Dear MoveOn member,
Mitch McConnell is keeping hundreds of thousands of people from exercising their right to vote. And now more than ever, we see the need to strengthen our elections and our access to participating in our democracy.
Yesterday, in response to the continued coronavirus pandemic, the governor of Ohio called for the cancellation of today's primary, joining a growing list of states now grappling with the impact that the virus will have on the ability to cast a ballot this year.1 Other states are holding primaries in uncertain conditions, with short-handed polling stations, in the shadow of a public health crisis, that will mean low turnout and results that will feel unreliable.
But it didn't have to be this way.
Early last year, the House passed a bill to ensure that every eligible American can cast a ballot in 2020 without putting themselves or others at risk. H.R. 1, the first bill passed when Democrats took back power in the House, would institute automatic voter registration, make Election Day a federal holiday, increase election security, and more.2
And a new bill just introduced by Senator Ron Wyden would create universal vote by mail across the U.S.3
The two bills provide common-sense changes to enable more people to vote and protect the right to vote. But McConnell is single-handedly blocking both of these urgently needed bills.
These are not partisan policies, and in a moment when our nation is facing a crisis that must be met with decisive action, these policies would not only strengthen our democracy but also protect lives. And as Americans see their lives and communities disrupted, we all deserve to know that our elections and right to vote will be protected.
But McConnell will never bring the bills to a vote in the Senate, because he thinks protecting his Republican majority is more important than defending our democracy or protecting the rights and lives of the American people. And it's why he has to go.
MoveOn is running the biggest election program in our 22-year history not only to defeat Donald Trump in November, but also to defeat Mitch McConnell and end his stranglehold on the Senate. Will you chip in $3 now to ensure that McConnell, Trump, and their GOP enablers lose their jobs this November?
McConnell's time as Senate majority leader has been a disgrace.
He gleefully refers to himself as the "grim reaper" of the Senate.4
He stole a Supreme Court seat from President Barack Obama and has helped Trump pack the courts with judges who are rolling back access to abortion and rights for the LGBTQ community, legitimizing Trump's inhumane immigration policies, and more.
And most recently, he referred to an emergency bill passed last week by the House to provide paid sick leave, coverage for testing and treatment, and food assistance for those impacted by coronavirus as an "ideological wish list."5
This man doesn't deserve to be the leader of a local book club, much less majority leader in the Senate.
And this fall, we have the chance to show him the door. MoveOn is running massive campaigns not only to defeat McConnell, but also other vulnerable Republican senators in Arizona, Maine, North Carolina, and Colorado, to ensure that when a Democratic president comes into office in 2021, they have a Congress that will work to pass progressive legislation like H.R. 1 and universal vote by mail.
Mar: Will you chip in $3 to help send Mitch McConnell and his allies packing on November 3?
As we face this crisis together, we need real, progressive leaders in Congress who will stand up for us, defend our rights, and protect our communities—not billionaire donors and special interests.
MoveOn is ready to lead in this fight, but we can only do it if you join us, Mar.
Please, click here to chip in $3 now.
Thanks for all you do.
–Chris, Mohammad, Jennifer, Sana, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Ohio primary called off at last minute due to health emergency," NBC News, March 16, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/117434?t=5&akid=259442%2E10220574%2EeZQ9vk
2. "House Democrats just passed a slate of significant reforms to get money out of politics," Vox, March 8, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/117435?t=7&akid=259442%2E10220574%2EeZQ9vk
3. "Voting by mail could get a boost during the US coronavirus outbreak," Vox, March 12, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/117436?t=9&akid=259442%2E10220574%2EeZQ9vk
4. "'Think of me as the Grim Reaper': McConnell vows to thwart Democratic proposals," CBS News, April 22, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/117437?t=11&akid=259442%2E10220574%2EeZQ9vk
5. "McConnell: House coronavirus bill an 'ideological wish list,'" The Hill, March 12, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/117438?t=13&akid=259442%2E10220574%2EeZQ9vk
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?
Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON
This email was sent to Mar Alfaro on March 17, 2020. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. If you'd like to receive less frequent emails from MoveOn, you can click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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