Thursday, June 18, 2020

ACTION: OUR RIGHT TO VOTE

ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS

SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
COVID-19, police brutality, voter suppression, and the underlying systemic racism that produces them disproportionately harm Black communities. To enact change, we must have secure, safe, and equal access to our fundamental right to vote. I call on you to insist Senate GOP leadership brings the HEROES Act and the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 to the floor of the Senate for passage immediately. 

ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS

Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here. 

SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
For Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, and Schrader: 
COVID-19, police brutality, voter suppression, and underlying systemic racism disproportionately harm Black communities. To enact change, we must have secure, safe, and equal access to our fundamental right to vote. I call on you to insist your colleagues in the Senate bring the HEROES Act and the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 to the floor of the Senate for passage immediately. 
For Walden: 
COVID-19, police brutality, voter suppression, and the underlying systemic racism that produces them disproportionately harm Black communities. To enact change, we must have secure, safe, and equal access to our fundamental right to vote. This is not a partisan issue; it is a humanitarian crisis. I call on you to insist your colleagues in the Senate bring the HEROES Act and the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 to the floor of the Senate for passage immediately. 

ACTION THREE:

Indivisible Oregon is hosting virtual letter writing parties every Saturday and the 4th Tuesday of every month. Sign up at https://swingleft.org/group/indivisible-oregon 
Or write letters to voters from home whenever its convenient for you. Register with Vote Forward to get started at votefwd.org 
Or host your own virtual letter-writing party! Get started here: http://swingleft.org/p/virtual-letter-writing-party 

BACKGROUND:

Voter suppression, police brutality, inequities in criminal justice, and COVID-19’s impact are manifestations of systemic racism that disproportionately affect Black communities. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 reversed Jim Crow laws that blocked Blacks from voting, but gerrymandering and voter identification laws following the 2010 election created new obstacles. Required identification is often difficult to obtain, and the expense is a virtual poll tax. Despite sustained evidence of this and other racist voter suppression tactics, SCOTUS gutted the VRA’s protections in 2013.  
The 2020 WI and GA primaries demonstrated how unequal resources and closed polling places in predominately Black, urban precincts make voting difficult and exacerbate the pandemic’s danger. Purging voter rolls, disseminating misinformation, and threats are also aimed primarily at Black voters, although as with gerrymandering other Democratic constituencies are targeted. 
The HEROES Act fully funds Vote-By-Mail and the post office essential to it. Last December, the House passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019. McConnell refuses to move either forward, knowing he and his party will lose unless they suppress our votes. Yet to create the changes necessary to make Black lives truly matter, we must ensure everyone can vote safely and securely. 

SOURCES: