The Headlines
Now that there are two competing anti-voter groups trying to change Michigan’s constitution to make it harder for eligible voters to register and vote, Voters Not Politicians is leading the fight to protect our elections and Michiganders’ constitutional right to vote.
The Details
- At their May 16 meeting, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers (BOSC) approved the summary language for the Americans for Citizens Voting documentary proof of citizenship petition. However, because of a typo in the petition form, the BOSC requested the group behind the petition resubmit their proposal and seek approval at the next meeting.
- This means that the Americans for Citizens Voting petition will need to appear again at the June 20th BOSC meeting to get form approval before they begin collecting signatures, or they risk having their petition challenged later in the process.
- During the meeting, an attorney representing the Lansing politician sponsored anti-voter petition group, the Committee to Protect Voters’ Rights, raised several concerns about the Americans for Citizens Voting proposal, indicating that these two groups may be competing for signatures as opposed to collaborating.
- Voters Not Politicians is already taking action to protect Michigan voters from these threats.
- Last week we hosted another Stop Voter Suppression virtual town hall, with hundreds of volunteers and grassroots activists joining to learn more about the two voter suppression petitions and how they can help combat them.
- This week we began a series of community educator training sessions to prepare volunteers to speak to their community groups and at local events about the dangers of signing either of these petitions.
- We’ve set up a hotline monitoring system to alert our volunteer network where anti-voter petition circulators have been spotted so that volunteers can mobilize to disrupt their efforts.
- VNP has also developed literature that volunteers across the state will be distributing to show potential signers exactly how these misleading petitions will impact their ballot access and constitutional right to vote.
- Voters Not Politicians is not doing this work alone. This week, we convened a coalition of partners to discuss how the entire pro-democracy movement in Michigan can work together to defeat these petitions during this critical circulation phase.
- Most impressively, we’ve built this resistance through 100% grassroots fundraising and organizing power, something only Voters Not Politicians and our army of volunteers would be able to do.
What’s Next
In 2024, the Virginia-based special interest group behind Americans for Citizen Voting put this same amendment on the ballot in eight states through legislative referrals. Everywhere the policy was on the ballot, it passed easily. The only way to stop these anti-voter policies here in Michigan, is to stop them from ever making it onto the ballot.
That’s why Voters Not Politicians and our coalition partners are taking decisive action right now to raise the alarm and prevent as many voters as possible from mistakenly signing away their constitutional right to vote.
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