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Voter Registration Flow Chart
This year will be marked by the midterm elections. While these are often overlooked or dismissed as unimportant, they are likely more consequential in our daily lives than other elections. Midterms focus more on our representation at state and local levels. We believe electoral systems should be structured to maximize the greatest participation, but no matter how robust the process is, it is meaningless without participation. The first step to participating in the electoral process is to be registered to vote. Depending on where you live, this may be a simple process that can be completed online, or it may require gathering identifying information and submitting your registration in person…
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Press Conference Statement on Utah Fair Districting
Today, Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG), League of Women Voters of Utah (LWVUT), and individual voters filed a lawsuit to block Utah from implementing a congressional redistricting map that constitutes an extreme partisan gerrymander and to reinstate the citizen-led initiative that established an independent redistricting commission and binding anti-gerrymandering requirements. The following statement was read by MWEG Utah chapter communications specialist, Laura Lewis, at a joint press conference: MWEG is an organization dedicated to peacemaking. Peacemaking can sometimes be counterintuitive, because peace isn’t just an absence of conflict — it can be messy, requiring hard and complicated work to create resilient and cooperative societies where citizens solve problems without resorting to coercion.…
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Official Statement From MWEG on Fair Districting Litigation in Utah
Today, Mormon Women for Ethical Government joins the League of Women Voters of Utah and seven individual plaintiffs in a suit challenging the congressional maps drawn by the Utah State Legislature in November 2021. This challenge is a manifestation of our deep commitment to peacemaking. We are seeking redress through the courts on behalf of our members in Utah’s four congressional districts who have been denied access to representative government. In 2018, Proposition 4 was passed by Utah voters with an aim to create a redistricting process that was neutral and fair. This represented an effort by the people to alter and reform a government process in direct response to…
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Climate Change Policy Options
As legislative sessions are open in many states, we are offering a brief overview of some of the environmental policies that may be on the table. None of these solutions is one-size-fits-all — we will have to implement a combination of policies in order to combat climate change. (If you need more background on climate change and fossil fuels, you can read our FAQ here.) Further, different policies can be implemented at different levels of government — federal, state, local, and even global. To the extent that we have provided examples, they are for reference only; MWEG is not necessarily endorsing them. Natural Climate Solutions Forests, wetlands, and other natural…
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Call to Action: Ask the Utah Legislature to Require Transparency, Accountability, and Legality in Projects Seeking to Restore Utah Lake by Passing HB240
Utah Lake is a treasured and priceless resource in the state of Utah. In 2018, the Utah Legislature passed HB272. This legislation gave a body of non-elected officials power to dispose of sovereign lakebed and lakeshore properties for development projects that would promise to restore the lake. Concerns about the lack of accountability and transparency of this process have led legislators to propose HB240 Utah Lake Amendments. This amendment would require that any such disposal of properties be approved by the Utah Legislature and the governor, who must first determine that restoration projects are practically, fiscally, and constitutionally sound. TO DO Contact your Utah legislators to encourage them to pass…
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The Afghan Adjustment Act: Frequently Asked Questions
As Mormon Women for Ethical Government, one of our Principles of Ethical Government states that “people have moral responsibilities to provide succor and relief to [our] fellow human beings fleeing war, violence, persecution, and natural disasters, regardless of their race, nationality, or religion (see Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25:31-40, and Alma 27:21-24).” We invite our legislators to join our compassionate army of Americans, veterans, nonprofits, and businesses who are choosing to acknowledge the debt we owe to our Afghan allies by working tirelessly to welcome them with open arms. We call for a clear pathway to legal permanent residency and a right to work for our new neighbors with the Afghan…