September 6, 2023 | Volume 5, No. 9
Hi friend,
We’ve certainly had a busy summer here at Voters Not Politicians! (No such thing as an off-year for democracy.
)
This summer, we’ve seen continued progress in the grassroots lobbying, clerk engagement, and civic education programs that we launched way back at the beginning of the year. This month, you can read blog posts from Mariah Phelps, Director of Democracy Engagement, and Alyson Grigsby, Education Program Manager to learn more about how these programs have been developing and the successes our team has achieved so far this year.
And as students return to school and lawmakers return to Lansing, Voters Not Politicians staff and volunteers are right where we’ve always been – preparing for the next steps to strengthen Michigan’s democracy. This fall, we’ll be engaging volunteers and the public to push the legislature towards implementing stronger ethics and transparency reforms, working with clerks to implement our new voting rights, getting out into neighborhoods and knocking doors to educate voters on important pro-democracy legislation, and growing our partnerships with grassroots organizations across the state to build momentum in our pro-democracy movement.
As always, we couldn’t do any of this work without your continued support. As you read this month’s newsletter, don’t forget to use the links below to follow us on social media, pick up some VNP swag, volunteer for one (or more!) of our fall campaigns, and donate to fund this important work.
As we continue to improve upon our past success and lay the groundwork for more democracy victories in 2024, we rely on you to keep Voters Not Politicians moving forward.
Because there’s no such thing as an off-year for democracy.
Sincerely,
Jamie Lyons-Eddy
Executive Director
Voters Not Politicians
In This Issue
- See the Summer Success from Voters Ed Fund
- Preview VNP’s Fall Field Strategy
- ICYMI – VNP is Making Headlines
- Former Librarian and New York Times Bestselling Children’s Book Author is Lending Her Support to our Development and Diversity Teams
- Upcoming Events
- How you can stay involved
Updates from the Field
See the Summer Success from Voters Ed Fund
This summer, the Voters Not Politicians Education Fund has made great strides in our various public voter education and civic engagement programs, including launching Democracy Academy, expanding Clerk Engagement, and laying the groundwork for My City Votes 2024.
Click here to learn how Voters Ed Fund is working to help implement your new voting rights!
Preview VNP’s Fall Field Strategy
Voters Not Politicians volunteers know too well that structural democracy reform often requires hard work to become a reality. To support the work that legislative liaisons have been doing since February, we are preparing to spread awareness and get people talking about this issue.
ICYMI: VNP Making Headlines
- Low voter turnout topic of Aug. 17 workshop at the IHM Motherhouse (Monroe Evening News | August 11, 2023)
- Activists call for resignation of Shelby Twp. clerk after he’s charged in false electors scheme (Detroit News | August 15, 2023)
- Michigan clerk faces demands for resignation and recall threats after his indictment in “false elector” plot (Votebeat | August 16, 2023)
- Michigan clerk faces protests after indictment in ‘false elector’ plot (Bridge Michigan | August 17, 2023)
- Eddy: State legislature should tackle ethics, transparency issues (Detroit News | August 28, 2023)
PEOPLE-POWERED
Former Librarian and New York Times Bestselling Children’s Book Author is Lending Her Support to our Development and Diversity Teams
As Voters Not Politicians evolves, expands, and launches more pro-democracy programs across the state, we are also continuing to grow our staff, and bring in more talent and skills to help us fund the work that keeps Michigan’s democracy strong.
UPCOMING EVENTS
ISAAC’s Beloved Community Walk/Run/Roll Pro-Democracy Table, Saturday, September 9th, 1:30pm-5:30pm (multiple shifts available).
TAKE ACTION
How you can stay involved, and help make structural democracy reforms
- Show off your Voters Not Politicians Volunteer pride with official VNP merch!
- Make a donation to keep our pro-democracy movement going. Monthly recurring donations are especially important to keep VNP strong and help us plan for the future.
- Join our volunteer ranks. You can be part of the volunteer army that makes Voters Not Politicians a pro-democracy powerhouse!
- Sign up here to be part of the Dial for Democracy (DFD) legislative advocacy team, and make sure you have opted in to receiving emails from VNP.