Democracy is not something we can take for granted, and today it’s never been more important to fight for it.
Born and raised in Detroit, Aghogho Edevbie is the son of Nigerian immigrants who taught him when there’s work to do, we get going. His dad spent 35 years as a union man at the Detroit Water Department, and his mom is a nurse who has cared for thousands in our community.
Aghogho’s parents came to Michigan in search of a better life and Aghogho grew up hearing the story of his mom and grandfather, waiting in an endless line to vote in Nigeria’s first presidential election. When his mom wanted to give up and go home, his grandfather told her that voting was their civic duty. They were going to stay, and they were going to vote. This lesson has stayed with Aghogho—that voting is our collective duty, and our democracy is something each of us must protect.
While studying law at the University of Michigan, Aghogho started working as an election protection lawyer and a poll challenger every election cycle. By 2020, Aghogho was Michigan State Director of one of the nation’s leading voting rights and election protection groups, All Voting Is Local. There, he helped lead the fight to pass Proposal 2—giving every Michigan voter access to early voting, a drop box in every community, the right to return their absentee ballot free of charge, and guaranteeing their votes would be certified in a free and fair election.
After being appointed Deputy Secretary of State, he helped implement the promises of Proposal 2, and has continued to make voting easier, so that casting a ballot isn’t a chore but a moment of empowerment. Michigan was once ranked 31st for election administration. Now, it’s ranked 2nd in the country.
Aghogho, who lives in Detroit with his wife Erin, has also worked to make the day-to-day experience of government as efficient as possible. He’s helped to put services online to save Michiganders a trip to the Secretary of State’s office and made sure that if they still decide to make a trip, they can get in and out of a branch within 30 minutes. Putting people first and making government work is why Aghogho is running for Secretary of State.
Because our work isn’t done.
As we face an uncertain future under the Trump administration, Michigan will be on the front lines of the fight for our Democracy, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. There’s work to do, Michigan—and it’s time to get going.
