January 23, 2024
Help stop voter suppression, attend a gun violence prevention summit, promote masks in healthcare settings, and more!
*** SUBMITTING YOUR ACTIONS TO ROGAN’S LIST ***
We’ve set up a “tip line” so Rogan’s List subscribers can send in their ideas or submissions for action items at roganslisttips@gmail.com. Please don’t hesitate to email and pass on your suggestions. We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact all members of Congress:
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
By US mail: Representatives / Senators
By fax: Representatives / Senators
By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
HELP STOP VOTER SUPPRESSION THROUGH VOTER ID LAWS
Pro-democracy organizations like the League of Women Voters and the Brennan Center for Justice say that laws requiring photo IDs for voting do very little, if anything, to address election security, but are very effective at suppressing the votes of seniors, minoritized people, people with disabilities, low-income voters, rural voters, and students. Two organizations doing impressive work on this issue are VoteRiders and Spread the Vote. They help people get the IDs they need to exercise their right to vote. Let’s help them with their work:
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION SUMMIT
Fueled by election gains, Democrats in Minnesota and Michigan this year enacted far-reaching policy changes that party leaders in other states are looking to as a potential roadmap for what they could swiftly achieve with similar control. For example, last year, Michigan's Democratic trifecta passed multiple firearm laws that address safe gun storage, universal background checks, temporary removal of firearms for those who pose risks to themselves or others, and firearm bans against individuals convicted of domestic violence. With the new laws set to take effect this year, End Gun Violence Michigan, the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, and other gun violence prevention organizations will be hosting Michigan's first ever Gun Violence Prevention Summit. The summit will include panels on how the new laws can be implemented regarding law enforcement, domestic violence, healthcare, youth advocacy, suicide prevention, schools, and more. The event will take place January 29th and 30th on Zoom from 10am-3:30pm, with activism training for youth leaders and community education volunteers at 7pm both days. Let's learn more about the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Summit, then sign up here to attend.
PANDEMIC IN SECOND LARGEST SURGE: ASK STATES TO REINSTATE MASKS IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS
Much as we would like the pandemic to be over, we are now in the second biggest surge since it started and at the very least our states need to step up the response. One simple tactic is to reinstate mask requirements in healthcare settings. If the primary rule of medicine is “First, do no harm,” then how does it make sense to put vulnerable, immunocompromised people in danger every time they seek treatment? Already 29% more Covid-stricken cancer patients have died during this surge and yet this unfair burden of risk continues. But this is not just a concern for people with weakened immune systems. This problem affects all of us. Even those of us who are healthy now still face an increased risk of long Covid in unmasked indoor settings. It doesn’t have to be like this. We can speak up and we can make change. We can come together to support disability justice group Pan End It! They're striving to reinstate mask requirements state by state in healthcare, and our voice matters. We can join in here and sign a letter asking our states to reinstate healthcare mask requirements and spread the word within our networks—let's make it happen together!
SUPPORT THE VOTE BY MAIL TRACKING ACT
The Vote By Mail Tracking Act (HR 5658) is a bipartisan bill to increase transparency by requiring the Postal Service to provide a tracking code on all U.S. mail-in ballots. The bill was passed out of committee in the last Congress, but never brought to the floor. Let’s not let that happen again. Let’s ask our MoCs to sign on and work to get this passed!
VOLUNTEER BLUE / TOGETHER WE ELECT
Volunteer Blue (also known as Together We Elect) is an online action hub for those of us who want to do our part to elect Democrats at all levels of government. We can choose a state with crucial races, choose from activities like texting, phoning, canvassing, and postcarding, and we can even speak with an actual human activism coach! Let’s click on Volunteer Blue’s Get Started page and learn more.