is not the case for people with disabilities. A new report published by Detroit Disability Power documents just how often there are barriers at the voting booth, and why it keeps getting worse.

1 in 4 Americans has a disability. In Michigan, that number is nearly 1 in 3. Yet this new report finds only 10% of the polling places assessed in 2025 were fully accessible. That’s down from 13% in the previous report covering the 2024 elections and 16% in the report covering the 2022 elections.

Detroit Disability Power has now audited more than 1,000 polling places across metro Detroit. Trained volunteers have visited precincts during early voting, primaries, and on Election Day, carrying a checklist and a mission: ensure the law is being followed.

Eric Welsby is the advocacy director at Detroit Disability Power. He serves on the Michigan Bureau of Elections’ Voting System Advisory Committee for Accessible Elections, and was recently appointed by Governor Whitmer to the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council.

Bakpak Durden is a Detroit-born artist, disability advocate, and one of the people who actually show up to do the audits — at roughly 100 polling sites and counting.

They joined Robyn Vincent to discuss why the number of accessible polling locations continues to shrink and what it feels like to be part of a community treated like an afterthought.

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More stories from The Metro

In this episode

• What has Michigan businessman Perry Johnson promised in his first two months on the campaign trail?

• How are Michigan Republican candidates positioning themselves ahead of the 2026 elections?

• Which issues do candidates need to prioritize to attract voters?

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There are several major races later this year, with multiple candidates competing for governor, U.S. Congress, and state House and Senate seats. This week on MichMash, Cheyna Roth and Alethia Kasben speak with Kristin Combs, founder of Bright Sparks Strategies, about how Republican candidates are performing across these contests.

The gubernatorial race saw a major shakeup when Michigan businessman Perry Johnson entered the field. Combs said his candidacy is likely to change the race’s dynamics. “The more people out there spending money, building name ID, and talking about the issues we think will matter to voters, the more attention it brings to the race,” she said.

Combs also noted that a key factor in Republican races outside of presidential election years is whether Trump supporters will turn out to vote. She said national trends and local leadership both influence turnout. “People are struggling with gas prices and grocery prices,” Combs said. “So the things Republicans can do to try and keep costs under control — that’s going to help.”

Finally, Combs’ firm is working to gather signatures for a proof-of-citizenship ballot proposal. Supporters argue the measure would protect elections from non-citizen voting, while opponents say it could prevent some eligible citizens from casting ballots.

More from WDET:

• Detroit Evening Report: Water main breaks plague city
• Michigan Republicans stress party unity at Mackinac Leadership Conference
• MichMash: Recapping the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference

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House Republican have moved to unilaterally cut up to $645 million from the state budget.  But is that legal?  This week on MichMash, Cheyna Roth and Zach Gorchow talk with Bob Schneider of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan to make sense of it all. Plus a look at changes in the race for governor and Secretary of State.

In this episode:

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist drops out of the race for governor and into the Secretary of State’s race

The state of the governor’s race

The battle over unilateral budget cuts

Overview

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist has ended his campaign for governor and has launched an effort to become Michigan’s next Secretary of State instead.  Gongwer’s Zach Gorchow says Gilchrist’s decision shouldn’t come as a surprise.

“He had low name recognition and wasn’t raising anywhere near enough money. Jocelyn Benson, the secretary of state, has been the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for months, and Gilchrist’s exit doesn’t change anything on the Democratic side.”

The news does have implications for the race for Secretary of State as Gilchrist joins an already crowded Democratic field.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are dealing with a provision in state law that allows a single legislative committee to cancel certain types of spending. House Republicans used this mechanism like never before – to cancel up to $645 million in spending.

Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed suit saying the legislation allowing the move is unconstitutional.

Bob Schneider of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan tells us the central issue is around the appropriation process for “work projects.”

“A work project is an authorization to carry forward appropriations into a future fiscal year.”

He says the legislature should be thinking ahead on the issue, because the process could be in jeopardy, depending on how courts rule. Schneieder says lawmaker should be saying to themselves,  “How do we get together and fix this so we have a process that works in the future.”