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Working for You

Democracy Can’t Wait

8/14/2021

From:

Rosa Colquitt, PhD, Vice Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon, Chair, DPO Black Caucus

Marcia Schneider, Vice Chair 1, Multnomah County Democrats

Save the Date  Aug 28th – March On For Voting Rights

More than 140 organizations from all over the country are coming together for March On For Voting Rights on August 28  to mark the historic anniversary of the March On Washington with a resounding call to eliminate the filibuster to pass voting rights protections.  Civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and Reverend Al Sharpton will lead marches in Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, and more than 40 other cities.  If you can’t be in DC – join us for an action party in Portland.

For the People Act Update – In the wee hours before adjourning Wednesday in the US Senate

We saw another step forward this week as Senators voted on party lines, 50 to 49, to discharge  S1 For The People Act from the Rules Committee, so it could come to the full Senate Floor for consideration.   All 50 Democrats voted Yes, and all Republicans voted no.

Further discussion of the For the People couldn’t happen though as, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) objected to its immediate consideration,  So, Leader Schumer has begun the process of scheduling it for procedural votes during the week of Sept. 13.  For the People Act is to be their first order of business when they return from recess.

After the discharge vote, Schumer also sought Wednesday to bring two additional voting-related bills to the Senate floor — DISCLOSE, a measure  that would require greater transparency from “dark money” groups that engage in political advocacy but do not have to reveal their donors, mAnd another bill that would outlaw partisan redistricting by mandating that states engage a nonpartisan commission to draw congressional lines.  Conducting votes on those bills would have required unanimous consent from all 100 senators, and Cruz objected to both.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/voting-rights-senate-adjourns/2021/08/11/f2e19620-fa3c-11eb-9c0e-97e29906a970_story.html

From now til Sept, The Senate is in recess- Some Senators still believe they can bring on 10 Rs for voting rights. OR’s Sen Merkely is working closely with Sen Manchin and others on the specifics of the bill we’ll see in September.

What we can do; now to move For The People forward?

Help ensure  1000s of calls from their voters going into the Senators offices every day  Voting will be scheduled for the week of Sept 13 –  and is not likely to have 60 votes,  Senators will need to do something about filibuster   ( behind closed doors)mWe need to make sure every Democratic senator feels an intense sense of urgency. This is not just another  “a piece of legislation”  – We are protecting our democracy

Get Started !  Here’s links for phone banking, texting voters in key states: 

Common Cause phone banking to key state’s voters  https://www.mobilize.us/commoncause/event/376178/

Center for Common Ground phone banking to AZ voters  https://www.mobilize.us/cfcg-rov/event/384225/

Fair Fight Action – training to textbank https://www.mobilize.us/fairfight/event/380601/   

Gather your friends together and host a call party- keep building the momentum

Thank you AG Ellen Rosenblum for your inspiring comments and this wonderful resource. The States United Democracy Center is a nonpartisan organization advancing free, fair, and secure elections. We focus on connecting state officials, law enforcement leaders, and pro-democracy partners across America with the tools and expertise they need to safeguard our democracy. We are more than a think tank—we are an action tank. And together, we are committed to making sure every vote is counted, every voice is heard, and every election is safe. https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/

With in-depth Resources including Democracy Crisis in the Making: How State Legislatures are Politicizing, Criminalizing, and Interfering with Elections; and How H.R.1 & S.1 would affect voting in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota,  Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/resources/

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Redistricting in Oregon – Census Data Released on August 12

Check this site for dates and locations of the tour of the Redistricting Committee  –  so far planned:  9/8 Bend,   9/9 Eugene, 9/10 Oregon City. 9/11 Beaverton, 9/20 to 23 is the Special Session  with decisions due 9/27

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan – People’s Commission on Legislative Redistricting

What’s entailed and how to apply:  https://sos.oregon.gov/Pages/redistricting.aspx

1 Comment

  1. Randy Knop
    August 15, 2021 @ 1:57 pm

    Excellent opportunity to be involved in Our Democratic Process for Free Elections…

    Reply

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