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Electoral Count Reform Act Advocacy — a Timeline
MWEG began working on advocating for an update to the Electoral Count Act in the summer of 2021 and continued working on this until the Electoral Count Reform Act was passed as part of the omnibus spending bill in December 2022. Following our pattern of member engagement, we worked to inform through library pieces and other content, invite to act through direct calls to action to write letters or make phone calls, and involve through constituent meetings with legislators as well as op-eds and letters to the editor. 2021 July Began laying the groundwork by researching the issue and reaching out to key legislators and coalition organizations October Began initial…
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MWEG Participates in Interfaith Press Conference for Child Tax Credit Expansion
On December 15, 2022, Mormon Women for Ethical Government participated in a press conference in Washington, D.C., with an interfaith group of leaders and organizations working to ameliorate child poverty. The goal was to make a personal and faith-based case for the Child Tax Credit. For 25 years, child tax credits have proven to be an effective tool for reducing child poverty and providing significant support for growing families. MWEG member Steffani Thomas spoke about her family’s experience with the Child Tax Credit and shared how her support for this policy is linked to her personal faith. The full text of Steffani’s remarks is found below. A link to a…
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Call to Action: Ask Your Members of Congress to Support the Child Tax Credit
When the expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) expired at the end of 2021, nearly 19 million of the poorest children stopped receiving aid because their parents’ income was too low to qualify for the tax credit. The expiration of the credit functioned as a de facto tax increase for our most vulnerable families, just as they were struggling to manage the ramifications of significant inflation. Meanwhile, parents earning up to $400,000 per year continued to receive up to $2,000 per child per year. Negotiations are currently underway to reinstate some provisions of the expanded tax credit and again make it fully refundable — meaning families could receive the…
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Faith on the Frontlines: Praying for Election Day
On Monday, November 7, 2022, Faith in Public Life hosted a virtual prayer vigil during which a multifaith and multiracial coalition united to pray for a safe and certified election. MWEG Co-Executive Director Emma Petty Addams was invited to represent our members and gave remarks that spoke to our commitment to the “voice of the people.” The video can be found here, and the full text can be found below. In the Book of Mormon, a text sacred to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a righteous king named Mosiah instituted democracy among his people. He said: “Now it is not common that the voice of the…
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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 “to exercise this precious and hard-won right with a measure of responsibility and compassion.” We are women of faith who know that “[t]he freedom to vote is a clear political manifestation of the individual worth of souls.” Recognizing this worth, and loving our neighbors as ourselves, we are compelled to protect their votes. MWEG’s…
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MWEG Arizona Values the Voice of the People
The MWEG Arizona chapter is working to defend and support the rights of citizens to participate in government. One of MWEG’s principles of ethical government states: “Political structures and electoral systems should be designed to maximize participation of and provide equitable access to all citizens in a society.” Christie Black, one of MWEG Arizona’s chapter leaders, wrote about this issue and some of the ballot propositions Arizona voters will have the opportunity to vote on in the upcoming election: Democracy thrives when all people have the opportunity to use their voices, both through principled voting and participation in the civic process. Civic engagement is sacred and must not be diminished.…
