Category: Voting Rights
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Next VAAC Friday Meeting on July 31: Official Launch of the Michigan Jail Voting Guide
Voting access in local jails depends on clear information, coordination, and a shared understanding of the voting process for eligible voters who are detained. On Friday, July 31, Voting Access For All Coalition (VAAC) will host a special statewide community meeting to officially launch the Michigan Jail Voting Guide, a new resource developed to help…
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Action Alert: Tell the Senate to Reject Strict Federal Voter ID Requirements
On July 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that includes new federal photo identification requirements for voting. The voter ID provisions were added to H.R. 7008, a bill titled the Stop Insider Trading Act, and are based on H.R. 9368, the Voter ID Act. The legislation is not currently law. It must still…
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VAAC in the Community: Recent Events, Voter Education, and Community Art
Voting Access For All Coalition has continued meeting people where they are by attending neighborhood gatherings, community forums, public-service programs, and creative events across Michigan. At each event, VAAC ambassadors provide nonpartisan voter education, answer questions, help eligible community members register to vote, and make sure people understand their voting rights. We are grateful to…
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President’s Election Speech Does Not Change Michigan’s 2026 Elections
On Thursday, July 16, President Donald Trump used a national address to raise doubts about past elections and release documents related to the 2018 and 2020 elections. The address returned to allegations that have already been examined through investigations, audits, and reviews. Those reviews did not find evidence that votes were changed or that the…
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Oakland County Becomes Fifth Michigan County to Oppose Documentary Proof of Citizenship Ballot Initiative
On Thursday, July 16, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners voted 11-6 to pass Resolution #2026-6651, opposing a proposed Michigan constitutional amendment that would require eligible voters to provide additional documents, such as a passport or certified birth certificate, to register to vote and would eliminate the current option to register using a driver’s license.…
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What Documentary Proof of Citizenship Requirements Could Cost Michigan Voters
The federal SAVE America Act passed the U.S. House in February 2026 and remains pending in the Senate. It is not currently law. If enacted, it would require voters to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport, naturalization certificate, or certain combinations of a birth certificate and government-issued identification, when registering to…
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Next Statewide Jail Voting Workgroup on Thursday, July 16
VAAC’s Statewide Jail Voting Workgroup continues building a coordinated effort to protect and expand voting access for eligible voters detained in Michigan county jails. In Michigan, many people in jail are legally eligible to vote, but access often depends on systems that are inconsistent, difficult to navigate, or unavailable altogether. This workgroup brings together organizations,…
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DOJ Election Monitors Coming to Three Michigan Cities: What Voters Should Know
The U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed that it plans to send federal election monitors to Detroit, East Lansing, and Lansing during Michigan’s August 4 Primary Election. Federal election monitors are not unusual. The Department of Justice regularly sends staff to observe elections in Michigan and other states, often to monitor compliance with federal voting…
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Independence Day and the Fight for the Vote
Independence Day commemorates the country’s Declaration of Independence and its promise of self-government. Honoring that promise also requires us to remember those who were originally denied it and the generations-long fight for access to the ballot. In 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered his famous speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” calling on…
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Michigan Election Court Update: Current Voting Procedures Remain in Place
Several recent court decisions have addressed voter information, documentary proof of citizenship requirements, mail ballot procedures, federal citizenship databases, and the counting of absentee ballots. For Michigan voters, the immediate takeaway is that current voting procedures remain in place. Michigan’s unredacted voter file has not been turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice, documentary…