December 1, 2023
Voting rights, Insurrection Act, child labor, and more!
- ANOTHER ATTACK ON THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT
Last week saw right-wing judges on the Eight Circuit launch yet another attack at the remaining structure of the Voting Rights Act, with a 2-1 decision that only the U.S. attorney general can take action to enforce Section 2 – excluding private groups from suing over violations. The vast majority of Section 2 claims are brought by private plaintiffs, and they have been repeatedly upheld by our federal courts. This decision will be appealed, and may eventually reach the Supreme Court, where Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas have expressed openness to such an argument. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and reiterate our support for passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (HR 14) to restore the VRA and protect it from conservative efforts to undermine it like this one. We can also ask them to push for more resources appropriated to the Justice Department to pursue voting rights cases. Furthermore, let’s take this opportunity to remind our senators of the consequences of not filling every judicial vacancy with voting rights champions and ask them to let nothing delay as many confirmations as possible during this Congress – such as continuing to honor blue slips. - FIX THE INSURRECTION ACT – BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
Donald Trump has made it repeatedly clear that in his second term, he plans to abuse the Insurrection Act to put the U.S. military in the streets in predominantly Democratic cities. This terrifying move would not be reviewable by the courts and is subject to few restraints. Given his coup co-conspirators’ suggestions that the Insurrection Act be put to work in their effort to seize power, his repeated threats to use it against protesters for racial justice, and his demonstrated contempt for the rule of law and democracy, the risk of authoritarianism inherent to this plan is clear. While the politics are challenging and Trump’s willingness to ignore boundaries on his power raises the degree of difficulty, there are changes we can make to the Insurrection Act to put obstacles in his or any other president’s way. Experts at the Brennan Center have proposed to Congress multiple reforms, including restoring judicial oversight and setting time limits on the use of troops unless an extension is explicitly approved by Congress, limiting the circumstances in which the Insurrection Act may be invoked, and forbidding its use to impose martial law or suspend habeas corpus. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has pushed the CIVIL Act (S 3902 in 2020), which also requires the President consult with Congress before deploying troops and get joint certification from the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and urge them to take up this or similar reform proposals as soon as possible, as a stand-alone bill or as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Let’s fix the Insurrection Act while we still have the opportunity to do so.
- LEARN TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE RISE OF CHILD LABORIt’s hard to believe it, but child labor is on the rise. Reported violations are up 37% from last year and 283% from 2015. Many employers are seeking low cost, compliant workers, while waves of unprotected “unaccompanied minors” are entering the country, and state legislators are weakening existing protections. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reports at least 14 states are now rolling back child labor protections. If we would like to know more about the increased exploitation of children in the workforce and what we can do to protect them, we can join EPI on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST) for a webinar featuring experts on child labor. Registration for the webinar is here.
- BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE MAIL-IN BALLOT TRACKINGMembers of the House have introduced a piece of bipartisan legislation that would improve the tracking capabilities for mail-in ballot envelopes. The Vote By Mail Tracking Act (HR 5658)is an administrative bill that would require envelopes to contain a U.S. Postal Service barcode that will enable the tracking of each ballot, satisfy the Postal Service requirements for ballot envelope design and machinable letters and include the Official Election Mail logo. The bill does not require states to adopt any additional mail-in ballot practices outside of the scope of the envelope itself. This should be a no-brainer, regardless of party. There are only seven co-sponsors at the present time. Let’s tell our representatives that we want them to co-sponsor and vote for this legislation as an additional safeguard to voting by mail. (h/t Chop Wood, Carry Water)
- UPDATED TAKE ON SCHOOLHOUSE ROCKNickelodeon has partnered with ATTN: to unveil Well Versed, a brand-new animated musical short-form series that aims to help teach kids about democracy and the U.S. Bill of Rights in fun and imaginative ways through original pop songs. With a curriculum guided by iCivics, the nation’s premiere non-profit civic education provider for students, parents and teachers, the series of 12 music videos will launch across Nickelodeon platforms, Paramount+ and Noggin, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 1. FLOTUS Jill Biden was on hand to launch the new series. With less than 50% of American knowing the three branches of government, this could be a good Let’s watch this teaser and when possible, watch the series with our kids.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- NJ – BRING SAME-DAY VOTER REGISTRATION TO NEW JERSEY
20 states allow eligible voters to register at the polls, but New Jersey is not among them. Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson) is taking the lead on a new attempt to fix this shortcoming, introducing A. 5701 to bring same-day registration to our state. Multiple studies have shown this reform is likely to lead to a bump in voter turnout, especially among Black, Latino and young voters. Legislative leadership has blocked similar proposals in the past, so it’s important to let them know we are watching closely. Let’s reach out to our lawmakers and let them know we support this step to strengthen democracy and want them to get the job done this time.