We take action to defend democracy!
Actions for the week of 9.22.2025
Thanks to everyone who contributed items this week! We rely on your input to keep the information flowing
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Send your ideas for action items to: cherie.walker.lwv [at] gmail.com
We rely on your input for these items!
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.
“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong.
The amount of work is the same.
- CARLOS CASTANEDA
State-Level Actions
Find your SC Legislators.
ACTION 1. EXTREMELY URGENT! South Carolina lawmakers are pushing S. 323, an extreme bill that would ban abortion in all circumstances—with NO EXCEPTIONS.
According to Planned Parenthood, this bill is one of the most dangerous in the country.
It would:
- Expose patients to the harshest criminal penalties, treating people who seek abortion care as murderers under the law.
- Target doctors with felony charges, decades in prison, loss of their medical licenses, and even private lawsuits.
- Ban certain forms of birth control and place severe restrictions on in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
- Criminalize support, making it a felony—punishable by up to 30 years in prison—to share information about legal abortion in another state, provide financial help for travel, or even post resources online.
What can you do?
1. As a constituent, call your Senator Rice, (803) 212-6124; Senator Cash (803) 212-6116; or Senator Alexander (803) 212-6220. Demand that they abandon this egregious attack on our autonomy, privacy, speech, and safety before October 1. Personal calls from constituents are the most effective means of influencing Legislators!
2. CALL ALL Senators on the Medical Affairs Subcommittee:
Cash, (803) 212-6124
Corbin, (803) 212-6100
Fernandez, (803) 212-6024
Garrett, 803-212-6016
Hutto, (803) 534-5218
Martin, (803) 212-6420
Saab, (843) 355-5349
Tedder, (803) 212-6132
Verdin, (Chairman) (803) 212-6250
Zell, (803) 212-6040
3. Attend the October 1 subcommittee hearing, 9:30 am in the SC State House (Gressette Building, Room 105.) This will be the only time South Carolinians can testify in person and put their voices on the record. If you want to testify at the Senate Bill 323 hearing on October 1, sign up here. After these slots are full, only written testimony will be accepted.
4. Attend the Rally for Reproductive Rights, October 1, 9 am - 1 pm
People's Hearing , October 1, 10 am - 1 pm
South side steps and grounds, facing the Gressette Building
If you couldn't testify at the hearing, share your story or thoughts at the People's Hearing. Or do both! Testify in the hearing and share your voice with the crowd outside. Nonprofit organizations will be tabling and providing opportunities to take action against S. 323.
5. Amplify this message by liking and sharing the Facebook posts from LWVSC and LWVOP.
6. Join the Health Policy Team, see Action Item 6 below.
7. Be Informed.
- Read more about the League position.
- Read the joint statement with ACLU-SC and other reproductive rights groups.
Local-Level Actions
ACTION 2: Join the paper clip protest
“On Thursday, E. Jean Carroll started it: Paper Clip Protest. “Comely Reader! I suggest we all start wearing the paper clip. Subtler than a red hat, more powerful as a CONNECTION,” she wrote, explaining they were also worn during World War II as a sign of resistance against the Nazis.
Norwegian teachers and students wore paper clips to signal their opposition to Nazi occupation. They attached them to their lapels and wore them as jewelry, a symbol of solidarity binding them together as paper clips did with papers. It was a quiet act of defiance, expressing that Norwegians remained united against Nazi rule.”
Read more here from Joyce Vance on Substack.
Action 3: ATTEND meetings of your local government and stay informed on local issues.
LWVOP.org maintains an extensive calendar of local public meetings.
- Monday, September 22: Pickens City Council Work Session, 219 Pendleton St, Pickens, SC 29671 at 6 pm. Find Schedule of Meetings, City Council Minutes, Agendas, and Livestream Recordings.
- Tuesday, September 22: Pickens County School Board Meeting** at 1348 Griffin Mill Rd, Easley, SC 29640 at 6 pm. Board meetings are livestreamed; to watch, please connect to the SDPC YouTube page. You may view video of past meetings.
- Tuesday, September 23: Oconee Library Board Meeting held in the Council Chambers at 415 S. Pine St, Walhalla, SC 29691 at 5:30 pm. View the Calendar and Agendas and Minutes.
- Tuesday, September 23, 7:00 pm: Meeting of Pendleton Area Advocates for Intellectual Freedom. This group mobilizes against book bans and other infringements on intellectual freedom. They meet monthly at the First Baptist Church in Pendleton and welcome new members and interested parties.
ACTION 4: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: October 4 Read and Rise 2025.
Are you a new member and want hands-on experience with voter registration? Are you experienced at Voter Registration? Participating in this event is an opportunity for all members, but we are especially encouraging new members to become involved, to team up with a member who is experienced with voter registration, and to take part in this event with the Pendleton Area Advocates for Intellectual Freedom for Read and Rise 2025. There will be two shifts: 1st shift is from 10 am to noon; 2nd shift is from noon to 2 pm. Please contact carol.asalon [at] furman.edu (subject: Read%20and%20Rise, body: ) (Carol Asalon) at carol.asalon [at] furman.edu with questions or if you are ready to volunteer!
In 1982, Congress established Banned Book Week to bring attention to book banning. This year, Banned Book Week is October 5-11. Read and Rise is our local effort to make book-banning practices in our area more widely known. Wikipedia will give you more information about this.
ACTION 5: JOIN the Health Policy Team
Concerned about plans of the SC Legislature to make all abortions illegal? Want to pressure SC legislators to continue Medicaid coverage for 200,000 South Carolinians who will lose Medicaid coverage in 2026? With SC ranking low on most health measures, there are many health issues to tackle.
An organizing meeting of members will be held in late September to determine:
- interest in forming a team and, if so,
- what issue(s) does the group want to pursue.
Please jmarsh [at] clemson.edu (subject: Health%20Policy%20Team, body: ) (contact Janet Marsh) if you are interested.
ACTION 6: SAVE the Date: October 18, No Kings 2.
At this time, the closest event is in Greenville, but stay tuned as more dates will be added. “LWVUS is an official partner for this day of mobilization to stand in solidarity with partners and stand up against hate and authoritarianism. The League has consistently and boldly spoken up in the face of rising authoritarianism. This is an opportunity to put words into action and show up in defense of democracy and as an effective ally. We encourage Leagues to lean in locally and participate in activations with partners on the ground in a nonpartisan manner.”
ACTION 7: The Fierce Urgency of Now, NAACP, September 27.
National-Level Actions
ACTION 8: TELL your congressperson to support free, fair, and accessible elections.
LWV Statement on Mail-in Ballots and Voting Machines: The League of Women Voters CEO, Celina Stewart, Esq., issued the following statement in response to President Trump's vow to eliminate mail-in ballots and voting machines:
“Free, fair, and accessible elections are the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. President Trump’s call to eliminate vote-by-mail is a direct attack on Americans’ freedom to vote.”
“President Trump has no constitutional authority to take this action. Under our US Constitution, the states have the power to run elections, and only Congress can step in to regulate those elections when needed. This move is yet another overreach by an unpopular president who seeks to silence the public to hold onto power.”
Action 9: Take CARE of yourself (and others!)
With so much going on in the world, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Take some time to do something you enjoy.
ACTION 10: Join the League (if you are not already a member!
Help support the League in their mission of educating and informing voters.
ACTION 11: 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 (subject: Defending%20Democracy, body: ) (Cherie Walker) know.
