We now know that Heritage Action, one of the Republican Party’s largest dark-money groups, brags privately about its ability to write voter-suppression bills for the states; we also know that major corporations — including Google, Citigroup, Deloitte, TIAA-CREF, Comcast, and many more — have continued to financially support the hard-right Republican State Leadership Committee in their relentless drive to take over state governments, despite their corporate statements in support of voting rights.
In this perilous time, the need to act to defend our democracy is both continuous and urgent — which can be exhausting, we know. Do what you can.
The latest in Michigan — they’re coming for our drop-boxes!
Thanks to our allies at Michigan Resistance, this week we’re fighting MI’s SB273, which could potentially cause the removal of EVERY absentee ballot drop box in our state. They have written the bill so that, on the surface, it seems reasonable. It states that any absentee ballot drop box would need to be approved by a majority vote of the County Board of Canvassers. The problem is that County Boards of Canvassers are made up of four members, two Democrats and two Republicans. In this hyper-partisan time, it’s likely that Republican members would refuse to vote for approval because Democrats are much more likely to vote absentee than Republicans. Worse, SB273 requires the removal of existing ballot drop boxes unless the Board of Canvassers approves them. By eliminating ballot drop boxes, Republicans would significantly limit the number of citizens able to vote conveniently and reduce the percent of Democratic votes.
What to do:
Call these Senators’ offices and say something like this: “I am encouraging Senator __________ to reject SB273. This bill threatens the removal of thousands of ballot drop boxes all over Michigan, reducing citizens’ ability to vote conveniently and without cost. The impact will be especially great for rural voters and those who work full-time jobs.”
| *Ed McBroom (R-38,UP) 517-373-7840 | *Jim Stamas (R-36, Clare) 517-373-7946 |
| *Wayne Schmidt (R-37, Grand Traverse) 1-517-373-2413 | Jim Runestad (R-15, South Lyon) 517-373-1758 |
| Mike MacDonald (R-10, Macomb ) 517-373-7315 |
Make it a habit: To join weekly Zoom calling parties through Michigan Resistance and to get MI Resistance e-mails directly, email Terryl Sperlich at tsperlich@sbcglobal.net.