VNP Weekly Update: December 6, 2024

The Headlines

On Wednesday, Voters Not Politicians hosted an emergency Pro-Democracy Lobby Day with over 150 volunteers, supporters, and partners, who gathered in Lansing to advocate for several pieces of critical pro-democracy legislation, including the Michigan Voting Rights Act, National Popular Vote, lobbyist reform, ending prison gerrymandering, and campaign finance reform.

Already this week we’ve seen movement with several pieces of legislation that we’ve been championing this cycle. 

A diverse crowd of people sits around tables in a spacious room, holding various signs that read "All political power is inherent in the people" and "Voters Not Politicians"

The Details

  • Pro-Democracy Lobby Day
    • This lobby day was a huge collaborative effort, and our partners for this event included ACCESS, All Voting Is Local, Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause Michigan, Fund MI Future, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Promote The Vote, Taking Back Our Power, and Voting Access for All Coalition. 
    • Voters Not Politicians volunteers conducted over 100 meetings and drop-ins with legislators and their staff. 
    • We also joined several partners for a press conference in support of the Michigan Voting Rights Act. You can watch the full video here.
    • Because of the collaborative effort between partners, we welcomed many volunteers who had not previously worked with Voters Not Politicians, including CeCe H, who joined the lobby day to support the Michigan Voting Rights Act.
      • “I came to Lansing today to advocate for the passage of the Michigan Voting Rights Act. More specifically, I’m advocating for Speaker Tate to bring the Michigan Voting Rights Act to the floor [for a vote]. I think today was motivational. Having over 200 of us here advocating. It’s so great to know that you’re not alone in wanting to push and expand democracy.”
  • Michigan Voting Rights Act
    • On Tuesday, the House Elections committee voted along party lines to pass the Michigan Voting Rights Act (SBs 401, 402, 403, 404) out of committee. 
    • The MI VRA is now awaiting a floor vote in the House, and will then need to be concurred by the Senate, due to a change that was needed in one of the bills. 
    • During our conversations with lawmakers on Wednesday, we heard from several representatives who believed there was ample support to pass the package once House leadership brought it to the floor. Several volunteers were eager to put more pressure on legislative leaders to move this critical piece of legislation, and thus chose to make additional drop-in visits to the offices of Speaker Tate and Speaker Pro Tempore Pohutsky to further urge them to bring the measures to the floor and to add additional days of session to the calendar in order to pass other pro-democracy priorities. 
  • National Popular Vote
    • House Bills 4156 & 4440, which would enter Michigan into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, were reported out of committee earlier this year, but have not yet come to the floor for a vote. 
    • Senate Bills 126 & 295 have been referred to the Senate Elections committee, but have not yet received a hearing. 
    • During our lobby day, VNP targeted members of the House who had not yet committed to supporting the National Popular Vote. Our volunteers reported moving the needle with some legislators during their meetings.
  • Ending Prison Gerrymandering
    • On Wednesday afternoon, just after we wrapped up our lobby day, we were thrilled to see Senator Santana’s SB 494 passed out of the Senate Elections committee. This has been an area of focus for us for years, and the bill must be passed now so there is time for implementation before the next census. It’s now awaiting a vote on the Senate floor before moving to the House. 
  • Lobbyist Reform
    • Last month, House Bill 5581 and 5586, which reform rules around lobbying and close the lawmaker-to-lobbyist revolving door, were reported out of the House Ethics and Oversight committee. Both bills are awaiting votes on the House floor before they can move to the Senate. 
  • Taking Back Our Power
    • Also on Wednesday, the United Auto Workers (UAW) sent a letter to the legislature advocating for a number of policies, including House Bills 5520–1 and 5975–6, the Taking Back Our Power legislation.
      • The letter demanded that the legislature “must prevent regulated monopoly corporations and companies seeking government contracts from making political contributions in Michigan.”
    • Currently, these bills sit in the House committee on Government Operations, a committee that is often used to park legislation that House leadership is not interested in moving forward. 
    • This support from organized labor adds greater momentum to the movement to reform our broken campaign finance system and fight back against corporate influence in our politics and policymaking.
Two women in a meeting hall wearing shirts with political messages on their backs. Transcribed Text: "VOTERS SHOULD CHOOSE THEIR POLITICIANS NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND."
Five people sit around a table, facing the camera but looking past, towards a presentation or speaker. More people at tables are visible in background. A sign on the table reads "Voters Not Politicians"

What’s Next

At the end of this month, Michigan will lose our pro-voter majority in the state house, and unfortunately, any pro-democracy legislation that hasn’t passed both chambers will likely be out of reach for the next two years. 

From now until the end of session, Voters Not Politicians will continue to recruit and organize volunteers to call, email, and pressure the legislature and legislative leaders to move the pro-democracy legislation that a majority of Michiganders support. 

As a reminder, you can expect to receive my final update of the year on December 20.

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