Defend Democracy. Take Action.

Defend Democracy. Take Action.

Women Defend Democracy
Time Range For Action Alert: 
Mar 24 2025 to Mar 30 2025

Take action to defend democracy!  

Even one action per week makes a difference. Please share this with your friends.  

Actions for the week of 3.24.2025

League of Women Voters Oconee/Pickens (LWVOP) has a lot going on this week, so we will list the local action items first. State and National items are below. 

These are just suggestions of actions you could take as an individual. If you are a League member, always remember to express your personal views, and not to speak on behalf of the League. Only League Presidents or designees can speak on behalf of the League.

Local-Level Actions 

Action 1: Attend a local LWVOP, county or city public meeting. They are listed on the LWVOP calendar.

Action 2: Spread the Word. Health Coverage Awareness and Assistance Event.

The Oconee County NAACP is hosting a Health Coverage Awareness and Assistance Event on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at Blue Ridge Community Center. This event, in collaboration with SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, Cover South Carolina, and the SC State Conference NAACP, aims to highlight the need for Medicaid expansion in South Carolina.

Please post on social media and share with anyone who needs assistance.

flyer

Action 3: Help Wanted 

We are updating the Oconee and Pickens County Directory of Public Officials. We need volunteers from both counties to proofread the text and make any corrections. Volunteers should be detail oriented and have working knowledge of Microsoft Word or the Apple equivalent. Please contact spurlock.pat [at] gmail.com (Pat Spurlock) or call 864-851-1992.  

Action 4: Upcoming Judicial Reform Consensus Meeting

Tuesday, April 1, 4 p.m.
Blue Ridge Community Center in Seneca

In the light of current challenges to the rule of law, this is a very timely consensus.

There is lots of good information on our LWVOP website including consensus questions and a series of nine very short papers explaining some of the issues. Please review as much as you can and come prepared to participate in making our recommendations to LWVUS on a position on judicial reform.

If you will be at the meeting, please pick out one (or even two) of the 23 page papers to print out, review, and bring with you as an "instant expert" on that particular issue. Just kidding about the expert part. But do be prepared to share any relevant points in that particular document as we consider what we might support or oppose in the consensus suggestions. LWVUS is not looking only for yes or no, but also salient talking points! Contact holleyulbrich [at] gmail.com (Holley Ulbrich) for more information.

Action 5: Save The Date for the Walhalla City Council Candidate Forum

Thursday, April 3, 6:30-8 pm
Walhalla Middle School
151 Razorback Lane, Walhalla

LWVOP will sponsor a Candidates Forum for the special election on April 22 to fill two vacant Walhalla City Council seats. Five Walhalla residents are vying for the seats.

Action 6: Save The Date April 5. Hands Off: A nationwide day of action.

On April 5, LWV is joining national partners for Hands Off!, a mobilization in response to the current administration’s attacks on our democracy, basic rights, and overreach of power. Events are being held all across the country: Leagues can find or register their local event here. Leagues interested in hosting an event can find a host toolkit, including social media materials and event guidance here. Members or Leagues participating in their local activation should refer to our protest safety guidance available on the League Management Site. 

Action 7: Share the love!

We’d love to see your pictures, or share on Facebook #WomenDefendDemocracy

rally 

LWVOP members at Haygood Mill event. 3/19/25

State-Level Actions 

Action 8: Call or write your SC Senators about House bill H.3309, Energy regulation.

House bill H. 3309 is now under consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senators should reject the provisions of this bill that will harm the public interest.

Ask your Senator to preserve the ability of the State to protect us from the power of monopolies, do not establish preferential treatment of utilities over citizens and citizen groups during regulatory processes, protect residential ratepayers; allow agencies to do their jobs in assessing individual projects, don’t reach their conclusions regarding individual projects for them, and require data centers to fully pay their own way.

As currently written H.3309 would:

  • Bias the Public Service Commission (PSC) toward construction of a gas-fired plant at Canadys, before the appropriate data and arguments are considered by the PSC
  • Alter the mission of the Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) to return to the demand that they consider the “financial integrity of utilities” in their representations before the PSC
  • Gut important aspects of the regulatory protections put in place following the V. C. Summer debacle
  • Damage ratepayers throughout South Carolina by allowing utilities to provide special negotiated rates to “transformative” and “qualifying” customers (including energy hog data centers) that would transfer the cost of providing their energy from those who will profit from the industry to residential and small business utility customers who will receive little or no benefit.

Further information is available in LWVSC testimony on H.3309, posted under Advocacy: Legislative: Environmental Policy.

Find your SC Legislators here. 

National Level Actions 

Action 9: CALL or WRITE your members of Congress about the Constitutional Crisis.

It has been almost two months since President Trump took the oath of office. In that time, he’s issued 89 executive orders and numerous executive memos and proclamations that roll back the rights of Americans and violate the constitutional authority of Congress. The Administration has ignored constitutional protections and laws passed by Congress by seeking to end birthright citizenship, dismantling federal agencies, and freezing federal funding.

Checks, balances, and the rule of law are necessary to ensure our democracy continues, yet Congress has taken no action to stop this illegal power grab. It is time for Congress to act. Please ask your Senators and Representatives to stand up for our democracy.

A constitutional crisis is unfolding, and at the League, we believe that Congress’ inaction signals its approval of the violation of laws and the Constitution, as well as the Administration's seizure of congressional power. Congress’ power to act is clear. Article I of the Constitution grants Congress all legislative powers and the authority to approve spending in the federal budget.

A failure to act means that Congress is enabling the actions of the executive branch, threatening the rule of law and our Constitution. Every day, congressional inaction jeopardizes our system of checks and balances, our liberties as Americans, and our democracy in its entirety.

It is time for Congress to stand up for the constitution and their constituents. It is time for Congress to resist this power grab and stand in the power that the US Constitution gives them. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to stand up for our democracy.

Source: LWV CEO Celina Stewart, 2/28/25

The Honorable Lindsey Graham (Dear Senator Graham)
290 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5972

The Honorable Tim Scott (Dear Senator Scott)
104 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
202-224-6121

The Honorable Sheri Biggs (Dear Representative Biggs)
1530 Longworth Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
202-225-5301 (DC), 864-224-7401 (Anderson).

Other counties, find your U.S. Representative’s name and contact information here.

Action 10: CALL your U.S. Representative about the SAVE Act (voter suppression).

Even as we commemorate Women’s Month and the many heroes who fought for the right to vote, Congress is considering a bill that would make voting harder for millions of women.

The House and Senate recently introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote — despite the fact that voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering.  

The bill’s requirement that voters present a document in-person to prove American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections creates one more barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents. In addition to the numerous other communities that would be directly and detrimentally impacted by this law, the SAVE Act is a women’s issue.

Americans who have changed their name — like married women and members of the trans community — would also be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote. Surveys show that eight in ten married women have changed their surname, meaning they do not possess a birth certificate that matches their current legal name and, therefore, could not present it as valid proof of citizenship. There are an estimated 69 million American women who lack the paperwork that reflects their current name.

Legislation like the SAVE Act is another in a long list of tactics which seek to make it more difficult to vote. Americans do not need MORE obstacles to vote. Congress must act to ensure that every eligible US citizen has the freedom to vote unimpeded by discriminatory rules rooted in fear and division.

Contact Congress today! Information for your members of Congress is above.

Action 11: Join the League (if you are not already a member!)

Help support the League in their mission of educating and informing voters. 

Action 12: Sign up for the mailing list.

If someone forwarded this email to you, sign up to get it directly!

We would love to hear from you about this initiative. Feel free to forward this email to others who wish to find ways to participate. Whether it’s how this made you feel, results you saw, or suggestions for future topics, please let cherie.walker.lwv [at] gmail.com (Cherie Walker) know. 

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