What You Can Do to Defeat the Anti-Affirmative Action Ballot Proposal

1.  Register to vote and get others registered to vote who oppose the anti-affirmative action ballot proposal.  Make sure your voting address is correct with the Secretary of State’s Office.  See http://www.michigan.gov/sos/ for information about voter registration.

2.  Learn all you can about the misnamed Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.  Visit www.oneunitedmichigan.org the Web site of the coalition opposing MCRI, for information.  Michigan NOW is an active member of OUM.  Sign up for its newsletter.  Get involved in the regional organization of OUM or start one yourself in your community!

3.  Help your local NOW chapter or other organization to have a speaker about MCRI at a local chapter meeting or special forum.  Request a speaker at contactus@oneunitedmichiga.org or from Michigan NOW at mcri@michnow.org.

4.  Talk to your friends, co-workers, and relatives about MCRI.  People need to know not to be fooled by the deceptive language and to go to the end of the ballot to vote “no” on it.

5.  MI NOW is asking chapters to contact their membership lists to inform them about the proposed anti-affirmative action amendment. We can provide phone scripts for this purpose by contacting mcri@michnow.org. 
Chapters can
    a) utilize phone trees chapters may already have in place
    b) organize cell phone banks. Organizing a cell phone bank provides a supportive environment to make the calls and aids in tracking those who have been called. Most cell phone plans offer free minutes on the weekends.  Have a cell phone banking party at a member’s house!
  
6.  E-mail your friends about the anti-affirmative action ballot proposal.  Ask them to send the message on to their friends.  An e-card is available at www.oneunitedmichigan.org.

7.  Write to your friends in Michigan urging them to vote no.  Friend-to-friend postcards are available from One United Michigan by writing to contactus@oneunitedmichigan.org.

8.  Program your e-mail signature to say “Vote No on the Anti-Affirmative Action Ballot Proposal on November 7.”   

9.  Program auto responses in your e-mail program to say “Vote No on the Anti-Affirmative Action Ballot Proposal on November 7.”   

10.  Contact local organizations you belong to and ask them to oppose MCRI and join One United Michigan.  Encourage these organizations to use their newsletters, list-serves, and program time to educate their members about the threat to affirmative action that MCRI poses.

11.  Get your local government to pass a resolution opposing MCRI.  MCRI takes away local government’s right to determine hiring and contracting practices.

12.  Approach your local school district and community college board to oppose MCRI.  MCRI takes away their option to have special programs for girls, racial minorities, and ethnic groups.

13.  Pass out flyers about MCRI in your community.  Visit www.oneunitdmichigan.org to download a flyer for reproduction or write to contactus@oneunitedmichigan.org to ask for flyers for an event.

14.  Write a letter to the editor or opinion editorial for your local newspaper about the proposal and how it will hurt efforts to assure diversity in schools and workplaces.  See www.oneunitedmichigan.org for suggested starting sentences for letters to the editor.

15.  Ask elected public officials and candidates for public office to take a stand against MCRI. 

16.  Make a donation of any size to help the campaign.  See www.oneunitedmichigan.org to make a donation on-line.

17.  Host a house party for your neighbors and friends; have a speaker or show a campaign DVD at the event.  Contact mcri@michnow.org for help.