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.
This Week’s Actions
Last minute addition:
Support organizations helping Californians recover from devastating fires.
Action 1: Prevent suppression of new voter registrations.
Source: The Civics Center
Thank you to the 299 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m one of your constituents in [ZIP] reaching out to ask you to oppose H.R. 22, the SAVE Act, which would force voters to prove their citizenship when registering. Almost 10 percent of American citizens lack the required documentation, and getting a passport or certified birth certificate is expensive and time-consuming. I hope I can count on your “no” vote on HR 22. Thank you.
Action 2: Help Americans get the ID they need to vote.
Source: Spread the Vote
Thank you to the 100 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Requiring voter ID is a discriminatory barrier to voting. According to the Brennan Center, over 21 million U.S. citizens do not have qualifying government-issued photo identification. Voters of color and women with name changes are particularly impacted. Even when IDs are free, the documents needed to request one are not. It costs about $36 to get an ID. Do you know who helps Americans obtain IDs? Our longtime allies at Spread the Vote and their Project ID!
Donate: Boost voter empowerment by giving to Project ID. And if you do, mention that you’re from AoCC!
Action 3: Urge preemptive protections for aspiring Americans.
Source: AILA
Thank you to the 203 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Write, call, or email your two senators and one House representative.
Script: I’m reaching out from [ZIP], asking [NAME] to urge President Biden to continue championing the rights of aspiring Americans during his final days in office. There’s still time to prepare for incoming policies that will harm individuals, communities, and our immigration system, and he must take every possible step to support aspiring Americans in our country. Please ask him to extend and redesignate TPS for countries with upcoming expirations and prioritize adjudications for targeted populations.
Alternate: Fill out the AILA form (you may be subscribed to email lists).
Action 4: Identify your elected officials.
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 414 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
With the swearing-in of the 119th Congress on January 3, 2025, you may now be represented by new senators and a new House representative. Even if they’re not a member of your party, they still have a responsibility to represent you.
Take action: Look up your elected representatives and keep their contact information handy for the new Congressional term.
Action 5: Strengthen checks and balances on presidential appointees.
Source: Brennan Center
Thank you to the 210 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m one of your constituents at [ZIP] asking you to introduce and support legislation to modernize the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. Closing loopholes in this law and enforcing the practice of Senate confirmation of acting department heads will preserve common-sense limits on presidential appointees. Thank you.
Action 6: Support older Americans struggling with student debt.
Source: The Leadership Conference
Thank you to the 37 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: President Biden. At the time of publishing, neither the White House comment line nor its online comment form were taking input. For this reason, we suggest using social media to comment or send a private message to the president. Facebook Instagram Threads
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [STATE] because I’m appalled that millions of Americans approaching retirement age are suffering under the crushing weight of student debt. Healthcare crises, systemic inequities, and predatory lending practices have caused the number of older debtors to skyrocket by over 500 percent over the last two decades. Time is running out—please act now to help working Americans by discharging student debt held by older borrowers.
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 Peter Welch (D–VT) for introducing a constitutional amendment to help restore Supreme Court impartiality by implementing reasonable term limits for new justices.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 124 Russell SOB, Washington, DC 20510
Thank you to the 289 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Good News
If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
- Congress passes and the president signs the Social Security Fairness Act, which eliminates a policy that previously barred retirees with public pensions–like teachers and firefighters–from collecting their full Social Security benefits.
- Congress passes and the president signs the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act, enabling communities to restore lands and improve water quality affected by mining without facing legal risk.
- Congress reauthorizes the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, a State Dept. office vital to resettling our Afghan allies.
- President Biden orders flags to be displayed at half-staff and appoints a National Day of Mourning in honor of former President Jimmy Carter following his passing.
- President Biden commutes almost all federal death row sentences to life in prison.
- President Biden prohibits future federal oil and gas leasing across large areas of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Northern Bering Sea.
- The Biden administration finalizes a rule preventing medical debt from being included on credit reports and banning lenders from counting certain medical information against borrowers.
- The Senate unanimously passes reauthorization of the Second Chance Act, which extends opportunities and support to formerly incarcerated people.
- A federal court strikes down a discriminatory rule banning people living with HIV from military service.
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sues Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and WellsFargo for allowing fraud to proliferate on the Zelle banking app.
- Melissa DuBose is sworn in as a U.S. District Court judge for the District of RI, becoming the first woman of color and first LGBTQ+ person to serve on the court.
- Sens. Joe Manchin (I–WV) and Peter Welch (D–VT) introduce a constitutional amendment that would establish term limits for new Supreme Court justices.
- The Immigrant Legal Resource Center offers a webinar on Jan. 15 to inform aspiring Americans, advocates, and allies about essential rights and protections under U.S. immigration law.
- Healthcare clinic Four Women Health Services files a lawsuit against an unlicensed local business posing as a reproductive health clinic to interfere with patients seeking abortions.
- The Western Mining Action Network and the Indigenous Environmental Network offer $4,000 grants to communities threatened or adversely affected by mining.
Need inspiration?
- Heart-Centered Activism: Read this week’s message from Jennifer Hofmann, AoCC’s Executive Director
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I looked up all the people representing me at the state and federal levels, with contact information, and discovered that Joyce Craig is the Governor of NH. Funny thing…not when I last looked… ‘don’t know that you can do anything but sigh…