Hayley Harding
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hayleyharding.bsky.social
Hayley Harding
@hayleyharding.bsky.social
I write about Michigan and our elections and our voting rights and our democracy for Votebeat. Longtime lover of pigeons and newspapers and Detroit. She/her. Bunnies are Honey + Puff!
Pinned
Hi there. I cover voting + election admin in the state of Michigan for @votebeat.bsky.social. If you have questions/comments/concerns/weird stuff related to that in any way, I'd love to hear from you:

✉️: [email protected]
📱: 313-437-2115 (call or text!)

My DMs are open here and on other apps!
We are in one of two weeks of the year where particularly plucky sunlight bounces off one neighbor's window, onto my next-door neighbor's window and then DIRECTLY into a mirror I have hanging in my office at such an angle that it blinds me if I'm not sitting upright. I call this Posture Week
December 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM
UPS is offering me a chance to follow a delivery driver on a live map which is ... not actually something I'm sure anyone wants or needs!
December 4, 2025 at 8:20 PM
New reporting on Michigan elections plus some FRESH bunny pics will be available in today's @votebeat.org Michigan newsletter!!!! www.votebeat.org/michigan/sub...
Votebeat
Get the latest news on election administration and voting access in Michigan, plus more essential local voting news to keep you up to speed on what matters.
www.votebeat.org
December 4, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I hope my neighbors' doorbell cameras caught me slipping in my driveway and ending up straight on my back in the snow
December 2, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Is this a safe space to admit that I did not understand just how significant the difference between a large egg and a jumbo egg was until this week
November 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Keep getting back-to-back ads for eggs as a concept. Do you guys think that's a good thing
November 24, 2025 at 5:41 PM
I also don't know what those 46 open tabs are for, but no you may not close them.
November 20, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Reposted by Hayley Harding
More than three dozen Hamtramck voters have been disenfranchised after three non-election officials walked into the city clerk’s sealed office on election night, compromising the security of absentee ballots that were mistakenly left there.

From @hayleyharding.bsky.social w/ @votebeat.org
Hamtramck batch of absentee ballots won’t be counted, disenfranchising 37 voters • Michigan Advance
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan’s free newsletter here. More th...
michiganadvance.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:10 AM
One thing I like about being a journalist is Access to Buildings. I get to go to all sorts of buildings I've never been in before. Sometimes they even want me to be there
November 13, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Why on god's green earth would I want a print with AI capacity? What could I possibly need that for
November 11, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Reposted by Hayley Harding
The Supreme Court announced it would decide whether laws that allow states to count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day are constitutional, a case that could upend how elections are run in dozens of states across the country.
Supreme Court to decide if mail-in ballots may arrive after Election Day
An appeals court found that federal law requires all ballots be received by Election Day.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Good morning, Michigan! If you live in a community with an election day, your polls are open until 8 p.m. local time.

You can check your info here: mvic.sos.state.mi.us
mvic.sos.state.mi.us
November 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Feeling weird about the number of campaign statements I've seen today alone that were CLEARLY written by AI
November 3, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Honey and Puff's joint Halloween costume is "baked potato and burned baked potato"
October 31, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Hayley Harding
October 30, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Clerks want two elections. Schools want three. No one really likes the August contest.

Here's what a forthcoming proposal working its way through the Michigan Senate is offering:
www.votebeat.org/michigan/202...
Proposal to cut Michigan’s August primary still wouldn’t give clerks what they want
A forthcoming Democratic proposal would move the state’s primary elections earlier, Sen. Sam Singh says, but wouldn’t change the number of elections.
www.votebeat.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Nearly two dozen Michigan House Republicans want the Secretary of State to send unredacted voter rolls to the Trump admin. When asked about the information the state had already shared during a hearing today, the bill's sponsor appeared to not know that happened.

www.votebeat.org/michigan/202...
Michigan Republicans say Trump administration deserves to see full voter roll
GOP lawmakers are backing a resolution demanding that the state turn over the file, without any redactions. Rep. Joe Fox, the resolution’s sponsor, did not appear to know the state had already turned ...
www.votebeat.org
October 28, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Hayley Harding
Michigan families, food banks and pantries — like the Capuchin Soup Kitchen — and retailers react to looming pause in food assistance benefits due to the federal government shutdown. bit.ly/47Kws2s
October 27, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Listening to the new Lily Allen album and I broadly try not to be TOO parasocial or mistake autofiction for absolutely fact but I do think we should whack David Harbour with a large salami stick like they have at the butchers
October 24, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Had the beautiful and unique privilege of explaining the difference between Ohio University and Ohio State today
October 23, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Hayley Harding
A proposed bill from House Republicans would make Michigan’s school board candidates declare a party affiliation, a change that’s drawing criticism from local election officials and school board members.

From @hayleyharding.bsky.social w/ @votebeat.org
GOP bill would force Michigan school board candidates to state their party affiliation • Michigan Advance
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan’s free newsletter here. A propo...
michiganadvance.com
October 2, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Made some assumptions and answered a call from the Allen Park GameStop about my husband's Pokemon preorder with a level of vigor typically reserved only for sources returning my messages
October 14, 2025 at 4:43 PM
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, whispering words of wisdom: it's Fat Bear Week
September 23, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Reposted by Hayley Harding
Across the state, pay for election inspectors can range from less than $175 a day to more than $300. That means two people doing the same job just a few miles apart might take home dramatically different paychecks.

From @hayleyharding.bsky.social w/ @votebeat.org
Michigan poll worker pay varies sharply by location • Michigan Advance
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. How much a poll worker earns in Michigan depends less on what...
michiganadvance.com
September 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM
There's no set pay scale for poll workers in MI, & no obligation for workers to serve in the community they live.

That can be tough for clerks, who have to compete with stable jobs (and the town next door offering free lunches) when it comes to attracting workers. www.votebeat.org/michigan/202...
How poll worker pay varies from one Michigan town to the next
In Livonia, the pay for a day’s election work starts at $170 a day. Just down the highway in Detroit, it’s $300.
www.votebeat.org
September 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM