State business and political elites at the Mackinac Policy Conference were challenged by community groups over a Republican plan to pass new restrictions on elections and circumvent a veto from the governor.
David Moore, @ppolitics JUN 2, 2022 1:12PM EDT
In Michigan this week, activists with the Defend Black Voters coalition held a series of protest actions to call out companies in the Detroit Regional Chamber that have donated to politicians who back new voter restriction laws despite claiming to stand for democracy and voting rights.
The coalition, composed of state groups such as Michigan People’s Campaign and national organizations such as Community Change Action, brought the demonstration to Mackinac Island, where the Detroit Regional Chamber was holding its biannual public policy conference. The coalition’s first action was dropping a banner on a lighthouse that read: “Loepp, pledge to defend Black voters.” The banner named Blue Cross of Blue Shield of Michigan CEO Daniel Loepp, who last year signed a joint statement with business leaders that urged “equitable access to the ballot” but whose company has contributed to state legislators who voted last year for a package of Republican bills that would restrict election access. The activists also marched to the landmark Grand Hotel with signs like one that read “Stop Voter Suppression,” and had an airplane circling the island with a banner that listed company names alongside the message, “Stop funding attacks on Black voters.”