Distill Social hosted a free advance screening of the new motion picture, Call Jane, based on the inspiring story of the women in Chicago who organized to help those who needed abortions. An enthusiastic crowd of 600 enjoyed the movie and learned how to reach out to other voters, talking to volunteers from the Reproductive Freedom for All campaign (Prop 3), and Promote the Vote (Prop 2).
Weekly sessions will be held through November and feature department staff and experts discussing a range of non-partisan election topics including helpful voter how-tos, a deep-dive into how Michigan elections are run, and tips for how voters and partners can help prepare their communities for election season. Seats to the live sessions are limited. Select the links below to sign-up to attend, or to submit a question for our hosts to answer live on the call. A replay recording will be available after the call.
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, it is essential to get the 425,059 required signatures for this petition to prevent Michigan from becoming a state where abortion is a felony. There is a risk of this not going on the ballot in November if the required number of signatures isn’t reached.
by Leslie Kamil, OTR/L, MS, JD How petitions work in Michigan Michigan citizens can file a petition with the state government to establish a new law, repeal a newly-enacted law through a referendum or amend the state’s constitution. Groups that want new legislation or a constitutional amendment must submit a copy of their petition to…
The first anniversary of the victory of democracy over autocracy (or worse) on January 6th will take place on Thursday of this week. If you have not already made plans to commemorate January 6th, check out Defend Democracy’s website, which lists hundreds of in-person and virtual events. Speaker Pelosi has arranged for a series of events in Washington D.C., including a moment of silence in the House, remarks by President Biden and Vice-President Harris.
CNN will host a two-hour special at 8 pm EST that will include live interviews with members of the House and the Capitol Police about their experiences on January 6.
The Freedom to Vote Act remains in suspended animation in the Senate as Joe Manchin has failed to convince a single Republican to support the Act. The situation will not change unless and until the Senate carves out an exception to the filibuster for voting rights legislation. A group of scholars representing dozens of universities has published a statement urging the Senate to modify the filibuster to pass the Freedom to Vote Act.
Not all jurisdictions have something to vote on Tuesday, but MANY DO! Make sure that you are voting every chance you get in your community!
Michigan Resistance began in the dark days following Trump’s victory, energized by the disappointment of Progressives. During that lame-duck session from November to December in 2016, when Republicans in the State Houses felt empowered by Trump’s victory to pass conservative, even right-wing bills, a band of Progressives met with Democrats in the State Houses who kept them informed of the legislative goings-on which needed protest. Armed with a list of 20,000 Democratic voters from Hillary Clinton’s campaign, these Progressives called them to ask them to call their state senators and representatives, remembers Margaret Schankler.
Light One Candle by Peter, Paul, and Mary
The BEST way to elect progressives is to invest in the grassroots organizing groups that are on the ground 24/7/365 doing the work to go beyond platitudes and instead are achieving public policy wins for normally marginalized people at the local, state and national levels.
They also help these people organize themselves so that they can advocate for their own priorities — a novel concept— which leads to them BEING and, importantly, FEELING empowered. This leads to increased trust in institutions and the political system, which in turn grows participation and voter turnout.