82 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:
- Action 5: Demand an end to human rights abuses by ICE contractors.
- Action 1: Advocate for accessible voter registration opportunities for all eligible voters.
- Action 2: Make running for Congress easier for non-wealthy Americans.
In this edition of the AoC Checklist:
- Senate actions: What we’re contacting our senators about.
- House actions: What we’re contacting our House reps about.
- Action 1: Advocate for accessible voter registration opportunities for all eligible voters.
- Action 2: Make running for Congress easier for non-wealthy Americans.
- Action 3: Advocate in solidarity with Jewish communities.
- Action 4: Advocate for humane immigration reform.
- Action 5: Demand an end to human rights abuses by ICE contractors.
- Action 6: Support the survivors of a tragic detention facility fire.
- 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
Check the box if you made contact–whether for one issue or all–so we can count your action. Contacting your senators’ staffers with multiple concerns is more efficient for both of you.
Join the 60 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. [NAME] to:
- Support S. 735, which will permanently authorize the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and ensure the vital work of achieving housing equity. [Source: National Association to End Homelessness]
- Oppose S. 874, the Farm Operations Support Act, to ensure the Adverse Effect Wage Rate paid to H-2A temporary visa farm workers is not dropped to 2022 levels for the remainder of 2023. [Source: AoCC]
- Increase annual Election Security Grants from $75 million to $400 million to protect our electoral system from foreign interference. [Source: Issue One]
Contact your House representative
Check the box if you made contact–whether for one issue or all–so we can count your action. Contacting your representative’s staffers with multiple concerns is more efficient for both of you.
Look up your House representative here.
Join the 59 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 Rep. [NAME] to:
- Increase annual Election Security Grants from $75 million to $400 million to protect our electoral system from foreign interference. [Source: Issue One]
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: Advocate for accessible voter registration opportunities for all eligible voters.
Sources: The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Brennan Center
Join the 61 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Write: The Honorable Robin Carnahan, Administrator
U.S. General Services Administration
1800 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20405
Script: Hello, I’m writing from [STATE] to applaud the progress your agency has made in modernizing Vote.gov, and to urge you to accelerate the work that remains to be done. To truly make Vote.gov a trusted place for voter registration, I’m asking you to add signature capture to the online form to allow it to serve Americans who lack access to printers or transportation to voter registration offices. I and millions of eligible voters are counting on your agency to strengthen our constitutional right to vote. Thank you.
Action 2: Make running for Congress easier for non-wealthy Americans.
Source: Brennan Center
Join the 48 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Write: Chair Dara Lindenbaum
Vice Chairman Sean J. Cooksey
Federal Election Commission
1050 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20463
Script: Hello, I’m submitting a comment in response to the Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking re: Candidate Salaries, published December 12, 2022 (87 FR 75945), concerning the use of campaign funds to compensate candidates. I join the Brennan Center in advocating for the following 3 rule changes, which would allow citizens of all backgrounds, not just the wealthy, to run for Congress:
- Allow candidates to use campaign funds to pay themselves a living wage, capped at the base salary for members of Congress.
- Draft the new salary rules to comply with other applicable federal, state, and local ethics laws for elected officials.
- Require public disclosure of salary and benefit payments to candidates, to allow voters and donors to make informed decisions during campaigns.
Thank you.
I value equality
Support the dignity of your rainbow of neighbors from every religion, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, age, and ability. We also support policies that show welcome to aspiring Americans and decency to people seeking refuge.
Action 3: Advocate in solidarity with Jewish communities.
Source: ADL
Join the 65 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your two senators and one House rep (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] because I’m concerned about the record-breaking rise in antisemitic acts which threaten the safety and autonomy of our Jewish neighbors. I urge you to put an end to antisemitism by publicly condemning these acts, educating the public about its history and ongoing presence, and fully funding initiatives and policy solutions that oppose the spread of antisemitic views.
Bonus: Join the Anti-Defamation League in opposing hate by signing the Pledge Against Antisemitism.
Action 4: Advocate for humane immigration reform.
Source: Immigrant Justice Network
Join the 78 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
On March 29th, the New Way Forward Act was reintroduced in Congress. This landmark legislation addresses some of the most harmful provisions of immigration law behind racist enforcement practices, including expanded incarceration in detention centers and unjust deportations. Call on your members of Congress to champion this long-overdue legislation.
Sign: The Immigration Justice Network letter to Congress. (Note: Click “Edit subscription preferences” under the “Start Writing” button to opt out of emails.)
Action 5: Demand an end to human rights abuses by ICE contractors.
Source: Detention Watch Network (DWN)
Join the 174 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 865 SW 78th St., Plantation, FL 33324
Contact: DHS Office of the Inspector General, Attn: Office of Investigations – Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, DC 20528
By phone: 1-800-323-8603
By email: dhsoighotline@dhs.gov
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [STATE] because I’m deeply concerned about the dire mismanagement of Baker County Detention Center. Their ongoing violations of ICE standards and federal laws include inhumane treatment, excessive use of force, extreme medical neglect, racialized harassment, and blocking access to legal counsel. I insist you immediately end your contract with Baker County Sheriff’s Office and release detained individuals to the safety of their communities.
Alternate: Sign the ACLU Florida petition. (Note: You will be added to their email distribution list.)
Action 6: Support the survivors of a tragic detention facility fire.
Sources: Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center; The Hope Border Institute
Join the 14 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
At least 39 aspiring Americans died and 29 were gravely injured due to a fire at a detention center in Ciudad Juárez. Unconstitutional immigration policies have led to overcrowding at the U.S.-Mexico border and an increase in human rights abuses. The survivors and families of the victims are still being considered by CBP to enter the U.S. and are in need of legal and humanitarian support.
Donate: To the groups directly involved: Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, The Hope Border Institute, and the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services (DMRS).
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 Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D–NM) for upholding New Mexicans’ voting rights by signing the Voting Rights Act into law.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Room 400, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Thank Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–MA), Rep. Derek Kilmer (D–WA), and Sec. of the Interior Deb Haaland for their efforts in producing the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, a legislative framework for the U.S. to live up to our legal and financial treaty responsibilities to Native American nations.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use these addresses:
EW: 309 Hart SOB, Washington, DC 20510
DK: 2059 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515
DH: Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240
Thank Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R–AK) for supporting a proposal in the Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, which would give Native nations full criminal jurisdiction over non-Native Americans who commit any crimes on tribal land.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 522 Hart SOB, Washington, DC 20510
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
- 51,952 individuals and organizations comment on the Federal Register in response to the Biden administration’s proposed changes to the process for seeking asylum in the U.S.
Indigenous Nations
- Native leadership and Tribally led organizations partner with the U.S. Interior Dept. to restore healthy populations of bison and the prairie grassland ecosystem.
National
- Aspiring Americans applying for immigration benefits can change their gender identity demarcation on the application forms without needing additional documentation of the change.
- People seeking refuge in the U.S. can be matched with American sponsors to help them resettle in their new homes through the State Dept.’s Welcome Corps.
- The State Dept. allocates millions of dollars for humanitarian aid and development assistance for vulnerable people from Venezuela in their country of origin as well as those seeking refuge in the U.S.
- The U.S. Army re-dedicates a base to Medal of Honor recipient Col. Van Barfoot (Choctaw).
- During the 13 years since its passage, the Affordable Care Act provided 40.2 million previously uninsured U.S. residents with access to healthcare.
State
- IL bans the sale and distribution of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
- MA voters seeking Registry of Motor Vehicles services will have their voter registration information automatically forwarded to the Secretary of State’s office.
- MN guarantees free breakfast and lunch for all students, regardless of family income.
- NM passes the Voting Rights Act, which will:
- Restore voting rights to upwards of 11,000 formerly incarcerated people.
- Establish automatic voter registration.
- Create a permanent list of voters who vote via absentee ballot.
- Expand ballot drop box access.
- Enact the Native American Voting Rights Act.
- NM expands free meals to all public and charter school students.
- NY: The previous president’s falsification of business records will be examined in a trial by jury.
- WY: Court temporarily blocks a ban on abortion days after it took effect.
Local
- The City of Philadelphia addresses police violence during the summer of 2020 by:
- Paying monetary damages totaling $9,250,000 collectively to those harmed by the police department.
- Disengaging from the federal program which arms state and local law enforcement with military weapons and equipment.
- Presenting the West Philadelphia community with data about police use of force and responding to community feedback.
- Providing trauma-informed counseling to survivors of police violence and promoting community-led programming in the aftermath of violence and misconduct.
- San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voices support for reparations for eligible Black adults.
- Adjuntas, Puerto Rico utilizes their own solar microgrids, allowing residents to generate power separate from Puerto Rico’s privately-operated grid.
Corporate/business
- Multiple pharmaceutical companies owe penalties for raising drug prices faster than the rate of inflation.
Groups and organizations
- The Abortion Defense Network provides assistance with legal advice, expenses, and representation related to abortion care.
- Additional volunteer pilots join Elevated Access to help patients seeking abortion or gender-affirmative healthcare travel to places where they can more safely exercise their bodily autonomy.
News with heart
- Two families reunite years after being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Electricity generated from renewable sources surpassed coal-generated energy for the first time in 2022.
- Finland and Spain pass laws basing legal gender recognition on self-determination for people aged 18 and older and 16 and older, respectively.
Need inspiration?
- Read this week’s inspiring message from Jen: A reflection on 34 felonies
- Something to believe in
- The fight for water justice
Support the Checklist
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Thank you for everything you do!
Good news for your next Newsletter.
WA passes public safety laws:
Waiting period to purchase a firearm, required training. https://www.king5.com/article/news/politics/state-politics/firearm-bills-debated-washington-senate/281-cd3fb2a2-055c-4d6c-8641-676c0aafb5a0
Assault weapons ban
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/assault-weapon-ban-clears-wa-state-senate/
Thank you for sharing these, Bridgette! I’ll make sure our Good News Editor receives them!