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: Oppose unqualified or unethical nominees.
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 1,150 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Both of your senators (write, call, or email)
Script: Hi. I’m from [ZIP], expressing my opposition to the appointment of the following people to cabinet positions due to lack of qualifications, and because they do not support civil liberties, reproductive rights, or ethical governance.
- Pete Hegseth: Nominated for Secretary of Defense
- Pam Bondi: Nominated for Attorney General
- Tulsi Gabbard: Nominated for Director of National Intelligence
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Dr. Marty Makary: Nominated for FDA Commissioner
Action 2: Help LA’s poorest families buy basic living essentials.
Thank you to the 377 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Source: Give Directly
Wildfires have displaced tens of thousands of low-income families from Los Angeles County, now facing a long road to restarting their lives. Cash is often more valuable to fire survivors than “in kind” donations like clothing or food as it grants them the freedom and dignity to meet their own needs, like paying bills, filling prescriptions, and funding temporary housing.
Donate to Give Directly’s Cash Relief for LA Wildfire Survivors, and AoCC will match the first $100 donated by our subscribers. (Email us after you donate.)
Note: The confirmation message you receive may mention Rwanda, but rest assured, your donation is going to our friends in L.A.
Action 3: Share “Know Your Rights” cards to empower immigrant communities.
Thank you to the 304 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
The president has vowed to prioritize mass deportations of aspiring Americans residing in this country. Many community members and families are living in fear of ICE raids and targeting. We can support our neighbors in this tense time by learning and sharing the rights that all of us have, regardless of status or citizenship.
Share: United We Dream’s Know Your Rights cards (in English or Spanish) on social media, via email, or by printing them out for distribution.
Source: United We Dream
Action 4: Protect nonpartisan civil servants from being fired without due process.
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 848 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your one House representative (write, call, or email)
Script: Hi, I’m one of your constituents in [ZIP], contacting you because I believe that civil servants’ nonpartisan jobs should not be threatened or replaced by political appointees. H.R. 492 is a bipartisan bill that preserves federal employees’ ability to perform their jobs without the threat of political retribution or firing without due process. I hope I can count on your “yes” vote on this crucial bipartisan bill. Thank you.
Action 5: Advocate for welcoming and humane immigration policies.
Thank you to the 428 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Source: Human Rights First
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (write, call, or email).
Script: Hi, I’m reaching out from [ZIP] urging you to support the United States’ obligation to protect people seeking refuge. The president has halted refugee resettlement and is trying to dismantle longstanding policies and asylum protections. I’m calling on [NAME] to support policies that allow aspiring Americans to find safety and community in the U.S. Thank you.
Alternate: Personalize and submit your message via the Human Rights First form (uncheck all boxes if you do not wish to be signed up for mailing lists).
Action 6: Oppose new hurdles that make voting registration harder.
Thank you to the 334 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your one House representative (write, call, or email).
Script: Hi, I’m one of your constituents in [ZIP] asking 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.
Source: The Civics Center
Action 7: Oppose faster vote counting that shortens voting windows.
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 106 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your state’s secretary of state or chief election official (look up)
Script: Hi, I’m a voter from [ZIP] calling because I’m concerned about the risk of decreased access to voting. If [STATE] is considering changes to vote-counting procedures, please ensure that speeding up the vote count doesn’t lead to shorter windows in which to vote. Thank you.
Action 8: Elect the president by popular vote.
Source: League of Women Voters, National Popular Vote
Thank you to the 398 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Five times in U.S. history (including twice since 2000), the candidate who received the most votes didn’t win the presidency. Although Congress passed much-needed legislation in 2022 to clarify the process of appointing electors and certifying their votes, the Electoral College still fails to represent voters in every state. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) would guarantee that the candidate who wins the popular vote would be elected to that role.
Take Action: Send an email to your state legislators using National Popular Vote’s tool, which creates a fully editable message, pre-tailored to whether your state has or has not adopted the NPVIC.
Bonus: Share information from the League of Women Voters’ One Person, One Vote toolkit on social media.
Action 9: Limit megadonors’ influence on presidential inaugurations.
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 328 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your one House representative (write, call, or email)
Script: Hi, I’m one of your constituents in [ZIP], reaching out because I’m concerned about corporate money influencing political conduct. The Inaugural Fund Integrity Act (H.R. 535) would increase transparency around donations to presidential inaugural funds, and close loopholes that allow unlimited secret donations. I hope I can count on your “yes” vote on this important reform. Thank you.
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 the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, for her public support of the LGBTQ+ community and immigrant communities at the post-inaugural interfaith ceremony.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: Episcopal Church House, Mount St. Alban, Washington, DC 20016
Thank you to the 825 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!
The following lists of Good News are accurate as of January 22, 2025.
Progress on issues previously featured in the Checklist
- Temporary Protected Status holders from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine, and Sudan can continue to live in the U.S. without the threat of deportation due to TPS extensions from President Biden.
- President Biden forgives another $4.28B in student debt for 54,900 borrowers who work in public service.
- Nearly 2,500 people serving excessive sentences for nonviolent drug offenses have those sentences commuted by President Biden.
- President Biden commutes sentences for 1,500 people and pardons 39 people serving sentences for non-violent drug offenses.
Additional Good News
- Congress passes and President Biden signs the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act, which provides resources to improve ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation, flood and storm protection, and other water-related infrastructure.
- The Biden administration allocates nearly $1.6B for grants towards pollution reduction, climate resilience, and community-led environmental justice.
- The outgoing Dept. of Labor proposes a rule to end the discriminatory program that allows employers to pay disabled workers less than the federal minimum wage.
- The Dept. of Transportation under Sec. Buttigieg finalizes air travel protections for disabled flyers and their mobility equipment.
- The Biden administration’s Dept. of Justice sues six of the U.S.’s largest landlords over algorithmic pricing practices harming millions of renters.
- The outgoing Dept. of Homeland Security issues a final regulation extending aspiring Americans’ work permits for 540 days.
- The outgoing Health and Human Services Dept. directs $306M towards avian flu response.
- President Biden issues pre-emptive pardons for individuals vulnerable to politically motivated attacks from the incoming administration.
- Leonard Peltier (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) has his two consecutive terms of life imprisonment commuted by President Biden.
- Immigration advocate Ravi Ragbir is pardoned by President Biden, relieving fears of deportation.
- President Biden emphasizes his opinion that the Equal Rights Amendment is fully ratified.
- Last May, the Biden administration’s Dept. of Health and Human Services strengthened equal rights and protections for patients with disabilities in healthcare and other HHS services.
- The Federal Trade Commission investigates and reports on pharmaceutical companies’ significant markups on critical medications.
- The FTC bans fake reviews and testimonials on products and services.
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau returns $1.8B in illegal junk fees to 4.3M consumers taken advantage of by companies’ credit repair schemes.
- More judges of color were appointed to the federal bench under the Biden administration than any past administrations.
- A record-breaking 67 Black lawmakers will serve in the 119th Congress.
- 22 state attorneys general file a lawsuit against the new president’s executive order attempting to end the right of birthright citizenship as guaranteed in the 14th Amendment.
- CT Gov. Ned Lamont establishes a working group to move state elections toward ranked-choice voting.
- MA receives $102M in funding to improve transportation systems.
- NJ stockpiles abortion pills in an effort to maintain access for patients.
- An elementary school in Swedeborg, MO honors their beloved custodian Claudene Wilson by naming the building after her.
- Community members dive into action to save and house pets and livestock impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.
Need inspiration?
- How to Resist Without Losing Your Peace: Read this week’s message from Jennifer Hofmann, AoCC’s Founder and Director
Support democratic engagement and advance equality
The Checklist has been running since 2016, thanks to the support of our donors and patrons. Although we avoid conflicts of interest by not selling ad space, that means we need you. Consider supporting our work to advance democracy and equality with a one-time or monthly donation.
Spot an error in the Checklist?
Send us a correction and get a chance to win our monthly giveaway as a thank-you for your help!
Disturbing and disappointing to see there was no thanks extended to Pres.
Biden for commuting Peltier’s sentence.
Although, it does impact awareness. Most do not know who Peltier is, to say nothing of being held a political prisoner by the States longer than Mandela was held by the South Africans or any Russian political prisoner. Biden said a lot more when he commuted the sentence. He also acknowledged we exist, and we, too, are entitled to justice.
Hi Fayeannette, Thanks for your comment about justice for Leonard Peltier. We are absolutely celebrating the commutation of his sentence and release. I hope you saw it mentioned in our good news section.
Regarding reaching President Biden with thanks, it’s unfortunate that his staff stopped taking any public feedback from mid-December until Inauguration Day. The comment line was unstaffed, the feedback webpage was taken down, and other efforts to phone and text him were unsuccessful. Despite this, we join you in appreciation for Biden’s decision and its message to all Americans.
It is much easier to find handwringing thinkpieces about why something political happened and how horrible it is than it is to find anything telling me what I can do to help. Thank you for providing a list telling me what I can do to help. Sent to people I know.
I hear you, Jane! Although there’s a place for analysis, handwringing is disempowering. News doesn’t tell us *what* to do about what’s happening. I’m so glad you find our work helpful. Thank you so much for sharing!