Last week, voting rights advocates, community leaders, and lawmakers filled a Senate Elections and Ethics Committee hearing room to discuss the Michigan Voting Rights Act (MI VRA). Leaders, including Yvonne White, president of NAACP Michigan State Conference, spoke passionately about finishing the work civil rights leaders started 60 years ago. The room was filled with excitement and hope, and more than a few tears were shed while listening to Miss White’s moving testimony. It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to pass historic legislation that will cement Michigan as a national leader when it comes to protecting voters. Email your lawmaker right now, and urge them to support the Michigan Voting Rights Act (MI VRA).
When the Federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) passed in 1965, it was hailed as the “crown jewel” of America’s civil rights laws. And for good reason: it outlawed discrimination in voting and registration based on race, color, or language-minority status. However, the VRA is under attack and has been weakened over the years. That’s why it’s so critical that we pass the MI VRA now to ensure that all Michigan voters will be protected no matter where they come from, what they look like, or what they believe.
The Michigan VRA will:
- Provide language assistance to more voters with limited English.
- Improve protections and assistance for voters with disabilities.
- Provide legal pathways to fight discriminatory voting rules in court.
- Allow courts to require voting changes to be pre-approved by judges before they can go into effect in places the court has found to have violated voting rights laws.
Michigan voters have repeatedly shown they want a voting system that works for everyone. Together, we have made incredible progress toward that goal over the last several years. But we may not always have a governor and legislature that supports these goals, so we must take action now to protect our freedom to vote moving forward. Contacting your lawmakers to support the MI VRA only takes a few minutes. Can we count on you?
When we come together, we make great things happen for our communities. Now, as we have before, we must come together and move the MI VRA across the finish line. Take action!
For more information on the Michigan Voting Rights Act (MI VRA), read the NAACP/Legal Defense Fund white paper: https://www.naacpldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-03-13-LDF-MIVRA.pdf.