"Follow the money. Count the votes."
My policy professor, Patrick McLean, cemented this phrase into my mind a few years back. When I'm wondering why a certain law came to be, I harken back to Patrick's saying.
During the 2020 election, our election workers counted a lot of votes and made sure they were valid. In fact, those workers (many of them volunteers) helped make the 2020 election the largest and safest in history. So, too, did expanded voter rights, courtesy of a 2018 ballot initiative and COVID-19 adjustments.
The votes in 2020 largely said the people wanted the environment and public health protected. But Republicans in Michigan's House and state legislatures across the nation want to repeal the voting rights their constituents voted for, made use of and largely supported. These Republicans are claiming our elections aren't safe. They're lying, and they're not counting their own votes.
In 2020, Clare Allenson, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters' Democracy for All Director diligently worked with her team to register voters, bring out the vote and ensure the voting process ran smoothly. This mission continues today with just as much urgency.
Join her and Conan Smith, MEC President & CEO, in our upcoming Capitol Connection webinar to find out more about our rights as members of a democracy and how we can protect and expand them in the name of health and the environment.
The Capitol Connection webinar series is generously sponsored by Steve and Judy Dobson.