We're excited to invite you to the Michigan Voting Rights Act Lobby Day on Wednesday, December 4th in Lansing, organized by a coalition of democracy and voting rights organizations. Training will be provided on the MVRA and talking to legislators, and legal experts will be on hand to answer questions. After a working breakfast, participants will be grouped for meetings with state lawmakers throughout the day.
Transportation: There are some buses provided from across the state where there is a need. Buses will leave at 7:00 a.m.
Children are welcome to attend!
Other partners and allies may be joining some legislator meetings to uplift additional issues of concern.
Questions or concerns? Email bailey@promotethevotemi.com.
More Information
-
12/4, 9am in Lansing at the Capitol (exact meeting location to be shared upon RSVP) Let me know if you are coming - I will love to see you there. (If attending is not realistic for you, you can help - see information below.)
-
Michiganders and voting rights advocates come together to encourage members of the Michigan House of Representatives to prioritize passing the Michigan Voting Rights Act before the end of the year. This day will include messaging training prior to meetings with legislators and, potentially, press engagement.
-
We are on the precipice of passing some of the most important civil rights legislation in Michigan history and sending the Michigan Voting Rights Act to the Governor's desk this year. Despite the substantial progress that Michigan has made in protecting access to voting, there is still more work to protect the freedom to vote. As partisan entities continue to weaken the Federal Voting Rights Act and introduce legislation to restrict access to voting across America, Michigan can join California, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Minnesota as states that have enacted a state level voting rights act. After more than a year of close coordination with clerks, voting rights experts and advocates, the Michigan Senate passed SB 401, 402, 403 and 404 in September 2024. The bills now head to the House and await hearings and a floor vote before the end of the year.
-
The Michigan Voting Rights Act would directly address the most impactful attacks on the federal voting rights act by implementing a pre-approval process whereby municipalities that are found to have disenfranchised voters from protected classes would be required to seek approval from the state or a court for any election-related changes. "Preclearance" requirements as they were labeled in the Federal Voting Rights Act were gutted by the 2013 Supreme Court Shelby v. Holder decision. This is included in SB 401.
In SB 402, the legislation would create a nonpartisan, transparent, independent voter database and institute to provide a center for research, training and information on voting systems and election administration with accessible information in one central location. This legislation will benefit voters and election officials alike.
In SB 403, the legislation expands the number of jurisdictions that must provide translated election information into languages other than English to ensure that language minority individuals have equal access to the ballot and the voting process. Notably, Arabic is not included as a protected language in the federal voting rights act. SB 403 addresses this critical gap, expanding language support to any language community that is considered limited English proficient and makes up more than 5% or more than 10,000 of the voting-age citizens in a municipality. Beginning in 2030, the threshold drops to 600 people total, or 2.5% of voting-age citizens in any municipality.In SB 404, among other important steps, the legislation enhances and clarifies protections for voters with disabilities including steps to require and simplify curbside voting.
Altogether, these four bills will codify critical protections for voters at a time when partisan actors are working to restrict access to voting. We must remain vigilant against these anti-voter attacks. The Michigan Voting Rights Act will further establish Michigan as a national leader in prioritizing democracy and access to voting.