In this era of truly alarming headlines, rising polarization, and increasing political violence, Voters Not Politicians’ nonpartisan, structural democracy-focused mission is more important than ever. It is very plausible that we will continue to see the rise of fascism and extremism for the next few years, as the Trump administration tests the limits of the American people. Things will get worse before they get better.
The attacks on Americans by our own government are frightening, but we are not powerless and we are not alone. It is our responsibility, in this moment, to look to the future.
We need to be crystal-clear about what we want from our government before we can begin shaping what will emerge from the destruction. Long term structural democracy reform could be so many things – I could create a ten-year laundry list of suggested policy changes, and you probably have your own ideas. In fact, this is where we need to start: with our ideas, and our ideals.
That’s why Voters Ed Fund is starting by asking people across the state what they want from our government, and what role our government should have in our lives. We’re also assembling a strong and diverse coalition of organizations to take a hard look at the structure of our state government to better understand how we can move closer to achieving that ideal government. This is the only way to ensure that our government serves the needs of every Michigander.
We are hosting in-person community listening sessions to have guided discussions where we will learn from the participants what people want from our government, and the first phase of this project will conclude with a statewide survey. We also need your help to make sure we’re on the right track: what questions would you ask? Please join us to make your voice heard.
If you would like to invite us to host a conversation with your local community group, or if you have a suggestion for a question we should ask in our survey, email [email protected].