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An Open Letter to Arizona State Legislators from the Arizona Chapter of Mormon Women for Ethical Government
Dear Senators/Representatives: We urge you to vote NO on HB 2248, HB 2737, SB 1175, and SB 1459. Our democratically elected commissioners on the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), who are experts in Arizona energy, have spent years developing Energy Rules for our public utilities. These rules, which will require energy production from public utilities to be 100% carbon-free by 2050, proceed from public comments, compromises with interest groups, meetings with industry experts, and buy-in from utility companies. With these rules, Arizona will join other western states, including California, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico, in transitioning to clean energy. They also position Arizona for long-term economic expansion via high-wage jobs, investment…
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H.R.1 — the “For the People” Act
H.R.1, the For the People Act, is a democracy reform bill that was introduced and passed in the House of Representatives in 2019. It passed 234-193, with one Republican representative voting for it. The bill was never brought to debate nor vote by the Senate majority leader, causing it to fail by default in the Senate. On January 4, 2021, the bill was reintroduced to the House. Even though many of these reforms are bipartisan by nature and have significant public support, current political polarization will make it challenging to garner widespread bipartisan support in Congress. H.R.1 is an expansive bill that champions improved access to voting for all citizens,…
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Official Statement from Mormon Women for Ethical Government on the Vote to Acquit the Former President
Today, 43 U.S. senators chose to acquit the former president from any responsibility for the assault on the U.S. Capitol and on members of Congress. This violence on January 6, 2021, marked the culmination of a months-long attack on our system of elections by former President Donald J. Trump. His behavior was highly undemocratic and unethical. Unfortunately, he was joined by others who, through falsehoods, also attacked the integrity of our elections. Today, many who voted to acquit the former president did so in order to acquit themselves. For many months and years they had aligned themselves with his anti-democratic behavior. In the end, they were no longer able to…
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Official Statement from Mormon Women for Ethical Government on Unity and the Second Impeachment of President Trump
Americans are not bound together by race, religion, culture, or even birthright citizenship. Instead, we are unified both under a representative government constrained by rule of law and around a dedication to the preservation of individual rights and freedoms. These principles find their fullest expression in communities of trust built by citizens who understand and observe the responsibilities that accompany those rights. Without this common cause and faith in one another, we descend into moral ambiguity, chaos, and uncertainty. We fear our neighbor and have no common bond. Maintaining the integrity of our unifying ideas should be the highest priority of any principled leader. Events in recent weeks demonstrate the…
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Message to MWEG Members on the December 14 Electoral College Vote
In this letter to our members, we sought to inform about the Electoral College and to express our concerns about the attacks on our democratic system that took place this election season. According to the processes outlined in the U.S. Constitution and by federal law, the Electoral College voted today, even as the president continued to attack the results of the election. It is undeniable that the actions of the president, his staff, and many members of Congress have constituted an unprecedented assault on the legitimacy of our elections. Despite the opposition, our democratic systems continue to prevail. The lower courts, Supreme Court, secretaries of state, Attorney General, and other…
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Call to Action: Request Members of Congress Publicly Acknowledge Biden as President-Elect and Accept the Results of the Election
Election Day 2020 is over. Investigations have found this to be the “most secure” election in American history. Joseph Biden is now the presumed president-elect, having won both the popular vote (by more than 7 million votes) and the electoral college (with 306 votes). However, the outgoing president refuses to concede. This action is unprecedented, particularly given the overwhelming nature of the defeat. In a speech from the White House on Wednesday, December 2, Trump yet again called the election “rigged” and argued that “the results of the individual swing states must be overturned and overturned immediately.” Yet Attorney General William Barr has stated that the Justice Department has uncovered…
