Tireless advocate for voting rights killed while out canvassing for Lansing candidate

LANSING — Ted Lawson spent years volunteering for causes and candidates he believed in.

Lawson worked on countless campaigns for Democrats running for seats locally and statewide over the years, was a member of Ingham County's Board of Canvassers and served as secretary for the Ingham County Democratic Party. Local officials said Lawson, 63, was a tireless activist for voting rights and the Lansing community.

On Sunday afternoon, Lawson was doing more of the same, knocking on doors in the city's north side just a few blocks from his home as he canvassed in support of Lansing City Council at-large candidate Trini Lopez Pehlivanoglu when he was shot to death.

Officers were called to the 1100 block of North Jenison Avenue at about 3 p.m. Sunday and found Lawson with a gunshot wound, police said Monday. Lansing Fire Department medics treated him at the scene and took him to a hospital. Sunday, police said Lawson was in critical condition, but he later died, LPD spokesperson Jordan Gulkis said.

Police said Monday that they continue to investigate the homicide, but no suspects were in custody.

Lawson, the ninth homicide victim in the city this year, was a passionate advocate for people and issues he believed in, said Pehlivanoglu, and his death is a loss that will be felt statewide.

"I'm still in shock," she said Monday. "It's a loss for the entire community. It really is."

A tireless advocate

"There's hardly anybody who's involved with politics and in this area that doesn't know Ted," said Shari Rose, who worked with Lawson in 2018 through Voters Not Politicians, a non-partisan organization that pushed for the creation of an independent citizens redistricting commission in Michigan.

Lawson, who served as a field director for the group "was always there, a constant fixture working behind the scenes," Rose said. "He left an impression because he's one of those people that just always showed up. You could always count on him doing his thing behind the scenes."

Rebecca Bahar-Cook, chairperson of Ingham County's Board of Canvassers, said Lawson, who was a long-time election worker before serving on the board, "had the unique ability to explain" election nuances and issues without being condescending.

"He was really good at what he did and he made a difference and he tried to make a difference all the time," Bahar-Cook said.

Lawson served as an election worker with the city before serving on the Board of Canvassers, said Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope.

"If he said he was going to do something he was going to do it," he said. "He was a positive force of energy."

Lawson's death is "heartbreaking," Swope said.

The news left Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum "stunned and devastated." He was a "Democratic activist," she said, who worked on many campaigns and in supported many issues central to the party.

"He cared deeply for our community and his actions prove that," Byrum said.

'He has helped so many people'

Former Lansing City Council person and current candidate Jody Washington said Lawson has campaigned for countless Democratic candidates over the years, including former First Lady and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly.

"He has helped so many people," Washington said. "He's worked on so many people's campaigns and then he's been generous with his time."

In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, Slotkin said Lawson died "while doing what he has done for so many candidates, including myself: knocking doors and getting out the vote. Ted was one of the most involved community members I’ve ever met and regularly volunteered his time for projects that improved mid-Michigan. This is a huge blow to the Lansing community, and my heart goes out to Ted’s loved ones and all who knew him."

Lansing City Councilmember Ryan Kost said Lawson spent "a huge chunk of his own personal time focused on the community and helping in any way that he could."

His death was "completely random," Kost said, and "unacceptable."

"This could have been any of us," he said. "We're all out canvassing. It just shakes me to my core."

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @GrecoatLSJ .

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Ted Lawson, Lansing's 9th homicide victim in 2023, remembered as community advocate