League of Women Voters of Michigan
Voices Strong opposition to passing of anti-voter bills.
6-16-21 Press Release


LANSING – The League of Women Voters of Michigan today condemned the Michigan Senate’s passage of bills to make voting more difficult.

“In 2018, Michigan voters overwhelmingly voted to make voting more convenient, not more restrictive,” said Christina Schlitt, president of the League of Women Voters of Michigan. “These anti-voter bills will lead to voter disenfranchisement and make it more difficult for voters to exercise their rights. Michigan’s elections are fair and secure; there is no need for this legislation.”

The Michigan Senate voted to pass three bills today expanding ID requirements for voters before their ballots can be counted. The bills remove the option to vote by affidavit if a voter does not have a suitable ID and require voters to submit identifying information for an absentee ballot application.

“These bills directly and negatively affect seniors, people with disabilities, people with limited incomes and young people, who all have difficulty obtaining the type of ID that is sometimes required to vote,” Schlitt said. “Michigan has voter ID laws on the books, and our system for affidavit options has worked for decades. These new restrictions are unnecessary.”

Learn:

• View a Listing of active Election/Voting Bills & LWVMI's Position on each.
• Read The Status of Voter Suppression in MI  , report by Judy Karandjeff, LWVMI Advocacy Committee, LWVMI League Links, May 2021
  

Act:

• Contact your Your State Senator to let them know you oppose legislation that will restrict voter's rights in Michigan.
• Encourage your friends and neighbors to educate themselves and join the fight.
  

Redistricting in Michigan: The MICRC and Communities of Interest

The process of redrawing the political boundaries in Michigan continues. The work of the Michigan Independent Citizens redistricting Commission (MICRC) is gaining momentum and is depending on citizens to assist them in identifying Communities of Interest (COI) across the state.  The LWV is working to inform citizens about the process and help COIs communicate with the Commission.

Learn:

• Town Hall Program : Redistricting in Michigan: The MICRC and Communities of Interest (RECORDED), presented by LWV Brighton-Howell and the Howell Carnegie District Library, April 29, 2021
• Michigan's New Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) , by Margaret A. Leary, LWV-Ann Arbor Website
• Redistricting 101 (04-30-2021) from michigan.gov.
• Key Process Dates from michigan.gov

Act:

• Attend, monitor and provide input to Commission meetings and public hearings: MICRC Meeting Schedule .  Sign up to receive notifications of Commission meetings at https://www.michigan.gov/micr  .
• Share this information with your friends and neighbors.

We are seeking member volunteers to observe one or more government entities.  The extent of your commitment is flexible, dependent on what you’d like to take on. Meetings may be attended in person, on zoom, or viewed on the entity’s website. Quick training is available and the documentation of the meetings is simple. Find the Observer Report Form on our Observer Corp Page

Volunteers can observe whatever government agencies are of interest to them or the League. Our Observer Corps will attend meetings of the County Commissioners, city councils, township boards, library boards, and school boards. There are also meetings of other relevant entities such as planning commission, road commission, drain commission, etc. Find schedules on our Observer Corp Page

Your observations become part of our League’s mission to educate voters. Observations can help us in planning for candidate forums or informational presentations to our community.

Sound interesting?  Contact us at:  ObserverCorp@lwvbrightonhowellarea.org