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: Advocate for clemency for David Hosier by June 10.
Source: Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty
Thank you to the 102 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Gov. Mike Parson at 573-751-3222 or via the Missouri governor contact form (Subject: Clemency/Pardon).
Script: Hello, I’m from [STATE] urging Governor Parson to grant clemency to David Hosier, who is scheduled to be executed on June 11. Executing an elderly man with heart failure who is in hospice does nothing to further the interests of justice. Please use your executive powers to show mercy and grant David Hosier clemency. Thank you.
Bonus: Sign the MADP petition to plead for clemency for David.
Action 2: Register 4 million high school graduates to vote.
Source: The Civics Center
Thank you to the 13 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your local school board members and high school administrators.
Script: Hi, I’m reaching out because even though nearly 4 million students graduating from high school in 2024 are old enough to register to vote, only about 30% of eligible 18-year-olds have registered. During graduation season, I’m asking you to use the simple Cap, Gown, and Ballot Toolkit from The Civics Center to run a voter registration drive during graduation festivities and send new graduates into the world as empowered voters.
Bonus: Share the Instagram-ready graphics in The Civics Center’s toolkit on your social media accounts.
Action 3: Prevent campaign ads from using deceptive, AI-generated videos.
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 83 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators (look up).
Script: Hi. I’m from [ZIP], expressing my worry that voters will be exposed to AI-generated videos, audio, and images this election season unless Congress passes new regulations now. I’m asking you to cosponsor and pass three bipartisan bills to address the risk of voter deception: 1. the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act (S. 2770), 2. the AI Transparency in Elections Act (S. 3875), and 3. Preparing Election Administration for AI bill (S. 3897). Thank you.
Action 4: Support increased voter turnout in Black communities.
Source: Black Voters Matter Fund
Thank you to the 6 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Text messages are a proven method of increasing voter turnout. Join the get-out-the-vote efforts of Black Voters Matter Fund volunteers by participating in Texting Tuesdays or Thursday Postcard Parties.
Action 5: Take 5 steps to be ready to vote in all 2024 elections.
Source: Vote411
Thank you to the 72 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Even though November is months away, it’s not too early to verify that your voter information is correct and that your registration hasn’t been purged. Even if your state’s presidential primary has already occurred, you may have later statewide primaries for other offices. Take these five steps!
Take action:
- Register to vote for the first time (make sure you meet your state’s deadline).
- Update your address or re-register if you’ve recently moved.
- Confirm that your voter registration is still valid.
- Make a plan to vote by mail or in person.
- Find out who and what is on your ballot.
Action 6: Support immigrant communities with accessible legal representation.
Source: Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
Thank you to the 38 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m reaching out from [ZIP] to ask you to cosponsor and pass the Fairness to Freedom Act (S. 1187/H.R. 2697). This bill would ensure the right to legal representation for everyone in the immigration system who can’t afford an attorney, which is more crucial than ever due to the recent executive order restricting asylum access. I’m joining over 170 civil rights and advocacy groups in urging you to support this universal right to representation.
Bonus: Sign Vera’s Fairness to Freedom petition (Note: You may be added to Vera’s mailing list).
Action 7: Protect Jackson residents from unsafe drinking water.
Source: NAACP
Thank you to the 83 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contaminated drinking water has plagued the majority-Black community of Jackson, Mississippi for decades, contributing to severe illness and disease. Racial distrust, political dysfunction, and systemic governmental failure have perpetuated the crisis. Join the NAACP in demanding that Governor Tate Reeves commit publicly to implementing the EPA’s recommended reforms.
Sign: The NAACP petition.
Action 8: Improve Americans’ health outcomes through data collection.
Source: Blkwomenshealth
Thank you to the 12 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Write: Director Shalanda D. Young
Office of Management and Budget
725 17th St., NW
Washington, DC 20503
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [STATE] because I’m troubled by health inequities that continue to impact marginalized communities. Previous improvements to data collection practices have revealed inequities affecting Black maternal health, yet there is still limited guidance on collecting data related to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), and expanding data collection on race, ethnicity, and language use (REL).
I urge you to further update Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 to:
- Provide clear requirements for the collection of SOGI and REL data.
- Incorporate current data standards from the Department of Health and Human Services.
- Solicit input from diverse stakeholders regarding SOGI data collection and utilization.
Action 9: Support affordable housing for all renters.
Source: End Homelessness
Thank you to the 14 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your elected officials at the local and state level (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] because I’m concerned about the national shortage of affordable housing for renters with the lowest incomes, which has resulted in more than 256,000 people living unsheltered. Instead of criminalizing homelessness through ticketing, fines, and arrests, we must focus our energies on building affordable housing, removing barriers to new construction, and supporting rental assistance programs. Please tell me how you’re taking action to meet this urgent crisis.
Action 10: Advocate for diversity on the federal bench.
Source: Lambda Legal
Thank you to the 40 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: President Biden via the White House contact form.
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [STATE] because I’m concerned about declining representation of LGBTQ+ people among our federal judges and nominees. Twenty-six states still do not have an openly LGBTQ+ federal judge, and the absence of transgender or nonbinary judicial nominees is glaring. I urge you to expand on your efforts to diversify the bench by nominating queer people of color; transgender, nonbinary, bisexual, and intersex people; and people living with HIV. Representation matters.
A Note from AoCC’s Immigration Research Team
We are deeply concerned to about President Biden’s harmful executive order which unlawfully restricts access to asylum by those arriving in person at the U.S.-Mexico border. In order to provide our subscribers with fully vetted information and clear, effective actions, our team is monitoring developments and responses by grassroots organizations. Look for an effective action on this issue in the next (June 21st) edition of our Checklist.
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 Sec. of the Interior Deb Haaland for listening to feedback from the LGBTQ+ community and permitting National Parks Service employees to participate in Pride events in uniform.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C St., NW, Washington DC 20240
Thank you to the 83 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!
Progress on issues previously featured in the Checklist
- The Biden-Harris administration allocates $3B for nationwide lead pipe replacements.
- MN: State and local governments must count incarcerated people at their home addresses when drawing new political districts.
- NY enacts a law banning the use of deceptive AI in political and election-related communications.
- WI implements fair legislative maps that will be in place by this November’s elections.
- The IRS offers their free tax-filing platform to all 50 states and Washington, DC on a permanent basis, reducing the financial burden of filing.
Additional Good News
- The DOJ officially moves to classify cannabis as a less dangerous drug, which will positively impact the employment, housing, and educational opportunities of those with cannabis-related convictions.
- Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS has collected more than $520M in back taxes from highly wealthy individuals who owed money.
- SCOTUS rules that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding system is constitutional.
- The Federal Trade Commission bans the practice of collecting information on people’s visits to medical centers by location-data broker, Outlogic.
- Following calls to action from the LGBTQ+ community, the National Park Service reverses a ban on NPS employees participating in Pride events while in uniform.
- AK and LA receive receive $30M allocated by the Biden-Harris administration to clean up legacy pollution.
- The paramedic responsible for the Elijah McClain’s death in 2019 is sentenced to five years in prison.
- CO bans concealed-carry guns in and around polling places, at ballot drop boxes, and at ballot counting facilities.
- DE: New parents enrolled in Medicaid can access baby diaper benefits.
- KS abortion providers sue to block a new intrusive law that mandates providers report to the state patients’ reasons for seeking an abortion.
- NY: A jury finds a former president guilty on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records.
- PA’s Supreme Court rules that abortion providers can challenge a state ban on Medicaid coverage for abortions as sex discrimination under the state’s Equal Rights Amendment and Equal Protection provisions of the state’s constitution.
- TN: Allie Phillips runs for election to the TN House following her personal experience with the state’s restrictive abortion laws.
- VT bans guns in and near polling places.
- WI expands their child care tax credit, making parenting more affordable fpr working families.
- A court finds that the city of Miami racially gerrymandered their voting districts and throws out the city’s current voting maps.
- The touring company WanderRock designs trips for neurodiverse young adults.
- According to research by Verified Voting, voters express confidence in the voting process in their own states and overwhelmingly express trust in election workers.
- Aspiring Americans find mental and emotional support from therapists who can relate to their experiences first-hand.
- IVF finds support from across a broad political spectrum.
- In February, Greece legalized same-sex marriage and enabled same-sex couples to adopt children and receive full parental recognition.
- Residents of Utah’s Springville Senior Center collaborate to complete a 60,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.
- Reduced dependence on cars in Paris results in a 40% decline in air pollution.
Need inspiration?
- Read this week’s inspiring message from Jen: Why Calling Your Congressperson Still Matters: An Activist’s Guide to Staying Engaged
- You May
- Harness the Power of Grassroots Action: Lessons from Phoenix
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!
Want to accomplish more?
AoCC offers several classes to support and sustain your engagement in social justice and pro-democracy work. Change can be slow. To stay encouraged, learn more here.