Keeping Connected-May 25, 2022

Keeping Connected

May 25, 2022

Women's Voices Response to Recent Mass Shootings

NEVER AGAIN—AND AGAIN—

Here’s the mass shooting death toll in the past two weeks: 19 fourth-graders and 2 adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Texas; 10 adults at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York; 1 congregant at a Taiwanese church in California. Schools, groceries and churches—everyday places are not safe.

Mass shootings increased 50% in 2021 from the previous year; so far in 2022 there have been over 200 mass shootings. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?” President Biden asks our nation. “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?”

A powerful minority of our elected officials are going against the people’s will. Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, along with 93% of Americans, supports background checks on all gun sales. We urge you to contact Missouri’s Senators Blunt and Hawley and tell them to pass this bill that has been blocked for two years.

Contact Senator Roy Blun t: (202) 224-5721

Contact Senator Josh Hawley: (202) 228-0526

JUST. SHOW. UP.

After the Buffalo massacre, are you sad, outraged, feeling powerless?

Join the Racial Justice Committee of Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice as we join in solidarity with the New Northside Missionary Baptist Church.

Sunday, May 29, 10 a.m. services

New Northside Missionary Baptist Church

8645 Goodfellow

St. Louis, MO 63147

We know that real solidarity would involve a campaign to undermine racism, beginning with requiring that every public school teach the history and current reality of racial injustice in our country, as well as efforts to transform our society to provide actual economic and social equality. We are not yet there. Nevertheless, it is time for us to take this symbolic act of solidarity and first step toward overcoming our sadness, outrage and powerlessness!

We hope to see you this Sunday.

Women's Voices co-founder, Barbara Finch

Racial Justice Committee co-chairs, Carol Wofsey & Barbara Harris

Tell Gov. Parson: Veto H.B. 1878 and Protect Elections in Missouri

HB 1878:

PHOTO ID: Enshrines strict photo ID requirements to vote by removing non-photo forms of ID Missourians currently rely on to verify their identity at the polls, including a voter registration card or a Missouri student ID. Voters of color and low income voters, seniors and voters with disabilities are disproportionately impacted. The Missouri Supreme Court has found strict photo ID requirements unconstitutional.

PHANTOM EARLY VOTING: Allows two weeks of no-excuse absentee voting/early voting but ONLY for voters casting ballots in person at the election office (not for ballots by mail), and ONLY upon presentation of non-expired state issued photo ID. If the photo ID provision is struck down, no early voting will be allowed at all.

HAMPERS VOTER REGISTRATION: Prohibits anyone from being paid for voter registration, impeding organizations whose staff do voter registration in their work.

NO ABSENTEE APPLICATIONS: Makes it illegal to make an absentee ballot application available to anyone who has not requested one.

VOTER PURGES: Allows the Secretary of State to audit and order removal of voters from the rolls at his discretion potentially outside the protections of federal list maintenance rules established by the National Voter Registration Act. Data shows when these practices are not followed, valid voters are wrongly purged, disproportionately voters of color and ethnic minorities.

SHAM AUDITS: Opens the door to privately contracted audits, outside of election audit best practices.

NO VOTING CHANGES: Prevents any election changes within 6 months of Election Day. While there is good reason to not change voting rules right before an election, a 6-month freeze would have prevented the legislature from authorizing mail-voting due to COVID-19 in 2020 during the pandemic, and would prevent challenges to block voting laws passed in the final weeks of the legislative session.

POWER GRAB: Grants expanded power over legal actions on elections to partisan legislators, allowing legislators to join a case with private counsel who would not answer to the taxpayers of Missouri and prohibiting the attorney general’s office from exercising legal authority in voting cases.

DISABILITY ACCESS: Requires hand-marked paper ballots, impeding the ability of some voters with disabilities to cast an independent ballot.

STARVES LEAs: Prohibits local election authorities from receiving grants to expand their services.

ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION & UPDATES: Provides for electronic capture and transmission of voter registrations at the DMV - a positive and valuable provision - and helpfully allows voters to update their registration address at the polls — but only upon presentation of non-expired state-issued photo ID. Unfortunately, the negative voter impacts in this bill far outweigh the positives.

Tell Gov. Parson: Veto H.B. 1878 and Protect Elections in Missouri