We are disappointed that the New York state legislature decided to ignore the needs of the people and left out key Fair Elections details from the budget, punting the issue to a commission without binding requirements to ensure a robust program. We are grateful to our champion legislators and the New York Senate for their work, and we are proud of Indivisibles across the state who relentlessly pushed their representatives to finally improve our electoral system. We know they are not satisfied and will continue this fight.
The Indivisible movement started organizing after Trump was elected, but it wasn’t just about Trump — it was about saving American democracy. As Republicans continue working to serve corporate interests and specifically to disenfranchise people of color, it is vital that Democrats show their commitment to ensuring that everyone has the unimpeded right to participate in our democracy.
Our hearts are breaking for our Muslim friends and neighbors, and our global community. We see you, we love you and we stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the fight for a future without fear. We absolutely must recognize that the motivation for this horror was rooted in Islamophobia and white nationalism, poisons that are actively being spread by elected officials, pundits, and a rising white nationalist movement here in our own country and around the world.
This week, California Indivisible groups, which are part of the statewide coalition Indivisible CA: StateStrong, and partner organizations Courage Campaign and ACCE delivered report cards to their state representatives as part of the “Courage Score” Week of Action. At more than 30 events targeting 30 different state legislators, groups used the report cards to hold legislators accountable for their 2018 votes and convey their upcoming 2019 legislative priorities.
On a bipartisan basis, the Senate has joined the House in voting to terminate Trump’s fraudulent “national emergency.” Never before has Congress overturned a national emergency declaration — but, then again, never before has a president used a fake emergency to subvert the will of the people and Congress and fund something they specifically rejected. This was an illegal power grab rooted in hate that erodes our democratic norms and slides us further into autocracy.
We applaud the New York State Senate and Assembly for their decision to include support for small-donor matching in their one-house budgets. The move signals that the grassroots have been heard, but the negotiation process is just beginning. Now, we will continue our work to ensure that both chambers commit to building a more fair and equitable democratic process by, among other policies, including small-donor matching in the final budget.
The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted last month to end unauthorized U.S. participation in the Saudi-backed war in Yemen. Today the Republican-controlled Senate followed suit. This is a stunning rebuke of the Trump administration’s corrupt complicity in Saudi crimes, and a massive step toward strengthening the democratic checks and balances that are supposed to govern U.S. war-making. Now, it’s time to finish the job.
Yesterday marked a milestone in our months-long battle to defend democracy in Arizona this session. Since the beginning of the session, Indivisibles packed the committee hearing for HB 2616 and made hundreds of calls to their legislators to fight back against anti-democratic bills including HB 2616. We are thrilled that the Arizona House listened to the will of their constituents and voted against HB 2616.