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: Election Bingo Game: 25 actions for Election Day November.
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 9 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Election Day is less than a month away, and in many states voting has already started. Our Election Bingo card makes it fun and easy to get ready and encourage others to vote:
Play to win Democracy: Printable bingo card here and please share with friends!
Action 2: Demand pay equity for all women.
Source: AoCC
Thank you to the 47 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (look up).
Script: Hi. I’m from [STATE], and I’m concerned about the gender pay gap which particularly affects women of color, some of whom earn only 49 cents for every dollar earned by white men. The stalled Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 728 / H.R. 17) would address this injustice by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act. Please revive and pass this critical legislation, ensuring that women get equal pay for equal work.
Action 3: Advocate for expanded visa eligibility for women and girls fleeing oppression.
Source: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
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 contacting you from [ZIP] in support of expanded eligibility for Afghan women and girls seeking asylum in the U.S. The Taliban operates a gender apartheid system in Afghanistan using intimidation, violence, and restrictive edicts as tools of repression. I’m calling on you to expand eligibility for special immigrant visas so that Afghan women and girls might leave this oppressive system behind and seek a better life in the U.S.
Action 4: COMPLETED – Demand due process for a graduate student.
Source: United We Dream
Thank you to the 38 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
We’re pleased to learn that the student will not be suspended and remains enrolled in classes. He is no longer in danger of being deported and will receive due process, along with 100 other staff and students. Advocacy by many Americans brought about this outcome. Thank you for speaking up!
Contact: Interim Provost John Siliciano at 607-255-2364, via email at provost@cornell.edu, or by mail at
300 Day Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Script: Hello, I’m reaching out from [STATE] in support of Cornell graduate student, Momodou Taal. Your students have a right to organize and protest without fear of extreme retaliation, yet Momodou faces immediate deportation after being temporarily suspended without due process for allegedly participating in a political protest on campus. I join with faculty, students, community members, and civil rights advocates in demanding that Cornell adhere to their due process protocols and overturn Momodou’s temporary suspension.
Bonus: Add your name to the over 1,000 signatures demanding Momodou Taal’s reinstatement (note: you do not have to be a member of the Cornell community).
Action 5: Promote civic education in your community.
Source: Rock the Vote
Thank you to the 6 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: Your local community center and school board
Script: Hi, I’m a resident of [TOWN/CITY] calling to ask [VENUE/SCHOOL] to sign up to teach Democracy Class, a free, nonpartisan curriculum on the history and importance of voting. Studies show that only 40% of people age 18 to 29 feel well-qualified to participate in elections. Voting is a habit, and educating young people even before they’re eligible to cast a ballot can help build a new, engaged generation of voters. Thank you.
Action 6: Support accessible application processes for those seeking asylum.
Source: AILA, Texas Civil Rights Project
Thank you to the 11 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Contact: The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas at 202-282-8495 or
Secretary of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave S.E., MS: 0525
Washington, D.C. 20528
Script: Hello, I’m reaching out from [STATE] because I’m concerned about deficiencies in the CBP One app, the primary tool for people to apply for asylum in the U.S. It is currently only available in three languages, requires a smartphone, and is inaccessible to people with physical or intellectual disabilities. I’m joining dozens of organizations in urging you to expand the accessibility of the asylum application process and the CBP One app’s usefulness to all communities.
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. Andy Beshear (D–KY) for supporting the safety of young LGBTQ+ Kentuckians by banning so-called “conversion therapy” practices that harm youth.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: 700 Capitol Ave., Suite 100, Frankfort, KY 40601
Thank you to the 64 Americans of Conscience who completed this action!
Thank Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D–RI) for leading an investigation into the FBI and previous administration’s mishandling of the investigation of sexual assault allegations involving a Supreme Court nominee.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: Hart SOB, Rm. 530, Washington, DC 20510
Thank you to the 59 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! Actions previously featured in the Checklist are changing for the better!
- The Biden-Harris administration finalizes a landmark EPA rule requiring water utilities to replace all lead pipes in the country within ten years.
- The Biden-Harris administration reinstates farmworker protections from certain pesticides.
Good News!
- The Onondaga Nation regains rightful control of over 1,000 acres of its land.
- The Biden-Harris administration proposes a rule to ban airlines from charging additional fees to seat young children with their parents.
- The Senate unanimously passes the WILD Reauthorization Act to fund wildlife conservation programs in the U.S. and abroad.
- Welcome Corps has helped resettle 1,800 LGBTQ+ people seeking safety in the U.S.
- CA eliminates confusing date stamps on food products to help reduce food waste and climate-warming emissions.
- SC: A court extends the state’s voter registration deadline through October 14 to account for disruptions from Hurricane Helene.
- A court orders Crawford County, AR officials to stop placing LGBTQ-related library materials in a restricted section, ruling that the practice violates the First Amendment.
- Following a lawsuit brought by the DOJ, the towns of Thornapple and Lawrence, WI must equip all polling places with at least one accessible voting machine for disabled voters to cast their ballots.
- A court rules that the Google Play app store is an illegal monopoly and must open itself to competition.
- World Central Kitchen distributes 60,000 meals to people impacted by Hurricane Helene.
- A school in Washington, D.C. partners with the Mother’s Outreach Network to pilot a payment program for low-income families with goals of mitigating the effects of poverty and reducing truancy.
- Amateur radio operators in hurricane-impacted areas help locals communicate messages to loved ones and rescue services when phones and electricity are out.
- In light of communication barriers with formal nonprofit organizations, farmworkers and the larger Hispanic community in hurricane-hit parts of Tennessee help each other access food, water, and other necessities.
- Manuel Vera of Silver Spring, MD collects and repairs donated bikes before passing them along to community members in need.
- Raheem Cooper and Marie Coble form a bond after his 911 call saves her life.
- NPR shares the winning photographs from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.
- Some Boston subway trains embrace whimsy and sport googly eyes.
Need inspiration?
- Read this week’s inspiring message from AoCC Executive Director Jennifer Hofmann: Election Day Is Coming! Three Reasons Your Vote Matters More Than You Think
- Is Your Opinion Manipulate-able?
- Protecting Your Vote: Navigating The Hidden Tactics of Voter Suppression
Support democratic engagement and advance equality
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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.
Contact your members of Congress
Write, call, or email your members of Congress.
A very minor error in the AoC Good News:
The Senate unanimously passes the WILD Reauthorization Act tol fund wildlife conservation programs in the U.S. and abroad. Remove the l after the word to.
Thank you so much!
Janice
Thank you, Janice! We’ve made the correction and entered you in our monthly prize for catching errors. You rock!