95 weeks to the presidential election
The AoC Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and decency. We are a big tent for all people who want a kinder, flourishing nation.
If you only have 10 minutes, take our top three suggested actions:
- Urge Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and the FBI to investigate voting machine breaches.
- Write (or sign) our letters of gratitude to courageous leadership.
- Peruse our list of Good News for democracy and equality.
In this edition of the AoC Checklist:
- Senate/House actions: What we’re contacting our senators and House reps about.
- Action 1: Urge federal investigators to pursue a voting machine software breach.
- Say Thanks: Acts of Gratitude
- Check out Good News from around the nation
- How you can support and share the AoC Checklist
Contact your senators and House representative
Check the box if you made contact–whether for one issue or all–so we can count your action.
Look up your senators and House representative here.
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Your script: Hi, I’m from [ZIP] calling/writing about several issues. I’d like Sen./Rep. [NAME] to:
- Reform the Insurrection Act to prevent presidential abuse of its power while preserving its flexibility for potential future crises. [Source: Brennan Center]
- Establish nationwide standards for how states process and count mail ballots, to avoid delays and inconsistencies in the availability of election results. [Source: Brennan Center]
I value democracy
With respect and collaboration, we work to create a nation that welcomes all people, expands freedoms, and upholds the Constitution. Each citizen must be able to freely and fairly elect those who represent their values.
Action 1: Urge federal investigators to pursue a voting machine software breach.
Source: Free Speech for People
Election security advocates, former election officials, and computer scientists recently sent a letter to the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and the FBI, asking for a full investigation of a deliberate breach of election software from Michigan, Georgia, and Nevada.
Add your name: To our letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI director Christopher Wray, and CISA director Jen Easterly, urging a full investigation of the breach and a comprehensive assessment of the risks posed by the breach for future elections.
Acts of Gratitude
We believe in gratitude as a tool for change. We will print a letter of thanks from Americans of Conscience with your signature and mail it to the recipient. Your information will be removed from this website no later than four weeks after the Checklist’s publication date.
Thank Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D–CA) for her efforts toward farm workers’ rights, food security for children, and other achievements furthering equality and democracy during her tenure as Speaker of the House.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 90 7th St. Suite 2-800, San Francisco, CA 94103
Thank Richmond, VA’s Public Schools board for officially respecting and upholding the rights of transgender students to be themselves at school.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: c/o Clerk of the School Board, 301 N. Ninth Street, 17th Floor Richmond, VA 23219
Good News
If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
Progress on issues previously featured in the Checklist
- Arlington, VA’s sheriff ends the department’s voluntary cooperation with ICE.
- People from Yemen residing in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status can remain here without threat of deportation through September 2024.
- Medicaid provisions in the recently passed federal spending bill include requiring states to provide 12 months of continuous Medicaid eligibility for children and a permanent option for states to provide 12 months of postpartum coverage.
- The Electoral Count Reform Act is signed into law, making it clear that the vice president has no power to reject electoral votes from the states.
National
- The recently passed omnibus funding package includes:
- Relief funding to assist communities recovering from natural disasters.
- Investments in healthcare and medical research.
- An increase in SNAP funding and other nutrition programs.
- Increased funding for housing programs for elderly and disabled people.
- An increase in maximum Pell Grant awards.
- Aid to Ukraine in their fight against the Russian president’s invasion.
- Congress passes and the president signs the Respect for Marriage Act, a step toward marriage equality for all which ensures that all states must legally recognize same-sex and interracial marriages.
- Judge Dana Douglas is confirmed by the Senate to serve on the 5th Circuit, becoming the first woman of color to serve on the circuit that has the largest percentage of residents of color.
- DOT fines airlines for not providing refunds for November travelers facing delays or cancellations.
- More wetlands, lakes, and rivers will qualify as federally protected under a new EPA rule.
- The National Weather Service implements Spanish versions of all urgent weather alert Tweets for southern New England, while also working with Deaf and hard of hearing communities to be more inclusive.
- The late civil rights activist Congressman John Lewis will be honored on a new postage stamp in 2024.
- The Biden Administration offers households four additional free covid tests and extends expiration dates on previously issued tests.
- Due to an FDA decision, local drugstores and pharmacy chains may begin dispensing Mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in medication abortions.
- Additional national parks provide access to all-terrain wheelchairs.
- President Biden issues full pardons to six individuals at the end of 2022.
- The White House’s 2022 holiday display features a Hanukkah menorah for the first time.
- The House committee investigating the January 2021 insurrection at the Capitol releases its final report to the public.
State
- CO voters approve a ballot measure to provide free meals for all public school students.
- CO: Baseless accusations of election interference against election officials will not be taken up by the District Attorney.
- FL: Maxwell Frost becomes the first Generation Z candidate to win a seat in Congress.
- IO: Court blocks an effort to ban most abortions in the state.
- MI: Allie Greenleaf Maldonado (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians) is appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals, becoming the first Native person to serve there.
- NE: The state’s election and voting processes are “reliable and accurate” according to a recent audit.
- NY: Gov. Kathy Hochul signs salary transparency legislation into law, with the goal of accelerating economic equity for women and marginalized groups.
- NY: An additional 1,900 workers will receive payments from the Excluded Workers Fund, set up to to assist workers who were not included in financial assistance during the pandemic.
- OK: The state’s accurate election results and reliable election processes are confirmed by a recent audit.
- VA: Students with disabilities in public schools win in a legal dispute, affirming their right to protection from COVID-19 via required masking by school staff and classmates.
- State minimum wage is set to increase in 27 states during 2023.
Local
- A statue honoring John Lewis will be placed in Decatur, GA where a Confederate monument once stood.
- Jaylen Smith is elected mayor of Earle, AK, becoming the youngest Black mayor in the U.S.
- Washington D.C. makes public buses free permanently.
- To address climate change, the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio gets residents to waste less food, diverting 51% of its waste from landfills into recycling and composting.
- Voters in cities across the U.S. approve ballot measures capping rent increases.
Corporate/business
- Forbes compiles a collection of aspiring Americans’ achievements from 2022.
- Food Network offers its first Kwanzaa cooking show, featuring culinary scholar Tonya Hopkins.
- Vogue and YouTube Originals explore the legacy of Black models in a six-part documentary.
- ESPN airs a commercial paralleling the biblical story of Jesus’s family and modern-day people seeking refuge.
Groups and organizations
- Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom introduces a ballot exploration committee with the goal of securing explicit abortion rights and access in the OH state constitution.
- SisterSong’s executive director Monica Simpson is chosen as one of the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.
News with heart
- 1,478 new Americans from 114 countries attend their naturalization ceremonies.
- Librarians do dance routines to engage teen readers and shore up reading skills lost during the COVID-19 lockdown.
- The rate of murder in the U.S. decreased by 5% in 2022.
- Claudine Gay is named the 30th president of Harvard University, becoming the university’s first Black president.
- Angela Alvarez, 95, wins the Latin Grammy for best new artist.
- Teacher Jeff Foster organizes trips to the polls for first-time voters.
- A TX-based Santa and Deaf and hard of hearing kids communicate with each other using ASL.
- Rentable potted Christmas trees provide a greener alternative to fake and fresh-cut trees.
- AoCC’s own Julie M. wins the Writer’s Digest eBook contest in the YA fantasy category with her novel Elena the Brave!
Need inspiration?
- Read this week’s inspiring message from Jen: What we need to succeed in 2023
- What we’re hopeful for in 2023
- A mindset reset after Midterms
Support the Checklist
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