Take action to defend democracy!
Actions for the week of 5.4.2025
Even one action per week makes a difference. Please share this with your friends.
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.
National-Level Actions
Action 1: JOIN Unite and Rise 8.5
“On April 16, 2025, a US District Court Judge, James Boasberg, ruled that there is “probable cause” to find the Trump Administration in criminal contempt of court for violating his order to immediately pause deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. The executive branch’s blatant disregard for an order by the judicial branch constitutes an attack on our democratic system. Therefore, we consider our country to be in a Constitutional Crisis.” LWVUS website
Unite & Rise 8.5 aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to unite and rise up against the anti-democratic actions of this administration. Launching in May 2025 and running until the 2026 midterm elections, this initiative is part of our Women Defend Democracy campaign.
How Can You Make Change?
Unite and Rise 8.5 will fight for our democracy on multiple fronts, from the courts to the streets. More actions will be outlined in the future, but as of today, here are a few you can take:
- Protect democracy: Tell your Senators to oppose the anti-voter SAVE Act;
- Raise your voice about illegal deportations: join mobilizations around immigrant rights and due process with organizations like the National Partnership for New Americans, United We Dream, and others;
- “Turn Up the Heat” on elected officials: Connect directly with your representatives on the issues that matter via Town Halls and other opportunities
- Act locally: Join local organizations like your state or local League to act on the issues that matter in your community.
Contact information
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
If you live in Oconee or Pickens counties, your U.S. Representative is:
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.
State-Level Actions
Find your SC Legislators
Action 2. For LWV members only: ATTEND the Legislative Update May 5 at 5pm. Zoom invitation is in your League email.
Here’s a preview of topics we will cover:
- This update falls immediately before the last week of the regular 2025 session.
- The active issues before the General Assembly include a major energy bill. Senate and House versions provisions of great importance for energy regulation must be reconciled.
- The House is pushing a major income tax revision. That bill is back to the drawing board after a first draft was quickly identified as a giveaway to the rich at the expense of middle class and even low income taxpayers.
- Some culture war bills are stalled, like the extreme abortion ban taken up earlier in the session, while others remain active.
- The Senate has amended the school voucher bill and returned it to the House. We are expecting the House to fast track it.
Action 3: CALL your SC Representative about H.3309: Energy Regulation Bill
H.3309 is a major revision of energy regulation and as such is of great importance for good government — or its failure. In the House H.3309 reflected nothing but the wishes of utilities. It has been returned to the House from the Senate in greatly improved form. The Senate made many positive changes including:
- Restoring regulatory accountability
- Requiring that the cost of providing energy to power-hog data centers be covered by those data centers,
- Preserving clean energy competition
- Holding utilities accountable on energy efficiency
However, a major negative change was introduced by the Senate:
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Another bill, the Electric Rate Stabilization Act (referred to as an RSA) was incorporated into H.3309, and would allow utilities to raise customer rates every year without presenting a traditional rate case before the Public Service Commission, reducing public input and regulatory review.
It is now up to the House to either accept the Senate version through concurrence or send the bill to a conference committee to resolve the major differences between the two versions.
Read the League positions on Energy Regulation here.
Call your Representative to request that regardless of the path forward that is chosen, the improvements introduced by the Senate must be retained. If the bill goes to conference committee, the Rate Stabilization Act provision should be deleted.
Local-Level Actions
Action 4: ATTEND meetings of your local government and stay informed on local issues.
LWVOP.org maintains an extensive calendar of local public meetings.
- Monday, May 5: Pickens County Council Meeting in the Council Auditorium at the Administration Facility, 222 McDaniel Ave., Pickens, SC 29671 at 6:30 pm. Here are links to their 2025 Council Meeting Calendar, Pickens County Calendar, and to the agenda and minutes and videos.
- Monday, May 5: City of Clemson Council meeting held at Council Chambers, Clemson City Hall, 1250 Tiger Blvd # 1, Clemson, SC 29631 at 6:30 pm unless otherwise noted. The 2025 calendar is here.
- Tuesday, May 6: Oconee County Council Meeting in the County Council Chambers located at 415 South Pine Street, Walhalla, SC at 6 pm. Here are links to the Calendar, Agenda and Minutes and Videos of past county council meetings.
Action 5: The Candle Signal
Put a candle or LED lights in your window every night, as a signal to others that you are aware and they are not alone.
Action 6: SAVE the Date: Saturday, May 31, Greenville SC
Rally for “Stand with Ukraine.” More details are coming, or follow here.
Action 7: CELEBRATE your actions!
A large turnout at the Clemson May 1 Rally!
You can share actions you’ve completed on Facebook, #WomenDefendDemocracy, or cherie.walker.lwv [at] gmail.com (subject: Item%20for%20the%20Action%20List, body: ) (email Cherie) to be included in our Eblasts and social media posts.
Action 8: Join the League (if you are not already a member!)
Help support the League in their mission of educating and informing voters.
Action 9: 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.
