December, 14 2017, 02:15pm EDT
Alabama Special Election Revives the Civil Rights Movement to Restore Voting Rights to Millions of People Nationwide
Nationwide, 48 states could repeal similar restrictions, potentially adding six million eligible voters in coming elections
DOTHAN, Alabama
Years of work to restore voting rights and re-enfranchise voters contributed to the victory in the Alabama election of Democrat Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Ten thousand newly eligible voters were registered and turned out, many by absentee ballot from jail or prison, as part of the "Souls to the Polls" campaign.
"The victory in Alabama on Tuesday is the beginning of a new chapter in the civil rights movement nationally," said Pastor Kenneth Glasgow "Mass incarceration has taken freedom and voting rights away from more than six million people, mostly black people, across the nation. Restoring those rights will help bring a powerful new voice to future elections - and candidates will have to respond."
Many of the voters are currently or formerly incarcerated Alabama residents who had their voting rights restored through the "We All Count" campaign led by Glasgow's The Ordinary People Society. Glasgow pushed legislators last May to pass the "Definition of Moral Turpitude Act."
Tuesday's results showed an unprecedented increase in black voter turnout, topping the numbers in Alabama to elect Barack Obama nine years ago by 2 percent. But there have been hurdles along the way and still many ahead. Glasgow has met with resistance, attacks and death threats like those encountered during the Civil Rights Movement 60 years ago.
Roy Moore attacked Glasgow's efforts. Limestone Prison and Pickens County Jail refused to allow "We All Count" inside, openly defying the new law passed this summer. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill refused to inform restored voters of their rights, despite Glasgow's push.
As of 2016, an estimated 6.1 million people nationwide are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction.
Every state disenfranchises those with convictions (except the two whitest states (Vermont and Maine), disproportionately silencing black voters and denying them participation in democracy.
Alabama is one of eight states (Tennessee, Connecticut, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa are the others) that prevent anyone from regaining their vote until they pay off any outstanding court fines, legal fees and victim restitution. That "poll tax" has created an underclass of people unable to vote because they do not have enough money.
Twenty-one other states require completion of parole and/or probation - which is contingent on repayment of all legal financial obligations - before allowing a person to vote.
People's Action supports the work of Pastor Glasgow and the "We All Count" campaign.
For more information, contact Brandon Sturdivant, lead organizer for Decarceration at People's Action, at b.sturdivant@peoplesaction.org and Pastor Kenneth Glasgow at topssociety@yahoo.com.
Glasgow's book about the effort, Let My People Vote, will be released in May 2018.
People's Action builds the power of poor and working people, in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue campaigns and elections.
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"It's stuff like this that will cost us manufacturing jobs/opportunities," warned one critic.
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As part of President-elect Donald Trump's mission to roll back the Biden administration's climate policies, the Republican may cancel contracts to electrify the U.S. Postal Service's fleet, Reutersrevealed Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with transition team discussions.
"The sources told Reuters that Trump's transition team is now reviewing how it can unwind the Postal Service's multibillion-dollar contracts, including with Oshkosh and Ford for tens of thousands of battery-driven delivery trucks and charging stations," according to the news agency.
The USPS in December 2022 announced a five-year $9.6 billion investment that involved electrifying 75% of its next-generation delivery vehicles and installing modern charging infrastructure. That came just months after President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included $3 billion in funding for the endeavor.
Ford did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on Friday, while Oshkosh said that it "is fully committed to our strong partnership with the USPS and looks forward to continuing to provide our postal carriers with reliable, safe, and sustainable modern delivery vehicles, even as USPS' needs continue to evolve."
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During the campaign, Trump pledged to roll back Biden's climate policies if Big Oil poured $1 billion into getting him elected. He also attacked the Democrat's efforts to promote a shift to electric vehicles (EVs). Transportation accounts for the largest portion of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and the United States is the world's top historic emitter.
Even under Biden, U.S. plans to limit planet-heating pollution did not align with the country's contributions to the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency—but climate scientists and advocates widely backed his and later Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign leading up to last month's election, recognizing the threat posed by Trump.
John Hanger, a Democrat who previously held various envirnomental and energy positions in Pennsylvania's government, responded to the Reuters reporting on social media: "Ugh! Canceling contracts to electrify transportation of USPS would be dirty and dumb!"
Meanwhile, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said that "it's stuff like this that will cost us manufacturing jobs/opportunities."
Some critics also speculated whether such contracts may be redone to benefit Tesla. The company's CEO is Elon Musk, who is the richest man in the world, dumped around $270 million into super political action committees backing Trump's reelection bid, and is set to co-lead his forthcoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy.
Last month, Reuters reported on the Trump transition team's plans to kill Biden's fuel efficiency standards and a $7,500 consumer tax credit for EV purchases, which Musk was asked about while he and Ramaswamy were on Capitol Hill Thursday to meet with Republican lawmakers.
"I think we should get rid of all credits," Musk told reporters—despite his own company's reliance on Biden's EV policies.
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The American Rescue Plan Act "reduced the maximum amount eligible enrollees must contribute toward premiums for health insurance purchased through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act, and it extended eligibility to people whose income is above 400% of the federal poverty level," wrote Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Phillip Swagel.
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"If Congress fails to act, healthcare will become out of reach for millions of Americans, leaving middle-class families to struggle and choose between seeing a doctor or keeping a roof over their heads or groceries in the fridge."
The analysis comes as the world braces for GOP control of Congress and the White House, with President-elect Donald Trump set to be sworn in next month. Since President Barack Obama signed the ACA—also known as Obamacare—in 2010, elected Republicans including Trump have repeatedly tried to gut or fully repeal the law.
In response to the CBO report, Wyden said, "This is a stark preview of healthcare under Donald Trump: higher insurance premiums for families who buy health coverage on their own, and more uninsured Americans who can't afford health insurance at all."
"Republicans have an opportunity to end their ideological crusade against the Affordable Care Act and work in a bipartisan manner to make healthcare more affordable for working families, but instead they seem poised to hand another big tax break to corporations and the wealthy," warned Wyden, the outgoing Senate Finance Committee chair.
In September, Shaheen and Underwood introduced a bill to make the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits permanent. Shaheen said Thursday that the "new data from CBO confirms what we feared: if Congress fails to extend these tax credits, healthcare costs will skyrocket for millions of families and 3.8 million Americans will lose coverage entirely."
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Advocacy groups echoed demands for Congress to at least extend the subsidies following the CBO's findings.
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"Instead of helping hardworking families, Republicans have opposed measures to lower healthcare costs and have instead focused on delivering tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans," he continued. "Health coverage gives people peace of mind knowing they won't go bankrupt over an injury or illness. Democrats stand ready to extend the tax credits to ensure everyone has access to affordable healthcare. It's time for Republicans to get on board."
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"Taking into account the cuts in premium assistance, nonpartisan organizations, such as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, report that people will experience estimated premium increases ranging from 41% to 218%, with a median increase of 91%—a near doubling of their monthly costs," he explained.
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Despite efforts to salvage the ACA subsidies due to the pain and economic suffering that would follow if they are not extended, progressives across the board continue to argue that Obamacare—which sends billions of federal dollars to the private insurance industry—is a far inferior solution compared with Medicare for All, which would cover everyone in the United States at a lower overall cost than the current system.
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