It’s up to us now, as it always was.
Next up: Michigan, with Voting Access for All (VAAC)
We’ve been out West with states like Montana (Jon Tester is crucial!) and swing states like Arizona and Nevada, but now we are moving north and east to the Michigan, with its 15 electoral votes!
Remember VAAC? Remember this video?
It was this video that led us to first support VAAC in 2022. I urge you to watch it, even if you watched it 2 years ago. It’s just over 1 minute long, and it tells you everything you need to know.
VAAC is working to educate, register and turnout voters who are incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, homeless, or “justice impacted” (referring to friends and family of the current and formerly incarcerated).
Michigan passed a law a few months ago – everyone who is released from prison is automatically registered to vote. But the law doesn’t take effect until 2025, so it doesn’t help in November.
Short sidebar: Let’s talk about the difference between prison and jail. If you’ve been convicted and sentenced, we are most likely talking PRISON. If you are serving a relatively short term or are being held without bail before your court hearing, or as you are being processed, we’re talking JAIL. Prison and jail are only interchangeable to people who have no contact with the criminal justice system.
Okay, sidebar over. Back to the subject at hand!
The formerly incarcerated have had the right to vote in Michigan for at least 15 years. But most are unaware of their rights, or are intimidated by stories of voters who have been fined or incarcerated in other states. If you watched the video, you’ll know that sometimes being unaware of your rights is not accidental. Some parole officers or folks who work in jail or prisons will tell you that you can’t vote even after you get out of jail. Yep. Disinformation strikes again.
VAAC is working to change that.
Okay, another sidebar. This time, for some really sad news. I didn’t tell you all before, because it never felt like the right time, but Danny – the really compelling guy who narrates much of the video – was killed a year ago in November. It was really quite shocking; he we shot and killed when he stopped for gas at a well-lit gas station at night. Danny was one of the founding members of VAAC, and his loss left them reeling. Where do they go from here? Could they carry on without Danny? Did they want to? But VAAC was his vision, too, so they got back on the horse and are working their collective asses off in support of their mission.
If you want to read about Danny Jones and Earl Burton (who died of natural causes shortly after they lost Danny) you can read about their lives and their incredible impact on voting rights here.
So VAAC is back at work, and they have found us a $25,000 match. $15k from the East Bay Community Foundation, and $10k from a private donor. That $25,000 is being donated to VAAC specifically because we want to raise $25k for VAAC, and the donors were inspired by our offer.
What are we funding? Just like last time, we are paying for teams who are doing direct work with the formerly incarcerated, not just to let them know they are eligible to vote, not just to get them registered to vote, but also to get them out to vote.
What, specifically, are these voting ambassadors up to? They are: