FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
christy.mcgillivray@sierraclub.org
808-726-5325
Sierra Club Ramps up Massive
Mobilization to Protect Democracy
Lansing, MI (August 31, 2021) – A small
fraction of Michiganders may be given the power to restrict ballot access to
millions of Michiganders thanks to a Republican led anti-democracy petition
drive launched today in Michigan. Sierra Club issued the following statement in
response:
“We know an overwhelmingly bi-partisan majority of
Michiganders support a thriving democracy. The Republican referendum launched
today is intended to exploit the state constitution to allow a slim majority of
voters to deprive millions of Michiganders the right to vote. After a safe,
secure, and successful election in 2020, we should be celebrating the
successful implementation of Prop 3 reforms, not depriving voters of access to
the ballot,” said Christy McGillivray, the Political and Legislative
Director for the Michigan Chapter of Sierra Club. ”The Republican response
to losing in the 2020 election has been to try and make it harder to vote. That
is not how democracy works. The Sierra Club’s 150,000 members and supporters
are ready to fight back against this blatant attack on the freedom to vote and
our democracy.”
“Voter suppression in Michigan is part of a nationwide
push to hamstring our democracy,” said Courtney Hight, the Democracy Program
Director for the Sierra Club. “The Sierra Club is mobilizing across the
country to stop voter suppression efforts in state legislatures and to support
the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
nationally. We need a healthy and equitable democracy to tackle the
climate crisis, address the critical issues of environmental justice, and the
Sierra Club members are ready to fight for both.”
###
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential
grassroots environmental organization, with more than 4 million members and
supporters nationwide and over 150,000 in Michigan. In addition to protecting
every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature,
the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our
communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through
grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more
information, visit www.sierraclub.org/Michigan.
