Plus, Serve Together and what's happening in Georgia
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Hi Friend,

 

In a well-functioning republic, the people elect representatives, who are
supposed to represent their best interests. In theory, if we as a people agree
on something, so too should the people we pay to represent us. 

 

Of course, that’s not what happens. Between the people and the people who
represent us, there exists a vast network of special interest groups, political
parties, and election systems that distort the voices of we, the people.Even
when we as Americans agree, the people who lead us don’t. 

 

But we can fix that. Here are three things to think about this week:

A history lesson.
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Reforming our political system is nothing new; over the course of America’s
history, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to seize the spirit of innovation and
self governance central to our founding, and fix our political system when it
stops working correctly. Unite America Executive Director, Nick Troiano, often
talksabout how we’re entering a new Progressive Era
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turn of the 20th century when reforms were passed to make our political system
more democratic (i.e. giving women the right to vote, creating the ballot
initiative process, mandating direct election of our Senators, etc). But what
was the political system like before the Progressive Era?

 

Turns out, a lot like it is today. As writer Ed Kilgore points out, today’s
gridlock is like a 19th century nightmare
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. Before the Progressive Era, we had the Gilded Age, when politics were
tumultuous, elections were tight, and agreement seemed impossible. Yet
reformers pushed through. They saw a system that wasn’t working, that gave too
much power to party bosses, and they championed sweeping, dramatic reforms that
put voters first. Now, we have the opportunity to do it again.



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Georgia's restricting voter access.
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Following Georgia’s year of record voter turnout and participation, which saw
the state’s Republican Senators ousted and the state’s Electoral College votes
go blue, Republicans in Georgia are seeking to make massive changes to who can
participate in elections and how.Bills that have passed both the Senate and the
House would make significant changes to the states absentee voting system. 

 

Unlike other states, which were forced to make emergency changes to their vote
at home systems amidst the pandemic, Georgia has had a no-excuse absentee
system since 2005, and under the leadership of a Republican secretary of state,
was able to stand up to intense national scrutiny. Yet this effort which helped
to put Georgia voters first is under attack, likevoting access in so many
states across the country
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. 

 

If our country values the will of the voters, it has to be the will of all
voters, not just those who agree with you.



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Serve Together <[link removed]>

Our friends at Millennial Action Project are hosting their second annual Serve
Together: National Week of Post-Partisan Action (NWPA) March 15-19, 2021. This
week of action is an opportunity for legislators and community members alike to
engage with each other across the political spectrum, model courageous
bridge-building, and commit to a shared vision of a stronger, more
collaborative democracy.

 

Throughout the week, MAP will be hosting a series of events and activities for
legislators and the public.Join them for a live discussion of the film The
Reunited States
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with the filmmaker and cast on Tuesday, March 16th. On Thursday,RSVP
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to the GenRoundtable Forum with U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) and Former
U.S. Rep. (and Unite America board member!) Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) to discuss
how the next generation of leaders can reshape our democracy. And on Friday,
join the conversation online with a Twitter chat about how #MAPServesTogether.
For a full calendar of our week's activities and information on how to join,
check out their website here <[link removed]>.



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Best, 

Brett


P.S. Have you applied for the Campaign Accelerator Awards yet? Applications
are due by March 22!
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__
Brett Maney

Senior Communications Manager

Unite America
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