The 2020 Presidential Election, Georgia Senate Runoff, and confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would NOT have been possible without historic Black voter turnout. Now, the right to vote is being attacked. Join us in taking action. Write a letter: http://bit.ly/3OdbHR1

Florida’s First District Court of Appeal has issued a stay and reinstated a gerrymandered congressional map drawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The organizational Plaintiffs in this case, which include Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, the League of Women Voters of Florida, Equal Ground Education Fund, and Florida Rising Together, issued the following joint statement in response to the court’s order:

This weekend, as voting rights continue to come under attack in communities across America, the U.S. Senate has suspended its usual recess to consider an infrastructure spending bill. In the meantime, Republican lawmakers in nearly all 50 states are considering legislation to limit absentee voting, remove ballot drop boxes, shorten voting hours, and impose other cruel voter restrictions.

Black Voters Matter Fund co-founders Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown said: “The nationwide assault on voting rights is now a five-alarm fire. Yet while voting rights activists and community members — particularly in Black and Brown communities that are disproportionately impacted by voter suppression — fight the biggest battle for voting rights since the Jim Crow era, the U.S. Senate has continued to stall on passing critical voter protections like H.R. 1/S1 and H.R. 4. Now, as the Senate breaks precedent and suspends its weekend recess to consider infrastructure spending, it must show the same urgency for voting rights. The founding principle of our democracy cannot wait for the Senate to return from an August vacation. Recess can wait.

“Meanwhile, Texas legislators are now entering their fourth week away from their homes, families and jobs as they continue their fight for federal legislation. Such protections are critical to help prevent draconian state legislation such as Texas Senate Bill 7 which would limit absentee voting, remove ballot drop boxes, shorten voting hours, and impose other cruel voter restrictions. If these Texas legislators can sacrifice a month of their lives in pursuit of voting rights, the very least the U.S. Senate could do is delay their recess for the same cause.

“And while President Biden has committed to using the power of his administration to combat voter suppression, he must use the full power of his office and over 4 decades of experience in the U.S. Senate to help clear the path for federal voting rights protections through the legislature. The Senate must use any means necessary to pass voting rights legislation — even if it means removing the Senate filibuster and suspending its August recess.”

Texas Representative Ron Reynolds said: “We are dealing with the fierce urgency of now and need Congress to pass voting rights legislation. before it’s too late.”

We are back in Washington D.C. to continue the fight to protect the vote! No more excuses, voting rights now! ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

Vigilant education leads to pressuring our elected officials to protect our sacred right to vote.

Call, write, make yourself obnoxious. The November midterms are a referendum on democracy. You can be sure every trick will be used to impede, complicate, delegitimize and thwart.

DO NOT CAPITULATE.

Tell every person you know about the “quiet period” and make it a regular conversation topic. Vigilant education. Tireless motivation. Consistent activation. We can and must #protectthevote

Republicans know they're facing a potential electoral massacre in upcoming elections — and Trump knows losing GOP majorities could leave him powerless and exposed.

He's already hinted at undoing certified elections (like in NY), and we’re seeing disturbing trends — from suppressive legislation to voter roll purges, disinformation, and even reports of elections being manipulated or canceled locally(Miami, anyone?).

This is a warning.

They’re not going to play fair — they’re going to cheat, suppress, and spin. And unless we organize, mobilize, and vote in MASSIVE numbers, democracy will erode right under our feet.

🔍 Be vigilant 📣 Speak out 🗳️ Support voting rights orgs 📱 Fact-check & share credible info 🧭 Don’t sit this out

This week the Blackest Bus in America headed back to Pennsylvania for #StopTheViolence outreach in the Philadelphia community, LGBTQ+ Rally in Pittsburgh, and a Day of Action at the Capitol in Harrisburg to #ProtectTheVote!

BIDEN'S PRESIDENCY MAY JUST BE AN INTERLUDE...

A lot of folks are happy - myself included - that they don't have to listen to the loathsome toadman or read his tweets anymore.

Biden won the election convincingly despite the pandemic and the various GQP efforts to suppress the vote including interfering with the USPS. The popular vote margin was almost 8 million but the electoral college vote could have gone the other way if a mere 22,500 voters had changed their vote from Biden to Trump.

Biden has taken control of the pandemic, passed his recovery plan, reversed a slew of harmful and unethical executive orders and will likely get a decent infrastructure bill passed and hopefully more besides. But none of that will matter to the Trump cult.

Immediately after the insurrection, McConnel, McCarthy and Graham condemned it but within a week or two, they'd walked it all back and were firmly back behind Trump. And now the party is almost completely coalesced behind Trump.

Shortly thereafter there was a boatload of legislation flowing through Republican State Senates designed to suppress the vote for poor and minority voters - 361 pieces of legislation in 47 states. If all these bills are successful, they could well be enough to tilt the election on their own. 

But everything that we have seen concerning the GQP relentless questioning the results of the 2020 election and all the recounts etc are prelude and proof of concept for what will happen next time round. Not only have the seeds of doubt on election integrity been carefully sown since 2016 but precedent has been established for doing what they will do in earnest in 2024. 

There will be no Raffenspergers or Sterlings next time. Yes, they stood their ground this time because...well, they didn't want to break the damn law! But having had the experience of being chastised by virtually the entire party, they won't be inclined to do it again. And if you want evidence of that, they have both supported the new voter suppression bills. 

But, speculation aside, if the electoral boards don't pass the GQP purity test, they will be removed and Georgia already has passed legislation to allow the Secretary of State to be overruled in electoral matters.

The GQP has already sent up trial ballons about submitting competing slates of electors. It was shot down by Constitutional scholars who thought it was laughable and declared that it was impossible. But, in 2024, if the GQP need to do it, they will do it and who stop it? Constutionality be damned! They can run it through SCOTUS if they want and SCOTUS will rubber-stamp it.

Gerrymandering, voter suppression and mid-term blues may well have Dems lose the House in 2022, which will hamstring the Dems and pave the way for more extreme measures in 2024.