“Would you like information about your new voting rights, courtesy of Voters Not Politicians? We ended gerrymandering in 2018, expanding voting rights in 2022, and now we’re working on bringing ethics and transparency reforms to our state government.”
This might sound familiar to you if you happened to walk by the nonprofits section of the Ann Arbor Art Fair last month. Organized by the Ann Arbor team of Voters Not Politicians volunteers, the VNP table was a space to share information about the pro-democracy success Voters Not Politicians has achieved in our state. Volunteers passed out flyers that detailed new voting options that are available in Michigan, thanks in part to the thousands of VNP volunteers who gathered over 171,000 signatures to put Proposal 2 on the ballot in 2022.
Volunteers also shared the pro-democracy priorities that Voters Not Politicians is working on right now, including explaining how we can bring ethics and transparency reforms to the legislature and governor’s office, and introducing the problem of, and solutions to, prison gerrymandering. Many attendees were excited and curious to hear about these new avenues of democracy reform, and we look forward to sharing more information and mobilizing the public to enact these changes.
We also had an incredible opportunity to get feedback from everyday Michigan voters on their thoughts of the current state of democracy in Michigan and in the country as a whole. Several attendees took the time to share their thoughts on our democracy and on Voters Not Politicians’ growing pro-democracy movement, including a mother interviewing her young son on what democracy in America means to him. Volunteers at the table also shared why they take the time to work with Voters Not Politicians and the value they feel our organization brings to Michigan’s democracy.
While every Michigan voter has benefited from the pro-democracy successes of Voters Not Politicians and Voters Ed Fund, the Ann Arbor Art Fair, and other tabling events this summer, have given us the opportunity to remind the public of the value of Voters Not Politicians’ grassroots pro-democracy movement: from ending gerrymandering, to expanding voting rights, to launching innovative voter outreach and education programs.
Even our staff here at VNP got the opportunity to come out and enjoy the weather and the work of our dedicated volunteers! We’d like to thank the entire Ann Arbor volunteer leadership team, especially Lisa, Rita, and Marie for their work in organizing this opportunity, as well as every volunteer who took the time to staff the VNP table and share their passion for VNP and voting rights with their fellow Michiganders. And an extra special thank you to Chris for filming and editing the attendee and volunteer interviews into a powerful profile of Voters Not Politicians’ impact on our strengthening democracy. Look out for that video on our website and socials this month!
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