Hi John ,  

Welcome to the latest New Pennsylvania Project newsletter! 

Our weekly newsletter has all the news you can use and more! 

We're sounding the alarm on the escalating attacks against bodily autonomy, voting rights, and due process across America. 

What's in Episode 9:

• The growing danger of fetal personhood laws

• The SAVE Act and how it could be used to suppress votes, if passed

• Practical ways to defend your agency and advocate for your family and community.

Don't Miss Out: Episode 10 of Slingshot The Podcast drops next Thursday at 12PM ET
Watch it on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, etc.)

From @newpennsylvania

The Voting Rights Act was passed 60 years ago on August 6th, 1965. Yet, our voting rights are still at risk today.

With continued attacks on our freedom to vote coming from the federal government and pending legislation, such as the SAVE Act that will disenfranchise marginalized voters, it’s paramount that Pennsylvanians contact their U.S. Congresspeople.

Call your senators and representatives: (202) 224-3121. Let them know that there is no better day than today to support and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 

Our civic duty doesn’t end on election day at the polls. It carries over into all the days following elections, to hold our elected officials accountable and advocate for the advancement of our rights and freedoms – especially our voting rights.

Read our full statement.

GOP efforts to flip the Pennsylvania Supreme Court cause concern for judges
The Pennsylvania Republican Party’s effort to “vote no” on this year’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court race could backfire and wreak havoc on local court systems. 

Trump officials are accused of defying 1 in 3 judges who ruled against the administration in lawsuits

A comprehensive analysis of hundreds of lawsuits against Trump policies shows dozens of examples of defiance, delay and dishonesty, which experts say pose an unprecedented threat to the U.S. legal system. Judges appointed by presidents of both parties have often sided with the plaintiffs in these cases.

Gerrymandering. Redistricting: What is it and why you should care

It is not a new tactic, but it is being used with precision. It is the New Jim Crow, not in rhetoric, but in effect. And it is not limited to Texas. 

Politicians are redrawing maps not in the spirit of fairness but in the pursuit of control.

County Commissioner Roderick Miles, Jr, who serves and represents the constituents of Precinct 1 in Tarrant County, Texas, says that "this is not a fight about political parties. It is a fight about political power and who gets to wield it. It is about whether our democracy can grow to include those it has historically excluded. It is about whether we will allow a new generation of Black and Brown voters to be punished for daring to participate."

Join For Our Future PA and The New Pennsylvania Project to learn how the Pennsylvania Supreme Court historically has protected our civil and voting rights, and why it and the other courts in the state are crucial components in our democracy.

There’s a lot of crackdowns happening RIGHT NOW on our previously assumed civil rights: suspending due process and habeas corpus; cracking down speech covered by the first amendment opposed to this administration’s efforts; and even violating elected officials and their staff.

When: Monday, August 18 from 6pm - 7pm 

Where: Zoom 

NPP opened its first Bucks County office in Bensalem on Thursday.

Kadida Kenner, the founding CEO of New Pennsylvania Project, said the organization specifically chose to reside in Bensalem because there is a proportionately larger demographic of people of color than Bucks County as a whole.

Additionally, according to the America Votes voter file and U.S. census data (CVAP), as of 2024 in Bucks County, 35.8% of Black, Indigenous and other communities of color are not registered to vote compared to 4.6% of their white counterparts, which is higher than the statewide 18 percentage point gap.

"It’s really about meeting people where they are," Kenner said. "And, if that means we’re going to an NAACP meeting or we’re going to a cultural festival, which we’ve done in Bucks County, we want to be where the people are, and we want to talk to them about getting registered to vote.”

Everything we do, from hosting town halls and producing podcasts to knocking on doors, expands Pennsylvania's electorate by engaging Pennsylvanians to be civically involved and encouraging them to turn out to vote twice a year, none of it would be possible without you. 

The Trump administration has launched a concerted drive to undermine American elections. These moves are unprecedented and in some cases illegal. A clear pattern suggests a growing effort. As the 2026 midterms approach, that effort will likely gather momentum.

Pennsylvania rolls out redesigned provisional ballot envelopes aimed at reducing errors. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt unveiled a redesigned provisional ballot envelope.

The new envelope features clearer instructions, highlighted signature areas, and simplified poll-worker sections. During the November 2024 election, 29% of provisional ballots cast in the state were rejected. The redesign follows a similar update of mail-in ballot envelopes in 2023. That update was linked to a 57% drop in mail ballot rejection rates.

Congress Just Deleted Habeas Corpus From The Constitution On Its Website 

The Library of Congress blames a “coding error.” The section is now back up on the website. 

As of July 2025, Democrats outnumber Republicans by just 59,000 voters — a steep drop from the nearly one-million-voter advantage the party held as recently as a decade ago.

Much of that ground has been lost in places where Democrats once dominated. In counties like Westmoreland, Washington, and Fayette — long defined by labor unions and working-class blue voters — Republicans now lead by tens of thousands of registered voters. 

Our Contact Information
New Pennsylvania Project
P.O. Box 443
West Chester, PA 19381
412-699-6771
http://www.newpaproject.org

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