Hi, all, and happy Friday! Thanks, as always, for your many kind comments—both public and private—in response to yesterday’s post. I truly believe I have the best subscribers in the world. Speaking of which, as soon as I publish this newsletter I’ll open up my weekly thread for paid subscribers. Last week’s discussion yielded several excellent show recommendations, as well as some great book titles to check out. We had conversations on a wide and varying range of subjects, in fact. It was great. I really enjoy these Friday “hangs,” and hope my supporters do, as well. It’s the least I can do to thank you for helping me to keep the lights on, so to speak.
Frankly, I had been wondering when Sinema would show up on the national stage. Manchin has been getting all the buzz as the "spoiler" senator, thwarted by Warnock's win on Tuesday. She is an oddball who craves attention. Now she has it, but I predict her center-stage turn will be brief and not give her what she ultimately wants: power and relevance. The voters of Arizona won't put up with her silly behavior, i wager.
Hi Jessica! I'm on your "Adopt Ohio" list (thank you for that!) and I just opened your message with the mobilize link from the Ohio Dems. I thought I'd pass along some additional information about other related activities. First, members of a 165+ coalition of Ohio organizations are planning a big rally in Columbus, OH on Tues, Dec. 13. It's open to organizations and individuals alike and there will be a press conference and an opportunity for folks to go the Ohio House afterwards. I believe the focus will be on HJR6, a bill that would dramatically change the process for citizen-led ballot measures, weakening Ohio voters’ power at the polls. HJR6 is part of an effort by the Ohio Republican supermajority (thanks to gerrymandering) to undermine the will of the people in any way they can. Here's a link to the Dec 13 event: https://actionnetwork.org/events/stop-the-power-grab-no-on-hjr6, and here are call to action items from the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition for HJR6 and two other anti-democratic bills that the Ohio supermajority is rushing through the lame duck session - Sub. HB 458: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/no-on-hb-458-stop-strict-photo-id/, HJR6: https://act.commoncause.org/letters/tell-your-lawmakers-that-you-oppose-any-attack-on-direct-democracy, Sub. H.B. 294: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-sub-hb-294-voting-restrictions. Please feel free to add any of this information to your Adopt Ohio master document if you think it would be helpful to the Ohioans who subscribe to that list. Thanks so much!! I am in awe of all that you do and I am very grateful for the encouraging words that you share each day. All the best to you and your family this holiday season and always.
Thank you for your CALL to ACTION on voting rights. H.R. 5746 is a federal uniform set of laws to ensure inter alia:
● uniform laws setting times, places and manner of voting:
● paper ballots for all voters to ensure post-election audits and accuracy;
● preventing the horrific 3 hours in line to vote in Georgia just on Friday by reducing to a maximum of 30 minutes the waiting time in line to vote, early voting, no excuse vote by mail,
● franking of the vote-by-mail envelope,
● adequate funding to the States to implement the mandates of H.R. 5746,
● a national holiday for election day,
● nonpartisan independent redistricting commissions in every state,
● no foreign money in our elections through clean money provisions,
● the Native American Voting Rights Act and reinstating the preclearance provisions of the John R Lewis Act with defined standards thus ending the impacts of Shelby, Rucho, NEOCH and Brnovich.
In this October 2022 Term the US Supreme Court has taken up 2 significant voting rights cases which likely will further result in its evisceration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ("VRA") and grant even more power to state legislatures.
Moore v Harper : By June 2023 SCOTUS is likely to grant North Carolina’s state legislature (and other states) power under Article 1.4 to determine times place and manners of elections even if held unconstitutional under the terms of North Carolina’s State Constitution, making state legislatures superior to the oversight of their State Supreme Courts.
Merrill v Mulligan : The Court is likely to support Alabama’s position that racial consideration in redistricting is impermissible, notwithstanding that eliminating the impact of racial segregation is an underlying purpose of the VRA. Keep in mind that the Roberts’ Court had no problem finding political gerrymandering by state legislatures to be constitutional in Rucho because it is not up to the Supreme Court to question the political decisions of an equal branch of government.
H.R. 5746 will not be re-enacted by the new House of Representatives on January 2023.
To protect the right to vote it is imperative to end the filibuster of H.R. 5746 this week: debate and vote on the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Call USSenators : Federal election code means my zip code won’t determine IF, when how or where I vote. pass hr5746 this week. No filibuster. Each Senator 1 Vote
Frankly, I had been wondering when Sinema would show up on the national stage. Manchin has been getting all the buzz as the "spoiler" senator, thwarted by Warnock's win on Tuesday. She is an oddball who craves attention. Now she has it, but I predict her center-stage turn will be brief and not give her what she ultimately wants: power and relevance. The voters of Arizona won't put up with her silly behavior, i wager.
You might suggest that for those of us that eschew the TwitMusk we can use the suggestions likewise on Mastodon.
LOVE your comments about Sinema and could not agree more ❤️
Should there be a ResistBot petition for Freedom to Vote John R. Lewis Act?
Hi Jessica! I'm on your "Adopt Ohio" list (thank you for that!) and I just opened your message with the mobilize link from the Ohio Dems. I thought I'd pass along some additional information about other related activities. First, members of a 165+ coalition of Ohio organizations are planning a big rally in Columbus, OH on Tues, Dec. 13. It's open to organizations and individuals alike and there will be a press conference and an opportunity for folks to go the Ohio House afterwards. I believe the focus will be on HJR6, a bill that would dramatically change the process for citizen-led ballot measures, weakening Ohio voters’ power at the polls. HJR6 is part of an effort by the Ohio Republican supermajority (thanks to gerrymandering) to undermine the will of the people in any way they can. Here's a link to the Dec 13 event: https://actionnetwork.org/events/stop-the-power-grab-no-on-hjr6, and here are call to action items from the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition for HJR6 and two other anti-democratic bills that the Ohio supermajority is rushing through the lame duck session - Sub. HB 458: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/no-on-hb-458-stop-strict-photo-id/, HJR6: https://act.commoncause.org/letters/tell-your-lawmakers-that-you-oppose-any-attack-on-direct-democracy, Sub. H.B. 294: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/oppose-sub-hb-294-voting-restrictions. Please feel free to add any of this information to your Adopt Ohio master document if you think it would be helpful to the Ohioans who subscribe to that list. Thanks so much!! I am in awe of all that you do and I am very grateful for the encouraging words that you share each day. All the best to you and your family this holiday season and always.
Thank you for your CALL to ACTION on voting rights. H.R. 5746 is a federal uniform set of laws to ensure inter alia:
● uniform laws setting times, places and manner of voting:
● paper ballots for all voters to ensure post-election audits and accuracy;
● preventing the horrific 3 hours in line to vote in Georgia just on Friday by reducing to a maximum of 30 minutes the waiting time in line to vote, early voting, no excuse vote by mail,
● franking of the vote-by-mail envelope,
● adequate funding to the States to implement the mandates of H.R. 5746,
● a national holiday for election day,
● nonpartisan independent redistricting commissions in every state,
● no foreign money in our elections through clean money provisions,
● the Native American Voting Rights Act and reinstating the preclearance provisions of the John R Lewis Act with defined standards thus ending the impacts of Shelby, Rucho, NEOCH and Brnovich.
In this October 2022 Term the US Supreme Court has taken up 2 significant voting rights cases which likely will further result in its evisceration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ("VRA") and grant even more power to state legislatures.
Moore v Harper : By June 2023 SCOTUS is likely to grant North Carolina’s state legislature (and other states) power under Article 1.4 to determine times place and manners of elections even if held unconstitutional under the terms of North Carolina’s State Constitution, making state legislatures superior to the oversight of their State Supreme Courts.
Merrill v Mulligan : The Court is likely to support Alabama’s position that racial consideration in redistricting is impermissible, notwithstanding that eliminating the impact of racial segregation is an underlying purpose of the VRA. Keep in mind that the Roberts’ Court had no problem finding political gerrymandering by state legislatures to be constitutional in Rucho because it is not up to the Supreme Court to question the political decisions of an equal branch of government.
H.R. 5746 will not be re-enacted by the new House of Representatives on January 2023.
To protect the right to vote it is imperative to end the filibuster of H.R. 5746 this week: debate and vote on the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Alice Schaffer Smith
Executive Director
National Voter Corps
www.nationalvotercorps.org
Call USSenators : Federal election code means my zip code won’t determine IF, when how or where I vote. pass hr5746 this week. No filibuster. Each Senator 1 Vote