Category: Voting Rights
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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…
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Mail Voting Executive Order Update: Public Comments to USPS Still Needed by July 2
A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked President Donald Trump’s March 2026 executive order targeting mail voting and creating a national voter registration database. The judge found that the order exceeded presidential authority and that power over voter eligibility is reserved to the states. This is an important update, but public comments on the related…
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Help Pass Local Resolutions Opposing Documentary Proof of Citizenship Requirements
Local governments across Michigan are continuing to pass resolutions opposing documentary proof of citizenship requirements and other proposals that would add new barriers to voter registration and voting. Now, coalition partners are asking community members to help bring these resolutions to more cities, townships, and counties. A coalition of nearly 50 nonpartisan organizations is encouraging…
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Michigan Voting Rights Act Call to Action: Contact Your State Representative
The Michigan Voting Rights Act has passed the Michigan Senate and now moves to the Michigan House. The bill package, Senate Bills 961, 962, 963, and 964, would create state-level voting rights protections in Michigan. VAAC has shared previous updates explaining what the Michigan Voting Rights Act would do and what has changed in the…
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Voting Rights Art Project Continues: Southgate Photos and July 18 Hamtramck Pop-Up
Voting Access For All Coalition (VAAC), in partnership with Indivisible Metro Detroit, continues to build a community-created Voting Rights Community Art Project that brings together civic engagement, storytelling, and creative expression. Our latest Voting Rights Community Art Project pop-up at Urbanrest in Ferndale brought together community members of all ages to create artwork exploring voting…
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Voting Rights Art Installation Pop-Ups and ArtPrize 2026 Exhibition
Voting Access For All Coalition (VAAC), in partnership with Indivisible Metro Detroit, continues to build a community-created Voting Rights Art Installation that brings together civic engagement, storytelling, and creative expression. Through a series of pop-up events across Metro Detroit, community members are invited to create small art pieces that reflect their experiences, perspectives, and beliefs…