A protester holds a sign outside the US Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC.(Carlos Barria / Reuters)
In Florida last week, the Supreme Court sided with the Republican legislature and governor, ruling that all convicted felons in Florida must pay off fines and fees before their right to vote is restored. With just two weeks to go before the first contest of the Democratic primary in Iowa, it’s crucial that we stand up for the rights of all people to make their voices heard, not just in November but in the Census, too.
This week’s Take Action Now gives you ways to help get people counted in the election and in the Census.
Take Action Now gives you three meaningful actions you can take each week whatever your schedule. You can sign up here to get these actions and more in your inbox every Tuesday.
The information collected in the Census determines how federal funding is allocated for local schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, the lines of congressional and state legislative districts, and the number of seats states have in the House of Representatives. The 2020 Census kicks off today in a remote fishing village in Alaska, with the full nationwide count to be completed by April 1. Pledge to be counted and to help educate your community about the importance of the 2020 Census and sign up here to get related updates and calls for action from Color of Change.
As the first Democratic caucuses approaches, it’s crucial that we get the candidates to go on the record about all of the issues voters care about. Check out Indivisible’s resources on bird-dogging here. Scroll down to find upcoming candidate events in your area. Then, get a group of people together to ask a tough question, record the candidate’s response, and post it publicly on social media.
Making sure people in your area get counted in the election and the Census is going to require direct outreach to historically undercounted communities. If you live in a voter ID state, sign up here to volunteer with a Spread the Vote chapter in your community to help people get IDs, or volunteer with Rock the Vote to host a voter registration drive in your community. Check out Census Counts resources for making sure your community gets fairly counted. Find your state’s Census coalition leader using this map and see how you can get involved.
NationActionThe Nation’s Take Action program directs readers to meaningful actions on a range of critical issues.