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#louisiana politics
femmchantress · 18 days
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I’m sure our 11 Democrat senators, several of whom have co-sponsored anti-LGBTQ bills themselves, will fight this right? Right?? Right???
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daloy-politsey · 1 year
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Louisiana's Constitution now says: “Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited, except in the latter case as punishment for a crime.” The amendment would change that to: "Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited, (but this) does not apply to the otherwise lawful administration of criminal justice.”
Someone explain this to me. It sounds like Louisiana Amendment 7 won't actually change anything and is just a change of wording.
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mysharona1987 · 9 months
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Gee, I thought these people were the ones who were like “If you don’t like it, you can just move to a blue state.”
And now they’re mad the guy is doing just that?
You can’t oppress and discriminate against someone then be mad when they take their highly useful skill elsewhere.
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bubonickitten · 25 days
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"HB 777 not only would fine libraries and librarians, but it would possibly require hard labor by those found guilty. Read that again: librarians would be sentenced to hard labor for daring to join their largest professional organization.
The bill would also potentially kill one of the largest graduate school programs in the state of Louisiana, Louisiana State University’s Masters of Library and Information Science program. Like all Master of Library and Information Science programs, it is accredited by the ALA and goes through a rigorous process to ensure that the curriculum is up-to-date and aligned with best practices in libraries.
Even if the bill is limited “only” to the use of tax money to support membership or attendance/enrollment in ALA-sponsored professional development, take a moment to look into whether or not police, fire, or other public entities are subject to similar legislation in Louisiana or elsewhere. You probably know the answer–and you probably won’t be surprised that one of the few institutional benefits offered to library workers is such membership.
If you haven’t been paying attention until now or you’ve thought these fears when laid out over the last several years were hyperbole and this is your wakeup call, there’s no time like the present to get to work advocating on behalf of your library. If you live in Louisiana, contact your representatives as soon as possible (here’s a very easy way to do that!). You can also reach out to Kellee Dickerson by phone at (225) 380-4232 and email [email protected].
Then, reach out to your own libraries and offer your support, either by showing up at board meetings and/or running for those board positions when vacancies occur. Go borrow books from the library and get your writing hands going with letters to your local papers.
EveryLibrary also has a petition you can sign related to HB777."
Please take the time to sign the petition, spread the word, and support your local library.
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politijohn · 11 months
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A third red state BLOCKS anti-trans legislation from becoming law.
Kudos to all the brave activists fighting their states hard on their bigoted legislation.
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vulpixhoney · 2 months
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the "aid" the US sent is 9 years expired food MREs that they can't cook because they don't have enough clean drinking water to make it edible. It's expired, by at least nine years. They stopped including the Tabasco sauces in MREs in 2015.
How are Gazans meant to make these? You need water to rehydrate the food. If they get food poisoning from eating nearly a decade old food, what do you think will happen to them? To the people who have been starving for months and are impoverished and malnourished? Who don't have the water and nutrients you need to heal yourself from sickness? And to top it all off, the food is Haram. They sent mostly pork and other haram meals. And halal MREs exist. They knew that most Gazans are Muslim and chose to not send the halal food. it's disgusting, it's horrid. The US and all of its leaders are evil and vile
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transformationsproject · 11 months
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Need Some Good News?
We are kicking off this week by celebrating good news from Louisiana! Learn more below.
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marvelsmostwanted · 11 months
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I just saw a video of this and basically, some of these representatives figured out by listening to activists that the anti-trans movement was fear-mongering, and that medical professionals are very much in agreement that gender affirming treatment is what’s best for children’s and teens’ health.
I’m sure this fight isn’t over in Louisiana or anywhere else, but let’s still celebrate a win! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈
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charlesoberonn · 2 years
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b0bthebuilder35 · 11 months
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I had very little faith that Louisiana would do the right thing & they actually floored me with their decision. This gives me hope that this state is moving in the right direction.
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reasonsforhope · 11 months
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"The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a surprising 5-4 ruling in favor of Black voters in a congressional redistricting case from Alabama, with two conservative justices joining liberals in rejecting a Republican-led effort to weaken a landmark voting rights law.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh aligned with the court’s liberals in affirming a lower-court ruling that found a likely violation of the Voting Rights Act in an Alabama congressional map with one majority Black seat out of seven districts in a state where more than one in four residents is Black. The state now will have to draw a new map for next year’s elections.
The decision was keenly anticipated for its potential effect on control of the closely divided U.S. House of Representatives. Because of the ruling, new maps are likely in Alabama and Louisiana that could allow Democratic-leaning Black voters to elect their preferred candidates in two more congressional districts.
The outcome was unexpected in that the court had allowed the challenged Alabama map to be used for the 2022 elections, and in arguments last October the justices appeared willing to make it harder to challenge redistricting plans as racially discriminatory under the Voting Rights Act of 1965...
The case stems from challenges to Alabama’s seven-district congressional map, which included one district in which Black voters form a large enough majority that they have the power to elect their preferred candidate. The challengers said that one district is not enough, pointing out that overall, Alabama’s population is more than 25% Black.
A three-judge court, with two appointees of former President Donald Trump, had little trouble concluding that the plan likely violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the votes of Black Alabamians. That “likely” violation was the standard under which the preliminary injunction was issued by the three-judge panel, which ordered a new map drawn.
But the state quickly appealed to the Supreme Court, where five conservative justices prevented the lower-court ruling from going forward. At the same time, the court decided to hear the Alabama case.
Louisiana’s congressional map had separately been identified as probably discriminatory by a lower court. That map, too, remained in effect last year and now will have to be redrawn.
The National Redistricting Foundation said in a statement that its pending lawsuits over congressional districts in Georgia and Texas also could be affected."
-via AP, June 8, 2023
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mysharona1987 · 2 years
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Totally normal country…
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workersolidarity · 7 months
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🇺🇲 CURRENT AND PREDICTED TIMELINE FOR SALTWATER INTRUSION UP THE MISSISSIPPI AND INTO THE NEW ORLEANS WATER SUPPLY
A lack of rainfall in the Mississippi River basen has allowed denser saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to intrude slowly up the Mississippi River over the last two months.
Current estimates put the saltwater intrusion reaching the New Orleans water supply in Algiers by October 20th, and the Carrollton water treatment plant by October 28th. Currently preparations are being made for the intrusion to last about 3 months, or until roughly late January according to top city officials citing data collected by the Army Corps of Engineers.
On Wednesday, the Biden Administration declared a Federal emergency after a formal request by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
According to New Orleans Sewage & Water Board the city's drinking water "is safe" for now.
#source
#source2
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At the beginning of July, Nancy Davis started feeling nauseous. The Baton Rouge resident considered COVID-19 or the flu, then decided to take a pregnancy test just in case. She saw the two blue lines denoting a positive test and ran to the living room to tell her boyfriend. They were both elated.
But their happiness was short-lived. At the first ultrasound, at Woman’s Hospital, the largest birthing center in Louisiana, the technician looked troubled and left the room. A woman in a white coat entered. Davis knew that wasn’t good.
The doctor pointed to the top of the head. There was no skull, she told Davis, an unsurvivable condition. The doctor tried to comfort her, saying this was one of the conditions that qualifies as an exception under the state’s abortion laws. Davis, about 10 weeks into her pregnancy, was still heartbroken.
“There was nothing I would have preferred more than to have this baby,” said Davis, 36. Instead, she prepared herself to pay an estimated $5,000 for an abortion at the hospital.
But that’s not what happened. Even after doctors at the hospital said they would provide an abortion once she got the diagnosis of acrania, a rare and fatal condition, from a specialist, the hospital called to tell her it would not be able to do it, she said. The hospital directed her to a Florida abortion clinic instead, or to carry the baby to term.
'MEDICALLY FUTILE'
Davis' predicament illustrates the gray area in Louisiana's new abortion law and the administrative regulations that attempt to explain it to medical professionals and the public. They all but forbid abortion, except to save the life of the mother or when the fetus is "medically futile," according to a list of conditions issued by the state.
Acrania does not appear on the state’s list of accepted conditions for abortion. But the state also has a broad exception for any “profound and irremediable congenital or chromosomal anomaly existing in the unborn child that is incompatible with sustaining life after birth in reasonable medical judgment.”
Two physicians must sign off on the anomaly. But Woman’s still said it would not perform the abortion.
“In the absence of additional guidance, we must look at each patient’s individual circumstances and remain in compliance with all current state laws to the best of our ability,” said Caroline Isemann, a hospital spokesperson, in a statement.
That's not how some doctors have interpreted the law.
'THEY JUST WON'T FUNCTION'
“Acrania, to me, is synonymous with anencephaly, and it’s on the list,” said Dr. Cecilia Gambala, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Tulane University School of Medicine, referring to another brain and spine defect. “There is no skull.”
Gambala said that even if hospital attorneys were uncomfortable with giving the go-ahead for an abortion based on the acrania diagnosis, they could use the broad exception that the state allows for when a fetus is incompatible with life. And acrania, in Gambala's opinion, meets that description.
"Babies can be born alive, they just won't function," Gambala said. "Their heart might be beating, they can breathe, but they have no brain tissue to actually develop as far as comprehending what's happening or reacting to anything."
GUIDANCE NEEDED
Cases like this will become more common until there is more clarity surrounding the law, whether from legislation, additional guidance from the state Health Department or litigation, said Matthew Brown, a New Orleans-based attorney specializing in health care law.
“The problem is very specific,” Brown said. “And that’s why the law doesn’t address it.”
Brown said the hospital may view the fetus as currently viable because acrania is not immediately fatal and there is still a heartbeat. It also doesn’t immediately endanger the life of the mother, even though the health risks and psychological risks are significant as the pregnancy continues.
Other hospitals may see the situation differently. Until there is more clarity, scenarios like this will continue to play out, he said.
"Any pregnant woman at this point, even the ones [who] are hoping for a healthy child and planning to give birth, is facing additional uncertainty about how they're going to be cared for under bad circumstances because of this law," Brown said.
After seeing a maternal fetal medicine specialist, Davis starting researching the condition on her own. She found devastating images of infants and fetuses who looked like they were missing parts of their heads. She read that babies with acrania are stillborn or die shortly after birth, just like her doctors told her.
“I haven’t run across a case where these babies live,” Davis said.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT
The nearest abortion clinic that can take Davis is an eight-hour drive, and would require a week's stay because she needs a consultation before the procedure.
“I can’t just get up and shoot out; I have kids,” said Davis, who has a 13-year-old and a 1-year-old and no transportation, after a hit-and-run wreck totaled her car a few months back.
Florida also bans abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, and Davis is now nearing 14 weeks. The next-closest state, North Carolina, is a 15-hour drive.
In desperation, Davis visited Care Pregnancy Clinic, a pregnancy crisis center that discourages abortions, on Flannery Road. Staff gave her information on how to bury the baby and said their prayers were with her.
“It makes me feel horrible, like I’m alone in this,” Davis said. “It makes me feel like they just threw me to the wolves.”
After being told to go to Florida, Davis said she wanted other people to know how laws decided in the Louisiana Legislature play out in real life.
“I never in a million years thought it would affect me like this,” she said. “It seems like Louisiana is the hardest place right now to get that done. They don't even wanna say that word.”
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lgbtawarenessproject · 11 months
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Two days ago, ErinInTheMorn posted this on tiktok
So good news Louisiana!
Congrats!
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batboyblog · 1 year
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There's No Such Thing as an Off-Year: You Better Vote 2023.
It feels like every day you read about a horrible new law being passed by a Republican State government, or a Republican governor saying something horrible usually about trans children or drag queens. It can feel like there's nothing you can do, its an off year for elections so you just have to sit and wait and hope they don't get to pass too much terrible shit before Election Day 2024. Well you're wrong! there are elections in 2023! and big ones! There are 3 Governor's races and 4 state legislature races this year!
Before we go any farther I need EVERYONE (who is an American, sorry non-Americans I know we're annoying) to PLEASE check if you're registered to vote, Republican elections officials love to purge voters from the rolls. If you're under 18 but will be 18 by the next election many states allow you to pre-register and you should:
VOTE
Also if you don't live in a state listed below, you should check to see if you're city/town council, county commission, or local school board are holding election this year, Check!
Governors:
Kentucky:
If you're not from Kentucky you might not know that the home of Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul has a Democratic Governor, but it does, Andy Beshear. Governor Beshear from his time as Attorney General (2016-2019) through his first term as Governor has been a support of trans rights in Kentucky. Beshaer vetoed a sweeping anti-trans bill last month, sadly the Republican super majority overrode his vetoed. However Beshear and his veto powers is the one thing standing in the way of Kentucky becoming like its neighbor to the south Tennessee which is leading the nation is extreme anti-LGBT laws and general undemocratic behavior. On his second day in office Governor Beshear restored the voting rights to nearly 200,000 former (nonviolent) felons, disproportionately African-Americans. During the Covid pandemic Governor Beshear became a national leader in fighting Covid disinformation and enforcing recommended public health rules while Republican governors in the states around him denied science and let people die by fighting mask mandates and shut downs. Governor Beshear is also strongly pro-choice, he's endorsed by Planned Parenthood and NARAL, he helped expand access by allowing a second clinic to provide abortions in the state, and has vetoed efforts to restrict abortion in the state. Having a Democratic Governor is so important to mitigating the harm of the Republican legislature and improving the lives of people in Kentucky. So if you live in Kentucky of course vote, but also if you live in or near Kentucky please please think about volunteering just a little of your time to talk to voters and explain why this is important and if you don't live near Kentucky you can donate even a dollar helps or buy a hat or bag to help
VOTE VOLUNTEER SHOP DONATE
Mississippi:
It's pretty rare Democrats get a shot at the governorship in a state like Mississippi but 2023 might really be that chance. If you look at health, education, child hunger, unemployment, and life expectancy Mississippi regularly ranks near or sometimes at the bottom of states. When you understand just under 40% of the state (38%) is Black and Republicans have dominated politics for a generation those numbers start to make painful sense, it's intentional. However! we face a rare moment where Democrats might take the governor's mansion in Jackson. The last election in 2019 was unusually close (52-47) and since then Republican Governor Tate Reeves has been mired in a welfare scam scandal (involving Brett Favre of all people) and a failure to deal with a water crisis in Jackson the state's capital and largest city that left 150,000 people without clean water. Reeves is today the least popular Republican Governor in the nation. The Democratic candidate is Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley (yes he is related to Elvis Presley, yes really). Presley was elected his hometown's mayor at the age of 23, the youngest mayor in the history of the state. In 2007 he was elected to Mississippi's powerful Public Service Commission representing the northern 3rd of the state, he's won re-election in 2011, 2015 and 2019. The Public Service Commission regulates electricity, railroads, and internet service in the state of Mississippi. As a commissioner Presley repeatedly blocked efforts for "clean" coal in the state and managed to push through the largest solar power protect east of the Rocky Mountains. He's also made bring high speed Internet to rural communities in the state a main part of his mission on the commission. Presley wants to expand Medicaid (remember worst health outcomes in America?) Mississippi is one of just 10 states that still hasn't expanded it under Obamacare. He also wants to do away with the grocery tax and fully fund education. Reaves is against the first two and has mocked and blocked efforts to fund education. Mississippi for the first time in a long time has a chance of electing a governor who cares and will fight to improve people's lives. If you live in Mississippi of course vote, but also volunteer, if you live near Mississippi take a weekend to travel to the state and volunteer, if you don't live near Mississippi please give what you can donate or shop
VOTE VOLUNTEER SHOP DONATE
Louisiana:
Not gonna lie Louisiana will be the hardest lift this year. For the last 8 years the state has had a Democratic Governor, John Bel Edwards first elected in 2015 and now term-limited so he can't run again. While being thought of as a conservative Democrat (it is Louisiana after all) Edwards as done a lot of good, he expanded medicare in the state and cut the number of uninsured people in half in his first year in office. One of his first acts was to sign an executive order protecting LGBT people from job discrimination and repealed a Republican executive order protecting companies from discriminating against same sex couples. Republicans are desperate to retake this Deep South Governorship. The Republicans have endorsed the state's Attorney General, Jeff Landry. Landry sued Governor Edwards in 2016 to block his LGBT protections, even though Landry's brother is openly gay and spoke against the suit. Landry joined election denying law suits trying to overturn the 2020 election. He sued the federal government over Covid vaccine mandates for health care workers. Landry has lobbied with other Republican AGs to stop Title IX from being used to cover protect trans students. On the Democratic side Democrats have rallied behind Shawn Wilson who served as Governor Edwards' Secretary of transportation for the last 8 years. Wilson would be the first black governor in the history of Louisiana a state that is just over 30% African American, and the first black governor from the Deep South. Wilson favors raising Louisiana's minimum wage, stuck at the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. He's for investing in costal communities facing the effects of climate change. Wilson also represents a major shift in Louisiana politics, he's pro-choice while Governor Edwards is anti-abortion. This represents a big move, when Edwards was first elected just under 60% of voters in the state say they wanted Abortion to be illegal, in 2022 that had shrunk down to just under 50%. Louisiana has a choice between becoming a radically anti-LGBT state run by an election denier, or protecting progress made and electing a pro-choice black Democrat. If you live in Louisiana make sure you're registered to vote, and everyone you know knows to vote. If you're in Louisiana or close to it volunteer just for a weekend. If you don't live close donate or buy something.
VOTE VOLUNTEER SHOP DONATE
Other Statewide Offices:
This year in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi there are also statewide elections for the important and powerful but often over looked jobs of Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Agriculture Commissioner. Sadly each of these posts in the 3 states is currently held by a Republican. These jobs, particularly Attorney General the chief law enforcement office in the state and Secretary of State that over sees elections are very important. Traditionally because they're more overlooked Democrats in Red states manage to pick them up. If you live in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi please do your research, remember to vote all the way down the ticket and get involved, these jobs often times don't get coverage but they are important. I'd like to briefly highlight just one race. In Kentucky the Republican Attorney General (who tried to use Covid to ban abortion, and then sued against masks) is running to unseat Governor Beshear. Democratic State Rep Pamela Stevenson is running to fill the seat. I could say a lot of things but just watch this fire breathing speech by Representative Stevenson in support of trans rights
Stevenson would also be the first black woman elected to statewide office in Kentucky, so check her website give her a dollar, volunteer if you're in Kentucky
State Legislative elections
Four states, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia are having elections for their state House and Senates. If you've been frustrated, horrified, and/or scared by the flood of anti-trans, anti-abortion and anti-LGBT more generally bills that seem to be coming out of state legislatures every single day this year, well here's your chance to really effect that.
Virginia
In 2021 Republican Glenn Youngkin narrowly won Virginia's governorship. While some in the media tried to paint Youngkin as "moderate" his governorship so far as been consumed with a war on diversity, trying to ban "CRT" and setting up a hotline to report "divisive practices" in schools. He also attacked trans students by trying to overturn the progress made under the last Democratic Governor and changing school policies to enact a bathroom ban, a pronoun/name change ban and out students to parents. After a mass walk out by students in the state Youngkin was forced to put those policies on hold. In the same election Youngkin won in 2021 Republicans narrowly, 52 to 48, took control of the Virginia House of Delegates. Thankfully Democrats retained control of the State Senate, 22-18, which has served as a block on Youngkin, stopping him from appointing a former Trump official and coal lobbyist to head the states environmental protection. It's very important to protect the Senate majority and retake the House to block the worst of Youngkin, protect Virginia's students, and set the state up to take back the governorship. One special shout out, the first openly trans person to be elected to state government, Danica Roem, was elected to the Virginia House in 2017. After being re-elected twice, Roem is running for the State Senate. If she wins it'll be the first time a trans person has been elected to both houses of a state legislature, and the first time a trans politician has "moved up" an important step to maybe one day a Congresswoman Roem. Check her website to see how you can help make a little trans history. Make sure to VOTE, VOLUNTEER, and DONATE
Louisiana and Mississippi
both Louisiana and Mississippi have Republican majorities in their state House and Senate and pretty big majorities. But thats not a reason to give up hope. One of the big problems we see across the country is Republican super majorities or veto proof majorities were there's no break on the most extreme instincts of the Republicans. Republicans have a super majority in all four chambers of these state legislatures. However flipping just a few seats will drastically reduce the power of out of control Republicans. Particularly if either state manages to elect a Democratic governor. A Democratic governor facing a veto proof Republican state legislature is greatly reduced in what they can do to block the worst. Democratic governors in Kentucky and Kansas both vetoed hateful anti-trans laws only to be overridden by Republican supermajorities. However again only flipping just 3 seats in the Louisiana House (for example) will strip Republicans of their super majority and force Republicans to have to talk to the Democratic minority on issues rather than steamrolling over them. If you're in Louisiana or Mississippi you should have already checked if you're registered to vote, but check the Louisiana and Mississippi Democratic Parties for ways to help.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a blue state with a Democratic governor and Democrats control both houses of the state legislature. But thats no reason to get complacent! Democrats don't have a super majority in either house of New Jersey's legislature, a more deeply blue state government can push forward strong bills. Governor Phil Murphy has been an aggressively progressive guy which is a big contrast to former governor Trump ally Chris Christie. In the 2018 US House election Democrats won all but one of New Jersey's Congressional seats, by 2022 there were 3 Republicans representing New Jersey in Congress, the road to winning back the US House runs through flipping New Jersey's Republican seats and that starts by building a strong ground game and an engaged voter base in these elections right here. Don't take it for granted, don't sit it out. If you're in New Jersey VOTE, VOLUNTEER and DONATE
Special elections
If you don't live in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, or Virginia like I said at the top there are LOTS of elections to city/town council, county government, judgeships, local DAs, and school boards all the time. So far in 2023 there have been 14 states that have had a special election to fill a vacancy in their state legislature so pay attention there may be an important election coming your way. And finally before I got I have to highlight two special elections everyone in America needs to be paying attention to
Tennessee
In the aftermath of the Covenant School shooting three Democratic members of the Tennessee House joined protesters calling for action on gun control. Rather than take action on gun control the Republican super majority in the State House filed to expel the three from office. In the final vote the two black Representatives, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were expelled from office while their white colleague, Gloria Johnson, who did the same thing, was not expelled by the Republicans. This is a naked assault on democracy, with the Republican majority declaring they get to decide who their opposition is, and that they get to override the will of the voters whenever a black member of the House hurts their feelings. And expelling the black members and not the one white member for the same behavior is nakedly racist. There's lots more shitty details that I can't get into but if you're in Tennessee make sure you're registered to VOTE because the assault on your rights is fully under way. Both Jones and Pearson have made it clear they plan to run for re-election in the special elections set off by their expulsion. So if you live in Nashville (Jones' district) or Memphis (Pearson's district) you better show up, vote, tell everyone to vote, if you live anywhere in Tennessee please check their webpages (Justin Jones, Justin Pearson) for ways to volunteer and get out the vote. Where ever you live you can DONATE that link gives to them both jointly. Also check out the Tennessee Democrats because you better not let this moment pass, you need to gear up to fight for next year.
Please Remember to VOTE, but also volunteer, and engage, there are big elections happening all the time, and next year will be even bigger.
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