Category: Uncategorized
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Happy New Year 2026 from VAAC!
In this new year, Voting Access For All Coalition (VAAC) remains committed to protecting and expanding voting access and building civic power for people impacted by incarceration, poverty, housing instability, and systemic barriers. The year ahead brings important opportunities to organize, educate, and mobilize our communities. We look forward to continuing this work alongside our…
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Defending Democracy: January Documentary Proof of Citizenship (DPOC) Actions
VAAC and our partners are mobilizing in response to documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) proposals that threaten voter access in Michigan. Join us Saturday, January 24 from 12–3pm at Pages Bookshop in Detroit for Your Story. Your Power. Your Vote. This is a unique community storytelling event focused on protecting our right to vote. Please…
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VAAC Friday Community Meeting Return | January 30th
After a long and much needed holiday break, VAAC is returning for our first community meeting of the year. In the face of ongoing assaults on our democracy, our response in this moment will shape the future of our communities. This is a time to organize with intention, align our efforts, and move forward with…
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Out in the Community: Clearing Barriers, Celebrating Early Voting, and Making Every Voice Count
VAAC in Action Across Detroit Over the past week, Voting Access for All Coalition (VAAC) has been on the ground helping people across Michigan exercise their right to vote — from clearing warrants to celebrating early voting and sharing clear, accurate information about how to cast a ballot. Fresh Starts at the Warrant Clinic At…
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Compromise Budget Compromises Public Safety
Advocates give budget deal mixed reviews for investing in prevention, rehabilitation, and reentry for folks impacted by the criminal legal system MICHIGAN – Groups working to make Michigan safer and more just for everyone gave the recent budget mixed reviews for promoting public safety through violence prevention, rehabilitation, and reentry. Cuts to Community-Based and Peer-Led…
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Michigan Voices: Ending Prison Gerrymandering
VAAC Executive Director Angela Davenport calls for fair representation in Michigan Read Full Article Here Prison gerrymandering distorts democracy. It occurs when incarcerated people are counted as residents of the prisons where they are held rather than their home communities during redistricting. The result is an artificial imbalance: rural districts where prisons are located gain…
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Striving for Justice and True Public Safety in the State Budget
Advocates call for increases in violence prevention and safe reentry after incarceration MICHIGAN – A group of justice advocates called for more support of proven, community-based violence prevention for those returning to their families and communities. The Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI) hosted a virtual press conference Wednesday calling on elected officials to…
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House Budget Proposes Dangerous Cuts to Healthcare, Food, Youth Justice
Last week, Matt Hall, the Speaker of Michigan House of Representatives, introduced the House Republicans 800-page budget proposal, gave lawmakers 1 hour to review it, and then passed it out of the House. The budget calls for major across the board cuts. As our fiscal sponsor, the Michigan League for Public Policy notes, it calls…
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Leveraging Podcasts Without Starting Your Own
You don’t have to run a podcast to show up powerfully on one. Join MI-CEMI for a communications table focused on how individuals and organizations can use podcast platforms to amplify stories, build narrative power, and advance criminal legal reform—without producing a podcast themselves. This session is designed for people who are interested in using…
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Draconian Resentencing Bills Advance Despite Broad Opposition
A package of resentencing legislation—House Bills 4506, 4507, and 4508, introduced by Rep. Sarah Lightner—is moving forward in the Michigan House after a Judiciary Committee vote on June 25. The bills would establish harsh new sentencing minimums in response to recent Michigan Supreme Court rulings that prohibited mandatory life without parole sentences for individuals who…