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| CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT…NEW WEBSITE…WOMEN’S RIGHTS…MONTHLY QUOTES & IDEAS…SMALL-DONOR DEMOCRACY…ELECTION SABOTAGE…FACTS YOU CAN USE CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT Syracuse University Nick Mingione and the DM club at SU are increasing student political activism with their voter registration campaigns, social media outreach, classroom presentations and articles in SU’s Daily Orange paper. Nick’s most recent article discussed why he and other students are determined to use their political power to make change: “I’m angry that my voice does not compete with the political power of the ultra-rich. And I worry about my peers who have their right to vote suppressed by new state laws. But I have hope, too. I know that there’s a growing outcry from millions of young Americans who are fed up with phony claims of voter fraud and the denial of legitimate election results that undermine our voices within our democracy.” https://dailyorange.com/2021/12/college-students-must-oppose-big-money-politics/ DM’S NEW WEBSITE Our exciting new website is the generous gift of DM alumna Brandy Bones. As an undergrad Brandy created and led a successful DM club at Colgate University, and later became a member of the Democracy Matters Board of Directors. In her professional life, Brandy now helps disaster-prone communities maximize funding to serve those most impacted by disasters. Her work creates more equitable outcomes and builds more resilient communities. Brandy lives in Detroit with her husband Andrew and their two foster children. Thank you Brandy for your wonderful gift and for your support of Democracy Matters. Check out the new website at https://www.democracymatters.org WOMEN’S RIGHTS During Women’s History month in March, we celebrate the historic struggles waged for women’s rights – the right to vote, to learn, to love, to work. And we honor all those who fought for and won those rights. But especially on International Women’s Day March 8th, we will be mindful of the millions of women who still lack basic rights, including the fundamental right of reproductive choice. Today, unrelenting attacks undermine women’s power to exercise that right – here in the United States and around the world. Even as we honor past victories, we recommit to fight for the rights that enable every woman to shape her own life. QUOTES OF THE MONTH The fight for voting rights … “Anything short of protecting the right to vote is a death sentence for democracy. The fight is far from over.” Derrick Johnson, President NAACP “This battle is not over.” Maria Teresa Kumar President, Voto Latino IDEAS OF THE MONTH Registering every single student to vote is urgent – especially with voter suppression increasing. But DM chapters also make sure that the students they register go to the polls and vote. ***Voter registration materials and voting information available as part of weekly DM tabling. ***Faculty panels on voting rights and election sabotage and informal “Donuts and Democracy” discussions with faculty facilitators. ***Letters and essays in school publicationswith information on voter registration, polling places, transportation, and more… *** Campus Election Day rallies, along with cool “potty politics” flyers on bathroom stalls and chalking on sidewalks to remind students to vote. SMALL DONOR DEMOCRACY? While the number of small campaign donors has increased over time, the growth is far from large enough to truly democratize elections. To curb the domination of our elections by wealthy donors, we need to implement full public campaign financing. https://www.democracymatters.org/money_on_my_mind/small-donor-democracy-2 ELECTORAL SABOTAGE On January 6th 2021, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol to sabotage Congress’s count and final certification of votes in the 2020 presidential election. Now, a bi-partisan group of Senators is proposing to reform an 1887 law,“ The Electoral Account Act,” to prevent future efforts to undermine elections. Democracy Matters strongly supports the reform. But more needs to be done. In order to protect democracy and ensure public confidence in the integrity of election results, we urge action to secure vote counts and their certification not only by Congress, but by officials at every level of government entrusted with administering the election process. process.https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/opinion/politics/susan-collins-eca-reform.html?searchResultPosition=1 FACTS YOU CAN USE The Student Loan Game President Biden’s campaign promise to “immediately” wipe out $10,000 of student debt for each borrower has been stymied by the powerful student-loan industry. Millions of Americans have struggled to repay loans that today total over $1.7 trillion. Student-loan companies have successfully protected their record profits, playing the political game of using big money to influence legislation. The industry has spent $14 million in campaign contributions since 1990, as well as additional millions on lobbying – $4.5 million in 2021 alone. Though cancelling some or all student debt would not require Congressional approval, President Biden has not acted to provide significant relief to borrowers. While he canceled debt for targeted groups and enacted a pandemic-related limited moratorium on loan repayment, Biden has shown no appetite for taking on the student loan industry with broader action. So once again, the power of big political money has led to policies that harm Americans but benefit a greedy deep-pocketed industry. https://www.businessinsider.com/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-stalling-lobbying-cancelation-debt-2022-1 |