Democratic Party of Jeff Davis County
TAKE ACTION!
The purpose of this new web page is to keep you informed of how you can contribute to specific efforts to fight for our values, stay informed of legislation affecting our lives, influence legislators, and help create a better, more democratic society. Take Action!
VOTE411.org is gearing up for the Texas General Election November 5, 2024!
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Texas General Election
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Registration Deadlines:
By Mail: Monday, October 7, 2024 (postmarked)
In Person: Monday, October 7, 2024
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Resources to explore now:
We've got additional resources for you even when there are no current elections in your district.
Campaign Finance: TX Gov. Site
Local Elections Officials: TX Gov. Site
Voter Registration: TX Gov. Site
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Find out more about voting in Texas:
Such as voter registration, ID requirements, absentee voting, voting machines, and more!!
Cheryl Nix (co-founder of Michiana Alliance for Democracy, and a member of the Indivisible Network) and her friends wanted help to take action. They turned to Building Bridges for America. They attended online training sessions taught by volunteers. The training is free to grassroots organizers and others who want to know how to take action. Online trainings are every Thursday for a month. With a computer or mobile device, anyone who signs up for a training can join from anywhere.
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Action Network
Fight Book Bans!
Become a Grassroots Co-Sponsor of the Resolution to Defend the Right to Read
The core of democratic discourse is under a brutal assault as an escalating wave of book bans sweeps across the United States. The numbers are alarming: There have been 6,000 book bans since July 2021, with a 33% increase in bans since just last year.
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This includes classic and award-winning books that have been a part of school curriculum for decades. Titles like Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, The Color Purple, and To Kill a Mockingbird are being yanked from libraries and banned from schools. An astounding 37% of banned or restricted books discuss race or feature characters of color, while 36% have LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
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Driven by extremist groups like Moms For Liberty, the Proud Boys and other even smaller right-wing funded groups, these book bans aren’t about protecting children. Their goal is to stifle diverse perspectives and challenge the fundamental principles of our democracy.
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In a blatant display of how rash decisions, driven by extremist agendas rather than careful consideration for what the American people want, a shocking 96% of the 2,532 bans specifically from public school libraries last year skipped the proper review process by a committee of educators and librarians.
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Now, Congress is finally taking action. Senator Brian Schatz and Representative Jamie Raskin have introduced a resolution to stop book bans and defend the right to read. Critically, H. RES. 733 & S. RES. 372 affirms the rights afforded public schools and libraries to protect students, parents, and teachers from the right-wing funded extremists pedaling hate.
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Defending freedom is popular. NPR reports, the majority of Americans, including the majority of Republicans, are against lawmakers banning books, but that alone is not enough. We must show Congress the momentum against book bans is real and growing to support those who will fight by our side and turn up the heat on those who stand against us.
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Become a Grassroots Co-Sponsor of the resolution to Fight Book Bans and Defend the Right to Read by adding your name now.
The Gospel teaches the values of love, equality, welcome, and peace -- yet there are few false prophets who have done more to hijack Jesus's name against those values than Franklin Graham.
Now the far-right evangelist is hitting the road again, bringing his partisan message of unholy, anti-democracy, anti-LGBTQ hatred to three key border states.
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The tour includes scheduled Texas stops in: Brownsville, Feb. 24; McAllen, Feb. 25; Laredo, Feb. 27; Eagle Pass, Feb. 28; Del Rio, Feb 29; Presidio, Mar. 2; El Paso, Mar. 3.
Graham's upcoming spring roadshow is ironically called the "God Loves You Tour" -- ironic because the notoriously bigoted preacher has a history of hatefully calling LGBTQ Americans "evil and rebellious" and of fanning the flames of MAGA conspiracy theories and political violence.
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Even as Graham plans to use his warped Christian witness to sell border residents on the political and religious right, the politicians he supports are fighting for more family separation, detention, and walls -- policies that would harm the very communities he's visiting.
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Later in his life, Franklin's father Billy Graham often lamented getting involved with politics -- once telling Parade magazine, "The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." It's a shame his son didn't listen.
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If enough Christians peacefully object to Graham's event venues about hosting his tour, the venue operators may realize there's a cost to doing business with Graham. That's exactly what happened when every single venue on Graham's pre-COVID 2020 tour of Great Britain canceled on him.
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The Hello Alice goal is to lift up small business voices to Elevate the American Dream.
Everyone Plays a Part:
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Whether you're a small business owner, consumer, or organization, each of us is impacted by the 33.2 million small business owners working in our communities, representing 99.9% of U.S. businesses and employing 64.2% of the U.S. workforce. Support an American Dream today.
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If you’re a small business: Join 1.3 million entrepreneurs growing healthy businesses and finding grants, loans and more.
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If you’re a consumer: Celebrate small businesses making an impact by nominating them for the American Dream awards and grants.
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If you’re an organization: Discover ways to activate your company or organization to empower small business.
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Celebrate your small business and the small businesses in your community by nominating an American Dream visionary. Briefly tell us why this small business should be recognized. We're crossing the country to celebrate small businesses making an impact. Tell us why you or your favorite small business owner deserves to be recognized with $1,000 in funding, a small business accelerator, media coverage, and more! Spread the word to the small businesses you care about and nominate as many entrepreneurs as you'd like.
The House reintroduced HR14, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (JRLVRAA), which will fully restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The JRLVRAA will ensure renewed oversight, accountability, and justice in our democracy so all voters can exercise their right to vote.
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The VRA was landmark civil rights legislation responding to barriers that prevented Black voters from exercising their right to vote. It remains necessary to prevent voter discrimination for all voters, no matter the language they speak, the color of their skin, or the zip code they live in. In the decades since it was passed into law, it has been reauthorized every time with bipartisan support and signed by Presidents of both political parties.
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At this critical moment in our nation’s history, we need the JRLVRAA! Tell your Representatives to support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and live up to the full promise of American democracy.
Who We Are: We are patriotic Americans who understand the unprecedented national security risk that Donald Trump and Trumpism pose to our country. Operation Saving Democracy is a veteran-led, pro-democracy political action committee working to make sure the threat of Trumpism is defeated in 2024.
Our mission is to defend America’s democracy and strengthen the United States as a democratic nation by amplifying the voices of respected national security leaders speaking out against political extremism.
We have a unique opportunity with traditionally Independent and Republican voters who care deeply about democracy and national security issues. For decades, the Republican Party has been seen as the party of national defense and security. In the age of Trump, extremism within that party has become a huge national security risk. The extreme far-right authoritarian ideology that has taken hold in the GOP is an attack on democracy itself, alienates our global allies, weakens our standing on the world stage and our security at home, fosters disinformation and conspiracy theories, and normalizes violence against those who disagree. JOIN US!
Disagree Better is an effort to show that as Americans, we can work through our differences to find solutions to the most difficult problems facing our states and our nation. This effort includes a series of public-facing efforts, assisted by NGA and chosen from a toolkit of interventions that are customizable for each state/governor. These strategies include:
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Hosting a service project within your communities, potentially with your state Legislature and their spouses from both sides of the aisle.
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Recording an ad with a neighboring governor from a different party, a legislator from the opposing party, or a campaign opponent. NGA Chair Utah Gov. Cox, a Republican, and NGA Vice Chair Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, explain more in this video.
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Recording a brief civic education ad, explaining that our nation’s founding and the Constitution were designed for people from different backgrounds and with different views.
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Writing an op-ed with someone from the other party on a topic of common ground.
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Hosting a debate at a college or university that models healthy conflict to future generations, including in partnership with organizations like Braver Angels and Bridge USA.
Over the next year, we’ll host four NGA convenings across the country to expose Governors to the good work already happening and connect them with the leading organizations, so they can help elevate and accelerate such work in their states.
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The goal is for Governors to model how to disagree better, setting an example and creating the permission structure and template for other public officials at every level to follow.
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Dozens of groups across the nation are involved in depolarization work, and the Disagree Better NGA Initiative will work to elevate their research and resources.
More than 50 years after the Voting Rights Act was passed, full protections for voting rights are not guaranteed for all voters. While we have made progress in expanding voter access, many people still face challenges to participating in elections due to factors including income, health, age, race, disability, and gender. Voting is a fundamental right, and all Americans deserve an equal opportunity to make their voices heard in our democracy.
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Increased accessibility to the electoral process ensures that every eligible voter can exercise their right to vote. Congress must know how the people feel: empowering eligible voters to cast their ballot strengthens our democracy. Please add your name to show Congress that we support voting rights!
In addition to signing this petition, you can also advocate for specific pro-voter policies by sending a message to your Members of Congress via the League's Action Alerts!
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The League would like to see the introduction of bipartisan legislation that includes expanding early voting, allowing no-excuse absentee voting, implementing automatic and online voter registration, improving operations of the Election Assistance Commission, improving language access, and ensuring proper voter list maintenance. Through our work supporting voter access, the League also advocates for same-day voter registration, access for disabled voters, and access for native voters.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. No law has done more to save wildlife from extinction. But the law is only as strong as the rules used to implement it on the ground.
Unfortunately, Trump gutted these rules on his way out the door. Now President Biden has the chance to not only undo Trump’s actions but go further and strengthen protections for our most vulnerable plants and animals.
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Since its inception the Act has protected millions of acres of forests, mountains, rivers, deserts, beaches, oceans and other habitat — as well as the fragile and fascinating network of life we know as biodiversity. It has also become an inspiration for other countries in their pursuit of wildlife protection. It’s the reason bald eagles still soar across our skies, grizzlies and wolves roam the Rockies, blue whales migrate along the West Coast, and American alligators stomp through the Southeast.
But its work is far from over: We still face the loss of 1 million species in the coming decades. So we need to make sure the Act is as strong as possible.
The Trump rules must be revoked in their entirety to ensure a strong Endangered Species Act for the next 50 years and beyond. Speak up now to defend the Act!
David Pepper
Saving Democracy -- A User's Manual for Every American
Saving Democracy:
Details how we all can and must play a role in saving democracy at this fraught time.
Explains how all levels of the pro-democracy side, from national political leaders to grassroots activists to everyday Americans, must switch to offense. Explains how to stay on offense and win on offense. Immediately, and everywhere.
But it doesn’t do this at 30,000 feet.
It’s a user’s manual, intended to spur action. Your action. After a quick review of the true battle for democracy we are engaged in, each chapter explains how YOU, the reader, can and must play the leading role in lifting democracy. It details the concrete steps individuals and groups can take where you live, lists resources that can help along the way, and offers case studies and best practices that have worked elsewhere.
Saving Democracy is structured to challenge and guide each reader—no matter your role in your community or politics or where you work—on how you each can play a more active and effective role in lifting democracy than you might have imagined. Over the course of the book, you will construct your own personal plan to fight for democracy. And when you’re finished, you’ll be ready to get to work.
One year ago today, a man killed 19 children and 2 teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Ten days before that, a man killed 10 people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. In the year since those slaughters, there have been literally hundreds of mass shootings in our country — including another in Texas earlier this month, when a man killed eight people at an outlet mall near Dallas.
In these and so many other mass shootings, the killer used an AR-15 style rifle.
Such military-grade weapons exist for exactly one reason — to mow down human beings as rapidly and ferociously as possible. Yet they can be purchased with almost no restrictions. (And Republican politicians in some states are actively making it even easier to obtain them.)
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• Last month, the Kaiser Family Foundation — a nonprofit that researches health issues — reported stunning data that one in five adult Americans has a family member who has been killed by a gun.
• Kaiser also found that over half of U.S. adults have been directly affected by an incident involving a gun — such as themselves or family members witnessing a shooting, being threatened with a gun, or being injured or killed by a gun.
• And we already knew that guns have become the leading cause of death among American children. Not disease. Not malnutrition. Not accidents. (Auto accidents had been the leading cause of death among children for decades until being overtaken by guns in 2020.)
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This is what happens in a country — the only one on Earth — that has more guns than people. It is — quite literally — insane. It is American exceptionalism at its most degenerate. It is a national disgrace.
We must continue to demand — over and over again, for as long as it takes — that our government do something about it.
Tell Congress:
Americans of all political persuasions overwhelmingly support regulating military-grade weapons. Listen to your actual constituents — not the gun manufacturers, not their shills at the NRA, not the gun-cult fringe. Stop the carnage. Ban assault weapons once and for all.
Click now to add your name.
The League has supported the DISCLOSE Act for more than a decade because the American people deserve transparency in our election process. We are pleased to see the legislation reintroduced in this Congress.
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Voters have the right to know who is trying to influence their votes. The wealthiest political donors should not be able to influence our politics in secret. The DISCLOSE Act accomplishes this fundamental purpose by requiring expenditures and donations of $10,000 and above to be reported. When large campaign contributions are made, we believe they must be done so with transparency.
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We thank Representative Cicilline and Senator Whitehouse for their continued leadership to move this legislation forward, and we hope that this time the legislation will make it across the finish line.
Transparency is the baseline requirement for a healthy democracy. We call on Congress to pass the DISCLOSE Act to combat the influence of money in politics.
From Mothers Against Greg Abbott
Help put billboards against gun violence across Texas!
Shockingly, more children in Texas die from guns than from any other cause. That's why we are working on a billboard campaign
to raise awareness about this important issue. We want to place billboards across the state with a simple message: Guns are the #1 killer of Texas children.
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But we need your help to make it happen. We're looking to raise funds to cover the costs of designing, printing, and placing these billboards in high-traffic areas. Every dollar counts, and even a small donation can make a big difference in helping us get our message out. Please consider making a donation to our campaign today. Your support will help us reach more people with this important message and work towards creating a safer future for Texas children. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Mothers Against Greg Abbott
The Rio Grande Borderland Ministries works with the U.S. Border Patrol to assist immigrants cleared to enter our country. Title 42 is a border policy that blocks migrants, including asylum seekers, from entering the U.S. due to COVID-19, but the Center for Disease Control will end Title 42 shortly, due to improved public health conditions and the availability of vaccines and treatments.
Volunteers with Rio Grande Borlerland Ministries help immigrants with transportation, travel availability, clothing, and overnight accommodations, so that they can find their way to their new home or temporary location. Mike Wallens+, Borderland Co-Chair, has called a meeting of concerned citizens for Tuesday, May 9, at 9 am at St James Episcopal Church, 510 N 6th St in Alpine. Numerous members of the Jeff Davis County Democratic Party are volunteers with this group, and additional volunteers to help with the many new immigrants legally entering the country are welcome.
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Mike Wallens+ contact info: Co-Chair of Rio Grande Borderland Ministries
Vicar - Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Marfa; Priest-in-Charge Big Bend Episcopal Churches
P.O. Box 175, Marfa, Texas 79843, Home: 510 N. Second St., Alpine, Texas 79830
Cell: 214-862-7292; Home: 432-538-7042; St. Paul's: 915-239-7409
michaelwallens@gmail.com
The Climate Reality Project
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just proposed the strongest regulations on vehicle emissions ever.
If you haven’t had time to read about the two proposed rules, here’s a one-sentence summary: They mean cleaner air, healthier communities, and a faster transition away from gas-guzzling vehicles.
How? By targeting light-and-medium-duty vehicles, like passenger cars and pick-up trucks, and heavy-duty vehicles, like delivery trucks and school buses, these standards could prevent nearly 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions through 2055 and steer us towards a future where, by 2030, nearly 60 percent of all new cars produced are zero emissions.
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Reducing toxic tailpipe pollutants will also help communities living by highways and ports breathe easier, with lower rates of lung and cardiovascular diseases and fewer premature deaths.
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While the EPA is still taking public comments, it’s crucial that we show our strong support for these historic standards tackling climate change, environmental justice, and public health issues.
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Urge the EPA to enact historic climate regulation by implementing the strongest possible proposed vehicle pollution standards. Our just energy transition and the health of our communities depends on it.
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-Your friends at Climate Reality
PAST TAKE ACTION! EVENTS
Join us as we read On Tyranny, the New York Times bestselling guide on how to resist and overcome America's descent into authoritarianism. Featuring 20 lessons pulled from the 20th century, On Tyranny offers up a singular challenge: to learn from history before it is simply too late.
Mothers For Democracy / Mothers Against Greg Abbott is the largest coalition dedicated to defeating the extremist MAGA movement in Texas. While we don’t agree on every topic, we all agree the Texas GOP isn’t Texas values.
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Since 2021, we’ve been helping lead the Democratic resistance in Texas, we’ve organized thousands of local voters and our public issue campaigns have reached millions of Texans in key battleground areas. Now, we’re backed by thousands of Texas parents who are mobilizing in their own neighborhoods to ensure the Texas we hand over to the next generation is better than the one we've inherited.
We’re sick and tired of being linked to a handful of extremist MAGA spokesmen—divisive politicians like Ken Paxton and Ted Cruz. We know it’s going to take all of us to defeat them this election cycle. The power of mothers and others like us means we know we can do it: It’s time for democracy to prevail.
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100% of our work is powered by individual donations and our average donation is just $23. We can’t stop until our children have the future they deserve. So this election cycle, we’re taking down Ted Cruz and dozens more of his Texas MAGA cronies. With you by our side, we’ll deliver the kind of leadership everyone living in Texas can be proud of.
Texans for Public Education
Texas Capitol
Saturday, Oct 7, Noon-2 pm
Join us for a rally on the south steps of the Texas Capitol to raise our voices against vouchers and the privatization of our public schools. Our students deserve better!
Texas State Teachers Association
Vote Education First in this November’s election! It will provide a cost-of-living adjustment to educators in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. The provision of a cost-of-living
adjustment could improve teacher recruitment and retention, which could help to address critical school staffing shortages.
The reality is that school vouchers will gut public schools. Schools where my kids, and yours, attend so they can receive a quality, indoctrination-free education will face drastic and devastating budget cuts if Greg Abbott gets his way.
Our tax money should be spent where it was intended—public, NOT private, neighborhood schools!
This is a fight for us as parents (and allies), for our children, and for Texas public school teachers too.
We can win it, and fight off private school funding using public monies, but it's going to take all of us.
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If you'd like to help sponsor the Mothers Against Greg Abbott postcard project, so our volunteers can send out even more postcards to the Texas Lege, please make a donation today.
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Our postcard project is supported entirely by folks like you, chipping in whatever they can spare. $5 funds 4 more postcards, so every dollar counts! If you're a Texas parent and would like to volunteer with Mothers Against Greg Abbott — you can sign up to send out a few postcards too. All are welcome!
Power Up Texas is an alliance of stakeholders bound by a mission to educate and advocate for innovative, sustainable electricity generation in Texas, including the expansion of clean, renewable energy resources. Renewables are the fastest-growing electricity generation source in the United States, and account for 24% of U.S. electricity generation. Texas led the nation in overall renewable energy production in the first quarter of 2022, with over 14% of the total.
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Renewable energy technologies like wind, solar, and storage do more than ensure communities can count on reliable power when they need it; renewable energy is an economic boon to Texas, creating jobs, business opportunity, and revenue streams that strengthen communities and provide economic opportunity for families. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are more than 300,000 U.S. jobs in alternative energy, and more than 36,700 of these well-paying jobs are in Texas.
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Help us build a coalition of support for renewable energy in Texas! Senate Bill 624 is currently being considered by the Texas Legislature and the fate of affordable power, private property rights, and economic prosperity hangs in the balance. If passed, this bill will be detrimental to every Texan.
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Texas consumers already suffering from sky-rocketing electricity prices will face even higher bills as the state’s most affordable power is put at risk by billionaires who aren’t concerned with high utility bills. Texas landowners will have their private property rights trampled by neighbors who would be able to determine what they can and cannot do with their private property. Texas rural communities and school districts will cut valuable services for citizens and students as revenue from current renewable energy projects is placed at risk, and planned projects are threatened. Taxpayers will pay higher taxes if the largest investors in some rural communities are pushed out of Texas.
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Tell your legislator NOW that Senate Bill 624 is WRONG for Texas!
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League of Women Voters of Texas
Hearings on SB 1933 and SB1070 Monday, May 22nd
SB 1933 and SB 1070 are both having hearings on the Texas House
floor Monday, May 22nd. LWV Texas, along with other voting rights organizations, believe these bills are bad for our democracy. We encourage you to call or email your Representative using our Take Action Center, even if you have called or emailed before.
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• SB 1933 would allow the Secretary of State, an unelected political appointee of the Governor, to effectively seize control of a local election in any county with virtually no evidence and with no ability for counties to appeal or challenge the decision afterward. If the House votes in favor of passage, the Senate must either concur with the House’s changes or go to conference to resolve the different versions each chamber has passed.
• SB 1070 would require Texas to leave the multistate voter registration crosscheck program known as Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) within one year. If the House votes in favor without any further changes, then it will go to the Governor for his signature.
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Use our Take Action Center to contact your Representative TODAY to urge them to oppose SB 1933 and SB 1070!
Raise Your Hand Texas
Tell Legislators to Pay Teachers, Not Private schools!
With less than one week to go in the 88th Legislative Session, lawmakers are on the verge of denying our public school teachers a meaningful pay raise while creating the most expansive private school
voucher program in the country.
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In recent years, educators have gone above and beyond to meet the challenges of pandemic learning, endured the politicization of their profession, and bore the burden of unfunded state mandates. At a time when they should be supported and celebrated, our teachers find themselves struggling to afford basic necessities due to the sharp rise in inflation.
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The legislature is using the final hours of the session to debate a private school voucher program that would divert public funds to private schools, line the pockets of out-of-state vendors, and create a handout for some wealthy families. Voucher programs do not improve student outcomes, and they do not require private schools to accept every student, meet public school standards of financial transparency, or maintain federal protections for students with disabilities.
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Texas teachers need a $7,500 raise just to keep up with the national average for teacher salaries. Lawmakers have a historic opportunity to act as they steward a $32 billion budget surplus. Tell your legislators not to squander this opportunity and to pay teachers, not private schools.
This is not a drill! Republicans in Congress are manufacturing a MAJOR crisis and putting the health, education, and well-being of our families and economy on the line. Republicans are burying it in wonky language like “debt ceiling” and “deficit.” But we won’t be fooled!
The reality is Speaker McCarthy (R) and Republican extremists in Congress are hoping moms around the country will tune out while they make life-altering decisions that will lead to major spending cuts for Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps (SNAP), WIC, child care, veteran’s programs, and other vital programs. Republicans in Congress want to default on our children and families!
SIGN our letter to the U.S. Congress calling on them to immediately raise the debt ceiling and reject unnecessary cuts that will put our families, children, jobs, and economy in danger!
Texas Democratic Party
Texas Democrats Demand Gun Safety Reforms Before the Adjournment of the 88th Legislative Session
AUSTIN, Texas -- Today, following yesterday’s horrific mass shooting in Allen, and another just days ago in San Jacinto County, the Texas Democratic Party is again calling on Texas Republicans to allow for common sense gun safety measures to be implemented in Texas.
We support the Second Amendment – and we also believe that the best way to uphold Texas’ strong heritage of responsible gun ownership for self defense, hunting, and recreation is to make sure we’re keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals and others deemed dangerous to themselves and others. It’s long past time to implement these life-saving, science-backed tactics – small differences in the law that would make enormous strides toward preventing suicides, mass shootings, tragic accidents, and other gun violence.
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The policies we are asking to be implemented would in no way infringe upon the Second Amendment – they would have no bearing on the ability of any law-abiding Texan of sound mind to purchase or own any federally-legal firearm. But they do have the potential to save countless lives of our fellow Texans.
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Specifically, the Texas Democratic Party is demanding that five measures be passed before the end of the 88th Legislative Session. To see the details of these reforms, click here!
From Beto O'Rourke, Powered By People
Helping Migrants Seeking Asylum
I write to you this afternoon from El Paso, where we face the urgent challenge of helping the thousands of migrants seeking asylum in our country while ensuring that our community does not buckle under the unprecedented stress.
As we approach May 11th, when Title 42 restrictions on migrants are lifted, we are seeing a strong increase in the number of migrants crossing into our country at El Paso. This has led to significant pressure on local humanitarian agencies (like shelter provider Annunciation House), to the point that there are now hundreds of migrants sleeping on the streets of El Paso. It’s also strained law enforcement resources and has led the President to deploy troops to the border.
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Social media and cable news seem consumed by the question of whose fault this is, which is understandable, even if unhelpful in the short term. It would be great if this led to a conversation about lessons learned (what’s worked and what hasn’t) and solutions that are necessary going forward. In fact, getting past purely reacting to each crisis and setting down long term strategy with the policy and resources to back it up, is the only way we’re going to get out of this seemingly intractable problem. I’ve shared my thoughts on what those solutions could look like in previous emails
https://medium.com/@BetoORourke/immigration-extremism-in-texas-fc5ce37ea719
and will continue to do my best to push this country to meet the real underlying challenges that drive the levels of migration we are seeing.
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But for now, today, it’s important that we focus on the immediate need before us. Thousands of desperate people who have fled their home countries to seek asylum and refuge have just arrived in our country. We can meet this challenge with cruelty or we can meet it with kindness. How we respond defines our country to our kids, to our fellow citizens and to the rest of the watching world.
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There are two main ways to help at this point.
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The first is through people power. We need folks in West Texas and Southern New Mexico to sign up for shifts at the El Paso food bank, known as El Pasoans Fighting Hunger. There is unprecedented demand for preparing, delivering and distributing food. You can follow this link to sign up (I found it easiest to click on “View Calendar” at the bottom of the page to get a full list of available shifts): https://elpasoansfightinghunger.org/volunteer.
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The second is by donating to the organizations that are providing shelter and support services to migrants on the ground in El Paso. The Paso del Norte Community Foundation has set up a fund to provide “food, shelter, healthcare and support services to thousands of migrants and refugees who find themselves on our front door seeking asylum, safety, and a better life.” That fund will distribute money to the partner organizations based on greatest need with priority given to entities not getting FEMA funds. You can also give directly to those partner organizations through links that are provided on PDN’s donation page:
https://pdnfoundation.org/give-to-a-fund/community-response-fund.
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Lastly, as we each step up to meet the immediate needs at the border, let’s also keep the pressure up on the Biden administration and our representatives in Congress to do more to both help the most vulnerable and to relieve the strain felt by border communities. Rewriting our badly outdated immigration laws; helping asylum seekers with work permits and placement; removing the “transit ban” on those traveling to our country; making the Americas our primary foreign policy priority; and honoring our international obligations to refugees and asylum seekers are good places to start.
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Thank you for helping those in need, Beto
PAID FOR BY POWERED BY PEOPLE, POWEREDXPEOPLE.ORG, NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE.