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Official Statement on Moore v. Harper and Our Commitment to the Power of the Individual VoterÂ
Yesterday, in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court protected the system of checks and balances that is foundational to our democracy. This ruling acknowledges the critical role state judiciaries play in upholding votersâ constitutional rights. It reinforces that the legislature cannot grant itself exclusive control over federal elections, especially at the expense of voters. As the members and leaders of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, we are relieved that the court rejected the state legislatureâs claim to unchecked influence over federal elections. In Moore v. Harper, the Court relied on 200 years of precedent, determining that state legislatures do not have sole authority over federal elections. Instead, they are subject…
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Official Statement Regarding Possible Reinstatement of Immigrant Family Detention
On May 11, 2023, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency order will expire, and the use of Title 42 as a mechanism to control immigration will come to an end. In anticipation of an expected increase of migrants and asylum seekers at the border, the Biden administration is reportedly exploring new policies, including a proposed new asylum rule and a potential reinstatement of family detention. Comprehensive immigration reform will be necessary to fully address the challenge of administering our borders. Until that can be achieved, we encourage the president to seek solutions that protect the health and welfare of the vulnerable. The negative impacts â developmental, emotional, and physical â…
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Official Statement on the Peaceful Execution of the 2022 Midterm Elections
As principled voters and engaged citizens, members of Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) are actively praying and diligently working to ensure a peaceful election this midterm season. We continue to assert that every eligible voter has a right to participate in our democracy, and we encourage our members to be informed, to be principled, and âto exercise this precious and hard-won right with a measure of responsibility and compassion.â We are women of faith who know that â[t]he freedom to vote is a clear political manifestation of the individual worth of souls.â Recognizing this worth, and loving our neighbors as ourselves, we are compelled to protect their votes. MWEGâs…
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Official Statement on the Shooting in Uvalde: Counteracting Violence with the Power of Peacemaking
âFor God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.â â 2 Tim. 1:6â7 This week in Uvalde, Texas, a shooter ended 21 lives and forever altered countless others. As the tragically familiar responses once again play out in news and social media, we can feel fear permeating our conversations: Parents are afraid for their children, trauma from past shootings is revisited, and our most important shared spaces have become killing grounds. Some Americans are afraid of the proliferation of guns, while others fear that their right to own guns may be threatened. Fear motivates the purchase of even…
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Official Statement on the Buffalo Shooting, Replacement Theory, and White Supremacy
With broken hearts we mourn the senseless loss of 10 beloved children of God who were killed in a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 14. Celestine Chaney, Roberta Drury, Katherine Massey, Heyward Patterson, Aaron Salter, Pearl Young, Ruth Whitfield, Margus Morrison, Andre Mackneil, and Geraldine Talley were civil rights activists, community volunteers, parents, siblings, and friends. They were victims of a direct attack on a Black community â an attack that is emblematic of a rising wave of violence driven by white supremacists in the U.S. The alleged shooter sought to do more than kill. It was his intent to use this act of terrorism to promote the…
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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 Utahâs 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…
