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Media Literacy: Conspiracy Theories â What’s Driving Them?
At a time of heated political division, a global pandemic, social upheaval, and worldwide unrest, conspiracy theories are quickly spreading throughout social media, radio, and other traditional media platforms. Unfortunately, conspiracy theories are not innocuous. Anyone can be susceptible to them; no demographic is immune. And they cause people to act in ways that result in direct harm to individuals and institutions. As we wrote in a previous educational piece about addressing misinformation: âFalse information perpetuates injustice and division, and allowing such information to spread can cause people to become distrustful of any information and sink into cynicism and apathy. People act based on the information they receive, and actions…
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Pledge Not to Leverage or Weaponize Faith for Political Gain
During this election season, we invite all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as groups or initiatives that gather individuals by means of a shared faith in Jesus Christ or their membership in the Church, to pledge not to leverage or weaponize faith and membership for the purpose of political gain. We hereby pledge to never: use official Church membership lists, email lists, or unofficial social media sites (ward/stake/Relief Society/elders quorum groups) to support political candidates or promote political opinions; use Church icons, sacred symbols, buildings, or Church-approved artwork or branding to promote individual political candidates or policy positions; advocate for, or speak negatively…
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Call to Action: Support the Mission of the United States Postal Service
Americans rate the United States Postal Service as their favorite federal agency. Its workforce of more than half a million is scattered across the U.S., making it the biggest employer of any government entity except the military. And it will play an outsized role in Americansâ ability to vote safely during the worst global health crisis in 100 years. Yet the USPS is undergoing transformations, and not necessarily for the better. Its newly appointed postmaster general is implementing changes that have slowed mail delivery, which is problematic on at least three levels: First, the changes will damage the vote in terms of delivery time, votes held back, and a possible…
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Call to Action: Speak Out Against Federal and Executive Overreach
Regularly and repeatedly, and especially in the last few weeks, President Trump has threatened or exercised executive overreach to the detriment of the American peopleâs national representation, Constitutional protections, and First Amendment freedoms. Conservative legislators, often critical of executive and federal overreach, have been largely silent. Yet as Tea Party conservative and Republican Senator Mike Lee has said, âExecutive overreach â and abdication of Congressâs constitutional powers â is neither a Republican nor Democratic issue; neither a liberal nor a conservative one. Itâs an American one.â We agree that overreach is an American issue, and we expect our members of Congress to understand this as well. To do:Â Contact your…
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Protect the Vote? Damn Tootinâ We Can
Election Day is 100 days from today. One hundred days is very little time to prepare for the complexities of voting during a pandemic, made obvious by several recent tumultuous primary elections and a resurgence of absentee ballot requests from voters who donât want to â or canât â risk voting at the polls. Last month in Georgia, for example, thousands braved rain, heat, and virus exposure after their requested mail-in ballots did not arrive. An 80-year-old woman hoping to vote in Atlanta said, âWhat is going on in Georgia? We have been waiting for hours. This is ridiculous. This is unfair.â An investigation is looking into why the âcatastropheâ…
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Call to Action: Ask Your Senators to Provide Funding to Keep Our Elections Safe and Accessible
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many facets of normal life and will likely have a disruptive effect on the upcoming November election. Voting, the very foundation of our democracy, requires a safe and secure environment in order to protect the vote, the voter, and the workers who administer the elections. These protections cost money. The pandemic has left states and municipalities fiscally compromised, and yet the onus of election security will still fall on states and local jurisdictions. We must call on Congress, specifically the Senate, to approve the $3.6 billion in funding necessary for states to protect the vote. To do: Contact your senators to let them know you…
