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Skidaway Island Democrats
May 2021 Newsletter

Dear <<First Name>>,

Remember to join us on Tuesday (May 18) when we welcome Saira Draper, Director of Voter Protection at the Democratic Party of Georgia, for a special ZOOM presentation.

Saira will join us to discuss SB 202 — Georgia's notorious new voter suppression law that constitutes an attack on the fundamental fairness of Georgia's election — from the perspective of state-level party leadership. Saira will explain the manifold implications of the new law, enumerate the lawsuits and Federal legislation that seek to reverse Georgia's re-embrace of Jim Crow, and outline steps that we can take at the local level to mitigate the intended harmful effects of SB 202.

Topic: Meet Saira Draper of DPG
Time: May 18, 2021 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83289957482?pwd=TUN0VmhCVFF2NUtUYytiV2diK0dmdz09

Meeting ID: 832 8995 7482
Passcode: 599963

...from Indivisible

360+ That’s how many bills GOP officials across 47 states have introduced in this legislative session that aim to restrict voting rights and undermine our democracy. At least 55 of them are in the legislative process, and five have already been signed into law.

Republicans are out to rig the rules because they know their policies are unpopular -- so rather than change their policy, they’re trying to stop the people from having a say.

The For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and the D.C. statehood bill are the best tools we have to dull the impact of these anti-democratic bills. But with groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Koch Brothers trying to stop them at every turn, we have no time to waste if we want to convince senators and members of Congress to support democracy.

The For the People Project is all about transformative democracy reform to stem the tide of GOP voter suppression and anti-democratic power-grabs. With the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act (H.R. 4), D.C. statehood, and more (plus eliminating the filibuster to make it all possible), we can ensure everyone has a voice in our democratic system, but only if Democrats muster the political will to get them done.

[Find out more...]

...from

“We did it quickly and we did it quietly.”
—Heritage Action director Jessica Anderson, on their campaign to pass hundreds of voter suppression bills through state legislatures

Caught on tape: the head of a right-wing dark money group bragging to a roomful of donors about crafting the horrific voter suppression laws passed in states like Georgia and Florida this year.

In the video, just released by Mother Jones, Jessica Anderson — the head of Heritage Action for America — explains:

First, they draft dangerous model bills that roll back voting options, discourage people from participating, and keep Black and Brown voters from having a voice in our democracy.

Then, they launder those bills through GOP state lawmakers — “so it has that grassroots, from-the-bottom-up type of vibe,” in their words. Once introduced, their lobbyists and shadowy disinformation peddlers do all they can to make those anti-voter bills into law.

Anderson’s shining example is Georgia’s infamous voter suppression bill, which contains “eight key provisions that Heritage recommended” — everything from ballot drop box restrictions to rules that prevent election officials from sending out absentee ballot requests.

Worse yet, the video also reveals that Heritage Action for America plans to spend $24 million dollars over the next two years in eight battleground states — all to pass and defend laws that strip voters of their right to be heard.

[Find out more...]

...from

Poll watchers are individuals who observe the election process — both at polling places and as ballots are reviewed and counted.

Each state has its own laws on what watchers may and may not do, what qualifications and training they must have, who can appoint watchers, and how many can serve at a given location.

Most states have measures in place to protect against voter intimidation and harassment, but 33 of the recently introduced bills would give poll watchers more authority to observe voters and election officials, with fewer limitations on their actions. In Michigan, the New York Times reports, the Republican-controlled legislature wants to ban nonpartisan poll watchers in favor of party hacks.

What, you ask, could go wrong?

Additionally, 30 bills have been introduced to give poll watchers greater access to the ballot counting process, ballot processing activities, and voting data processing. Eleven of these bills are moving, and one, in Georgia, has already become law. Our new resource, “Who Watches the Poll Watchers?” describes these bills and their threat to our democracy.

...from

As the Arizona state Senate’s so-called “audit” of Maricopa County’s 2020 election results continues, we are speaking out alongside both national and local voting rights advocates about the audit’s lack of transparency and how the audit will only continue to sow doubts about the certified results.

You can read Verified Voting's latest letters to the state Senate here and here. In an interview with CNN, Acting Co-Director Mark Lindeman said, "This is not like any audit I've ever seen. If it intends to be perceived as fair-minded and credible, they've made some bad mistakes." And click here to watch our Arizona liaison Senior Policy Associate C.Jay Coles on a local Arizona station calling out the audit’s partisanship and lack of credibility.

Arizona is just one of the states we’re working in right now where key decisions are being made — for better or worse.

[Find out more...]

...from

Georgia trails all states in inspections that certify nursing homes, report says

Georgia is last in the nation in conducting recertification inspections of its nursing homes, according to a recent media report.

By the end of March, nearly 80 percent of Georgia facilities had gone for at least 18 months without these comprehensive inspections, said the investigation report by CNHI, a newspaper company.

Georgia’s backlog surpassed those of every other state, exceeding the 76 percent in Maryland and Oregon, and easily topping the national average of 51 percent. The CNHI data follow similar findings on Georgia inspections by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last fall.

[Find out more...]

...from
Who is getting a COVID-19 vaccine? Who is hesitant about receiving it and why? What state has the highest vaccination or hesitancy rate?

The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has been the subject of extensive news coverage and a new U.S. Census Bureau data visualization tool aims to provide insights into the public’s feelings about COVID-19 vaccines in near real time.

The COVID-19 vaccine tracker uses data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, which in January added a new series of questions about COVID-19 vaccinations and attitudes toward them.

The interactive visualization allows data users to explore:

National and state vaccination rates.
The percentage of people by state hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The most common reasons cited for hesitancy to get a vaccine.
Vaccination rates by population subgroups.

[Find out more...]

...from Georgia Public Broadcasting

Last Monday was the deadline for Gov. Brian Kemp to sign or veto bills sent to him by the General Assembly this year. Not all of the bills waited until the last minute.

Some were controversial — such as SB 202, the 98-page voting law that is currently facing six federal lawsuits and shaping the landscape for 2022 races. That law changes virtually every part of the state's election process after former President Donald Trump lost the state and some Republican lawmakers pushed false claims of fraud.

Other bills had more support, including one that gives about 250,000 state employees three weeks of paid leave upon the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child. The governor signed a package of adoption and foster care reform bills, too.

Then there are the grab-bag bills that do everything from making the pecan the state nut to declaring Georgia will be Daylight Saving Time only (if Congress moves). Another bill signed into law allows patrons to purchase two sealed to-go cocktails from restaurants.

...and not least:

GEORGIA REPEALS 'CITIZEN'S ARREST' LAW
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed legislation repealing a Civil War-era law that allowed "citizen's arrests," in response to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, by three white men last year. Prosecutors initially cited the law to defend the men who pursued and shot Arbery. [HuffPost]

Visit us online at https://skidawaydemocrats.com/.

...from Indivisible

...from

“We did it quickly and we did it quietly.” —Heritage Action director Jessica Anderson, on their campaign to pass hundreds of voter suppression bills through state legislatures

...from

“We did it quickly and we did it quietly.”
—Heritage Action director Jessica Anderson, on their campaign to pass hundreds of voter suppression bills through state legislatures