“The right to vote is the most sacred and fundamental right we enjoy as American citizens and one that the foot soldiers fought, bled and died for in my hometown of Selma, Alabama. With the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, we’re standing up and fighting back. By preventing states with a recent history of voter discrimination from restricting the right to vote, this bill restores the full promise of our democracy and advances the legacy of those brave foot soldiers like John Lewis who dedicated their lives for the sacred right to vote.” – Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.)
This will be a weekend of marches. “The rallies come after a summer of protests calling for passage of the For the People Act, a sweeping elections and ethics bill that would set national standards for voting and override state-level restrictions, and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which aims to restore voting rights protections that have been curtailed by the Supreme Court.
Protesters have said that because it is unlikely enough Republicans will join Democrats in the Senate in passing voting rights legislation, they want to see the elimination of the filibuster — the 60-vote threshold that allows a united minority of 41 senators to block legislation from becoming law.”
We cannot continue to let Republicans hold our democracy hostage. We must eliminate the filibuster to save our democracy. Call your Senators and let them know you want them to eliminate the filibuster to pass the For the People Act and other progressive priorities. We don’t have time to waste.
Action #1: Call your senators to do their jobs to protect voting rights!
Minimal Script option #1: I’m calling from [zip code] and I’m very concerned about Senate Republicans’ use of the filibuster to block the S.1 – For the People Act AND H.R. 4 – the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act from passage. That’s why I’m asking Democrats to pass both these bills by whatever means necessary — including fixing the filibuster, even if just for voting rights, and ending recess early. We cannot let Republicans hold our democracy hostage.
Contact:
- Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
- and Senator Padilla: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
- Who is my representative/senator?: https://whoismyrepresentative.com
Action #2: Join in a local protest march.
Ventura is having a march at the Ventura County Government Center this Saturday at 10:00 am.
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/531695618042580/
“Since January, 48 states have introduced 389 bills that amount to shameful, outright voter suppression, and many have already become law. These laws suppress voting methods that enrich our democracy and lead to high turnout: banning ballot drop boxes and mail-in voting, reducing early voting days and hours, restricting who can get a mail-in ballot, prohibiting officials from promoting the use of of mail-in ballots even when voters qualify, even criminalizing the distribution of water to voters waiting in the long lines these laws create.
Racist, anti-democratic voter suppression laws amount to rigging the game. But in America, elections are not a game—and lives depend on their outcomes.
That’s why, on August 28, 2021, we’re marching on Washington, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Phoenix and cities across America. See the national event page here: https://marchonforvotingrights.org/
Join us at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Telephone Roads. Bring your signs and a friend! Please plan on wearing a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.”
If you can’t make it live: here’s some links to watch it online!
- National Stream: Starting at 11 am ET, March On for Voting Rights will host a national live stream which will be available on marchonforvotingrights.org, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
- D.C. Stream: The March On for Washington and Voting Rights live stream will be live starting at 9 am ET. The live stream will be available for viewing on the National Action Network website and the National Action Network Facebook page. Partners are encouraged to share the livestream once it’s live.
Action #3: Take every action you can to stop the CA recall.
If a Republican takes over as governor of California and something terrible happens to one of our senators…BOOM, our Senate Democratic majority would be gone. Getting legislation like S.1 and H.R. 4 passed could be gone for years. Find an action in our rolling calendar here. (tinyurl.com/Antiracist-events-Ventura) and join in. There’s something for everyone almost every day and lots of choices on weekends.
- Itching to get outside? There’s canvassing and literature drops.
- Got a working phone? There’s textbanking and phonebanking, all with lots of reassuring training for beginners.
Our action (tinyurl.com/CA-recall-Scam) has even more actions, including
- instructions on how to text messages to all your contacts.
- videos and messaging to share on your social media
- Calls and emails to make to your legislators to make recalls a lot harder in our state.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 