[Excerpts taken from interview transcript]
David Fair: This is a major election year. There’s a presidential election to decide. Michigan will be electing a new U.S. senator and a number of representatives. State legislative seats will be decided. And, of course, there are a glut of local races and ballot issues that will be decided by voters as well. Is there equity and access to voting as we prepare to make those decisions? This is 89 one WEMU, and I’m David Fair with this week’s edition of Washtenaw United. Our look at voting accessibility in Michigan voting laws was inspired by one of the topics being offered up in the United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s 21-Day Equity Challenge. That challenge is underway and available to everyone, and it helps us take a look at inequity and implicit bias on a number of different community topics, but in a very personal way. It runs through June 14th, so there’s still time to get signed up. As we consider who best to talk to about voting accessibility and Michigan’s new voting laws, we wanted a more grassroots perspective on it, and we found the right group and the right person. Marie Knoerl is Washtenaw County co-chair of Voters Not Politicians. And thank you for making time for us today!
Marie Knoerl: Oh, you’re welcome! Thank you for having us!
David Fair: For those not familiar with the work of Voters Not Politicians, how do you describe who you are and what you do?
Marie Knoerl: Well, Voters Not Politicians is a nonpartisan, pro-democracy, grassroots organization that works to strengthen democracy by engaging into activism folks from across Michigan and effective citizen action. We, as an organization, envision a truly representative democracy where the will of the voters drives government decision making and public policy. And we take our inspiration from the first line of the Michigan Constitution, which states that “all political power is inherent in the people.”
David Fair: That’s a great line comprising great words. But, there are a whole lot of folks that might say the state is not living up to its obligation as laid out in the state constitution. How do you ensure Voters Not Politicians amplifies the voices in the affected communities?
Marie Knoerl: Well, Voters Not Politicians has always been a grassroots, volunteer-driven organization. In fact, it was literally started from a young woman’s Facebook post, as you probably know the lore. As we’ve grown, we had to figure out how to make sure our work is true to the values that the organization reflects, which is all of Michigan’s diverse population. And we feel that we can only build our capacity to serve by ensuring that our Voters Not Politicians community is diverse, inclusive and equitable. So, we’re committed to creating a space for activism that welcomes and is accessible to everyone. For the last several years, Voters Not Politicians has intentionally looked at how our programs and policy priorities can serve all voters and uplift communities who’ve been marginalized historically. So, we do outreach and voter education to our Voters Ed Fund, and, when possible, we target those outreach activities in areas where diversity and democracy can come together, such as Pride events and Juneteenth festivals.
David Fair: You’ve described Voters Not Politicians as a pro-democracy and nonpartisan grassroots organization, but there can be no question. We live in a polarized state, and we live in a polarized country. How do you work to be inclusive and incorporate all interests into your efforts?
Marie Knoerl: Well, first off, being nonpartisan and really making sure that we focus on pro-democracy and government reforms, but that nonpartisan thing was the thing that drew me to them in the first place. I realize a lot of groups work on pro-democracy and pro-voting rights and other things, but we’re really unique because we’re working to take on structural democracy reforms with the Voting Rights Act and other things that are going to make sure that we can have as close to a representative democracy as we can.
This interview was originally published by WEMU 89.1. Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.wemu.org/show/washtenaw-united/2024-05-27/washtenaw-united-voters-not-politicians-working-this-election-year-to-create-greater-equity-and-access-to-elections-and-government
