ELECTIONS:
Knock on All the Doors:
FLIP NC is hosting a super-canvas on Sunday, December 8. Groups across the state of North Carolina will be knocking on doors, and maybe knocking down a few, too. Progressive candidates win when we knock on doors and talk to voters. If you haven’t signed up to canvas, yet, go here to find one in your area.
Link:
https://flipnc.org/december-8th-super-canvass
Draw the Line Town Halls:
Progress NC, Democracy NC, the ACLU, NARAL Pro-Choice NC, and the NC Justice Center are joining together to organize town halls for state legislators across the state. They’ll be starting out in Greenville (Pitt County), but are planning other town halls in other parts of your state. As you know, we are huge advocates of town halls. There’s nothing more significant than being able to directly address your representatives, and as we all know, our state lawmakers make decisions every day that affect our lives.
Event Details:
Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m., at the Eppes Recreation Center, 400 Nash Street, Greenville, NC.
Facebook Event Link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1427353677420509/
Note: There is also one on December 9 in Fayetteville.
Event Details:
Thurs., December 9, at 6 p.m., at The Pate Room at the Cumberland County Library, 300 Maiden Ln. Fayetteville, NC.
FEDERAL:
Restore SNAP Benefits:
The Trump administration Wednesday formalized work requirements for recipients of food stamps, a move that will cause hundreds of thousands of people to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Changes to the rule will take effect April 1. The USDA rule change affects people between the ages of 18 and 49 who are childless and not disabled. Under current rules, this group is required to work at least 20 hours a week for more than three months over a 36-month period to qualify for food stamps, but states have been able to create waivers for areas that face high unemployment.
The new rule would limit states from waiving those standards, instead restricting their use to those areas that have a 6 percent unemployment rate or higher. The national unemployment rate in October was 3.6 percent. Approximately 700,000 people would lose their SNAP benefits because of this new rule. This rule, of course, would do nothing to get people back to work. Instead, it would strip away an important benefit that people desperately need while seeking work. Both the Senate and the House have rejected work requirements in the past, usually in massive bipartisan fashion. Trump is trying to engage in a workaround here by changing the rule within the USDA, but that doesn't mean Congress can't push back against it.
Details:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nearly-700-000-will-lose-food-stamps-usda-work-requirement-n1095726
Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling from ____________ to urge Rep./Sen. ___________ to repeal a new USDA rule that would essentially require people to work in order to get SNAP benefits. This rule would take SNAP benefits from nearly 700,000 people, and it will do nothing to reduce unemployment. Thank you.
Federal Contact Numbers:
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tim Scott (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-6121
Lindsey Graham (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-5972
House: https://www.house.gov/representatives/
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Protect Voting Rights--Support HR 4:
[Adapted from 5 Calls] Here’s a topic that’s absolutely vital to North Carolina--and the rest of the country--for 2020 and beyond. Congress is reportedly bringing this to a vote this week, so this is an especially urgent call. In the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, the Supreme Court struck down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), gutting the landmark legislation and ending the federal government’s oversight of potentially discriminatory state voting laws changes. Section 4(b) established a formula to identify states who needed federal preclearance of voting law changes because of their history of voter suppression. In the Shelby County v. Holder decision, the Court [ended the preapproval process](, ruling that the over 40-year old formula was outdated and put an undue burden on states. Since then, 22 states, including many previously covered by the preclearance requirement, have implemented measures that systematically disenfranchise voters of color and low-income voters. Such changes include reducing polling locations, requiring voter ID, shortening early voting, and purging voter rolls.
To restore the VRA’s enforcement power, Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) have introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 (VRAA), which includes a modern formula to determine which states must secure federal approval for voting law changes. The new formula would assess which states have had repeated voting rights violations over the previous 25 years. States found to have excessive rights violations (*cough* North Carolina *cough*) would be subject to federal oversight for ten years, with the opportunity to end federal oversight after that time period. The VRAA will again provide the federal government with the tools necessary to combat voter suppression and help ensure every American’s right to vote.
Details:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/03/democrats-hope-restore-key-section-voting-rights-act/583969/
Script:
Hi, my name is _________ and I'm a constituent from ___________. I'm calling to urge Sen./Rep. _____________ to support [H.R. 4 if House/S. 561 if Senate], the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019. We must restore federal oversight of potentially discriminatory voting law changes to ensure elections are fair and free for all. As we’ve seen in North Carolina, the repeal of Section 4B of the Voting Rights Act has led to rampant abuses that have restricted voting rights. Thank you.
Federal Contact Numbers:
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tim Scott (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-6121
Lindsey Graham (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-5972
House: https://www.house.gov/representatives/
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Call Your Congresspeople and Demand Impeachment:
We’ve had some time to absorb the details of the testimony, and nothing has changed. In fact, every day, we learn more about the abuses of power and the desperate attempts to obstruct justice. In addition, Trump is actively spreading disinformation which originated with Putin, including the blatantly false conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 elections. Several GOP Congresspeople, including Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, are now actively pushing this disinformation.
Link:
https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/gop-continues-pushing-ukraine-conspiracy-theory-74022981799
Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling from ______________ to urge Rep./Sen. ______________ to support the impeachment of Donald Trump and his removal from office. There is now clear evidence that he withheld military aid for Ukraine to coerce them into announcing that they were investigating Hunter Biden. We also know that the Trump administration is doing everything it can to obstruct the investigation from going forward. Worse, Trump is once again holding back foreign aid that has already been allocated by Congress, this time for Lebanon. Thank you.
Federal Contact Numbers:
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tim Scott (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-6121
Lindsey Graham (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-5972
House: https://www.house.gov/representatives/
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