Throughout the day, VAAC met with legislators to provide education on key policies impacting access to voting and fair representation, including:

• SB 603 / HB 4812 – Voting Access for Returning Citizens
• SB 537 – Ending Prison Gerrymandering
• The Hands Off MI Vote Pledge – Opposing Documentary Proof of Citizenship requirements that create barriers for eligible voters

These conversations focused on ensuring that people impacted by incarceration, poverty, housing instability, and systemic exclusion have access to accurate information, fair representation, and the ability to participate in civic life.

Youth Leadership in Action

VAAC’s high school intern participated in Capitol Day and engaged directly with lawmakers and staff.

She met with the office of State Senator Darrin Camilleri, one of the sponsors of SB 757, a bill highlighted in the VAAC youth intern one-pager. During that meeting, she asked questions about the legislative process, career pathways, and what it is like to work in Lansing. She also exchanged contact information with a staff member to continue the conversation and learn more.

That same day, she witnessed the Michigan Senate vote on SB 757 – SB 760, known as the “Kids Over Clicks” bills. The bills passed while she was at the Capitol, providing a real-time look at how legislation moves and how decisions are made.

The youth one-pager she shared with legislators focused on issues that directly impact young people, including:

• SB 757 – SB 760 – Kids Over Clicks
• HB 4020 – Black History in Classrooms
• HB 5364 – Education Control Bill
• The SAVE Act

The one-pager highlighted how these policies affect access to information, education, safety, and voting, and centered youth perspectives on what these decisions mean for their future.

Coalition Advocacy Across Issues

Capitol Day brought together organizations and advocates working across voting rights, reproductive freedom, healthcare access, and economic justice.

On the Capitol steps, leaders and organizers spoke about the role of corporate influence in shaping policy and the need for accountability.

Advocates called for action to move the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (MMOP) initiative forward, emphasizing the urgency of reducing corporate influence and ensuring that communities, not money, shape decision-making.

Speakers also addressed the connection between representation and power, including the impact of recent court decisions on Black and Brown communities and the ongoing need to organize in response.

A Broader Pattern

The conversations throughout Capitol Day reflected a shared understanding: these issues are connected.

Efforts to expand voting access for returning citizens, end prison gerrymandering, oppose documentary proof of citizenship requirements, and address representation all point to the same question — who has access to participate and who has the power to shape decisions.

This work is about ensuring that communities are not excluded from the process.

What This Means Moving Forward

Capitol Day is one step in ongoing work.

VAAC will continue to:

• Provide education on policies that impact access to voting
• Organize across communities, including jails and other spaces where access is limited
• Support community members in engaging directly with decision-makers

This work continues beyond a single day. This is how we build civic power.

The post Capitol Day Recap: Education, Civic Power, and Youth Leadership in Action appeared first on Voting Access For All.

This statewide day of action brings community members together to engage directly with lawmakers on issues including voting rights, reproductive freedom, healthcare access, and economic justice.

As part of this effort, VAAC will be meeting with legislators to provide education about SB 603 / HB 4812 (Voting Access for Returning Citizens) and SB 537 (ending prison gerrymandering) and to discuss the importance of these policies for communities across Michigan. Our team, including our high school interns, will participate in these conversations and learn how policy decisions shape access to civic participation.

Voting Access for Returning Citizens (SB 603 / HB 4812)

In Michigan, voting rights are automatically restored to individuals with felony convictions once they are released from prison. However, many people returning home are not aware that they are eligible to vote or do not have the information needed to successfully register and participate.

SB 603, introduced by State Senator Stephanie Chang, and HB 4812, introduced by State Representative Joe Pavlov, address this gap by ensuring that individuals leaving incarceration receive clear, accurate information about their voting rights and how to participate in elections upon release.

This includes information on:

• Eligibility after release
• How to register to vote
• How to vote in person or by absentee ballot
• Key election dates

Providing this information ensures that returning citizens have the tools they need to participate in civic life.

When people are not informed that their rights have been restored, they are effectively excluded from the democratic process even after release.

Prison Gerrymandering (SB 537)

Prison gerrymandering is the practice of counting incarcerated people where they are imprisoned, rather than in their home communities, for the purpose of drawing political district lines.

In Michigan, incarcerated individuals are currently counted as residents of the districts where they are confined, not the communities they come from.

This outdated policy:

• Distorts district maps
• Shifts resources away from impacted communities
• Silences the voices of communities most impacted by incarceration

SB 537, introduced by State Senator Sylvia Santana, would end this practice by ensuring that incarcerated individuals are counted in their home communities for redistricting purposes.

This bill is intended to restore fair representation and political power to impacted communities.

What We’re Bringing to Capitol Day

VAAC, alongside our coalition partners, will be speaking with legislators about policies that expand access to voting and ensure fair representation.

This work reflects our mission to build civic power by ensuring that people impacted by incarceration and systemic barriers have access to the tools, information, and opportunities to engage.

Join us at Capitol Day:

Register here: https://bit.ly/capday2026

Free buses are available from Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, and Saginaw.

Food will be provided (please indicate any dietary restrictions on the sign-up form).

A Kid-Zone / Youth Activity Table will be available, and there are roles for people of all backgrounds and experience levels.

The post Capitol Day 2026: Educating Lawmakers on Voting Access and Prison Gerrymandering appeared first on Voting Access For All.