Letter - People Power United joins coalition efforts to pass the Michigan Voting Rights Act
🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
People Power United joined other local, state, and national groups champion the passage of the Michigan Voting Rights Act. Shout out to All Voting is Local for leading these efforts. Here is the letter sent on behalf of our membership:
December 15, 2024
Michigan House
PO Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
RE: PASS THE MICHIGAN VOTING RIGHTS ACT (S.B. 401, 402, 403, & 404)
Dear Members of the Michigan House,
We write to urge you to pass the Michigan Voting Rights Act (“MIVRA” or S.B. 401, 402, 403, and 404), which passed the Senate in September. If enacted, the MIVRA would be one of the most significant civil rights laws in Michigan’s history. It will cement Michigan’s recent pro-democracy gains by protecting the freedom to vote for all Michiganders.
Heading into 2025 and beyond, the best way we can prepare for attacks on voting rights and democracy at the federal level is to pass the MIVRA now. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Michigan voters want their representatives to prioritize passing a MIVRA. This chance won't come again soon, and we cannot afford to wait.
The MIVRA is a top priority for the undersigned organizations.
By passing the MIVRA, Michigan has an opportunity to create a more equitable and inclusive democracy. Despite recent progress, voters of color, non-English speakers, and voters with disabilities in Michigan continue to face barriers to equal participation in our democracy. In recent years, Michigan has experienced racially targeted voter intimidation and efforts to disenfranchise voters of color. Michigan needs stronger protections to address discriminatory voting practices.
Federal law alone does not do enough to protect Michigan voters. Section 2 of the Federal Voting Rights Act (“VRA”) provides crucial protections against racial discrimination in voting, but these protections have been weakened by federal courts in recent years. In Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, for instance, the Supreme Court imposed new burdens on voters seeking to vindicate their voting rights in court under Section 2. Moreover, litigation under Section 2 can be expensive, time consuming, and complex. And, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which covers Michigan, further weakened Section 2 of the federal VRA by barring “coalition” claims, i.e., claims arising when plaintiffs seek a remedy vindicating the rights of two or more minority groups facing similar discrimination from a redistricting map or method of election. Now more than ever, we need state leaders to stand up for equal, inclusive democracy, and Michigan now has the opportunity to do just that.
The MIVRA will make Michigan’s democracy more inclusive by:
● Expanding protections for voters with disabilities.
● Creating a central public hub for election data and information to promote transparency.
● Expanding language assistance for voters with limited English proficiency.
● Enshrining robust protections against voter suppression and vote dilution into state law.
● Protecting access to curbside voting.
● Ensuring that voters receive advanced notice of changes to key electoral procedures.
● Providing efficient and practical ways to resolve barriers to equal participation in local democracy before litigation occurs.
● Launching a “preapproval” remedy that allows courts to hold local governments accountable for up to ten years following a voting rights violation.
The MIVRA builds upon successful state VRAs that have already passed in California, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, and Minnesota. The MIVRA will carry this momentum forward and provide some of the most robust state-level voting protections in the country.
Michigan can and should cement its role as a national leader in protecting the rights of voters of color. We urge you to support the MIVRA and we stand ready to work with you to secure these crucial protections for Michigan voters.
Sincerely,
ACCESS
ACLU of Michigan
Advancement Project
Agape Social Justice LLC
All On The Line
All Voting is Local Action
APIA Vote-Michigan
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Black Voters Matter Fund
Brennan Center for Justice
Campaign Legal Center
Charity for People Powered
Democracy
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Midwest Voting Rights Program
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Clean Water Action
Common Cause
Congregation for Humanistic Judaism-Detroit
Declaration for American Democracy Coalition
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Demos
Detroit Disability Power
Detroit RESULTS
Fair Elections Center
FairVote
Generation Vote
GIFFORDS
Gray Panthers of Metro Detroit Indivisible Fighting 9
Indivisible Huron Valley
Lansing Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
League of Women Voters of Michigan
Legal Defense Fund
Lenawee Indivisible
MI Poder
Michigan AFL-CIO
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network
Michigan Voices
More Equitable Democracy Action Mothering Justice
Movement Advancement Project NAACP Michigan State Conference NALEO Educational Fund
National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan
National Organization of Women National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center Oakland Forward
Oakland Forward Action Fund
People For the American Way People Power United
Popular Democracy
Progress Michigan
Promote the Vote
Public Citizen
RankMiVote - Ranked Choice Voting for Michigan
RepresentUs
Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan
Rising Voices
SEIU Michigan
Sierra Club
Sisters of Mercy in Michigan Stand Up America
Statewide Indivisible Michigan The Wisdom Institute
UAW International Union
UNITE HERE! Local 24
UUCGT
Voters Not Politicians
Voting Access For All Coalition Western Wayne County NAACP When We All Vote
When You Vote-I Win
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