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.
Pro-voter Legislation
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. Now we are training and mobilizing grassroots citizen lobbyists to pass legislation that will further strengthen Michigan’s democracy and protect the rights of voters.
Anti-corruption
Michigan ranks dead last in government transparency and accountability. Michigan’s ethical standards for state officials are notoriously low. The time has come to raise them and adopt new standards to restore the integrity of our state government in Lansing. The only way we can change this is through laws that pull back the curtain so people can hold politicians accountable.
Free and Fair Elections
Despite recent progress on voting rights through citizen ballot initiatives, Black and Brown voters, disabled voters and those whose first language is not English, still face unequal barriers to the ballot box in Michigan. Michigan could set a new standard for state-level voting rights by enacting the Michigan Voting Rights Act. The MIVRA would protect the rights of voters from attacks made by bad actors and give Michigan voters the right to use the justice system if their voting rights are threatened.
Gerrymandering Reform
Holding elected officials accountable at the ballot box is only possible in fair districts. Ending prison gerrymandering and enacting county-level gerrymandering reform would ensure that every election district in the state truly represents the people.