FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, June 27, 2022
Contact: Stephanie Cepak, Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications, scepak@byrumfisk.com
8 Michigan champions of equity, citizen empowerment and accountability support Promote the Vote 2022
Endorsements add to growing list of supporters for ballot initiative that provides secure, accessible Michigan elections
LANSING, Mich. – Eight Michigan organizations that champion equity, community empowerment and government accountability have announced their support for Promote the Vote 2022, a ballot initiative that will protect the fundamental right to vote in Michigan.
The nonpartisan organizations are: Alpha Phi Alpha – Gamma Lambda Chapter; Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project; Common Cause; Detroit Action; Equality Michigan; LGBT Detroit; Michigan Catholics for the Common Good; and MOSES Michigan.
Promote the Vote 2022 provides voters with the confidence of knowing that their voice will be heard, and their vote counted no matter what political party or candidate they support, where they live or what they look like. Promote the Vote 2022 will enhance the accessibility and security of Michigan elections and ensure that every eligible voter can have their vote counted without intimidation or interference.
The eight endorsing organizations released the following statements in support of Promote the Vote 2022:
“As an organization that has served people in our community for more than 100 years, Alpha Phi Alpha – Gamma Lambda Chapter strongly supports Promote the Vote 2022 and its commitment to making sure voters will be heard,” said Alburn H. Elvin, Jr. Esq., Chapter President of Alpha Phi Alpha – Gamma Lambda Chapter. “Our mission aligns with the goal of empowering ordinary people through local community programs, and through our A Voteless People Is A Hopeless People national program at the ballot box.”
“Students are the newest participants in our democracy and every single one of them deserves a voice on issues that will affect their lives. Campus Vote Project supports Promote the Vote 2022, so we can help more young people speak up and be heard,” said Landon Myers, Michigan Coordinator for Campus Vote Project. “Promote the Vote 2022’s goal of making voting more convenient is crucial to removing barriers to voting for students and young people so they can make positive change today and for future generations of Michiganders.”
“Promote the Vote 2022 will make elections more secure and more accessible,” said Quentin Turner, Program Director for Common Cause Michigan. “Promote the Vote 2022 protects our fundamental right to vote and ensures Michigan elections are free from intimidation and interference, and deserves our full support.”
“Detroit Action supports Promote the Vote 2022 because when more people have safe and secure access to the ballot box, we can build momentum for creating fair and more equitable communities,” said Branden Snyder, Co-Executive Director for Detroit Action and board member for Promote the Vote 2022. “For voters across Detroit who have been overlooked and marginalized for too long, Promote the Vote 2022 is an important step toward amplifying underrepresented communities and helping their voices finally be heard.”
“Equality Michigan’s core mission is to empower under-represented voters so they are heard and no longer ignored,” said Erin Knott, Executive Director of Equality Michigan. “Promote the Vote 2022’s commitment to stopping harassment, intimidation and interference is critical to our organization and to every voter in Michigan.”
“For LGBT Detroit, representation matters, violence prevention matters and health care matters, and the best way to expand equity and protect people is to promote every Michigander’s vote,” said Jerron Totten, Social Justice Engineer LGBT Detroit. “Promote the Vote 2022 is our opportunity to elevate every voice and make sure that every vote is counted, and our organization is proud to support this effort.”
“Ensuring every person can be heard and their vote counted is a longstanding pillar of the Catholic Church’s social gospel, and that’s why Michigan Catholics for the Common Good supports Promote the Vote 2022,” said Robert Anderson, Board Member for Michigan Catholics for the Common Good. “As Catholics, we are called to confront injustices and resist voter suppression that denies a person’s full humanity and prevents us from striving toward the common good.”
“Our goal at MOSES Action is to engage voters so we can advance an agenda of economic security for all Michiganders, and a critical step toward this goal is making elections more accessible and secure so every vote can be counted, and no voter gets left behind,” said Rev. Hurley Coleman, President of MOSES Action. “Promote the Vote 2022 is essential for a fairer Michigan where everyone has a say in decisions that affect them so they have the opportunity to live full lives and achieve their dreams.”
Petitioning is underway to collect at least 425,059 valid Michigan voter signatures to place Promote the Vote 2022 on the November 2022 ballot.
An early list of Promote the Vote 2022 supports and more information on the ballot initiative is available at promotethevote2022.com.
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