Ford and Carter Presidential Centers Announce Partnership to Monitor Michigan Midterm Elections
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Feb. 24, 2026) — The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and The Carter Center have announced a partnership to conduct nonpartisan election observation of Michigan’s Nov. 3, 2026 midterm elections. The Ford-Carter Election Observation Network (FCEON) will monitor critical stages of the election process and assess the quality of the elections to increase transparency and trust in Michigan’s elections.
The initiative will train and support Michiganders to serve as nonpartisan election observers throughout the state to assess whether election laws and procedures are consistently and accurately followed. The election observers will document how those procedures are implemented, impartially and accurately reporting what they see using structured forms and standardized observation tools. Their reports will be aggregated to provide a detailed, data-driven assessment about the integrity of elections in Michigan.
“This partnership builds on a longstanding legacy of collaboration between my grandfather and President Ford, who ran against each other in 1976, but went on to cultivate a genuine friendship and collaborate on many bipartisan initiatives to benefit the American people,” said Jason Carter, chair of the Carter Center’s board of trustees. “I am proud to continue that legacy of cross-partisan collaboration with my friend, Mike Ford, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.”
In 1989, President Ford and President Carter co-chaired the very first international election observation mission funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, in Panama. And, in 2001, Presidents Carter and Ford served as honorary co-chairs of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform after the contentious 2000 U.S. presidential election, ultimately facilitating the passage of the Help America Vote Act.
“The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation is proud of its partnership with The Carter Center and our mutual efforts to restore public trust in our electoral processes,” said Michael Ford, a member of the Foundation’s board of trustees and son of former President Gerald R. Ford and former First Lady Betty Ford. “A democratic system of government reflects citizen interest and engagement and also reinforces confidence in our electoral systems. Along with our good friends at The Carter Center, a relationship that reflects the deep friendship of the two former presidents, we embrace this nonpartisan effort to ensure that our elections accurately reflect the public will.”
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and The Carter Center continue to collaborate on initiatives to strengthen democratic resilience in the U.S., including through joint support of the Principles for Trusted Elections project led by Team Democracy and the National Alliance for Enduring Democracy, co-chaired by Jason Carter (The Carter Center) and Mike Ford (Ford Presidential Foundation). The two organizations also support Michiganders for Civic Resilience, a network that mobilizes state leaders from across the political spectrum to defend democratic institutions and encourage peaceful dialogue, particularly in areas at risk of political violence.
The presence of FCEON election observers will help to reassure Michiganders that independent monitors are providing oversight of the process.
Individuals interested in volunteering with the Ford-Carter initiative to observe Michigan's 2026 midterm elections are invited to submit a form of interest at the following link: cartercenter.org/observe.
Contact: press@38foundation.org or media@cartercenter.org
News Coverage of the Event
13OnYourSide: YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE | Ford Presidential Foundation, Carter Center partner to launch Election Observation Network in MI