This week an article caught my attention that highlights an important connection between the work of organizations like Voters Not Politicians and the wider national context.
How supreme court elections set the stage for coming battles Bolts Magazine, November 19, 2024
- During the 2022 elections in North Carolina, Republicans won a majority on the state supreme court, and used that majority to clear the way for the Republican-controlled state legislature to overhaul the state’s already gerrymandered congressional districts.
- Those new, even more heavily gerrymandered congressional maps were used in the 2024 election and flipped three seats to the Republican party.
- As of this moment, Republicans have secured a 217-213 majority in the US House, which can be directly attributed to the gerrymandering that was enabled by the North Carolina Supreme Court.
- Not too long ago, Michigan was also known for having some of the most gerrymandered congressional districts in the country. Our state supreme court narrowly ruled in 2018 to allow our citizen initiative to end partisan gerrymandering to appear on the ballot, and now we are proud to say that Michigan has some of the most balanced and competitive congressional districts in the US.
- Voters Not Politicians recognized the importance of maintaining a majority on the Michigan Supreme Court that will make decisions that are best for our state’s democracy and protect democratic rights and institutions, especially as the federal judiciary becomes less and less reliable in this regard.
- Voters Not Politicians volunteers engaged voters at public events in their local communities, by talking to voters one-on-one, encouraging them to pay attention to the nonpartisan section and vote their full ballot, then following up with reminders about absentee and early voting.
- The result of the historic investment in these races by Voters Not Politicians and other pro-democracy groups is that both Pro-Voter Approved candidates won by wide margins.
Where do we go from here?
- Beginning in 2025, due in large part to gerrymandering and a lack of voter protection in state courts in other states, anti-democratic extremists in the White House and Congress will have broad discretion to fundamentally alter and undermine voter protections and democratic institutions at the federal level.
- For the next four weeks, Michigan still has a pro-democracy trifecta in government that has the opportunity to pass legislation to shield Michigan from some of the fallout from those extremist actions. Right now, Voters Not Politicians is mobilizing our volunteer army in a grassroots and direct lobbying campaign to prioritize that legislation.
- This includes hosting a Lobby Day on December 4th, with meetings between lawmakers and our volunteers, as well as a press conference calling for passage of the Michigan Voting Rights Act.
- In 2025, Voters Not Politicians will be the state-focused, good government, pro-democracy group best positioned to take necessary actions to protect and strengthen Michigan’s democracy.
- Our army of volunteers is poised to use direct democracy to enact structural democracy reforms with the assurance that our state’s highest court will not undermine the will of voters.
- We will work to support local community partners and expand our civic engagement and education programs to ensure Michiganders are empowered with the tools to advocate for their unique and diverse communities.
- Through our citizen lobbying program, we will mobilize volunteers to engage directly with their elected officials to advocate for pro-voter legislative actions.
What’s Next
If the US is ever going to put itself back on the path towards a true democracy, pro-democratic reforms must happen at the state level. In recent years, because of work done by Voters Not Politicians and our pro-democracy allies, Michigan has become a national model of democratic reform. Now we are preparing to continue this fight and do what’s necessary to protect our state’s democracy so that political power remains with the people of Michigan.
Due to the holiday, I won’t be sharing an update next week. You can expect to see my last two updates of the year on December 6 and 20.
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