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: Expand poll-worker training for college students by December 18.
Source: AoCC
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your local election office (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m contacting you to tell you that your organization can apply for a federal grant of up to $100,000 to recruit and train college students as nonpartisan poll workers for the 2024 elections. The Election Assistance Commission is accepting applications until December 18 for its 2024 Help America Vote College Program. Apply now to receive funding to increase civic engagement among [STATE]’s college students.
Bonus action: Educational institutions can also apply! Contact the student activities office at your local community college, college, or university and encourage them to apply.
Action 2: Oppose warrantless government surveillance of Americans.
Source: Stop AAPI Hate
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your two senators and your one House rep (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] to join a coalition of 92 social justice organizations in opposing civil rights violations by flaws in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Section 702 is due to expire on December 31. Please oppose its reauthorization as part of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act or any other “must-pass” spending bill. Thank you.
Action 3: Provide checks to presidential power in deploying military force.
Source: Brennan Center
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your two senators and your one House rep (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] to ask for your support in reforming the Insurrection Act to prevent presidential abuse of power. This act gives the president the power to deploy military force domestically during a crisis, but it must be amended to provide checks against abuse. I’m asking you to introduce and support legislation that follows nonpartisan expert recommendations to:
- Narrow and clarify criteria for military deployments.
- Specify what actions are authorized or prohibited when the law is invoked.
- Empower Congress and the courts to serve as checks against abuse or overreach.
Action 4: Increase veterans’ access to housing.
Source: National Alliance to End Homelessness
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your one House representative (look up).
Script: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] because I’m committed to the welfare of our nation’s veterans. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness was cut roughly in half between 2010-2020. However, progress has since stalled, leaving many unsheltered veterans at risk. Please support the HOME Act [H.R. 3848] to implement effective housing solutions for all veterans.
Action 5: Demand fair labor conditions for employees at ACA and Medicare call centers.
Source: Communications Workers of America
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Contact: The Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at 800-368-1019 or by email at OCRMail@hhs.gov.
Script: I’m contacting you from [STATE] to express my solidarity with the call center workers at Maximus who are demanding bathroom breaks and the right to organize. These workers help millions of Americans find affordable healthcare through the ACA and Medicare, but can’t access affordable healthcare for themselves. I’m calling on the HHS to investigate Maximus for racial disparities in promotions and to require $25/hour wages with adequate health benefits.
Action 6: Protect all students from harmful treatment in schools.
Source: The Leadership Conference
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: Hello, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] because I’m concerned about the harmful treatment of children in schools. Students of color, those with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ students face disproportionate criminalization, harassment, and discrimination in our communities. Please cosponsor five pieces of legislation to protect our nation’s youth:
- The Keeping All Students Safe Act [S. 1750 / H.R. 3470].
- The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act [S. 3214 / H.R. 6202].
- The Protecting our Students in Schools Act [S. 1762 / H.R. 3596].
- The Safe Schools Improvement Act [S. 3105 / H.R. 6031].
- The Ending PUSHOUT Act [H.R. 2690].
Alternate: Sign The Leadership Conference petition. (Note: click the boxes to opt out of receiving emails and texts.)
Action 7: Restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act.
Source: League of Women Voters
Join the 0 Americans of Conscience who have completed this action by checking the tally box!
Contact: Your one House rep (look up).
Script: Hi, I’m contacting you from [ZIP] to ask you to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 14). This bill restores and modernizes key provisions of the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act which were removed by the Supreme Court in 2013. It will protect the rights of all voters, especially people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community. 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 Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) for reintroducing the Climate Displaced Persons Act, which would protect the human rights of those seeking asylum due to climate displacement, acknowledging America’s contribution to climate damage.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use these addresses:
EM: 255 Dirksen SOB, Washington, DC 20510
NV: 2302 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515
Thank Broward County, FL Public Library Director Allison Grubbs for supporting the library community’s right to access books free from state censorship, supporting all residents’ right to right to think, speak and learn freely.
If you’d like to mail your own personal expression of gratitude, use this address: Broward County Library, 100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
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
- TX: A federal court orders the repositioning of dangerous floating barriers in the Rio Grande unlawfully placed there to deter people seeking refuge from reaching the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Since 1997, people with felony convictions have had their voting rights restored in 26 states and the District of Columbia.
Additional Good News
- Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, a collection of earthen mounds built by Indigenous peoples, is added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- The Department of Defense announces that LGBTQ+ veterans who received less than honorable discharges due to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy can have their discharges updated to honorable and access veterans’ benefits.
- CA will require corporations that do business in the state to disclose both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.
- MN resident students with an annual family income of less than $80,000 can attend public colleges and universities for free.
- NY voters can now request and cast a mail-in ballot at any time during early voting periods.
- NY bans captive audience meetings, a tactic used by companies to disseminate anti-union information.
- Fairbanks, AK voters elect candidates supportive of public education to the local school board.
- Max Hightower, a transgender student actor, will play the lead of Sherman High School’s production of Oklahoma! after its school board reverses the superintendent’s decision.
- Michael Barnes wins a wrongful termination settlement against Papa John’s for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Patagonia’s warmest winter coat yet is made using plastic waste retrieved from the ocean.
- Rock the Native Vote encourages Native American community members to register to vote and participate in elections.
- People seeking asylum and resettling in Buffalo, NY find welcome among their new neighbors.
- Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to hold the position of principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, is honored with a Barbie doll in her likeness.
- Over 35,000 new voters register with Vote.org following an encouraging Instagram post from Taylor Swift.
- Despite the zoo enclosure separating them, blue macaws, Romeo and Julieta, maintain a decades-long relationship.
- 736 rescued baby sea turtles make their way back to the ocean.
- Portugal runs on 100% renewable energy sources for six days in a row.
Need inspiration?
- Read this week’s inspiring message from Jen: Navigating American Divisiveness: Polarized Challenges and Hopeful Solutions
- Unveiling Hope: Confronting Hate with Courageous Action
- Unraveling Misinformation: Navigating Truth in a Divided World
Support the Checklist
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I called the number given in AoCC Action 5: The Health and Human Services comment line at (202) 204-5445. It was a FAX number. I searched for a HHA comment line on the Internet and came up with the HHS Office for Civil Rights number Toll-free: (800) 368-1019 and the email address: OCRMail@hhs.gov or the direct media contact number: (202) 690-6343.
I called and sent my message to all three of the above. Please advise me if there is a better phone number. Thank you!
Sorry, I mistyped HHA instead of HHS in my first comment. Thank you for all of your hard work to bring the AoCC to us!
Just got this email reply from HHS Civil Rights office re: Action 5
Thank you contacting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. After review, we believe this complaint falls within the jurisdiction of the US Department of Labor. Information on the complaint process and the types of complaints that they are responsible for can be found at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints