The US Supreme Court’s recent decisions on voting rights, i.e., approving ballot collection restrictions in Arizona and overturning California’s law to disclose dark money sources, underscore the current dangers to our democracy. New voter suppression, from the laws passed by 2021 Montana legislature to the egregious provisions passed in Georgia and Arizona, aim to restrict who votes and to control elections so that political power is secured for those who don’t believe in democracy. We can no longer count on the Courts to protect us from efforts to undermine our democratic process.
There is a solution, the For the People Act, that has already passed the US House and is pending in the US Senate right now as S1. I wrote about the For the People Act in this column back in April, offering an opportunity to learn more about the bill and encourage Montana’s Senators to support it. More information on the bill can be found at the Montana League of Women Voters website: https://my.lwv.org/montana
We have a narrow window of opportunity for the Senate to pass S1. If voter suppression and election control laws are allowed to stand, the make-up of the Senate will almost certainly change after the next election in favor of those who want to see democracy fail. Senate leadership has committed to bring S1 up for consideration before the August recess, now scheduled for August 6. We need the Senate to pass S1 now, including reforming the filibuster if needed to do so.
Those of you who know me from my days as volunteer coordinator for JRPC know that I am generally non-political, preferring to focus on the process rather than the outcome. In this instance, we are facing a challenge to the very process of democracy itself. If we fail to act, our children and grandchildren will live in a very different country from the one we have known. If you are not usually engaged in political action, leaving it to others more actively inclined, this is one time that you cannot sit on the sidelines. The future of our democracy literally hangs in the balance!
Now is the time to step up and do something. Between now and August 6, we need to urge that the Senate pass S1, and engage our pro-democracy friends and family in doing the same.
Here are three things you can do:
Stand up for Democracy with the League of Women Voters (LWV) at the local offices of Senators Tester and Daines. We will deliver letters urging Daines to support S1 and thanking Tester for sponsoring S1 and urging him to reform the filibuster to pass it. Then we will stand in a line outside on the sidewalk with printed placards urging passage of S1.
When: Tuesday, August 3
Where: 1:00 pm Senator Tester’s office, 130 West Front Street & 2:00 pm Senator Daines’ office, 218 East Front Street, Suite 103
Write your own letters of support to deliver, either at this event or by contacting the Senators’ offices via phone or email. Find talking points here.
Reach out to family and friends: To help engage family and friends, LWV offers the “Our Democracy Story” hosting kit that has an outline of what is in S1, then engages people in reflecting on their own stories of voting and democracy. Whether for a small group of family and friends, or a larger gathering on Zoom, Our Democracy Story is designed to enable anyone to host and help spread the word. Those who would like to host an “Our Democracy Story” event can sign up, and LWVUS will email you a kit and get you ready to go!
Sign up for the kit here: https://forms.gle/DSmpxofweRqvbKeu7
Come to the LWV/JRPC Zoom event August 4 at noon, if you would like more information about S1 and how to reach out to family and friends, I will be hosting a Zoom meeting using the hosting kit mentioned above, so you can learn more about S1 and how Our Democracy Story works. You must register in advance using the link below:
When: Aug 4, 2021, 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvf-6urjMuHNIiBRuB9qjw47f8-YV3TtEC After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Author: Nancy Leifer | President, League of Women Voters Montana
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers