FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Media contact: David Holtz 313-300-4454/david@davidholtz.
Sierra Club: Court Decision
Victory for Michigan Democracy
Ending Gerrymandering Key To
Protecting Michigan’s Environment
LANSING, MI—Sierra Club today said Tuesday’s Michigan Supreme Court decision on the Voters Not Politicians redistricting reform rejecting an attempt to block the nonpartisan proposal from the November ballot is a victory for democracy, the rule of law and citizen initiatives.
“With this decision, we the people now get the chance to vote in November to end gerrymandering,” said Anne Woiwode, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter Chair. “Michigan’s gerrymandered redistricting process is a cancer that is eating away at our democracy and eroding public confidence in our government. What will be Proposal 2 in November means better politics, better democracy and better government.”
Over the past three years, Sierra Club has been educating its members and supporters about Michigan’s redistricting process and earlier this year endorsed the Voters Not Politicians ballot proposal. Sierra Club volunteers from across the state have been working with staff to organize for the fall election, said Woiwode.
“If we end gerrymandering and Michigan voters get to choose their politicians instead of the other way around in a fair election process we will have a much better chance of protecting our air, water and land,” said Woiwode. “The current gerrymandered system dilutes people power and shifts control to corporate lobbyists. That’s bad for Michigan’s environment and bad for Michigan’s democracy.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.4 million members and supporters nationwide, and over 150,000 in Michigan. In addition to creating opportunities for people of all ages, levels and locations to have meaningful outdoor experiences, the Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org.
