US Capitol | Susan J. Demas
This article is part of US Democracy Day, a nationwide effort on September 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations report on how democracy works and the threats it faces. For more information, visit usdemocracyday.org.
More than half a dozen Democrats in Michigan’s Congress received perfect or near-perfect scores for their support of voting rights, while three Republican members received zeros.
This was reported by Common Cause, an independent government watchdog, which recently published its “2024 report”.Scorecard for democracy,” which documented each member of Congress’ support for voting rights, Supreme Court ethics, and other reforms.
This year’s scorecard includes 10 legislative items in the U.S. Senate and 13 in the U.S. House of Representatives, including
Freedom of Voting Act, John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Actamong other things.
Four members of Congress from Michigan had perfect scores: U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) with a 10/10, and U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Detroit), Dan Kildee (D-Flint) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), who each scored 13/13. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) scored 9/10, while U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) and Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit) scored 12/13. U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) and Haley Stevens (D-Livonia) both received 11/13.
On the other end of the scale, three GOP members of Congress scored a perfect zero: Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland), John Moolenaar (R-Caledonia) and Tim Walberg (R-Tipton), all of whom scored 0/13. U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet) had a 1/13, U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain had a 2/13 and U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) had a 2/13.
“Our 2024 Democracy Scorecard shows increased support in Congress for reforms that strengthen voting rights, take back the Supreme Court, and break the grip of big money on our politics,” said Virginia Kase Solomón, president and CEO of Common Cause. “The number of members of Congress with perfect scores has increased 100% since 2020, from 58 members in our 2020 Scorecard to 117 today. As we see the wealthy and well-connected attempt to influence our politics and our livelihoods, we must demand that our leaders deliver on the people’s pro-democracy agenda.”
Common Cause notes that the first year of the 118th Congress least productive first year of a conference in almost 100 yearsa trend that has continued. As of August 15, only 78 separate bills have been passed, which represents 0.5% of the total number of bills submittedBy comparison, about two percent of bills became law in the 116th and 117th Congresses, and about three percent of bills became law in the 114th and 115th Congresses.
“With such a dysfunctional nature, it’s not surprising that 78 percent of Americans disapprove of Congress, while just 16 percent approve, according to a July 2024 report. Gallup pollaccording to the organization.
According to Quentin Turner, executive director of Common Cause Michigan, Common Cause has been tracking support and co-sponsorship of democracy-related legislation since 2016.
“Four Michigan members of Congress earned perfect scores for their support of pro-democracy legislation. With crucial elections this year, we must put these important reforms at the top of our agenda so everyone can have accountable government, no matter which state we call home,” Turner said.
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