The Headlines
This week brought another direct assault on the rights of Americans. Tuesday’s executive order joins the federal SAVE Act and Michigan House Republicans’ House Joint Resolution B as yet another blatant attempt by politicians to strip eligible voters of their constitutional right to vote by imposing confusing and, in many cases, unattainable documentary requirements for proving citizenship. The executive order defines acceptable documentary proof of citizenship as different from the provisions of HJR B, which would ultimately require separate voter rolls and ballots for state and federal elections. This would create chaos for voters and election officials, and inevitably prevent eligible citizens from voting.
Additionally, the Committee to Protect Voters’ Rights’ filed for summary language and as-to form approval this week. This constitutional ballot initiative will mirror the policies outlined in HJR B, including a documentary proof of citizenship requirement and removal of the affidavit option for voters who forget their photo id when voting in person. The Board of State Canvassers is scheduled to consider the summary contents on April 18.
Thankfully, we’ve also seen that the people of Michigan are fired up and ready to fight back. Hundreds of grassroots activists joined Voters Not Politicians last night in a virtual town hall to learn about the SAVE Act, HJR B, and the threats of voter suppression that are rising across the country.
The Details
- Last night’s Stop the SAVE Act Town Hall was attended by over 300 concerned citizens seeking more information on what the SAVE Act, HJR B, and the new executive order could mean for the future of voting in Michigan.
- One local clerk who joined the call seeking clarity on the various proposed changes told us that the chaos caused by the executive order and the threat of the SAVE Act is “really, really scary for us.” Our local clerks know that these proposals will confuse voters, make election administration more complicated and expensive, and inject chaos into Michigan elections, all in the name of solving a problem that does not exist.
- Much of the call was dedicated to answering questions about what documentary proof of citizenship requirements could mean for voters in Michigan, and it was clear from the number of questions that even the most engaged level of voters aren’t confident that they would be able to navigate these proposed registration restrictions.
- In addition to discussing the details of the SAVE Act and HJR B, we also covered the rapidly developing news around Tuesday’s executive order, Preserving And Protecting The Integrity Of American Elections.
- The order, as written, would directly undermine not just Michigan’s electoral systems, but the will of voters of Michigan who chose, through direct democracy in Proposals 18-2, 18-3, and 22-2, to establish our current secure, modern, and accessible election system.
- This order is an attempt to stage a federal takeover of our elections and restrict the ability of eligible American citizens to vote by establishing unnecessary and burdensome new voter registration requirements.
- The order also threatens to hold federal election funding hostage if states do not comply with the voter suppression policies, even though removing funding would only result in making our elections less secure.
- Most terrifyingly, the order seeks to put DOGE, and the unelected, unaccountable billionaire who runs it, in charge of verifying the eligibility of voters on state voter rolls.
- What we heard most from town hall attendees was that they wanted to know what they could do to stop these policies and protect voting rights in Michigan. We ended the town hall by sharing multiple opportunities to take action from anywhere in Michigan.
- In addition to sharing information via the Town Hall, Voters Not Politicians also developed a web resource with detailed information about both the SAVE Act and HJR B, and encouraged attendees to share this resource widely with their networks and communities.
What’s Next
We’re not going to stop with just informing people about this issue. Voters Not Politicians turns engaged citizens into engaged activists, and we’re prepared to help channel voters’ concern and anger over these policies into grassroots action.
We have already started reaching out to attendees and getting them signed up for our Stop the SAVE Act District Rallies on April 12. We are also hosting a Letter to the Editor Workshop to help volunteers write letters that will reach their closest neighbors. And, of course, we’re signing folks up for our Dial for Democracy citizen lobbying program so that they can take their concerns directly to their elected officials.
The only way that we can stop these attacks on our rights is through grassroots collective action and mass mobilization. That is why Voters Not Politicians will continue to inform and organize voters to stand up against any and all attacks on our democracy and our voting rights.
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