"May we think of freedom not as the right to do as we please, but as the
opportunity to do what is right."
-- Peter Marshall
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Happy July 4th, All!
It has been a tumultuous month, with headlines that often seemed ripped from blockbuster movies or maybe mythology: bizarre and ominous weather patterns, billionaires lost beneath the sea, and yes, a former president indicted on federal charges.
And then there's the Supreme Court. The recent spate of decisions, which knock down affirmative action at elite colleges (for racial reasons...legacy families and big donors are still allowed special treatment), knock down Biden's student debt forgiveness plan, and allow discrimination against LGBT+ people, are a huge and disappointing setback.
These decisions are not going to be popular. Biden and the Democrats have the majority of this country's support on these and many other issues. For example:
So this is where we come in.
As Howard Zinn, the noted historian, wrote back in 2005, " It would be naïve to depend on the Supreme Court to defend the rights of poor people, women, people of color, dissenters of all kinds. Those rights only come alive when citizens organize, protest, demonstrate, strike, boycott, rebel, and violate the law in order to uphold justice."
Our job is to register more voters, get more voters to the polls, make sure more votes are counted, and do everything we can to ensure that the the will of the people is reflected in our politics.
Let's keep up the good work! |
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TO DO
Ohio Republicans have called an election for August 8, seeking to raise the threshold for passing citizen referenda from 50% to 60%. Their sole purpose is to undermine the will of the majority of Ohio citizens, who are planning referenda on abortion rights and partisan gerrymandering. Republicans are counting on low summer turnout. Let's prove them wrong by urging OH voters to Vote NO on August 8!
After OH, we'll turn our attention back to registering voters in Virginia. In the meantime, Support Sister District Project! This longtime I-RISE partner organization is doing incredible work building grassroots support for Democrats at every level of state government, and they are all in on Virginia. You can learn about their candidates here, and sign up to phone bank or sponsor a phone bank here! |
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TO READ
Here are some articles and a newsletter that may be of interest:
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TO CELEBRATE
Even with recent negative news, there have been positive developments for voting and reproductive rights, among other areas. Let's help keep it going!
Voting Rights Good News
- States throughout the country are protecting and even increasing voting rights.
- Colorado and Nevada passed laws improving ballot access for people living on Indigenous land and eligible incarcerated voters.
- Rhode Island now permits 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they'll be 18 by the time of the corresponding general election.
- The Washington Supreme Court upheld that state's Voting Rights Act.
- Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed 7 election bills passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
- A Pennsylvania court rejected Republican lawmakers' efforts to ban broad mail-in voting.
- An Iowa court approved providing election materials in languages other than English.
- The Supreme Court issued three decisions in June that help protect voting rights (surprisingly, given the propensity of this Court to take away so many rights). The Court concluded that Alabama and Louisiana must reassess congressional districts that diluted the votes of Blacks in those states. The Court also rejected the “independent state legislature” theory pushed by the NC legislature, which would have given state lawmakers nearly unchecked power over federal elections.
Reproductive Rights Good News
- Even conservative states, from Iowa to South Dakota to Wyoming, are blocking radical anti-abortion rulings and protecting bodily autonomy.
- The New York state legislature passed a bill that protects abortion providers against litigation from states with bans. It will be the first shield law to explicitly protect providers who openly talk about their intention to mail abortion medication to anti-abortion states.
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Please email us at indivisible.rise.newburyport@gmail.com if you have suggestions for future items to do, read or celebrate.
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