🗽Protect Democracy
🗽Stay informed with daily news updates to hold our leaders accountable and protect democracy. A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
Today in 🗽Protect Democracy, we’re featuring: November 1, 2024 news briefs, video briefs, Brief on the Freedom to Vote Act, and calls-to-action.
Together, we can realize a democracy that represents, reflects, and responds to all of us.
For far too long, special interests, ultra-wealthy donors, and vote suppressors have dominated our politics and attempted to silence the voices of everyday Americans, especially in Black and Brown communities.
America's democracy is under attack as the MAGA agenda seeks to undermine our democratic institutions, erode the rule of law, and strip away the rights that ensure every voice is heard and every vote counts. Join us to champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people's will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.
Together we can Protect Democracy
Register to vote, vote, and help elect leaders that will ensure safe, secure elections and are committed to protecting democracy
Click here to Sign the Petition: Abolish the Electoral College
Click here to Tell your member of Congress to co-sponsor and support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
Call your member of Congress today (202) 224-3121 and ask them to support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
Click here to Tell Congress: Overturn Citizens United
Click here to signup for our next training: Stop Project 2025: Mobilize for Change
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Protect Democracy - News Briefs - November 1, 2024
Iowa election officials sued by 4 naturalized citizens who say their right to vote was harmed
LA Times By Hannah Fingerhut
Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU of Iowa’s legal director, said Thursday that Pate is “spearheading an effort to disenfranchise Iowa U.S. citizens” when he should be protecting voting rights.
Inside Trump’s ominous plan to turn civil rights law against vulnerable Americans
Vox By Zack Beauchamp
Its attorneys launch hate crimes prosecutions, investigate discrimination in employment and housing, and sue states when their voting rules run afoul of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Voting rights groups worry AI models are generating inaccurate and misleading responses in Spanish
ABC News By Gisela Salomon
Voting rights groups worry AI models may deepen information disparities for Spanish-speaking voters, who are being heavily courted by Democrats and Republicans up and down the ballot.
The Supreme Court just carved an outrageous loophole into a major voting rights law.
Slate By Mark Joseph Stern
Congress enacted the statute in recognition of the obvious fact that these purges often caught up eligible voters, as well, creating confusion and threatening civil rights. … This doctrine counsels against judicial interference with voting laws shortly before an election to avoid voter confusion.
Women are voting - and it’s driving MAGA men mad
MSNBC By Ja'han Jones
Just this week, John McEntee, a former Trump campaign official and Project 2025 adviser, shared a video in which he openly suggests a repeal of women’s voting rights in order to have “male-only” voting.
Election means first test for changes to electoral vote process
Roll Call By Michael Macagnone
“The ECRA was designed to help avoid exactly some of that chaos that was created from ‘what if’ scenarios in 2020,” Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University who served as the White House Senior Policy Advisor for Democracy and Voting Rights, said.
How election deniers took over Georgia’s election system
Mother Jones By Justin Glawe, Ari Berman
The rule did not spell out what a “reasonable inquiry” entailed, and voting rights advocates warned that it could be used as a pretext by GOP officials not to certify the results if a Democrat won Georgia.
Protect Democracy - Video Highlights - November 1, 2024
How Virginia's voter roll purge could impact the election | PBS NewsHour
What Are My Voting Rights? Watch This Video Before You Vote | Democracy Docket
How the John Lewis Voting Rights Act Protects Democracy | Now This Impact
What is the Freedom to Vote Act?
With the Freedom to Vote Act, we can finally take action against some of the largest issues plaguing our democracy. It will protect the right to vote, end partisan gerrymandering, combat election subversion, and decrease the power of big moneyed special interests. Together we can realize a democracy that represents, reflects, and responds to all of us.
TOPLINES
Freedom to Vote Act and Voting Rights:
Since the 2013 Shelby v. Holder SCOTUS decision, we have less federal voting rights protections than in the decades before.
We must ensure the freedom to vote for all Americans to have our vote counted and voice heard.
The Freedom to Vote Act will modernize our voting system and prevent blatant attempts to silence our voices so that we all have the freedom to vote
The Freedom to Vote Act helps dismantle barriers erected to keep Black, Indigenous, young and new Americans from voting, including long lines and eliminated polling places, targeted restrictions to registration, and overt voter intimidation.
Freedom to Vote Act and Money in Politics
We must build a campaign finance system that ensures our elected leaders listen to every American — not just the rich and powerful.
Our current pay-to-play system silences the voices of Black, brown, young, and new Americans and gives unchecked power to the wealthy few.
The Freedom to Vote Act tackles corruption by ensuring that our government works for us by reducing the influence of big money in politics and increasing ethical standards for our elected officials.
In order to make progress on the issues that Americans care most about such as, health care, racial justice, reproductive rights, and environmental justice, we must build a system that serves the people, rather than the interests of the rich and powerful.
Freedom to Vote Act and Election Sabotage:
The Freedom to Vote Act would set new national standards for voters to safely and freely cast our ballots, ensure that trusted local election officials count every vote, and prevent partisan politicians from sabotaging our elections.
State Anti-Voter Bills
With states across the country working to pass bills that attack our freedom to vote, we need national standards to ensure that we all have equal access to the ballot.
These restrictive voter policies are designed to disenfranchise black, brown, and indigenous communities, as well as people with disabilities, college students, low income voters, and more.
We need federal government action to ensure that the will of the people prevails.
Rights Restoration for Felony Disenfranchisement
Restoring the freedom to vote for formerly and currently incarcerated Americans would allow them to fulfill an important civic duty, help those released to successfully re-integrate into their communities, and make us all safer. (Additional Talking points from Stand Up America)
Disenfranchisement disproportionately impacts the vote of Black and Brown communities.
Progress has been made on the state level, but we need to enact federal legislation securing every American’s right to vote.
People Power United’s Statement on Protecting Democracy
In response to recent MAGA shenanigans to suppress votes and stop voting rights bills like the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act from passing, People Power United - a progressive grassroots group - issued the following statement:
“America's democracy is under attack as the MAGA agenda seeks to undermine our democratic institutions, erode the rule of law, and strip away the rights that ensure every voice is heard and every vote counts. There is no power like that of the people, and People Power United stands ready to protect our communities against any and all injustices,” said Laurie Woodward García of People Power United.
People Power United will continue to oppose such harm to our community and champion civil rights for all.
Join us to build People Power! Together, we can champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people's will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.
Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)
People Power United | In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry! Check out our 2023 recap post to see how impactful our scrappy People Power United group is!
People Power United is a group of community members that champions progressive values and power for the people.