May and June saw some incredible movement on pro-voter legislation in Lansing, with most of the “Prop 2” implementation bills moving through Michigan’s State House and Senate and awaiting Governor Whitmer’s signature. This marks a historic moment for Michigan and a new era for pro-voter, pro-democracy legislation in Lansing.
Michigan is garnering attention nationwide for its careful and efficient movement to implement the mandate of Michigan voters for expanded voting access and codified voting rights. The Center for American Progress recently published a report, “How Michigan Became a Blueprint for Strengthening Democracy,” that highlights the historic work of Michigan’s legislative leaders to thoughtfully write into law that which was mandated by Michigan’s voters with 60% support.
“Michigan’s success in quickly authorizing and implementing these numerous voting reforms stands in sharp contrast to efforts in many other states to restrict access to the very methods of voting and registration that Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved. The state’s success also stands in contrast to states that have struggled for years to authorize and implement similar reforms.”
– “How Michigan Became a Blueprint for Strengthening Democracy”
There’s no doubt that Voters Not Politicians’ volunteers are at the core of Michigan’s strengthening democracy. Not only did VNP do the work that got us to this point: collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures for prop 18-2 and 22-2, knocking on doors, calling voters, and informing our communities about these issues. We also are continuing our advocacy by engaging directly with our lawmakers to ensure they know our priorities. We’ve heard from current and former lawmakers that in-district events like coffee hours are the most effective way for voters to reach them.
Legislators have a lot of demands on their time and energy. They take office with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, and Michigan’s tough term limits mean that they have less time to develop the experience needed to juggle competing priorities of the office. Lobbyists and longtime Lansing legislative staff provide structure, but it is vital that our Representatives and Senators hear from their most important stakeholders: constituents.
VNP staff and volunteers are working together to ensure that legislators in every district know that pro-democracy, pro-voter reforms are still our number one priority for this 102nd legislature. Staff members meet with legislators to discuss our current pro-voter priorities. Every time we meet with a representative or senator, we are representing the interests of thousands of VNP volunteers.
Legislators need the policy expertise that we can provide and, crucially, they also need to understand that VNP represents voters from every district in the state.
The in-district meetings that volunteers attend as legislative liaisons are another cornerstone of our current work. Voters Not Politicians legislative liaisons echo and reinforce the message we convey through our direct lobbying. With the full support of VNP staff and their area team, legislative liaison volunteers attend legislator coffee hours to speak about issues that are important to all of us: strong campaign finance reforms; financial disclosure for candidates, electeds and their families; banning lobbyist gifts; closing the revolving door; ending prison gerrymandering; joining the National Popular Vote compact; and ensuring that prop 22-2 is properly implemented. These events have the added benefit of informing other residents of the district about legislation that affects our democracy.
We are 70% of the way to having every district covered by a legislative liaison. We need to continue growing our presence in every State House and Senate district in Michigan and show lawmakers just how vital Voters Not Politicians is to our strong democracy, and we need your help recruiting more Legislative Liaisons to do it! If you or a friend are interested in becoming a Legislative Liaison for VNP, please complete the form here.
