Core Values

• Inclusivity: Ensure every community member feels seen, heard, and valued, regardless of background or circumstances.
• Empowerment: Equip individuals with tools, knowledge, and confidence to advocate for themselves and their communities.
• Respect: Honor each person’s unique experiences and perspectives, emphasizing mutual understanding.
• Accessibility: Remove barriers to participation, whether physical, economic, or informational, making sure everyone can engage fully.
• Community Building: Foster strong, interconnected communities where people support each other and celebrate collective achievements.

Who We Reach 

VAAC’s programs are designed for:

• Individuals in jails or on parole/probation,
• People reentering society post-incarceration,
• Unhoused and housing-insecure individuals,
• Low-income Black and Brown communities,
• People with literacy, disability, or technology access challenges,
• Youth in foster care or justice-impacted systems,
• Families of incarcerated people.

Where We Work

VAAC’s work is statewide, with core programming rooted in Wayne (Detroit), Oakland, Washtenaw, Genesee (Flint), and Kent (Grand Rapids) Counties. We have emerging outreach in Macomb, Ingham, and Berrien Counties.

Why It Matters

Many people in Michigan do not know they are eligible to vote after incarceration or have never received accurate information about how to participate. Misinformation and distrust are common, particularly in historically excluded communities. VAAC meets people face-to-face, offering clear information, answering questions, and creating space for civic conversation. We believe that power-building and mutual aid must go hand-in-hand; you can’t ask people to engage civically if they are worried about basic needs. Our model meets people where they are—with food, dignity, and knowledge. When people are equipped with resources, information, and a sense of belonging, they become powerful agents of change.

History

Voting Access for All Coalition was founded in Spring, 2020. Started as a grassroots effort to get more formerly incarcerated citizens involved in their communities, it has grown into a statewide organizing force conducting voter outreach, organizing jail voting programs, building civic power, amplifying marginalized voices, and building a more just and representative civic architecture.

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In Memory of Our Founding Leaders

All those who began this journey with us are no longer with us. We are grateful for all that they accomplished for those impacted by the criminal legal system. VAAC was built upon their vision and commitment to make a kinder, more just world. Their light will live in our hearts as we continue to serve the community as they envisioned. Learn more about their lives and work.