Statement from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan on Voting Rights

Every American is entitled to an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy. But that right is under serious attack. Redistricting, poll location changes and closures, and limited access to convenient early voting are current attempts by certain state legislatures to disenfranchise people of color, creating significant obstacles in registering to vote and casting ballots.

Two bills in the U.S. Senate — Freedom to Vote Act and The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — would strengthen and restore the full protections granted in the historic bipartisan 1965 Voting Rights Act that has been severely weakened by Supreme Court rulings. The Commission urges citizens to act now to help move our nation's leaders to set national standards that would protect voter access for all Americans. Let your voice be heard by President Biden and your U.S. senators. Our democracy is on the line. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Give us the ballot!”