FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from the We Make MI: Count Every Vote
November 2, 2020
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@
We Make MI Coalition Call to Action: Count Every Vote and Rally for the Will of the People
A coalition of organizations, communities and congregations across Michigan are mobilizing to ensure every vote is counted and the will of the people wins the day
MICHIGAN — Today, the We Make Michigan: Count Every Vote coalition announced their statewide effort to ensure every vote is counted, preaching patience around the tallying of election results, and their commitment to mobilize communities to celebrate and protect democracy.
“We begin with one simple message: everyone’s vote must count,” said Art Reyes, executive director of We the People – Michigan. “That’s why we’ve come together under the banner of We Make Michigan: Count Every Vote. A group of grassroots organizations, labor unions, faith leaders and neighborhood groups from the Upper Peninsula to Detroit to say loudly and clearly that we won’t be pitted against one another and we’re going to make sure that every vote is counted. In Michigan, we believe that for democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all. That means we count every vote.”
The We Make Michigan Coalition is an effort made up of grassroots organizations, neighborhood groups, congregations, labor unions and communities who are working together across Michigan to ensure every vote is counted, democracy is protected, and the will of the people wins the day.
The organizations that make up the coalition in a variety of capacities — with nearly 100 in total — have committed to preaching patience around the election results. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has said it could take until Friday for the full results to be tallied.
“We will not know the full results of the election on Election Night — and that’s OK,” said Branden Snyder, executive director of Detroit Action. “Between record turnout, precautions to keep election workers and voters safe from coronavirus, and necessary steps to ensure the integrity of our ballots, we’ll be both patient and active in ensuring every vote is counted.”
The coalition’s efforts before and on Election Day will also include voter outreach and protection work to ensure no one is turned away from the polls.
“This effort has not just been focused on ensuring every vote is counted, but also ensuring every eligible voter is able to successfully cast their ballot, which means ensuring folks have accurate voting information and protecting people against voter intimidation and misinformation,” said Kate Mason with Michigan United. “Michiganders have more voting options than ever before, but we must ensure those votes are counted. That’s what this effort is about. That’s what elections are about.”
As part of the coalition’s efforts to celebrate and defend democracy, a number of events have been planned across the state from urban centers to rural communities during and after Election Day.
“For several weeks now, folks from rural communities, the suburbs and our cities have been organizing to stand strong together and ensure every vote is counted,” said Rai Lanier, an organizer with Michigan Liberation. “Our efforts after Election Day will be rooted in community, they will be nonviolent, and they remain focused on ensuring every vote is counted and the will of the people wins the day.”
Planned events on November 4th will be held in Detroit, Munising, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Ferndale, Kalamazoo and Traverse City. The coalition will also be hosting an Election Night virtual watch party at 8 p.m.
A recording of the press conference can be found here. Access Passcode: Presser2020!
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