When things look grim, look to the league.
“Democracy is in crisis and much of our federal government is dysfunctional,” our president Dianna Wynn told national leaders recently. Then she added this: “I see league members across the nation stepping up and speaking out and meeting the moment in courage.”
Those are our marching orders even as we pass one week of a government shutdown, federal militarization, detention without due process, and a Supreme Court poised to eviscerate the Voting Rights Act.
Step by step, we are seeing increased barriers to voting and we have to meet each moment as it comes. To that end, we just sent out an Action Alert asking you to oppose the latest attack, this one seeking to add documentary proof of citizenship to the federal voter registration form. As we know, non-citizens already are prohibited from voting but misinformation seems to have taken over the national dialogue.
You know that we are actively combatting misinformation, so much so that we have a page on our website called Skills for Defending Democracy. One way to do that is to ensure our children have robust civics education. The national League has opened a Civic Learning & Impact department, led by Jeanette Senecal, and as we learn more, we will roll it out to our local leagues.
Why is that important? Our CEO Celina Stewart gave this startling account. After the 2024 election, there were 2 million people who searched the internet for how to change their vote.
Our lawsuit challenging the legislature’s redistricting maps continues. Even as other states grapple with partisan gerrymandering, Utah has received national attention for our stalwart support of independent redistricting commissions as a model for the nation. You can read how we got here, along with a timeline of things to come here.
We have updated the Redistricting Blog on the website with the two alternative maps we submitted to the judge. Also on the website is our most recent filing seeking an injunction to keep Map C from going into effect. This move is as much about Map C as it is about S.B.1011. We are asking the court to enjoin S.B. 1011 because the law the legislature passed mandates the use of three tests to determine whether a map satisfies Prop 4’s ban on partisan gerrymandering. In reality, these tests are heavily biased and were chosen specifically as a way to reverse engineer the selection of a gerrymandered map favorable to Republicans.
You should read through the complaint which begins with these words: “Once again, Defendants had an opportunity to follow Proposition 4, and once again Defendants have chosen to undermine it instead. Seven years ago, the people of Utah voted to prohibit partisan gerrymandering and ensure fair representation in Utah. But Defendants have simply refused to accept this.”
You may hear that Prop 4 passed by only 50.34% of the vote but let me say that is the law. We are a majoritarian country. Donald Trump won a mere 48% of the popular vote and elections are typically decided by a majority.
The national LWV is fighting gerrymandering around the country. Please follow the latest before the Supreme Court – Louisiana v Callais – as we seek to prohibit racial gerrymandering. Check out this case summary and explainer blog to learn more.
We were reminded once again to coordinate closely on messaging about anything related to the federal government. As we are encouraged to stay in our respective lanes, I understand that it’s often difficult to recognize the three levels of the League and how not to overstep. If you ever have questions, please let us know and we can help.
LWV has partnered with the No Kings protests and +while I know many of you have concerns, the League is confident that the goal is to peacefully push back against the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. We will focus our speech and posters on the issues for which we advocate and will lift up our Unite & Rise campaign as the League initiative to fight back in response to our current constitutional crisis.
By checking the LWV calendar, you can be sure you’re not missing any of the League’s important webinars and events. And of course, watch for our latest offerings beginning with Media in Crisis on Oct. 15 and attend a helpful Civic Advocacy Workshop on Oct. 29.