News & Commentary

In order for this to be a true democracy, every eligible American must be able to vote. So why are states are making it harder for people to vote as legislatures pass voter suppression laws, putting roadblocks in front of our most fundamental constitutional right? In his radio address this week, Jack Lessenberry examines the issue of voter suppression laws in Michigan. Throughout American history, we have had to fight to ensure that no one is excluded from participating in our democracy. From poll taxes to literacy tests, regressive laws have sought to eliminate “undesirable” voices from the electorate: African-Americans, women, immigrants, the elderly and young people. Even after all the battles we've fought to gain access to the polls, as Lessenberry points out, fifty-five percent of registered voters didn't vote in our state. That's just registered voters: when you consider the number of people who haven't registered, the numbers grow even grimmer. "...it’s easy to beat up on people for not voting," Lessenberry points out, "but the fact is that we don’t make voting as easy as we could -- and there are efforts underway to make voting harder still." Instead of addressing some of the root causes of low voter turnout and encouraging all to participate in our democracy, lawmakers nationwide seem more interested in reinstating barriers along every step of the process, packaged as voter ID laws, restrictions to voter registration and cuts to early voting. We need to remind our elected officials that although the right to vote is often taken for granted, it is something that we can never afford to forget. After all, they should be seeking ways to encourage more Americans to vote, not inventing reasons to deny voters the ability to cast their ballots. Key News and Documents  Read More | Know Your Voting Rights Learn More | Voter Suppression

Voting is the fundamental right that our Republic is based on: the imbuement of individuals with the power to rule over others (within fixed time limits, of course).  That essential right hit a pot-hole yesterday, when the Michigan Senate approved a bill that would require photo ID for voter registration. The Detroit News reports the bill passed along close-to-party lines, with all Democrats voting in opposition with the exception of Sen. Bert Johnson (D-Detroit.

For the last week, I’ve been posting my New Year’s wishes on my Facebook page. I only got to #4 when I was overrun by comments of unrelenting skepticism and shock, albeit affectionate, from my friends. What was my apparently outrageous hope? I wished that Michigan's State Supreme Court becomes a national model whose every decision embodies intellectual integrity and wisdom. While I often get many ‘likes’ on my posts, for this I received 14 comments in just a few short hours. One friend wrote: “Sorry Kary, there's about as much chance as that happening as Jesse Jackson being invited to Rush Limbaugh's next wedding.”  Another wrote: “If Supreme Court justices could fly….” And one even asked what I was smoking. Okay, I concede that this particular New Year’s wish is likely not terribly realistic in the short term and I do appreciate the humor. Several justices on Michigan’s Supreme Court have fought publicly and some of their opinions have garnered national attention for their surprising bitterness.  Much of the problem, in my view, results from our system of electing judges rather than allowing judicial appointments. This exacerbates partisanship, results in the over-simplification of complex issues during campaigns, and leads to the ever-present need to raise money. This is only one of the significant challenges ahead. We must keep pressing towards the way things should be and not resign ourselves to the status quo. We should articulate goals and aspirations for which there can be consensus as the necessary first step to making it happen. Whether one hoped for the dismantling of South African apartheid, the election of this country’s first black president, the creation of a safety net in the form of social security for the elderly, or a computer in every house – it all starts with ambition and then the generating of the political will and resources to make it happen. I believe in the ingenuity of Michiganders to dream big. What big dream do you have this year?

This week we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a heroic piece of legislation that marked a giant step toward transforming our Constitution's democratic values into political reality.Thanks to the Voting Rights Act, the vast majority of Americans have the right to cast their vote on Election Day. But this doesn't mean we can rest easy.First, we need to exercise our right to vote. This Tuesday is Election Day for the Michigan primaries. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. To find out where you should vote and who will be on your ballot, visit the Voter Information Center online at https://webapps.sos.state.mi.us/mivote/.Second, know your rights at the polls. You will be asked for photo identification when you show up to vote, but if you don't have ID you cannot be turned away! Voters without ID may simply sign a form stating that they do not have their ID with them. The procedure is simple, and your ballot will be counted along with all the others.Third, support the ACLU as we continue to protect the right to vote. Shortly before the 2008 election, the ACLU went to federal court to stop the Michigan Secretary of State from unlawfully disenfranchising thousands of voters.In direct violation of federal law, the Secretary of State was purging eligible Michigan voters from the rolls when their registration cards were not delivered properly by the postal service or if they applied for an out-of-state driver's license.Students and poor people were the most likely voters to be affected.In a major voting rights victory, a federal judge ordered that these wrongfully disenfranchised voters be restored to the rolls before the 2008 election.This summer, after nearly two years of litigation, the Secretary of State finally agreed to halt this unlawful practice.By Dan Korobkin, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney

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It’s an exciting time to be the ACLU of Michigan – new website, new blog, new president and a new outlook on civil liberties in Michigan. Admittedly, it’s hard to have a new outlook on anything in this state other than the economic crisis that we’re facing, but lucky for us, guaranteeing the fundamental freedoms that this country was founded upon doesn’t cost a thing. In fact, civil libertie could save the state a lot of money.

"Can I wear campaign gear into the polls?" "What if I don't have any photo ID?" "Are the rumors about foreclosure true?" Today marks five weeks before Election Day, and questions about voting rights are everywhere. Click "Read More" below to find out the truth about voting in Michigan and then share the truth with a friend. Fact: You have the right to vote without photo ID in Michigan

The ACLU doesn't believe that voters intended to take health benefits away from families when they voted on Proposal 2 in 2004. And this is just what we'll argue in front of the Michigan Supreme Court this Tuesday, November 6. National Pride at Work v Granholm et al is our case asking the courts to declare that the 2004 Proposal 2 does not prohibit public employers from offering benefits to the partners and children of lesbian and gay employees. The ACLU of Michigan brought this case after Attorney General Mike Cox issued a ruling stating his belief that health benefits for same-sex couples were not allowable under Proposal 2. The Ingham County Circuit Court ruled in our favor, but the decision was reversed by the Michigan Court of Appeals in February of this year. We urge you to do two things: