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
Action 1: Demand the permanent closure of Guantánamo Bay.
Source: The Center for Victims of Torture
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: President Biden via the White House contact form.
Script: Hello, I’m reaching out from [STATE] in opposition to the continued use of Guantánamo Bay. Since its opening in response to 9/11, the U.S. has imprisoned over 780 Muslim men and boys there, often without criminal charges, torturing many and violating their human rights. I join nearly 100 organizations in calling on President Biden to fulfill his promise to permanently close Guantánamo Bay and end indefinite military detention.
Action 2: Oppose restricting the constitutional right to asylum.
Source: Presente.Org
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your two senators (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] in strong opposition to the proposed sacrifice of asylum rights in exchange for supplemental aid to Ukraine. These policy changes would further separate families, endanger those seeking protection at the U.S.-Mexico border, and put our nation at risk of a humanitarian crisis. I’m calling on Sen. [NAME] to fully reject efforts to restrict asylum in the U.S. and to insist that the agreed upon budget include non-militarized aid funding to Ukraine.
Action 3: Restore voting rights to all Americans.
Source: The Sentencing Project
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Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m a resident of [ZIP] asking you to join the majority of Americans who support the Inclusive Democracy Act (S. 3423/H.R. 6643). Some laws disproportionately and intentionally suppress the votes of Black and Brown Americans with a felony conviction. I’m asking you to cosponsor and pass [S. 3423/H.R. 6643] which guarantees 4.6 million Americans citizens the right to vote in federal elections.
Note: This action is particularly important given that Black and Brown communities are more highly policed, incarcerated disproportionate to white citizens, and given harsher, longer sentences. Felony disenfranchisement (the strategic removal of the right to vote) is unjust. We support re-enfranchisement so that every citizen may vote and be represented, regardless of background.
Action 4: Inspire college students to register and vote in 2024.
Source: Center for Tech and Civic Life
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Contact: Your county or local election official (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m a resident of [ZIP] asking you to encourage college students to register and vote in the 2024 elections by submitting letters to the editors of student-run newspapers and websites. For example, the student newspaper at Truman State University published a letter to the editor submitted by county clerks in Missouri which provided practical information about voting. Please use your platform to connect with college students and help build a new generation of voters.
Action 5: Encourage Americans abroad to register and vote in 2024.
Source: US Vote Foundation
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Around 3 million eligible American voters live abroad, but they are far less likely to vote than those living in the U.S. The Federal Post Card Application combines voter registration and absentee ballot requests into one form—simply print, sign, and mail before your state’s deadline. For those living overseas, your voting residence is your most recent U.S. address.
Take action: If you are living abroad, fill in the Federal Post Card Application today to ensure you are prepared for the 2024 elections. If you know someone who is living abroad, send them this link!
Action 6: Oppose book bans and champion literary diversity.
Source: AoCC
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Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m reaching out from [ZIP] in support of the recently introduced Books Save Lives Act (H.R. 6830). This act will ensure public and school libraries maintain a diverse collection of books and employ at least one trained librarian, as well as classify discriminatory book bans as federal civil rights violations. I am asking [NAME] to cosponsor this bill and ensure access to diverse books.
Action 7: Advocate for housing access to reduce homelessness.
Source: AoCC
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] in support of accessible housing. Last year the U.S. saw the highest homelessness rates since 2007, with a disproportionate impact on Black households. I’m calling on [NAME] to enact the following proven strategies to house our neighbors:
- Make rental assistance available to all eligible households.
- Preserve and expand the supply of affordable homes to the lowest-income people.
- Maintain pandemic-era programs that prevented evictions and homelessness.
- Enact and enforce robust renter protections.
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. Ayanna Pressley (D–MA) for introducing the Books Save Lives Act, which would ensure students’ access to diverse reading materials and to librarians’ professional expertise.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 402 Cannon HOB, Washington, DC 20515
Thank Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA) for introducing a multi-pronged slate of pro-voter legislation.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 1406 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515
Thank Gov. Mike DeWine (R–OH) for taking the testimony of the transgender community to heart and vetoing a bill that would infringe on trans students’ rights.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: Riffe Center, 30th Floor, 77 South High St., Columbus, OH 43215
Good News
If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
- Sam Daley-Harris, an inspiring mentor for AoCC, has published a new book, Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy. Listen to his interview here.
- The Stillaguamish Tribe designs and constructs a wildlife overpass to allow elk and other species to safely cross a two-lane roadway.
- A discriminatory NDAA amendment that would have banned people from specific countries of origin from purchasing land fails in the Senate.
- The Biden administration’s Summer Electronic Benefits Program provides summer grocery money to the families of 21M kids who receive free or reduced lunches during the school year.
- People seeking refuge can choose to apply for U.S. asylum from offices in Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, thus avoiding the physical dangers of the journey to the U.S.-Mexico border.
- SCOTUS declines to overturn an EPA decision preventing a proposed mine from opening and endangering a large sockeye salmon habitat.
- CA provides legal protections for healthcare practitioners who provide medication or other services for abortion, contraception, or gender-affirming care, regardless of their patients’ geographic location.
- IN drivers can access driver’s licenses or ID cards regardless of their country of origin.
- MI:16-year-olds in the state can pre-register to vote.
- ND’s legislative districts will be redrawn after a court finds the current maps violate the Voting Rights Act to the detriment of Native American voters.
- WI: A court prevents thousands of ballots from being unfairly rejected.
- Unhoused Denver residents who received direct cash assistance experience reduced homelessness and increased employment.
- Community action results in the cancellation of a landfill expansion in Houston.
- New York City bans solitary confinement in city jails.
- A court rejects parts of a lawsuit seeking to limit the availability of early in-person voting sites in the city of Racine.
- Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the three major insulin manufacturers cap the price of insulin at $35 as of January 1, 2024.
- Moms Demand Action volunteers coordinate nationwide meetings with state lawmakers to discuss implementing common sense gun control measures.
- Lily Gladstone (Kainai, Amskapi Piikani, and Nimi’ipuu First Nations) wins the Golden Globe award for best actress, becoming the first Indigenous person to win in the category, and delivers part of her acceptance speech in the Blackfeet language.
- In a step towards equality for LGBTQ+ Catholics, the Vatican changes policy to allow clergy to bless same-gender couples.
- Biologist Tim Wong single-handedly revitalizes the California Pipeline swallowtail species of butterfly.
- The village of Kamikatsu, Japan sets an example for the rest of the world of how to live completely waste-free.
Need inspiration?
- Contribute to this week’s inspiring message: What Kind of Nation Do You Want To Live In?
- Resolutions in Reality: Why I’m Proud of My Failed New Year’s Resolution
- Navigating the Maze: From Overwhelm to Empowering Media Consumption
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This is the first time in awhile that I have done very nearly every action. It’s easy, felt good, and I’m sure my senators and representatives will take notice! Thank you.
17/17 for 2024 #AoCChecklist actions! Got this one wrapped just under the wire. Looking forward to the next Checklist dropping on 2/2!