Just a Quick Heads-Up
Dispatches on the For The People Act (Edition #13)
Welcome Back!
We were planning to take the week off from the newsletter. You’ll have to forgive us — we are college students and finals are reaching their peak! But there were a few updates and news articles that we just couldn’t wait another week to share with you.
First up, as you know, the For The People Act’s markup is on Tuesday, May 11! This is a major step for the bill, and you can watch it live, starting at 10 AM, here. We will be watching it and likely live-tweeting our thoughts here. Don’t worry if you don’t use Twitter, though. We’ll share some reflections about the markup in our next newsletter.
Speaking of the mark-up: The Senate Democrats just released their changes to the bill (which they will add during mark-up). Paul Blumenthal gives an excellent summary of the alterations here. The key takeaway: There are no major changes and, perhaps most critically, the bill will stay together as an omnibus to tackle all the broken aspects of our democracy. That’s excellent news.
And on the advocacy front, here’s some exciting news: Our friends at End Citizens United and the Let America Vote Action Fund are buying $12 million worth of ads in key swing states (including West Virginia!) in support of the For the People Act. The ads thank crucial co-sponsors, such as Kyrsten Sinema, Raphael Warnock, Jeanne Shaheen, and Maggie Hassan. These well-produced ads will spread the word about the most popular provisions of the bill and encourage senators to do everything they can to make the For the People Act a reality. You can view a full list of the ads in our Extra, Extra section.
Don’t forget to share our Substack with friends, family, and anyone else who you think might enjoy it!
In the News:
U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney of New York explains why Democrats must abolish the filibuster. Maloney (a Democrat whose district voted for Trump in 2016) emphasizes that the American people voted the Democratic Party into power on the promise that it would create real progress. He describes how productive the filibuster-less House has been and argues that Democratic Senators need the courage to eliminate the filibuster and deliver for the American people.
A new Vox article showcases a Data for Progress poll, confirming, once again, that the For The People Act is extremely popular. This article references GOP operatives’ panic over the For The People Act’s popularity and shows that when voters are presented with accurate language about the bill, they overwhelmingly support its provisions.
Social Media Roundup:
Let’s be frank: there are A LOT of tweets, posts, and general conversation about the For The People Act. In this section, we give you an overview of the tweets and media you really need to see.
How you can help:
One of our previous Substacks included 5 quick and easy ways to join the fight for H.R. 1! You can learn more about how to get involved here. In the meantime, you can:
Call your senators and tell them that you support reforming the filibuster to pass H.R. 1. You can find your senators’ phone numbers, as well as where they stand on the filibuster, using our handy filibuster tracker!
Common Cause and Center for Common Ground are organizing regular phonebanks to voters in Arizona and West Virginia in support of the For the People Act. This is a great opportunity to spread the word about H.R. 1 and help constituents contact their Senators in support of the bill. Check them out here and here.
Write a letter to the editor in your local paper sharing your support of H.R. 1 and urging your Senators to pass it. Not sure how to write a letter to the editor? Reach out to us at info@equalcitizens.us and we can help!
Share our newsletter, our podcast, the articles included above, and the resources on H.R. 1 below on social media and tell your friends why you support #ForThePeopleAct
If you have questions about H.R. 1 you want us to answer in our Substack, tweet at us with #HR1Substack!
Extra, Extra:
If, after reading our newsletter, you still want to know more about the For The People Act, Equal Citizens, or the two of us, you can find more information here!
Relevant Resources:
Here are a few resources on the “For the People Act” if you have questions:
Equal Citizens recently launched a filibuster tracker, so you can see where your senator stands on the filibuster. It also includes their phone numbers and their Twitter handles, so you can get in touch with them directly and push them to support filibuster reform!
The Brennan Center for Justice created a wonderful guide to H.R. 1. Check it out here. They also created an in-depth report about racism and disenfranchisement due to incarceration.
Here is the link to the House website on the For the People Act.
Flood social media with these awesome graphics about the For the People Act!
There is a lot of misinformation about H.R. 1, and the amount of misinformation will only grow as the fight heats up. That’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure everyone has all the facts on the bill - here is an article from Media Matters that can help you fact check.
And here are End Citizens United’s Ads:
NATIONAL
"Verge":
SENATE BATTLEGROUND:
Arizona:
Kelly - "Grip" [English]:
Kelly - "Grip" [Spanish]:
Sinema - "For Good" [English]:
Sinema - "For Good" [Spanish]:
Georgia:
Warnock - "Grip":
Ossoff - "To Those Without Billions":
West Virginia:
WV - "Our Moment":
New Hampshire:
Shaheen / Hassan - "Independence" :
Nevada:
Rosen / Cortez Masto - "Two":
More about us:
Kate Travis is a fellow at Equal Citizens and a junior at Harvard studying History and Literature with a minor in Government. When she’s not fighting for democracy, you can find her running, playing the cello, and drinking copious amounts of coffee (maybe even all at once). Follow her on Twitter at @mkht930.
Kevin Rissmiller is a fellow at Equal Citizens and a Goodwin-Niering Scholar at Connecticut College majoring in Government and exploring sociology, economics, and applied statistics. In his free time, you will find him at Dunkins or (pre-pandemic) playing ultimate frisbee. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
If you want more updates on H.R. 1 from Kate and Kevin, then subscribe here!