Helping Beat the Voter Suppression Laws (5/22/26)
Join the VoteRiders team! Plus raising our voices for trans rights, good citizens against Citizens Bank and more
Scheduling note: Rogan’s List will be off for Memorial Day on Monday, May 25th. We will return to our normal schedule on Tuesday.
TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ
Join VoteRiders in staffing their helpline, assisting folks with getting eligible voter IDs
ICE-CBP funding bill delayed as Republicans try to figure out what to do with Trump’s proposed slush fund - find tools for opposing this legislation and scripts and language for speaking up against taxpayer-funded bribes for MAGA allies
Trans rights in the balance: push senators to stop a national Don’t Say Trans and forced outing bill, oppose an FCC effort to put warning labels on LGBTQ-related TV content, urge school board members to defend trans-inclusive sex ed
15 days until De-ICE Citizens Bank Coalition’s next national protests
If you have questions, comments, and especially submissions for actions, please email us at roganslisttips@gmail.com!
VOTERIDERS NEEDS OUR HELP TO BEAT THE VOTE SUPPRESSORS
The Trump regime has been remarkably candid that they don’t believe they can win in these midterms if they don’t suppress our vote. There’s a lot we need to do to stop them, and it’s not all dramatic. One major task is working one voter at a time to help each of them jump the hurdles the GOP is putting in their way. That’s part of the mission of VoteRiders. In the coming days we’ve got two great opportunities to get plugged into their work.
On Thursday at 7PM ET, they’re holding a training for new volunteers for the VoteRiders helpline. This is remote work helping people who have reached out to the organization seeking assistance with ID issues. 🙋♀️ Let’s sign up to join the team here. 🙋♀
Then on Monday, June 1st, at 7PM ET, they’re holding an orientation for folks willing to provide in-person assistance to folks trying to secure an eligible voter ID. This is on-the-ground work, and they’re looking for volunteers in key locations. 🙋♀️ Let’s see if we live in one of them here. 🙋♀️
TRUMP SLUSH FUND FOR ALLIES DELAYS TRUMP SLUSH FUND FOR DEPORTATION FORCE
Trump’s planned slush fund for his allies has infuriated the American public, 68% of whom are opposed in new polling. The corruption is so blatant that it’s moved congressional Republicans to do the thing they fear most: deny Trump something he wants. Arguments about how or whether to address this taxpayer-funded gift to crooks have caused the Senate to call off their effort to pass ICE and CBP funding for the week. They’ll be on recess next week, so the President won’t be getting this bill on his desk by June 1st.
So we’ve got an extra week to keep pushing back against the billions for the deportation machine. Let’s make sure we use it. ⚙️This resource hub includes guides to setting up meetings with our member of Congress, social media content we can share, talking points we can use with our networks and for letters to the editor, guidance to which members of Congress might be moved, and more – let’s check it out and put it to work. ⚙️
🗣️ And if we haven’t already, we can find call scripts and language here we can use to demand our reps stop Trump from paying off his pals with our money – and share with anyone who wants to do the same! 🗣️
NOT A GREAT WEEK FOR TRANS RIGHTS IN DC
While Donald Trump can’t be happy about how things went for him on Capitol Hill this week, the marginalized communities he has demonized and targeted also don’t have much to celebrate.
The Senate rejected Tim Kaine’s effort to allow borrowers who work for organizations that serve LGBTQ+ youth, immigrants, reproductive health care, racial and social equity and survivors of gender-based violence to remain eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, likely leaving two million people to lose out on student debt relief as of July 1st.
The House passed a proposed national Don’t Says Trans law and forced outing bill, which if made law would mean schools that acknowledged students or teachers were LGBTQ+ could be stripped of federal funding. While it’s likely dead in the Senate, eight Democrats (Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, Cuellar, Don Davis, Fields, Gillen, Kaptur, Gluesenkamp Perez, Vindman) joined the GOP in voting yes, the largest number of defectors on a standalone anti-trans bill in some time. There are some folks in the Democratic caucus who are not hearing the message that we are not interested in throwing our trans siblings under the bus, so we’re going to need to make it louder. 🗣️ Let’s start by letting our senators know, especially if they’re Democrats, that we want them to kill this bill. We can find call scripts here and email language here. 🗣️
Today is also the final day to submit a public comment against Brendan Carr and the FCC’s proposal for a new TV ratings system that would alert viewers to “transgender and gender non-binary programming” and “the discussion and promotion of gender identity themes,” targeting the stories of those outside the gender binary. ✍️ Before close of business, let’s make our opposition to putting warning labels on the LGBTQ+ community heard. We can submit comments here and find talking points and guidance on how to object effectively from GLAAD here. ✍️
And of course, so much of this fight must be fought and won at the local level. And we have the numbers to win it: recent polling conducted by EducateUS found that 75% of Americans want schools to be a safe and welcoming environment for trans students, 68% wants them actively protecting trans students from discrimination, and 72% back teaching trans-inclusive sex education. They’re urging us to make our presence felt. 🏫 We can start by sending their school board member’s guide to sex education to local board members, giving them a resource to help them win these fights. We can find the guide here, find info on our school board members here, or fill out their form here to have them make the ask on our behalf! 🏫 (h/t Jess Craven)
GETTING READY TO SHOW UP AGAINST A CONCENTRATION CAMP ENABLER JUNE 6
More than half the immigrants currently in ICE detention are being held in facilities run by CoreCivic and The GEO Group, and they’re disproportionately targeted with violence by staff. Nine of America’s largest financial institutions have chosen not to do business with them. Citizens Bank has instead deepened their relationship with the private prison companies, providing them with half-a-billion in financing… each.
A growing movement is emerging to draw attention to the bank’s complicity and urge depositors to close their accounts. The De-ICE Citizens Bank Coalition has already gotten more than $1.5 million pulled from Citizens from institutional actors, and they’re ramping up their pressure. We’re now just 15 days away from their next national day of action, with protests at Citizens branches across the country. Organizers are hoping to put together at least 100 standouts!
🪧 Let’s join a protest near us here or consider organizing one of our own using this toolkit. 🪧
🙋🏻♂️ We can also find more information here and more ways to get involved in this fight here, and watch and share this interview K at We (the People) Dissent did with De-ICE Citizens Bank planning team member Peyton Fleming. 🙋🏻♀️
NEXT WEEK’S JUDGES TO THANK
Facing threats, political pressure and a Supreme Court majority that has frequently not had their backs, lower court judges (and some high court folks in dissent) are still doing vitally important work to keep this administration’s power within the bounds of the law. Let’s acknowledge their work and send encouragement to keep fighting… and since Rogan’s List will be off for the holiday, we’re going to do it twice this week!
Judge James Bredar has denied a request by the companies involved to delay a civil trial over the deaths of six construction workers in the 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. ✍🏻 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Bredar for not giving in to pressure to further delay justice for the families of the killed workers. ✍🏿
Judge James Bredar
Edward A. Garmatz Federal Courthouse
101 West Lombard Street, Chambers 5A
Baltimore, MD 21201
Judge Chris Brown sided with the defense in finding Maria Dearaujo not guilty of voting as a non-citizen by reason of entrapment after she was advised by a clerk of the Department of Motor Vehicles to register to vote. ✍🏿 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Brown for refusing to allow Maria to be sent to prison for trusting misinformation. ✍🏻
Judge Christopher Brown
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
345 S. High Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled on Monday that ICE agents could not routinely arrest people showing up for their immigration court hearings in New York City. On Tuesday, ICE arrested a man in these exact circumstances, in direct defiance of Castel’s order. ✍🏻 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Castel for trying to defend the rights of immigrants who are trying to pursue legal status according to due process. ✍🏿
Judge P. Kevin Castel
United States Courthouse
500 Pearl St.
New York, NY 10007-1312
Judge John Bates has blocked an attempt by the administration to roll back the Presidential Records Act, specifically to exclude the obligation to preserve any records sent in unofficial channels such as the Signal app. ✍🏿 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Bates for blocking the administration from deleting communications they want purged from the official record. Government communications must not be allowed to be doctored or hidden. ✍🏻
Judge John Bates
E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has publicly criticized the Supreme Court’s expediting of the Louisiana redistricting case, allowing the state to capitalize on the recently weakened Voting Rights Act for this election cycle. ✍🏻 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Justice Jackson for pointing out the blatantly partisan nature of the Supreme Court’s ruling which enables a redistricting effort clearly intended to change the outcome of the Louisiana election. ✍🏿
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20543
👀 KEEPING AN EYE ON… 👀
NEWS: House GOP delays Iran war powers vote until after recess - keep up the pressure to end the war
NEWS: Charges against Broadview defendants dropped as prosecutors admit “serious errors” in grand jury process - help them pay off legal fees and support other protesters criminalized by Trump regime
NEWS: DNC releases autopsy hours after CNN publishes leaked copy - it’s a mess
Looking for ways to get engaged in the midterms? Here’s a full list!
Upcoming fights in Congress - oppose a Farm Bill preserving food assistance cuts, continued warrantless wiretapping, continuing the Iran war
Trump, Rubio continue to build the case for war on Cuba - tell Congress to stop them now
Tell blue state Dems to fight fire with fire in countering gerrymandering
REI union calls for an anniversary sale boycott through May 25th
Support the Starbucks workers union in encouraging customers to delete the app TOMORROW, take the #NoContractNoCoffee pledge
Apply to train as a tenant union organizer by June 15th, info session Wednesday
Project Salt Box reports ICE aims to start contracts for co-working spaces in June - see if your community is on the target list, push owners and agents not to deal with them
De-ICE Citizens Bank coalition day of action at branches nationwide June 6th - find a protest near us or organize our own
Get Free, 50501 hold All of U.S. 250 mobilizations nationwide June 27th
Submit public comments to oppose barring trans folks from emergency shelters by June 29th
Good Trouble Lives On voting rights weekend of action July 17th-19th - register events here
Public Citizen identifies 446 hospitals at risk thanks to the MAGA murder budget, let’s make sure folks in our community know we’re in danger and who’s to blame