We can’t do anything about Afghanistan, but we can do something to protect our democracy.
Right now. Today.
Call the number below. They even tell us what we need to say, so this is not even complicated.
Please make the call, and then tell us about your call in the comments. If you call and write a comment, you won’t just have made one call – you can inspire someone else to call.
We need you to call your U.S. Representative at 833-465-7142 and demand that they pass HR4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act—immediately.
This same information is available at any time – look for the red alert button and the link right below it. It’s top right on computers and tablets, and it’s below the comments on mobile, along with everything else that’s in the sidebar on computers.
Request from Fair Fight for everyone to call their U.S. Representative (sent out yesterday)
Today was a historic day for voting rights, as Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell officially introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (HR4) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is landmark legislation, befitting its name and the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, that would implement historic and urgently needed protections of the freedom to vote.
Here’s the deal: We need both the For the People Act AND the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in order to fight back against the slate of anti-voter bills passed in state legislatures and to protect voters from future attacks on their freedom to vote.
With redistricting around the corner, it’s imperative that the House pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act when they come back into session on the 23rd, so that the Senate is able to vote on both the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act as soon as they return from recess.
We need you to call your U.S. Representative at 833-465-7142 and demand that they pass HR4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act—immediately.
Below are some key points to emphasize when calling your Representatives about the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
What to Say To Your Representatives
Our democracy is in crisis. It is essential that both the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act become law before state legislatures and commissions formally approve new redistricting maps. We need urgent federal action to secure fair districts, protect voters from partisan gerrymandering, and ensure their voices are heard. I’m counting on you to pass HR4 as soon as you return to DC.
Want some more information? Feel free to share the following with your Representatives:
Americans across party lines support common sense national standards to protect the freedom to vote, and ensure all eligible voters are able to make their voices heard.
The House must take immediate action to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in order to protect voters from future attacks on their freedom to vote and ensure fair districts.
Together, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act are key tools in protecting the freedom to vote across the country—and particularly for protecting people of color from voter suppression.
Thank you for your support and activism,
Team Fair Fight Action
dnfree
I just saw this at electoral-vote. They’ve become a daily read for me, with a combination of knowledge, insight, and snark.
———————
And So It Begins
This news largely flew under the radar, because it is wonky and bureaucratic. That’s by design; as Georgia Republicans don’t want anyone to pay attention to their endgame until it’s a fait accompli. Anyhow, taking advantage of the brand-new election laws they just passed, the state legislature has taken the first step toward seizing control of elections in Fulton County. They have asked for the Georgia State Board of Elections to convene a review board to examine what happened in Fulton in 2020, and the Board of Elections has already agreed. This launches a complicated series of steps that could lead to the removal of the folks who currently oversee elections in Fulton, to be replaced by a single person appointed by the State Board. The State Board has a 3-1 Republican majority, and the person would almost certainly remain in control through next year’s elections.
Fulton was an obvious target for the first test ride of the new laws. It really has had some high-profile ballot screw-ups, and that gives plenty of cover for an investigation. At the same time, the county is also overwhelmingly Democratic and heavily Black, and so is a profitable place to engage in chicanery, whether that is reducing the number of polling places, or reducing voting hours, or rejecting lots of ballots on technicalities, or having intimidating police officers around to “protect” voters, or whatever.
This story is just beginning, not only because the process set up by Georgia is slow and complicated (so as to give them plenty of legal cover), but also because the lawsuits will soon start dropping. Still, it’s going to be a very important story to keep an eye on. (Z)
WaterGirl
When you call, you will need to know the name of your U.S. Representative. I drew a blank for a second (blissfully putting the name Rodney Davis out of my head) and they asked for my zip code. Then I got disconnected.
I called back and gave them the name and was connected.
The lame person who answered the phone took my information, as if she was running out of gas. Speaking slowly, very quietly. I asked about Rep. Davis position on the Voting Rights bill, and she said, “I don’t really know, off the top of my head.”
Wow. I asked her if she could find out from someone. She went away and came back and she told me that no one else was there. “I’m just an intern.”, she said. I politely suggested that if she is going to be the face of the office, answering the phone, that it would be helpful if she knew what the Representatives positions are on key pieces of legislation.
Rodney Davis is just awful, and I envy those of you who are represented by someone who isn’t an evil hack.
Ohio Mom
In my experience, the interns answering the phone always play dumb.
When I have the energy and good enough spirits I tell them they sound like a nice young person, how patriotic to be working for a Congressperson, and as an oldster, I feel it my duty to educate young people. Then I give a short lecture, interspersed with questions (as teachers are won’t to do), e.g., Do you know what “consent of the governed means?” “How can we have consent of the governed without free and fair elections?”
I can usually hear them squirming, wondering how can I get this crank off
the phone?
Does this do any good? Research shows most learners have to hear information several times before it is assimilated.
Gin & Tonic
My Rep tweeted yesterday that he is supporting H.R. 4.
WaterGirl
@Ohio Mom: I will try your strategy next time!
WereBear
Just did it. Even though it was Elise Stefanik (metaphorically spitting on the ground) but I called the most local office to me and got an actual person!
Honestagawd, this is a FIRST. I was very polite :)
WaterGirl
@Gin & Tonic: You could call anyway and thank him. Then he can report 5x more calls FOR the voting rights act than against it.
(Totally made up statistic as an example.)
WaterGirl
@WereBear: yay!
Gin & Tonic
@WaterGirl: 83.1% of all statistics you read on the Internet are made up.
WaterGirl
If we can raise $25,000, surely we can make at least 250 calls. Right?
WaterGirl
This is apparently a Fair Fight – Stand Up America effort.
Does anyone know more about Stand Up America?
Almost Retired
Although Ted Lieu is totally solid, I like to call with a few “attaboys” every now and then. And so I did.
WaterGirl
@Almost Retired: Thank you!
mali muso
Called Jennifer Wexton’s local office (VA-10) and got a hearty “absolutely!” in response to my request that she support HR4. She’s been such a great representative. Hope she doesn’t get redistricted out!
sab
@Almost Retired: Connie Schultz has written that they like attaboys. Cheers up the staff and lets the politician know that somebody cares and is noticing.
Woodrow/asim
As one of those interns (aka pages) who worked a Senate Office decades ago, this isn’t shocking. I don’t believe the selection/engagement process has changed too drastically since I worked it in High School, and thus the reality is that a significant set of these kids honestly have a limited view on politics or what the person they work for, is promoting in any real detail.
This is not 100% true by any means [ETA: there are tons of pages/interns and certainly staff who care, to be really clear], but the goal of that role (from the office’s POV) is to put a butt in the seat to cover the role, not to actually have someone who can engage or discuss with constituents in any detail what that legislator is doing/planning to do.
It’s…not healthy, on many levels, but understanding that may help you all in these kinds of engagements, going forward.
(This, incidentally, is part of why I prioritize faxing over calling.)
WaterGirl
@mali muso: Thank you for calling!
Geminid
@mali muso: Demographic change and political shifts make it unlikely that Wexton will be hurt by redistricting. The VA 10th District has the fastest population growth of any. It will have to contract geographically, and the more Republican exurban areas on its west and south sides should end up in the 5th or 6th districts.
mali muso
@Geminid: Yeah, well since I’m in the more Republican part of the squiggly district map, I’m afraid I’m gonna lose her and get stuck in another district. :(
H.E.Wolf
Called my US Rep. I always thank the interns for their service. It surprises the heck out of them. :)
For those who prefer faxing, Fax Zero (thank you, BJ commenter who recommended this a few years ago!) is useful. Here is their list of US Reps, sorted by state:
https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php
Geminid
@mali muso: Bummer! I hope you don’t end up in the 5th. The Congressman here is worse than Boebert, just sneakier. He only won by 5 points, though, so Democratz are going to try to make him a one-termer. A more neutrally drawn district could help. If the commission goes big, though, it will consolidate the 5th and 6th’s northern and southern halves. I’m not sure how this would work out electorally, exept that Congressman no-Good would end up in the new southern district.
Madeleine
I called Rep. Bowman’s office and left a message. I told him that I was supposed to demand that he vote for HR 4, but that I know he will so I thanked him for doing so.
Joy in FL
I saw the email yesterday from Fair Fight, so I call my GOP FL district 12 representative last night at the Washington, DC number and left a message.
I just called his local office and spoke with a staffer. I asked him to vote for the bill and I spoke about how certain people (his party) tried to cheat in the 2012 and 2014 elections through gerrymandered districts. (I’m sure there is a lot more to that cheating, but I don’t know enough to say much, and I wanted to be brief.) I stated the HR4 would help prevent that form of cheating or help remedy it if it was already going on. I also said it would help protect the freedom to vote, which is how and why we have a democracy.
Joy in FL
I missed the window to edit my comment at #23, so I’m making a separate comment.
I read about the amendment Fair Districts, which passed into the Florida constitution in 2010, and the action by the court in this August 11, 2021 article in the Tampa Bay Times.
WereBear
@H.E.Wolf: might have been me! You are welcome.
JAFD
Called Rep. Albro Sires’ office – had number on my phone, one of his staff helped with Social Sec mixup, couple of years back. Young lady answered (get to be 71, you’ll find the world is full of young people), told her I was one of the Rep’s constituents, repeated ‘pitch’ from above, thanked her.
Note that Newark’s currently split between Rep. Payne’s district – which comprised ‘Black Newark’, as of 10 years ago – and Rep. Sires’ district – ‘Latin, white, etc, Newark’ – except for ten square blocks of the Ironbound where Payne’s district hops over US 1. Fellow students of political geography may find this interesting.
Chris Sherbak
My Rep is one of the 190+ co sponsors. Check for yours and be sure to thank them on social media. Link to info/list: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22hr4%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=4
The Very Reverend Crimson Fire of Compassion
Done. My rep. is the simpering, piously racist Nazi Jason Smith, but I made the call anyway. The person answering the phone was at least polite and minimally competent.
mac8
I called and had to talk to an actual person. Stumbled over the words (especially once she asked me to spell my name and said “oh, here you are” and my mind went right to “oh dear god what notes do you people have on me”) but got the message across. No idea if my republican rep (Anthony Gonzalez) would cross over or not, but there’s at least a chance, I think.