Change Your World Week Winter 2022 (Archived)

Voter Disenfranchisement : is the act of depriving minority groups or individuals of certain privileges, particularly the right to vote. 

Your vote matters in order to make the change of tomorrow happen, which is why voter disenfranchisement needs to end. But how can we personally help stop this? Below, are a few ways you can start!

Sign some Petitions: Below are a few petitions that have been started geared to ending voter disenfranchisement, be the voice that takes a step towards change by helping sign these petitions. 

• End Voter Disenfranchisement in TN
• Tell NORTH DAKOTA's Secretary of State to accept Tribal IDs for voting!
• Stop Voter Suppression In Wisconsin
• Justice for Crystal Mason

Why it Matters:  Voter suppression is any attempt to prevent or discourage certain Americans from registering to vote or casting their ballot. The most widely used forms of voter suppression include discriminatory voter ID and proof-of-citizenship restrictions, reduced polling place hours in communities of color, the elimination of early voting opportunities, and illegal purges of voters from the rolls.  Voter suppression in southern states raged in the form of laws to prevent poor and Black voters from participating in elections. These laws, known as Jim Crow laws, included poll taxes and literacy tests. 

Whats Being Done: 

• Discriminatory voter ID laws;

• Attacks on voter registration;

• Last-minute Election Day barriers;

• The elimination of voting locations in underserved communities;

• Unjust voter purges; and

• Attempts to limit access to early and mail-in voting.

Advocating to End Voter Suppression:

• The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act: This bill would expand voting rights by expanding early voting and same-day and online registration, creating standards for upholding voter rolls, and authorizing voter registration at new-citizen naturalization ceremonies

• The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: This crucial piece of legislation would protect voters from discrimination and restore components of the Voting Rights Act

Who votes in Michigan?

The above graphic identifies Michigan's voter turnout in the 2016 presidential election with supplemental data from 2018.

• 64.3% of Michigan residents voted in the 2016 election!
• Only 36% of Michigan's 18-24 year olds voted. Note the racial differences identified that indicate more white people vote than any other groups!

Your vote matters! Click here to register to vote in Michigan!

Voter suppression is deeply linked to a troubling history of laws passed to disadvantage minority voters and marginalized communities (Preventing voter suppression, 2020).

Voting barriers that target marginalized communities look like:

• Strict voter ID requirements 
• Roll purges 
• Reduced early voting 
• Reduced voting hours 

Click here to learn how you can protect and expand voting rights!

Barriers lead to unfair bills & laws proposed by who ever is elected to favor their party. If we as a nation want to see change for the greater good, and for the future generations - we must vote. Instead of complaining about politics, especially if you didn’t vote. There’s generations relying on those who can vote to make those decisions, we want to be minimize the gap of voter suppression. Everyone who has a vote needs to know their vote counts, not only for them but for the younger generation - and those who are here in the United States and can’t vote due to their status. For example - DACA recipients - who were brought to the us as children by their parents. These recipients have grown up in the states, gone to school in the states, worked in the states - pay their taxes. But because of their status, they cannot cast a vote. Be the change these group of people, especially minorities can count on when it comes to being heard, and making a change. 

What exactly does Voter suppression it look like?

It can be subtle, but the results of suppression not small. 

Watch this video on voter suppression by ABC NEWS to learn more about it!

Voter Disenfranchisement has been a part of U.S. history since the country created the Constitution. It has affected our country up until present times, and it has taken on several different methods to prevent or discourage certain people from participating in elections. 

1787: The Founding Fathers decided that who got to vote was up to the states, and that voting rights were not guaranteed by citizenship of the United States. 

1802+: Every state that joined the Union (except for Maine) banned all Black people from being able to vote.

1807: New Jersey, which had a law that guaranteed voting rights to all people, then passed another law that disenfranchised both women and Black men.

1870: The 15th Amendment passed, which prohibited the barring of those that were enslaved or of color from participating in elections. However, the states were left in charge of how they ran the elections. Convicted felons also did not have the right to vote in 28 states. 

1890: The Democratic party had hosted a convention in Mississippi that was designed to find loopholes in the 15th Amendment. The state then created a new constitution that levied poll taxies and ordered literacy tests that were aimed at inhibiting Black voters from voting. 

1892: Mississippi had cut down the eligible percentage of Black voters from 90 to 6. Jim Crow laws were raging throughout the southern states, and intimidation tactics were commonly employed. 

1920: The 19th Amendment was ratified and women were allowed to vote. However, this amendment did not apply to Black women, and they were turned away at the polls. 

1958: On-reservation Native Americans were given the right to vote across the country.

1965: Voting Rights Act passed, and all voting suppression tactics were prohibited. 

1970:  Literacy tests were banned, which allowed Native Americans full participation in elections. 

2010: Voter ID laws had been passed in 25 states, which prevents those without a photo ID from being able to vote, whether or not they meet the requirements to vote. This especially affects Native Americans, as many don't have access to IDs or a P.O box.

Voter Disenfranchisement doesn't just affect the individual, it affects the country as a whole. With so many people not being able to vote, elections can be drastically changed. Those who have been incarcerated or are convicted felons make up a vast portion of those who aren't allowed to cast their vote in elections. Over five million Americans can't vote currently, or may not be able to vote ever again. 

• 5.2 million adults are disenfranchised from voting, due to incarceration and conviction, whether it be currently or permanently. 
• 10 to 15 percent of Black men are disenfranchised in nine states in the US. 
• Some felons aren't allowed to vote even after completion of their sentences. 2.2 million people are disenfranchised permanently. 
• Only a quarter of disenfranchised adults that had been convicted are actually in jail. The other three quarters are on probation, parole, live in supervised communities, or have completed their sentence. 
• It's even worse for Black Americans. They are about four times more likely to be disenfranchised, which that totals out to about one in every sixteen Black adults nationally. 
• In 21 states, only those in prison are disenfranchised. In 16 states, those that are in prison or on parole/probation can't vote. In 11 states, prison, parole/probation, or end of sentence, people still aren't able to vote. In 2 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, there is no limitation on convicted adults and their ability to vote.

This many people being barred from voting is a huge chunk of the population. If all the states would allow those that have been convicted to vote, then there would be a difference in what we see in elections. 

Below, you'll see the disenfranchised population from the years 1960-2020. 

Are you registered to vote? If not, do you know where to start? Here are some steps on how to make sure you are ready to vote! 

First things first, some housekeeping to know before hand : 

• You must be a U.S. Citizen
• You must be 18 years of age by Election Day
• You must be a resident of the city or township where you are applying to vote
• You cannot be confined to jail after being sentenced or convicted

After you have that down, you should plan to register through Election Day. You are required to verify you residency. A few documents include:

• Drivers License 
• State ID Card
• Current Utility Bill
• Pay check
• Bank Statment

Registering - there's a few ways, depending on when you do. 

• 15 or more days before Election Day 
  • Online 
  • At any Secretary of State branch office 
  • At your township, cite or County Clerks office 
  • At a designated state agency 
  • by Mail 
• 1-14 days before Election Day 
  • In person with your township or city clerk.
• Election Day 
  • In person with your township or city clerk, not a precinct.

Below - you can see how to vote early. 

Step 1 - Request Ballot

• Get an application online at Michigan.gov/vote or at county, township or city clerk's offices.
• Mailed in applications must be received by 5 p.m. the Friday before the election.
• Voters can drop off application in person at township or city's clerks office, by 4 p.m. the Monday before the election.

Step 2 - Complete it, sign it, submit it

• Option 1 - Drop off completed ballot in person, to your township or city clerk.
• Option 2 - Return ballot through mail.

Ballots must be signed & received by 8 p.m. Election Day

Visit this website for more info on how to vote both in person & online!

• Alfano, A. (Ed.). (n.d.). Justice for Crystal Mason. Change.org. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-crystal-mason-we-call-for-the-immediate-pardon-of-crystal-mason 
• Camera, L. (2020, August 19). The 2020 swing states: Michigan, who votes, past results ... U.S. News. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/the-2020-swing-states-michigan-who-votes-past-results-and-why-it-mattersCarnegie Corporation of New York. (n.d.). 11 barriers to voting: Voting rights. Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.carnegie.org/topics/topic-articles/voting-rights/11-barriers-voting/?
• Election Information. Welcome To City Of Mason, MI. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.mason.mi.us/city_departments/city_clerk___human_resources/election_information/index.php 
• Fighting voter suppression. Fighting Voter Suppression | League of Women Voters. (2021, May 11). Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.lwv.org/voting-rights/fighting-voter-suppression 

• Gish, L. (Ed.). (n.d.). End Voter Disenfranchisement in TN. Change.org. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.change.org/p/tennessee-state-legislature-end-voter-disenfranchisement-in-tn 

• Kagel, S. (Ed.). (n.d.). Tell NORTH DAKOTA's Secretary of State to accept Tribal IDs for voting! Change.org. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.change.org/p/north-dakota-s-secretary-of-state-tell-north-dakota-s-secretary-of-state-to-accept-tribal-ids-for-voting 

• Mayes, B., Rabinowitz, K., Viebeck, E., & Shapiro, L. (2020, September 9). Election 2020: How to vote in Michigan in the 2020 election. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/how-to-vote/michigan/ 

• Tutoring , A. (Ed.). (n.d.). Stop Voter Suppression In Wisconsin. Change.org. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.change.org/p/wisconsin-state-senate-stop-wisconisn-voter-suppression-3c6a5f32-c80a-4742-b7e3-a8e202e61fac 

• United to Protect Democracy and the Protect Democracy Project. (2020, October 15). Preventing voter suppression. Protect Democracy. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://protectdemocracy.org/voter-suppression/#

• McKeever, A. (2021, May 3). Voter suppression has haunted America since it was founded. History. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/voter-suppression-haunted-united-states-since-founded

• Smith, T. (2020, August 20). Timeline: Voter suppression int he US from the Civil War to today. ABC News. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/timeline-voter-suppression-us-civil-war-today/story?id=72248473

• Ferguson-Bohnee, P. (2020, February 9). How the Native American Vote Continues to be Suppressed. Americanbar.org. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/voting-rights/how-the-native-american-vote-continues-to-be-suppressed/

• Chung, J., Porter, N. D., & Ghandnoosh, N. (2021, September 3). Voting rights in the era of mass incarceration: A Primer. The Sentencing Project. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/felony-disenfranchisement-a-primer/