A Republican backed “Secure MI Vote” committee launched a petition drive today to tighten Michigan voter laws after a record turnout in the 2020 election. A broad coalition, including Voters Not Politicians and many other organizations, is launching a counter campaign to educate the public about this troubling effort to make it more difficult to vote.
Nancy Wang, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians, was quoted as saying “A Democracy only works when the voice of the people can be heard. No matter what they say, the purpose of the GOP’s petition drive is to make it harder for some voters to vote, pure and simple…Now is the time for voters across the state to stand up for our freedom to vote and to oppose this package of voter suppression measures”.
Michigan voters turned out in historic numbers in the 2020 election, one of the state’s most secure elections. A six month Republican study, released on June 23rd, debunked the former President’s “big lie” that there was widespread voter fraud in Michigan’s 2020 election. No matter what we look like or where we come from, all Michiganders want our voices to be heard in our democracy and our voting rights protected.
The “Secure MI Vote” Committee is seeking state approval of its petition language, a first step toward bypassing the veto of Gretchen Whitmer. If the committee collects 340,047 signatures, it could be adopted by the legislature. However, these signature would have to be collected before the end of 2021 for this proposal to impact the 2022 election.
Click HERE for more information from the August 30th issue of Bridge magazine.According to this article, the initiative would:
This email is a red flare — a warning — that there are people who are attempting to suppress the vote in Michigan and to erode our democracy. More information will be shared about what we can do to fight back.
BACKGROUND: Michigan can’t get back to work unless families have access to quality child care. Child care businesses and teachers across the state are struggling to make ends meet. Congress recognized that earlier this year when it passed two rounds of federal stimulus funding through the COVID relief legislation, including the American Rescue Plan. Also a bi-partisan group of Michigan legislators voted to adopt the $1.4 billion package of child care bills to expand access to high quality child care and make it more affordable. House Appropriations Chair, Rep. Albert Thomas, acknowledged that the bill adopted in the House has some differences from Governor Whitmer’s proposal, but said “I’m confident that we will find common ground to move forward and make a real difference in helping Michigan families to meet their child care needs. Proposed reforms include:
However, Michigan Senators aren’t expected to take up the Senate bill until they return from recess at the end of August. Families wanting to get back to work and child care providers wanting to hire more child care workers need help NOW!!
The legal right to an abortion faces its biggest threat in decades, according to NARAL Prochoice America. In June, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and 188 U.S. Representatives co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act (HR 3755) a bill that would block a barrage of state bans and restrictions on women’s access to an abortion. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 561 abortion bans have been adopted since January of 2021. The Women’s Health Protection Act is needed to protect women’s right to make decisions about their own reproductive health care.
HR 3755 is co-sponsored by every Michigan Democratic U.S. Representative except for two: Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Rep. Haley Stevens. Please urge these two Michigan Representatives to join their colleagues to put a stop to many bans and medically unnecessary restrictions. This bill has been introduced in the Senate as S. 1875 and is co-sponsored by 48 Senators, including Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters.
During July, MUUSJN’s Interfaith Reproductive Justice Coalition voted to support and advocate for the Women’s Health Protection Act that would protect women from restrictions such as:
BACKGROUND On March 31st, the Biden Administration unveiled a $2 trillion “American Jobs Plan” also known as the “Build Back Better infrastructure Package” . This plan was a bold infrastructure bill that included investments in building bridges, roads, public transit, countering climate change, creating good paying green jobs and $400 billion for home and community based services as an alternative to nursing home care. This plan evolved into two plans: a bi-partisan basic infrastructure package (that reportedly has support from 20 Republicans) that covered roads, bridges, broadband internet, a network of charging stations for electric vehicles. etc. The larger, Democrat supported, $3.5 trillion plan ALSO includes an expansion of Medicare benefits and Medicaid funding, and expanded human infrastructure including in-home elder care, Medicare, child care, universal pre-school, two years of free community college and expanded child tax credits and more. Click HERE for more details on the benefits of the American Jobs Plan. For more information, see chart at end of this action alert.
Combined, these are two proposals called for boldly building a stronger America for low and middle income families, creating green jobs and rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure.
President Biden has proposed that additional revenue for these proposals should come from higher taxes on corporations (many of which paid NO taxes last year) and the wealthy families with incomes higher than $400,000/year. A study by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies released a report that shows that billionaires in the U.S. INCREASED their collective net worth by $1.62 trillion between March 18, 2020 and April 12, 2021. Other sources of funding are also being discussed. Democrats plan to use a “reconciliation” rule to allow passage of the American Jobs Plan with 51 votes without bi-partisan support.
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) has indicated that he expects that a vote on the bi-partisan infrastructure bill could happen as soon as Monday, July 26th.
Republican Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said “I feel good about getting that done by the end of the week”. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he’s going to demand that Senators not go home for their August recess until they vote on the infrastructure bill. Action on the bigger American Jobs Act is not expected until after the August recess. For more information, click HERE.
BACKGROUND: The rights of voters in Michigan, like in many other states, are under assault from right wing legislators who are working to make it more difficult instead of making it easier to vote. It’s part of a national effort to suppress the vote based on “the big lie” that the 2020 Presidential election was “stolen”.
Members of the Texas legislature bucked the tide of passing voter suppression bills by leaving the state so the Texas legislature could not get a quorum to adopt 11 controversial bills that included: excluding transgender students from sports teams, attacking “critical race theory” and several bills that would have expanded restrictions on the right to vote. These Texas legislators flew to Washington D.C. and have been appealing to members of Congress. They’re urging Senators to protect voting rights in all states by adopting the “For the People Act” and ending the filibuster that requires a supermajority of 60 votes to pass most legislation. For more information on this pro democracy Texas rebellion click HERE to read an article from the July 13th issue of VOX. Let’s honor Texas resistance and stand up for democracy!
(Source: Tonya Jacobi, a Law Professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago, published in the Daily Labor Report, February 22, 2021)
BACKGROUND
On April 28th, the Biden Administration unveiled its American Families Plan, a bold $1.8 trillion package of proposals that would bring essential benefits to families with a special impact on women and young persons. The package would be partly financed by higher taxes on wealthy Americans.
During June, MUUSJN’s Interfaith Reproductive Justice Coalition voted to support and advocate for the American Families Plan (H.R. 928) that would provide:
For more information on the American Families Plan, click HERE to read a concise article written by the Center for Law and Social Policy.
H.R. 928, introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CA), is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee where it has gathered 167 co-sponsors, including the following Michigan Representatives: Rashida Tlaib; Brenda Lawrence; Dan Kildee (a member of the Ways and Means Committee) and Debbie Dingell.
Voter suppression bills SB 303 and 304 are coming back to the Michigan Senate for a final vote on Wednesday, June 30th the last day before Senators take their long August recess. Please call your State Senator TODAY and urge him/her to vote NO and SB 303 and 304. These bill were adopted in the Senate, then adopted with amendments in the House and now return for a final vote in the Michigan Senate.
After your call, click HERE to record your call with Voters Not Politicians Dial for Democracy campaign. VNP does not ask for your name or full address but wants to document how many people are making calls to each Senator. MUUSJN is working with Voters Not Politicians and other state level voter protection organizations in our effort to oppose voter suppression.
Michigan voters turned out in historic numbers in the 2020 election, one of the state’s most secure elections. A recent six month Republican study, released on June 23rd, debunked the former President’s “big lie” that there was widespread voter fraud in Michigan’s 2020 election. No matter what we look like or where we come from, all Michiganders want our voices to be heard in our democracy and our voting rights protected.
The fight to challenge voter suppression bills is coming to the Michigan House of Representatives. Two strict voter ID bills (SB 303 and SB 304) were adopted in the Senate and were sent to the Michigan House of Representatives Elections and Ethics Committee. MUUSJN, as a partner with the America Votes – Michigan coalition, urges its activists to email and call three key legislators before noon this Wednesday when the committee starts taking testimony on SB 303 and SB 304. A vote in the full House could follow on the same day.
These Voter ID bills will create unnecessary restrictions designed to make it harder for some people to vote in person or absentee.
SB 303 and SB 304 requires a state ID in order to vote in person on election day. It removes the option to simply sign an affidavit if you don’t have or forgot a suitable ID. The affidavit system has worked for decades in Michigan. These bills go so far as to require you to send a copy of your ID through the mail if you’re requesting an absentee ballot, putting your personal security at risk.
Michigan voters turned out in historic numbers in the 2020 election, one of the state’s most secure elections. No matter what we look like or where we come from, all Michiganders want our voices to be heard in our democracy and our voting rights protected.
Various sources have informed MUUSJN that a vote on three voter suppression bills could be happen in the full Michigan Senate as soon as tomorrow, Thursday or sometime before July 4th. Please call your Michigan Senator and tell him/her: Vote NO on SB 285, SB 303 and SB 304.
These Voter ID bills will create unnecessary restrictions designed to make it harder for some people to vote absentee or in person.
Get your MI Senator’s name and phone number by clicking this link and entering your address: https://www.senate.michigan.gov/fysbyaddress.html
SB 303 and SB 304 requires a state ID in order to vote in person on election day. It removes the option to simply sign an affidavit if you don’t have or forgot a suitable ID. The affidavit system has worked for decades in Michigan.
SB 285 requires voters to submit copies of voter ID information when applying for an absentee ballot application. Not all people can easily make copies of their ID. A voters’ signature has long been considered a reliable way to identify a voter.
Elected officials should be seeking ways to encourage more voters, not inventing excuses to deny voters the ability to cast their ballots. Photo ID requirements present substantial barriers to voting and negatively affect voter participation, with no proven security benefit.
Michigan voters turned out in historic numbers in the 2020 election. It has been considered one of the state’s most secure elections. No matter what we look like or where we come from, all Michiganders want our voices to be heard in our democracy and our voting rights protected.
Short History of Juneteenth: Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln declared that slaves were free. However, it was not until June 19th 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, that Texas residents learned that slavery was abolished. The following year on June 19th, the first Juneteenth celebrations were held. The original observances included prayer meetings, singing of spirituals and wearing new clothes as a way to express the new found freedom. Now Juneteenth celebrates is celebrated in 47 states and includes prayer, religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings, and picnics, and festivals with music, food and dancing. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica)
Of course, much more needs to be done to fully free people of color suffering from discrimination, poverty, imprisonment and other barriers to fully equality and dignity.
MONDAY, JUNE 14TH, 7 p.m.: Community Conversations: The Impact of the Cash Bail System and Pretrial Services. Click this link for more information and to register: http://bit.ly/TheImpactofCashBailandPretrialServices
TUESDAY, JUNE 15TH, 7 p.m. LETTER WRITING & JAIL ACTION: https://actionnetwork.org/events/legislative-letter-writing-letter-writing-and-jail-action?clear_id=true
Go to Michigan Liberation Facebook pages for more information: https://www.facebook.com/2177698612264549/posts/4484697488231305/
