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GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

Let’s continue what we started and make our government accountable to the voters.

The passage of Voters Not Politicians’ redistricting reform amendment proved that Michigan voters care deeply about democracy. By establishing a fair, impartial, and transparent redistricting process so that voters choose their politicians — not the other way around — voters regained the ability to vote politicians out if they fail to serve our interests. But, how do voters hold our elected officials accountable to us while they are serving? 

The answer? We can’t. Michigan ranks dead last among all states in government ethics, transparency, and accountability. We the voters see those results in our state government: from corruption scandals in the headlines to politicians who are accountable to their donors and lobbyists but not their constituents. We, the voters, deserve better.

Like ending gerrymandering, fixing this problem will require a robust, citizen-led effort. But an accountability campaign has the potential to transform our state government and put political power back in the hands of voters — not politicians.  

Why Focus on “Accountability?”

Our state Constitution begins with, “All political power is inherent in the people.” 

Accountability is at the core of our democracy, which is based on elected officials working on behalf of the people — their constituents. But lack of transparency, less experienced elected officials, and more money in politics (as well as the gerrymandered maps of Michigan’s past redistricting cycles) have meant that Michigan politicians have increasingly used their positions as elected officials to benefit themselves or their donors and special interest groups, not the people. From running cash-for-vote schemes to passing legislation that prop up their side business, politicians in Lansing are taking advantage of their power — the people’s power —  to enrich themselves. 

Why do we see so much corruption in Michigan politics? Michigan lacks even basic laws and systems that protect against corruption. 

The good news? Voters can bring ethics, transparency, and accountability to Lansing, just like we ended gerrymandering. Together, Michiganders across the state and across the political spectrum can make our politicians accountable to voters. 

Below are Voters Not Politicians’ policy priorities. Click to expand each issue to learn more.

Require Personal Financial Disclosures and Ethics Oversight Expand

The problem: Currently in Michigan, lawmakers police themselves and decide whether they believe they have a personal financial or other interest in issues. Not surprisingly, this leads to abuse. With zero transparency into their personal finances, lawmakers with egregious conflicts of interest can vote on legislation that puts cash in their pockets.

For example, one state Senator owned a log trucking business for 12 years. When this senator left his business to serve in the legislature, his family continued running the business. The Senator then sponsored two bills that could directly benefit the company’s bottom line. If the state Senator had been required to disclose personal finances, voters would have been aware of this conflict of interest. Since he wasn’t required to disclose (and failed to voluntarily do so), voters were unaware of his conflicts of interest.

Here are 15 examples of lawmakers, their conflicts of interest, and the legislation they’ve tried to pass. 

The solution: First, require personal financial disclosures by lawmakers. Disclosures are critical to uncovering potential conflicts of interest. Michigan is one of only two states in the country that doesn't require any personal financial disclosure by state lawmakers, judges, and other elected or appointed officials. This breeds corruption and self-dealing.

Second, strengthen conflicts of interest rules so that lawmakers are banned from voting on legislation in which they have a personal financial or other interests.

Third, empower an ethics body to independently investigate violations, enforce the rules, and make its findings public.

Expand Public Access to Records Expand

The problem: Lack of transparency and public access to official records makes it difficult for voters to hold politicians accountable. Michigan is one of only two states that doesn’t require the Governor to adhere to open record laws, and is one of only 8 states that doesn’t require the Legislature to do so. 

The solution:  Enact sunshine laws, which give the public access to meetings, records, model bills, votes, deliberations, and more. Sunshine laws are the best disinfectant against corruption. They give voters the information they need to understand whether politicians are acting in the public’s interest.

Close the Revolving Door Expand

The problem: Right now, Michigan state representatives and senators can immediately leave the Legislature and start a new high-paying job as a lobbyist, even in sectors they regulated as lawmakers. This “revolving door” — where people cycle between government and lobbying firms working to influence the government — puts more influence and power in lobbyists and special interest groups and further erodes the public's trust in our state government. 

We have seen this play out in the news: 

  • Outgoing state officials turn to lobbying under lax Michigan rules
  • Snyder forms new company as ex-officials land new gigs

The solution: Impose a multi-year “cooling off period” so that legislators cannot become lobbyists for a number of years after leaving office.

Fix Term Limits Expand

The problem: Michigan has the most restrictive term limits in the country. They were passed in 1992, around the time many other states adopted term limits. Today, only 15 states have them. Term limits sound great on the surface, right? They were sold as a way to prevent bad politicians from staying in office indefinitely. The cost to Michiganders, however, has been too high and term limits have had disastrous effects on Michigan’s state government over the last 27 years.

  • Voters don’t get to choose their politicians: A fundamental building block of democracy — and a core principle of VNP — is that voters should choose their politicians. Term limits limit our choices, disqualifying candidates from serving solely because of their time already served in office.
  • Lawmakers with no experience: Michigan state Representatives can only serve for 6 years (three, two-year terms), while state Senators can only serve for 8 years (two, four-year terms). This leaves both chambers in a constant state of upheaval and gives legislators little time to gain the experience and relationships a lawmaker needs to govern. As Roger Sherman, one of the Founding Fathers, said in 1788, “Nothing renders government more unstable than a frequent change of the persons that administer it.”
  • Just a stepping stone: Aware of their limited time in office, many lawmakers view their current elected office as a stepping stone to their next gig. State representatives often use their time in the lower chamber to prepare for a campaign for state Senate. A term-limited state Senator could use their position as a stepping stone for their next job as a lobbyist or federal elected office. 

The solution: Fix Michigan’s too-stringent term limits so that the legislators we elect have time to learn the procedural aspects of governing, to understand the areas they are regulating, and to build trusted relationships with colleagues. It is especially important for us to expand the number of years a state Representative can serve in the House, so that Representatives have a chance to serve the voters effectively.

End the abuse of “Lame Duck” legislative sessions Expand

The problem: In election years, legislators who are elected in November do not take office until the following January. Meanwhile, the previous Legislature — which includes legislators who are termed out or who were just voted out of office — still show up for work in Lansing after election day and into December. These “lame ducks” are free to pass extreme laws with no consequences because they’re already leaving office and are no longer accountable to any voters

In 2018, Michigan’s 99th Legislature passed more than 300 bills in just 13 days following the election. Many of these controversial bills lead to public outcry, with voters making hundreds of calls or sending emails and letters asking their lawmakers to vote no. But these “lame duck” legislators ignored their constituents and passed controversial bill after bill. 

One of these laws was Public Act 608, which made it harder for citizens to exercise their Constitutional right to petition our government through ballot initiative or referendum. The “lame duck” legislature passed PA 608 in response to the three voter-initiated reforms passed in 2018 with overwhelming support, including Voters Not Politicians’ redistricting reform amendment. PA 608 is currently being challenged in court. 

The solution: Require 2/3 approval in both legislative chambers to pass a law during the “lame duck” session. The Legislature could still pass laws during the “lame duck” session, but only if they have broad, bipartisan support. This supermajority requirement would have prevented the extreme abuse of “lame duck” that we saw following the 2018 election.

These issues have been on the table for years, but not addressed. 

Because of our overwhelming victory in 2018, Voters Not Politicians and our army of volunteers are a catalyst for change. We have taken tremendous steps to strengthen democracy together in Michigan, but we need to do more.  

That means we need you!

We hope every Michigander will get involved in Voters Not Politicians’ next push to make our government work for us. We began hosting accountability and anti-corruption town halls across the state in the fall of 2019 and will continue in the new year, and we invite everyone to provide input and join us to strengthen our democracy. By bringing ethics, transparency, and accountability to Lansing, we can shed Michigan’s “F” grade in state integrity and clean up our government. We the voters achieved a huge win with redistricting reform in 2018. Let’s do it again with accountability in 2020.

Let’s continue what we started, and make our government accountable to the voters.

What can you do now?

  • Sign up for the Voters Not Politicians newsletter to stay up to date on what we’re doing across Michigan.
  • Sign up to volunteer and we’ll connect you to a team leader in your community! With your help, we can reach more voters across the state so they’re aware of these important issues.
  • Start talking with friends and family about making Michigan politicians accountable to the voters.

 

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Voters Not Politicians is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to strengthening democracy in Michigan by engaging citizens in projects and initiatives across the state.

Interested in staying up to date on what Voters Not Politicians is doing next?

Sign Up for the Newsletter

Our Work

 

Media

Get Involved

Volunteer

Events

Newsletter

Request a VNP Speaker

About

Our Mission

Blog

Jobs

Policy Platform

(517) 225 1812

PO Box 16180, Lansing, MI 48901

info@votersnotpoliticians.com

DONATE

Merch

Voters Not Politicians is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to strengthening democracy in Michigan by engaging citizens in projects and initiatives across the state.