03.28 For The People Act
H.R.1 For the People Act, Triple Jeopardy, and support for cannabis bill MRTA
We’ve GOT to talk about voting accessibility and voter suppression. This week, GA governor, Brain Kemp, kept Jim Crow laws alive and signed Senate Bill 202, with new restrictions to absentee voting, a slew of other attacks on accessibility, and it’s now ILLEGAL to give someone food or water who is waiting in line to vote! This also changes how the Board of Elections chair is chosen, giving the GA Republican majority more power over elections and creating the possibility that 11.7k ballots could be “found“. If this attack on democracy wasn’t bad enough, GA police arrested State Rep. Park Cannon, a Black woman legislator, simply for trying to witness the bill signing. GA is not the only state attacking the right to vote, but they are by far the most extreme.
NYC has its own vote suppression problems, which we witnessed last year in the hours-long lines and invalidated absentee ballots. However, our state legislators are trying their best to make things better. Did you know a law was passed in 2019 that required the NY Board of Elections to create an online voter registration system by this coming April 12th? Upwards of $16 million was earmarked for the project, but frozen during the COVID-crisis, then unfrozen, but nothing has moved forward. The Board of Elections, Campaign Finance Board, and Gov Cuomo are playing the blame game as to why the system has not yet been implemented.
But there’s hope! The House passed the For the People Act, a comprehensive voting rights package that would totally reverse the anti-democratic laws in GA, keep other states from trampling voter rights, and fix many of NY’s persistent election problems. Now it’s up to the Senate to act, but the filibuster, Republicans, and, inexcusably, a couple of Dems, are standing in the way of a functioning democracy. More below.
ON THE RADAR
H.R.1/S.1 For the People Act is some MAJOR legislation that would undo the racist and undemocratic voter suppression legislation that just passed in GA and is spreading throughout the nation.
The bill has passed the House and is now in the Senate as S.1 For the People Act
The bill expands Americans' access to the ballot box, reduces the influence of big money in politics, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants with:
Online, automatic, and same-day voter registration; Nationwide early and mail-in voting; Govt promotion of voter registration; Registration of minors; Restoring of voter rights for the formerly incarcerated; Redistricting reform (ie Gerrymandering); Election security; Campaign finance reform; Campaign matching funds program for small donations; Require donors to PACs made public; Disclose source of political ads on social media; Require the president and VP to disclose 10 yrs of tax returns; prohibit members of Congress from using taxpayer $$ to settle sexual harassment or discrimination suits; and more. Read a rundown here and here!
ACTION: Text “HR1” to 50409 to Tell Our Elected Senators to Vote Yes on the For the People Act
The Filibuster is a procedure in the Senate used to block a vote, requiring a ⅗ majority (60 votes) to close and pass legislation. A racist Jim Crow relic, the filibuster has been used consistently by the Republicans to block everything from gun control and voting rights to healthcare and minimum wage increases. It needs to be abolished or reformed to save democracy. Yes, it is that dire.
Biden is in favor of going back to the “talking” filibuster, wherein a senator delays the vote by talking on the floor. But when they’re done talking, the vote can proceed and bills can be passed with a simple majority. This would do!
Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema both oppose filibuster reform and generally seem to be relishing their newfound power to obstruct progress. Can they be persuaded?
ACTION: Text “PBQZRC” to 50409 to Tell Our Elected Senators to Reform the Filibuster
Check-in with our Resistbot petitions by texting “Go SPV” to 50409!
READ: Legalization of Marijuana in NY is Close!
The bill text hasn’t been released, but state legislators and the Governor have reached a deal and it appears that the crucial social/cannabis justice elements of MRTA are included. We’ll keep you posted on IG for any updates.
CULTURAL WORK
Triple Jeopardy was the newspaper of Third World Women's Alliance, a revolutionary socialist organization active from 1968 to 1980, that argued women of color faced a "triple jeopardy" of race, gender, and class oppression. Founded in NYC by Black women and members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (the org led by MLK Jr that largely motivated the Civil Rights movement) in response to the misogyny within the anti-racist movement. TWWA’s founding was inspired by co-founder Fran Beal’s work, Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female. The group changed its name from Black Women’s Alliance to Third World Women’s Alliance after organizing with Asian, Chicana, Native American, and Puerto Rican women. Throughout the 70s TWWA spent energy on issues related to prisons, publicizing the cases of political prisoners as well as sending the incarcerated issues of Triple Jeopardy and other reading materials.
Echoing other activist groups with iconic publications:
The Black Panther by the Black Panther Party was a visual masterpiece brought to life by graphic designer Emory Douglas and edited by poet Judy Juanita. At its peak, 1969-1972, it sold over 100,000 copies across the nation a week.
Pa’Lante by the Young Lords was the “Latin Revolutionary News Service,” was one of many publications by this multi-city organization inspired by the BPP and included history lessons, local actions, and feminist manifestos.
Estamos Bien—La Trienal 20/21 El Museo’s first survey of Latinx art across the United States and Puerto Rico.
@StillHereStillLife Weekly prompts followed by illustrations submitted by followers. Cute! That’s it. That’s the post.
SOFT POWER VOTE
05.28 Last Day to Postmark Voter Registration/Last Day To Register In-Person
06.02 Last Day for BOE to Receive Voter Registration Through Mail
06.02 Last Day for BOE to Receive Change of Address
06.15 Last Day to Apply for Absentee/Mail-in Ballot
06.21 Last Day to Apply In-Person for Absentee/Mail-in Ballot
06.22 Last Day to Postmark/Deliver to BOE Absentee/Mail-in Ballot
06.12 - 06.20 Early Voting for Primary
06.22 Primary Election Day
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