The Voters Not Politicians Platform
Article 1, Section 1 of the Michigan constitution reads: “All political power is inherent in the people.”
This basic principle that ultimate power resides in the people is the foundation of our mission at Voters Not Politicians.
Voters Not Politicians defends and promotes policies that strengthen democracy. Michigan’s government must truly represent the will of the people, all votes must count equally, and all voices must be heard. Our representatives must not be unduly influenced by lobbyists or special interests or motivated by personal gain.
Our platform supports:
Voters Not Politicians is leading the effort to engage with state legislators to pass good-governance reforms to protect voting rights, strengthen our democracy, and ensure political power remains in the hands of the voters.
How we started
Voters Not Politicians was formed when a small group of everyday Michiganders decided to take on the biggest problem in our political system: politicians who aren’t accountable to the people they represent. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, a group of political novices started organizing, and by 2018 we were a grassroots powerhouse of 6500 volunteers who, against all odds, got a constitutional amendment proposal on the ballot and passed to establish the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Why we endured
Voters Not Politicians stayed together after the ballot measure passed. We formed a family of organizations that empowers regular citizens to strengthen democracy against increasing threats. In 2022, we were proud to play a crucial role in the Promote the Vote 2022 coalition by collecting more than 170,000 signatures and knocking over 125,000 doors, leading to the passage of another transformational constitutional amendment for Michigan voters.
Where we’re going next
In 2022, thanks to the work of Voters Not Politicians, Michigan voters elected a pro-voter majority to both houses of the state legislature for the first time in decades. Voters Not Politicians launched a grassroots citizen lobbying program to advocate for ethics & transparency, campaign finance reform, and fair representation for all Michiganders.
In recent years, because of work done by Voters Not Politicians and our pro-democracy allies, Michigan has become a national model of democracy reform. Now we are preparing to continue this fight and do what’s necessary to protect our state’s democracy so that political power remains with the people of Michigan.