Wednesday's Actions: Voting Rights in the Age of COVID-19 and More

****Actions 4/5/2020****

FEDERAL:

Support Voting Rights in the Age of Coronavirus:
We’ve all seen the Wisconsin primary clusterf^%& happening this week. SCOTUS ruled somehow that in-person voting should be allowed to continue and that vote-by-mail deadlines should not be extended. The case was literally RNC vs. DNC, so the court’s ruling is unapologetically partisan and unambiguously an attack on voting rights. This is a warning for what could happen in November. So naturally, Elizabeth Warren has come out with a plan to protect voting rights in the age of a pandemic, and it’s really good. The basic provisions include the following:

Nationwide vote by mail
30 days early voting
No voter roll purges
End voter ID requirements
$4b aid to states
Hazard pay for poll workers
More funding for USPS

To ensure that our elections can be held safely and fairly, we need all of these provisions in place. It is especially important to protect poll workers, many of whom are elderly and appear to be more vulnerable to the virus. Warren’s plan is building on the work of others, most notably Amy Klobuchar, but these ideas are good, and it’s worth pushing for them, especially in the Senate, where we need to hold One Term Tillis and Big Bucks Burr accountable.

Script:
Hello, I am a constituent from zip code ___________ calling to urge Rep./Sen. ____________ to pass legislation that would protect voting rights, especially if we are still dealing with the coronavirus. It is absolutely essential that we have the option nationwide to vote by mail, that we have at least 30 days of early voting, and hazard pay for poll workers. We should also end voter ID requirements at a national level and prevent states from engaging in voter roll purges. This is a pivotal election, and we shouldn’t have to choose between voting and our health (or the health of people around us). 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/

Details:
https://medium.com/@SenWarren/protecting-our-elections-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-efd3da6dbcaf


STATE:

Fight for an Emergency NCGA Session to Address COVID-19:
While I’m kind of glad they’re mostly staying out of the way and letting Governor Cooper handle our COVID-19 response, we DO need the NCGA to come back into session and pass some legislation that would provide millions of North Carolina citizens with much-needed financial relief and reassurance that they will have access to insurance that will cover their medical bills. The wording of the tweet below was borrowed from Wiley Nickel. I can’t find the original tweet, but if you post it, I’m sure the desired message will resonate. You can also use the text of this tweet to email your reps (who may not be taking phone calls).

Sample Tweet:
.@NCHouseSpeaker NCGA needs to return to pass new legislation. 4/28 is too late. Pass Medicaid Expansion! Pass a Budget giving educators raises!  8.5% across-the-board. Make long overdue changes to our WORST in the nation Unemployment Insurance Program #ncga #ncpol

State Contact Numbers:
NC House: http://bit.ly/2CVneDK
NC Senate: http://bit.ly/2DamgAn