the michigan voter

The Michigan VOTER A Publication of the League of Women Voters of Michigan

600 W. St. Joseph Street, Suite 3G, Lansing, MI 48933-2288

[email protected]

www.lwvmi.org 517.484.5383 Fax: 517.484.3086

Volume 67, No. 1 FEBRUARY, 2019

MISSION STATEMENT

The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works

to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.

LWVMI CENTENNIAL CONVENTION: May 17-19, 2019

In 1919, the League of Women Voters of Michigan held

its inaugural convention in Grand Rapids, where Belle

Brotherton from Detroit was elected its first president.

Michigan women had just won the right to vote, and

Carrie Chapman Catt had urged the formation of groups

like the League to educate the millions of new female

voters. In 2019, our mission has expanded, but

non-partisan education remains a core value Our

centennial convention at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in

Livonia will celebrate our legacy, and will also give 2019

members opportunities to expand our mission by

participating in League decisions, attending workshops,

learning more about the League and renewing

friendships with League members across the state.

Delegates will:

• Adopt the 2019 - 2021 state program, including any

state studies

• Adopt the LWVMI budgets for the next two years,

including the per-member-payment (dues)

• Elect LWVMI officers, members of the Board of

Directors & the Nominating Committee

• Consider amendments to the LWVMI Bylaws, if

proposed

Voting delegates are determined by a Local League’s

membership count, but all members are welcome.

A detailed schedule of events, a registration packet and

other Convention documents will be sent to all Leagues

later in the spring and also be available on the website.

Business Meetings:

League business will be

conducted in three

Plenary Sessions begin-

ning on Friday Evening

Special Events/ Activities:

• Optional Pre-Convention Workshops on Friday

afternoon.

• “Dine Around” in Livonia area for Friday dinner, guided

by Northwest Wayne County League members.

• Workshops on Saturday afternoon.

• Convention Banquet on Saturday evening where key

awards will be presented. Elaine Weiss, author of

The Woman’s Hour, The Great Fight to Win the Vote,

is our honored speaker.

• Wares Market/Silent Auction: Please let the state

office know if your League wants to sell items at the

Wares Market so we can plan enough display space.

See auction information on page 2 on this Voter.

Please keep in mind these State Convention deadlines:

Feb, 17, 2019: Proposed Bylaws amendments due

March 1, 2019: Program Planning reports from Local

Leagues due to the state office

April 15, 2019: Award nominations due. Visit the

League’s website at www.lwvmi.org to view the packet of

information for awards.

April 26, 2019: Convention registrations due to LWVMI.

(Late fee charged after April 26).

MICHIGAN VOTER FEBRUARY 2019

Auction Planning

The proceeds from the League’s conven-

tion auction bring needed funds to our

treasury, allowing us to keep the

convention registration fee charged to

League members affordable. It’s also a

lot of fun! We need your help. We are

asking every Local League to contribute

at least one item to the Silent Auction at

the 2019 LWVMI Convention.

This is not a ‘white elephant’ event--- we

are looking for items with a minimum

value of $25. To trigger the creative side

of your brain, here are some of the items

that were donated at past Conventions:

golf packages, museum memberships,

gift baskets, gift certificates to restau-

rants or country clubs, a sailboat ride,

and items with a political slant. Ask your

League members to help. Remember

that one gift is not the limit--- we’re happy

to take multiple donations!

Auction items can be brought to the

convention on Friday evening. They will

be displayed and bids will be accepted

up until Saturday night, when the winners

will be announced. Members are

encouraged to bring their checkbooks so

they have an opportunity to purchase any

of these wonderful items.

Donation forms will be available on our

website soon as part of the convention

materials. If you have any questions in

the meantime, please contact Auction

Chair Paula Manley at

[email protected].

President’s Message Judy Karandjeff, LWV Lansing Area, LWVMI President

Since our last printed voter in July 2018 so

much has happened! We are fortunate

that so many of our members have

provided us with their email addresses and have been kept up to

date through our monthly emailed League Links publication and

our action alerts. If you haven’t provided your email address,

please give the information to your Local League.

We are so proud and pleased with the passage of Proposal 2 on

redistricting and Proposal 3 on voting rights. Both of these pro-

posals were part of our Democracy Agenda that we have

championed for many years. Now the Secretary of State will

develop materials for implementation.

LWV’s involvement in the Promote the Vote Campaign (Proposal 3)

was groundbreaking. We participated in the Executive Committee

with our partners—ACLU of Michigan, Michigan League for Public

Policy, NAACP of Detroit and Michigan and numerous individuals.

The hard work paid off when the proposal passed with 67% of the

vote. Now we will be monitoring the implementation process. We

are confident these reforms—same day registration, no-reason ab-

sentee voting etc.—will make a difference!

The redistricting lawsuit, LWVMI v Benson, continues to move

through the process. Our court date is set for February 5. We will

keep up-to-date information on our website.

We have a new administration with the election of Governor Gretch-

en Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney Gen-

eral Dana Nessel. The Michigan House of Representatives is

organizing for the 100th Legislative session. Of the 110 members,

we have 58 Republicans and 52 Democrats. Committees are get-

ting established and have just started considering legislation. The

Senate with 38 members, 22 Republicans and 16 Democrats, is

also establishing committees and leadership. There are 11 women

in the MI Senate and 42 in the MI House. LWVMI will be monitoring

legislation as it is introduced through our Advocacy Committee

chaired by Joan Hunault, Vice President for Advocacy. The commit-

tee recommends to the LWVMI Board of Directors what actions

should be taken. In turn then, LWVMI will send out action alerts to

you and keep information on our website, www.lwvmi.org, so you

can take action.

We look forward to working with you in the new year as we

celebrate our 100th anniversary in Michigan!

http://www.lwvmi.org

MICHIGAN VOTER FEBRUARY, 2019

The Michigan Voter A publication of the

League of Women Voters of Michigan 600 W. St. Joseph St, Ste. 3G

Lansing, MI 48933-2288 517.484.5383 Fax 517.484.3086

[email protected] www.lwvmi.org

ISSN 089-1545

Published at least two times a year Subscriptions: $12 per year from above

address.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to above address.

Founded in 1920, the League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization which encourages citizens to play an informed and active role in government.

The LWVMI welcomes tax-deductible contribu-tions to the LWVMI Education Fund and en-courages interested persons to name LWVMI as a beneficiary in their wills.

Voter Service Activities for

2018 Elections Eva Packard, LWV Oakland Area, LWVMI Voter Service Vide President

The National League wrote to

Michigan regarding VOTE411: “Your

numbers were amazing this year!

All states had more voters look at

the site than in 2016 (which has

never happened before in a non-

Presidential year), but the amount

of voters from MI using the site was

outstanding!! You all should be

very proud.”

VOTE411.org online: THANK YOU to

all the Local League members who

provided voter guides for the voters

in their areas for the 2018 August

Primary and November General

Election! There were 525,745 race

views in Michigan compared to

218,066 in 2016 on VOTE411.org.

For the General Election, the State

League provided 184 guides for

federal and state races; 27 Local

Leagues + Units provided over

1,000 guides for county and local

races.

Printed

Voter

Guides:

LWVMI

printed

106,000

40-page

voter

guides

containing

the Gover-

nor/Lt.

Gov., Secretary of State, Attorney

General, U.S. Senate, 15 Congres-

sional races, 4 State Boards, Su-

preme Court, 7 Appeals Court races

and 3 statewide proposals, sending

78,900 copies to Local Leagues to

distribute and the rest mainly to

Libraries plus guide sponsor

Michigan Nonprofit Association, a

college, and contributors. The

printed guide was also available

on LWVMI.org for voters to flip

through for desired races. The

individual federal and state races

were also posted there.

Five Local Leagues (Kalamazoo,

Oakland. Midland, Delta County,

Copper Country) printed 61,100

local guides covering all US & MI

races relevant to their area as

well as their local races for deliv-

ery and also posted them on their

websites. Seven Local Leagues

(Dearborn, Lansing, Northwest

Wayne, Leelanau, Mt. Pleasant,

Marquette and Holland) printed

20,450 local guides covering their

local races and their Legislative

races to distribute with the LWVMI

printed guides they received. In

addition to Leagues, the University

of Michigan Ginsberg Center in

Ann Arbor printed copies of the

LWVMI guide to distribute.

League Voter Guides were also

provided to news media: The

MLive.com media organization

linked to VOTE411.org for online

readers and received federal,

state and local races to publish in

their newspapers: Ann Arbor

News, Bay City Times, Flint

Journal, Grand Rapids Press,

Jackson Citizen Patriot,

Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon

Chronicle and Saginaw News for

the General Election. The St.

Ignace News and Blissfield

Advance also received federal or

state races they requested to

publish in their newspapers.

Thank you to Betsy Cushman for

providing Local Leagues with

needed federal and state races

and MLive with federal, state and

local races for their printed guides.

Candidate Forums: Local Leagues

held about 100 General Election

and 75 Primary Candidate Forums

for races with many of them availa-

ble for viewing thereafter on cable

or online or both up to election day.

Voter Registration: Local Leagues

registered about 10,000 voters in

Michigan. Leagues also held over

100 presentations about the 3

state ballot proposals re Marijuana,

Redistricting, and Voting Rights.

2019 Elections: Possible election

dates in 2019 are May 7, August 6

and November 5. The only

scheduled candidate races in odd

years are in November for most

cities and possibly some district

library boards. There may be some

city Primaries in August. Proposals

are the main other contests on

ballots. There may also be a few

vacancy, recall, and charter

commission races.


LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

$1000+

Sarah Delia

Suzanne Dixon

Susan Kornfield

Paula & Ken Manley

Judith McDowell

Eva Packard

Judy Samelson

Erma Turner

PATRONS $500 - $900

Anonymous (2)

Mary & Richard Burney

Patricia Donath

Richard Gutow

Janet Olszewski & Dennis

Paradis

Fran Parker

Shelley Schanfield & Lloyd

Stoolman

Patricia Selby

Sherrill Smith

Deb Starnes

Kathleen Straus & Walter

Shapero

Jan & Tom Wells

Thomas Willette

SUSTAINERS $250 - $499

Mary & Don Brown

Mary Currie

Jeanine DeLay

Patience Drake-Rosenbaum

Frances M. Eckenrode

Ingrid Halling

Benjamin Hamilton

Deanna Hanieski

Barbara & Joel Huber

Joan Hunault

Judy Karandjeff & Robert

Kleine

JoAnn & Jim Kelly

Ann Kraft

Helen & Albert LaBlanc

Suzanne Leich

Pat & Geoff McDonald

Silvia Roederer

Asma Tapert

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SPONSORS $100 - $249

Anonymous (5)

Joyce Adderley

Sally & Peter Allen

Judy Bateman

Nancy & Dan Behring

Anne Bickford

Barbara Bidigare

Thomas Bos

Paula Bowman

Pam & Mike Brady

Marcy Bright

Sally Burroughs

Carol Campbell

Ruth Caputo

Betty Clason

Donna & Tom Cole

Maureen Corser

Marsha Curran

Betsy Cushman

Donna DeVinney

Philip Dodge

Darlene Doorlag

Mary Jo Durivage

Rebekah Fennell

Dorothy Follette

Jacqueline & John Foss

Catherine Frederick

Connie Frey

Cele Friestater & Joe

Tuchinsky

Leona Good

Norma & Daniel Green

Rochelle Habeck & Allan Hunt

Elizabeth Hakola

Fran Hamburg

Gail E. Hansen

Denise Hartsough

Ruth Hathaway

Jeanne Helmrick

Terry Hluchyj

Lynn Jondahl

Jeri & Robert Kelch

Paula Jo Kemler Lisa Klopfer

Roger Krieger

Marian Kromkowski

Ellen Lafferty

Terry Malone

Ann Marston

Joan & Michael Martin

Olivia Maynard

Susan McCollister

Lila McMechan

Constance Micklin

Sharon & Ralph Monsma

Tera Moon

Bernice Morse

LaVerne & Gordon Nethercut

Beverly Newson

Sally Preston

Judith Quirk

Dan Remahl

Geri Rinschler

Celia Said

Doris Sain

Nancy Schewe

Christina & Bruce Schlitt

Julia & Donald Schmidt

Sandra Simmons

Shirley Sliker

Mary Smith

Susan K. Smith

Nancy & Richard Solak

Bonnie Spanier

Grace Steele

Jacqueline Stewart

Carl Struble

Denise Tyler

Donna Ulrich

Nancy Uschold

Julie Vecasey

Tiffany Veinot

Karen Wachs

Dorothy Warren

Anna Weidner

Joan Wells

Gail & Michael Whitty

Richard Wilson

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Dorothy Wolff

Andrea Yokich

John Young

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Sherry & Tony Zoars

FRIENDS $1 - $99

Anonymous (34)

Ann Abdoo

Pauline Adams

Paula Aldridge

Lois Bahle

Irene Baker

Chris Bardenhagen

Shirley Batchelder

David Baum

Robin Beltramini

Celeste Bennett

Becky Bibbs

Marilyn Bidwell

Barbara Bloomer

Nancy Brucken

Linda Brundage

Cheryl Bukoff

Deborah Bunkley

Jewel Butler

Timothy Caldwell

Laura Carter Callow

Chelsea Capobianco

Jane Cardillo

Marjorie Colburn

Marc Coleman

Jeremy Connolly

Frances Dagbovie

Lillian Dean

Kathleen DeRosier

Leslie Dobbertin

Nancy Duemling

Karen Elllingson

Sharon Elster

Josephine Feijoo

Mara Fevig

Kathleen Fleming

Judy & Michael Florian

Sharon & James Froom

Collette Fulmer

Claire Galed

Mary Garton

Wilhelmina Giblin

Anne-Marie Gierens

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Julie Gleason

Barbara Goodman

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LWVMI Thanks our 2018 Donors


Iris & Fred Gruhl

Thomas Haley

Anne Hamming

Mary Hathaway

Stephen Herrell

Karla Hitchcock

Barb Hoeffner

Chris Holt

Iris Ogawa Horner

Gilda Jacobs

Jill Johnson

Richard Kato

Elizabeth Kaufman

Peggy Kearney

Kimberly Kelley

Rita Klein

Mary Koenen

Ann Kondak

Millie Lambert

Miriam Leventhal

William Lockwood

Priscilla & John Lorand

Marjorie Lynn

Janet Magennis

Jamie Majeske

Theresa Mastin

Norma Mau

Carol & Mark McPherson

Howard Merritt

Catherine & Christopher

Mitzel

Anne Montgomery

Beatrice & John Morgan

Faith Morrison & Thomas Co

Frank Myhr

Barry Nathan

Bob Neustifter

Deborah Newcomb

Barbara Ann O’Kelly

MerriKay Oleen-Burkey

Christine Palmer

Denise Partridge

Barbara & Richard Pearson

Joanna Pepe

Linda Pepper

Lynne Pierce

Carey & Regina Pinney

Mary Pollock

Barbara Reehl

Beth Regenmorter

Roberta Rice

Libby Richards

Linda Ridley

Susan Riemer

Nancy Rollinson

Joyce Rouse

Susan Rowe

Nancy & Paul Rozycki

Kathleen Ryan & Paul

Rutledge

Beverly Sabbath

Jan Sapak

Wylie Schaffer

Sue Scheeneman

Barbara Scull

Mary Seelhorst

Mildred Shepherd

Helen & Nicholas Sica

Maria Silveira

Patricia Simons

Janya & Harvey Somers

Irene Sonnett

Jane & Don Speer

Betty Spehar

Mary Springer

Charlotte & Patrick Stewart

Chris Sullivan-Rathwell

Gail Taggart

Denise Thal

Arne Thompson

Alyce Thorpe

Carol Todd

Carol & Jack Urban

Charlene Vanacker

Nancy & Thomas VanDeGrift

Robert VanderLaan

Cele Trizna Vargo

Mary M. Vitolins

Roddy Wares

Paul Warrick

Carol Waters

Jan Watkins

Jane & Price Watts

Mark Webb

Judy & Frank Wilhelme

Angela & Charles Williams

Lynn Wilson

Courtney Winell

Jane & David Wirth

Beulah Woodfin

Diane Worden

Dorothy Wright

Mary Zahler

Marie Zelasko

Christine Zilke

In Memory of Beth Arnovitz

Ann Marston

In Memory of Maxine Berman

Judy Karandjeff

In Honor of Patty Birkholtz

Laurie Goshorn

In Honor of Priscilla Chappell

Barbara Scull

In Memory of Julia Costello

Diane Worden

On Behalf of Charles

Cronenworth

Carol Todd

On Behalf of Jean Dean

Lillian Dean

In Honor of Pleasantine W.

Drake

Patience Drake-Rosenbaum

In Honor of Charlene Gierens

Anne-Marie Gierens

On Behalf of Tom Gleason

Julie Gleason

In Honor of LWV of Grosse

Pointe

Mary Vitolins

On Behalf of Lelia Halpin

Gail Taggart

In Memory of Helen B. Harris

Catherine Frederick

In Honor of Linda Hoff

Rhina Griffel

Nancy & Paul Rozycki

In Honor of Judy Karandjeff

Pam & Mike Brady

Fran Parker

Libby Richards

In Honor of Eva Kinsfosel

Bob Neustifter

In Memory of Mark McManus

Jeremy Connolly

In Memory of Ann Perry

Paula Aldridge

In Honor of Norma Sain

Ingrid Halling

In Honor of Sue & Goeff

Smereck

Angela & Charles Williams

On Behalf of Cheryl A Smiith-

Thompson

Arme Thompson

In Memory of Lorrain

Stepanek

Cele Trizna Vargo

In Memory of Mary Tuttle

Karen Ellison

Judy Karandjeff

Deborah Newcomb

In Honor of Charlotte Yaverski

Susan Rowe

The League is humbled by the

generous donations. LWVMI

is honored that you have the

confidence in our efforts to

carry out the League’s mis-

sion. Over 335 people con-

tributed and many of them

contributed more than once

during the year. We broke a

record!

Please note that the list is a

combination of those who

contributed to LWVMI and

LWVMI Education Fund. Also

note that any donations

made to the Redistricting

Legal Fund are NOT included

in this list.

All attempts to make this list

as accurate as possible have

been made. If you believe

there is an error, please

contact us at [email protected]

or 517-484-5383,


Elections Have Consequences

The 2018 November election

brought much change to Michigan.

LWVMI worked hard to gain pas-

sage of some important pieces of

the Democracy Agenda. We are so

proud of the work done by Local

Leagues and League members to

make all of this possible.

Promote the Vote, Proposal 3,

greatly increases citizens’ access to

voting. 67% of the voters approved

passage of Proposal 3 and we won

in 80 of 83 counties!

The Promote the Vote Executive

Committee included ACLU of Michi-

gan, LWVMI, MI League for Public

Policy, NAACP of Detroit and

Michigan, and others. We met for

almost two years working on the

ballot proposal!

The proposal added these voting

rights to the Michigan Constitution:

1) Protect the right to vote a secret

ballot,

2) Ensure military service members

and overseas voters get their bal-

lots in time for their votes to count,

3) Provide voters with the option to

vote straight party,

4) Automatically register citizens to

vote at the Secretary of State’s

office unless the citizen declines,

5) Allow a citizen to register to vote

anytime with proof of residency in-

cluding on election day,

6) Provide all registered voters ac-

cess to an absentee ballot for any

reason, and

7) Ensure the accuracy and integ-

rity of elections by auditing elec-

tion results.

In lame duck, the Michigan Legis-

lature passed PAs 603-607 that

implement the proposal. We are

reviewing their impact.

We look forward to working with

the Secretary of State and the

clerks throughout Michigan to

implement these changes. As

soon as new materials are

available, we will send them out.

League members helped gather

signatures, passed out infor-

mation and gave speeches about

this proposal! Thank you!

Congratulations to everyone who

worked on Proposal 2, the inde-

pendent redistricting commission.

The proposal passed by 61%

throughout the state.

The League of Women Voters of

Michigan was one of many

organizations that endorsed the

proposal.

Secretary of State Benson has

stated her support for the pro-

posal and will carry out the imple-

mentation of the new Constitu-

tional Amendment.

There will be opportunities for

citizens to apply for the commis-

sion and to be part of this new

process to draw maps. The

League will keep you posted on

developments when available.

Congratulations to Voters Not

Politicians!

Line 5 Opposition Continues

Much happened in the lame duck

session on Line 5. The League

worked with the Oil and Water Don’t

Mix Coalition to express our opposi-

tion to the proposed legislation.

The Legislature passed and the

Governor signed PA 359 of 2018

with immediate effect. LWVMI

opposed its passage.

The new law creates the Mackinac

Straits Corridor Authority within the

Michigan Department of Transpor-

tation to oversee a tunnel for Line

5. The authority has three mem-

bers who are appointed by the Gov-

ernor. Enbridge would construct

the tunnel at its own expense. The

tunnel would be built over seven to

10 years. The cost is estimated to

be between $350 million to $500

million. The contract lasts for up to

99 years. A supplemental appropri-

ations law states: “unexpended

funds appropriated for the Macki-

nac Straits Infrastructure project to

be considered a work project

appropriation and carried forward.”

On her first day in office Governor

Gretchen Whitmer requested a le-

gal opinion from Attorney General

Dana Nessel regarding the constitu-

tionality of the recent Enbridge Line

5 pipeline legislation and the new

Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority.

The League believes the 65-year

old pipeline should be shut down to

avoid any risk to our Great Lakes

and northern Michigan.


The Legislative Session Ends

The 99th Legislative Session ended

with a bang. Lame duck was one of

the busiest in recent history. Nearly

400 bills were sent to Governor

Snyder during lame duck. He

signed some and vetoed some.

Some of the bills LWVMI opposed

that became law included:

1) PA 359 of 2018—the new law

on Line 5. (see story)

2) PA 368 of 2018—a new law that

changed the minimum wage

citizen-initiated law that the

Legislature approved earlier.


changed sick leave citizen-

initiated law that the Legisla-

ture approved earlier.


changed standards for toxic

waste cleanup.

5) PA 602 of 2018— the new law

that bans state agencies from

creating new regulations strict-

er than federal regulations un-

less there are “exceptional cir-

cumstances.”

6) PA 603-607—new laws that im-

plement Proposal 3, the voting

rights Constitutional Amend-

ment.

7) PA 608 of 2018 - the new law

that makes it harder to collect

signatures for referendums and

initiatives. Secretary of State

Benson has asked Attorney

General Nessel to review its

constitutionality.

8) PA 631 of 2018—a new law

that changes the protections

for smaller wetlands.

Governor Snyder vetoed 41 bills

of the nearly 400 bills sent to him.

Some of the bills LWVMI opposed

that were vetoed by Governor

Snyder included:

1) HB 5095—a bill that would

have allowed ballast waste

discharge.

2) HB 6553—a bill that would

have allowed the Legislature

to intervene in certain law-

suits.

3) SB 1176—a bill that would

have made it harder for the

state to monitor millions of

dollars in campaign contribu-

tions from nonprofit political

advocacy groups.

4) SB 1249—a bill that would

have changed the statute of

limitations for campaign fi-

nance

Equal Pay for Equal Work!

On January 8, Governor Whitmer

signed a new Executive Directive

2019-10 that addresses equal

pay in state government.

The Executive Directive requires

that compensation be based on

the nature of work performed and

services provided, and not be dif-

ferentiated due to gender. It also

prohibits asking job applicants

about their salary histories.

The Governor has issued other

Executive Directives. For a com-

plete list, go to the Governor’s

web page: www.michigan.gov/

We Marched, Again!

League members from all over

Michigan participated in the

Women's Marches on January 19

and 20th.

League boots were on the ground

in Washington DC, Lansing, De-

troit, Traverse City, Kalamazoo

and other communities all around

the state. Marchers representing

the League marched for voting

rights, human rights, the environ-

ment, affordable health care for

all, reproductive rights and a

myriad of social justice issues.

We thank everyone who partici-

pated in marches!

LWV of Delta County, Marquette

County Unit

LWV of Grand Traverse Area and

LWV of Leelanau County

League of Women Voters - Michigan 600 W. St. Joseph St, Ste 3G,

Lansing, MI 48933-2288 [email protected]

www.lwvmi.org

2017-2019 LWV-MI Board of Directors

President Judy Karandjeff—Lansing Area VP Membership, Leadership Development Christina Schlitt—Grand Traverse VP Voter Service Eva Packard—Oakland Area VP Advocacy Joan Hunault—Leelanau VP Program Marian Kromkowski—Leelanau Treasurer Denise Hartsough—Kalamazoo Area

Secretary Paula Bowman—NW Wayne County Directors at Large

Deborah Bunkley—Detroit MAL Betsy Cushman—Dearborn/Dearborn Hts

Ken Manley– Kalamazoo Area Paula Manley—Kalamazoo Area Sue Smith—Ann Arbor Area

Office Manager Barb DeLeeuw

Nonprofit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 163

Lansing, MI

PAGE 8 MICHIGAN VOTER FEBRUARY, 2019

A publication of the League of Women Voters of Michigan. LWVMI, 600 W. St. Joseph St., Ste. 3G,

Lansing, MI 48933-2288. President: Judy Karandjeff ([email protected]) Editor: Paula Bowman ([email protected])

Equal Pay Legislative Day in Michigan: April 2

The national Equal Pay Day observance is on Tues-

day, April 2. This date symbolizes how far into the

year women must work to earn what men earned in

the previous year. We will be in Lansing so the

Legislators can hear the voices of women and men

who are demanding pay equity.

Pay equity—evaluating and compensating jobs based

on their skill, effort, responsibility and working condi-

tions, and not on the people who hold the jobs—is a

solution to eliminating wage discrimination and

closing the wage gap.

The League of Women Voters along with many other

organizations will be a part of the event in Lansing on

Tuesday, April 2. The League of Women Voters has

fought for pay equity for many years. Watch the

LWVMI website and League Links for information as

the day’s events are finalized.

LWVMI v Benson - Redistricting Lawsuit

On December 22, 2017, LWVMI and eleven Democratic

voters filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court Eastern

District of MI, Southern Division contending that the

2011 state legislative and congressional maps are

unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders violating the First

and Fourteenth Amendments.

On January 25, 2019, LWVMI and Secretary of State

Jocelyn Benson filed a motion for approval of a consent

degree which would settle the gerrymandering case by

requiring the redrawing of 11 state house districts under

federal court supervision ahead of the 2020 elections. If

approved by the three-judge panel overseeing the case

this settlement would correct the gerrymandering that

occurred in many of the most vulnerable districts.

For complete information on all of the court filings and

other up to date information, please go to the Brennan

Center website at www.brennancenter.org/legal-work/

league-women-voters-michigan-v-johnson.

the michigan voter

Documents