Action Under the Dome

Monday, January 20, 2025
Jen Lancaster
 

It's Monday, January 20.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Voting Rights Act, a signature achievement of the Civil Rights Movement, has to be protected, but one threat looms on the horizon.

At the federal level a dangerous bill has been reintroduced called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The law would require voters to prove their citizenship by showing a passport or birth certificate in order to register to vote. It’s already illegal for non-citizens to cast a ballot in federal elections, and those who violate the law already face severe penalties.

The SAVE Act is plain voter suppression because more than half of American citizens don't have a passport. Plus, many Americans don't have ready access to a birth certificate. This bill would especially burden military voters, tribal voters, rural voters, survivors of natural disasters, and the tens of millions of married people in America who have changed their names.

We encourage you to TAKE ACTION. Tell your U.S. Representative and Senator that you oppose the SAVE Act. The work of the League is often a story of generational struggle and suffrage, but we refuse to turn back the clock on voting rights.

 
 

What's happening at the State House in Maine? Legislators have been assigned to their committees and are going through orientation. There are over 20 legislative committees, and they cover topics like energy, environment, housing, labor, and so on. The committees review bills that are assigned to them before voting and sending them back to either the House or the Senate. 

In the meantime, the revisor's office has been processing bills. Bills are given a Legislative Document (LD) number and become viewable to the public at this portal. So far over 290 bills have been given numbers, but there will be hundreds more to come.

 
 

An introductory guide to pRCV

For the last few weeks we've teased our new study on proportional ranked choice voting (pRCV). During the study phase, members will have an opportunity to examine the facts, along with key pro and con arguments. But what is pRCV? How does it work? How is it different from regular ranked choice voting? The pRCV study committee is offering an introductory webinar that will cover the basics. Sign up below for a day/time that's convenient for you.
pRCV Study: Introduction Webinar
Hosted on Zoom.
Tuesday, February 11
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Register Here
Wednesday, February 12
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Register Here
Learn more about the pRCV study at: www.lwvme.org/pRCV
 
The Equal Rights Amendment Takes One Step Forward

Last Friday, President Biden advanced the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). However, this is not the end of the long struggle. The National Archivist has to publish or certify the Amendment in the Constitution before it can come into effect. Our national League has pushed for the ERA since it first passed Congress in 1972.

Locally, the Maine ERA for All! Coalition is calling on our state legislators to pass the "Inclusive Equal Rights Amendment" which would establish equal rights in Maine's constitution for all. Take action now!