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Everyone Deserves the Freedom to Vote
Our country is facing a difficult moment, where it is important to reaffirm our commitment to the core principles of democracy, including representation, equality, and freedom. Legislation upholding our voting freedoms is necessary, but S1, the For the People Act, failed to pass earlier this year. This occurred despite the wide bipartisan support among voters for federal protection of voter rights. Republican senators refused to engage with S1, citing concerns that its scope was too broad. In response, Senate Democrats developed the Freedom to Vote Act (FTVA), initiated by Senator Manchin. The FTVA legislation contains three main divisions: voter access, election integrity, and civic participation and empowerment (which includes redistricting…
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Call to Action: Ask Your Senators to Engage in Discussion of the Freedom to Vote Act
Equality, freedom, and representation are central to the practice of democracy. To remain a democratic republic, the U.S. must protect the voting freedom of every eligible American, ensuring our ability to participate in free and fair elections. Among American voters, there is wide bipartisan support for federal protection of voter rights. Recognizing this, historically both the Republican and the Democratic parties have overwhelmingly supported the Voting Rights Act and its renewals. Unfortunately, since the November 2020 election many state legislatures have passed legislation to restrict access to the ballot. In all cases these have been strictly partisan initiatives. The Freedom to Vote Act (FTVA) is intended to provide much-needed reforms…
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MWEG’s March on Utah
Thousands rallied today in Washington, DC, and around the country to march for voting rights, and MWEG Utah leaders Melarie Wheat and Elizabeth Vanderwerken spoke at the Utah event. They explained what is at stake, why our voices matter in this fight, and how we can protect this most basic democratic right. Read the full text of their speech below, or watch the video here. Civil rights activist and Black voting rights champion Amelia Boynton Robinson was a key figure in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. On âBloody Sundayâ she was beaten by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and photos of her lying bleeding and unconscious drew national…
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Official Statement from Mormon Women for Ethical Government on the Results of the 2020 Election
Over the last few weeks a record number of Americans demonstrated, simply by casting a vote, that they value their democracy and its institutions. Those votes have largely been counted, and we now join our fellow Americans in thanking the local and state officials, countless volunteers, and dedicated poll watchers whose commitment to long-established processes has delivered a trustworthy result. Our nation has elected a new president, and we wish him well. We have also elected our first female vice president, a mark of progress that gives the women of America new visions of their possibilities. That she is a Black, Asian American woman further paves the way for new…
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Nevada “Count Every Vote” Faith Event
On Thursday, November 5, Mormon Women for Ethical Government hosted a virtual, nonpartisan, multi-faith event on the importance of counting every vote from a faith-based perspective. The event was an impressive display of unity among members of many faith backgrounds. Speakers included Dr. Renee Dupree, Sara Nix of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Father Chuck Durante of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Cathedral, Rev. Karen Foster of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada, Evangelist L. Kathy Jackson, Rev. Dr. Karen D. Anderson, and Rabbi Benjamin Zober from Temple Sinai. Below is the full text from Sara Nix’s message. To hear Sara’s speech and others, watch the full event recording here.…
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Official Statement from Mormon Women for Ethical Government on the Importance of Counting Every Vote
During the last six months, the women of MWEG have worked tirelessly to encourage voter participation in our democracy. We have asked women to be informed and principled voters, and to exercise this precious and hard-won right with a measure of responsibility and compassion. We, like so many others, have been inspired to see the overwhelming voter turnout in the days leading up to the election. This should renew our faith in the power of representative government. As the election of 2020 draws to a close, we reaffirm our commitment to defend the basic principles underlying our democracy. We continue to believe that the surest pathway to peace and prosperity is…
