November 8, 2021
Nancy Wang was one of the first volunteers to raise her hand on Facebook to answer the call to end partisan gerrymandering in Michigan. She led the policy committee that researched, elicited input from Michiganders at 30 town halls in 30 days, and networked with state and national experts in order to produce the now infamous Prop 2. As the Executive Director and one of the co-founders of Voters Not Politicians, Nancy has guided the group as it has grown from a Facebook post to a group of affiliated organizations that are on the front lines fighting for fair maps and the voting rights of all Michiganders.
After responding to that fateful Facebook post, Nancy quickly dived into the work of ending gerrymandering arm-in-arm with Michiganders from all over the state who were also inspired to take up the cause.
I was jumping on conference calls with other Michiganders I had never met, but who were equally passionate that we needed to fix gerrymandering and make it work for Michigan voters. This was before zoom!
That passion to level the playing field for everyday Michiganders by making our democracy stronger and more representative fuels Nancy. Her favorite part of Voters Not Politicians is making a positive impact on the lives of all Michiganders.
I feel like I’m making a difference and strengthening democracy for all voters, regardless of who we are, who we vote for, and where we live.
Voters Not Politicians is more than an organization to Nancy. It’s a family, which was a sentiment that was evident to Nancy right from the start.
When we started, my son was only a year old. I remember having a meeting at my house with him crawling over the other original Board members. My daughter (then 6) sat in and was so curious and kept asking me what we were doing. I’m not sure it was the most efficient meeting, but it’s one example of how our effort, from day one, was driven by everyday people. We were all welcomed with open arms into a big family. We did serious work, but the environment we created always felt open and supportive.
Just like the organization, Nancy’s kids are growing up right before her eyes, though they are not too old to partake in Nancy’s favorite holiday tradition: dressing up in their family Halloween costumes.
