I'm Benard Simelton, the Alabama State Conference president of the NAACP. Earlier this week, I was arrested while performing civil disobedience for sitting in Senator Jeff Sessions' state office in Alabama in opposition to his nomination for attorney general. He is wholly unqualified to be the nation's top law enforcement official, as demonstrated by his long and troubling record in opposition to civil and human rights. As the highest law enforcement official, the attorney general has the responsibility to protect the civil and human rights of all races, colors and genders. Senator Sessions is not that person and presents an extreme danger to the equality, diversity and inclusiveness that the U.S. has achieved over the last decade. There are just days left to urge your members of Congress to block the appointment of Sessions. Click here to sign the petition. There are many reasons for Congress to block the appointment of Jeff Sessions: * He has a long history of opposing civil rights enforcement and making racist statements. * He has championed voter suppression. * He opposes hate crime legislation. * He has opposed multiple efforts to address pay equity for women. * He is a staunch opponent of legal immigration. ...And so much more. In the words of U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez, "If you have nostalgia for the days when blacks kept quiet, gays were in the closet, immigrants were invisible and women stayed in the kitchen, Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions is your man." Diversity, equality and compassion make America stronger. We must stand together and resist any effort to divide us up and strip away the progress that we've made.

Low voter turnout helped Donald J. Trump win the election. It hurt Democrats up and down the ballot. A big part of the problem: We make it way too hard to vote. Voter suppression laws are part of it. Long lines, too. Confusion about polling places and buggy voting machines don’t help. Or the fact that Election Day is a work day. Illness, travel, transit troubles, and child care conundrums can all conspire to keep people from the polls. And sometimes, voter intimidation. The solution: Vote by mail for all – just like we’ve had in Oregon for nearly two decades. Sign the Petition: Let’s make Vote By Mail available to all American voters! For many years, Oregon has consistently had much stronger voter turnout than the rest of America -- and this year, more Oregonians voted than in any previous election. Why? In part, we make it easy to vote. Oregonians are now automatically registered when we visit the DMV, and it’s easy to register or update your information online. We get our ballots delivered three weeks before Election Day. We have plenty of time to study the issues and candidates and make informed decisions, on our own time, in our own home, with our ballot in hand. Nobody can intimidate you, threaten your eligibility, or tell you you’re at the wrong polling place. Nothing gets in the way of you exercising your right to vote. And that’s how it should be for every voter in America. My proposal in the U.S. Senate will make vote by mail a reality for all. Add your name right now and let’s make this the last election where Americans are kept from exercising their right to vote! -- Senator Ron Wyden

The Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Director of National Security stated on October 7th that "The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including US political organizations. The recent disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts. These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process. Such activity is not new to Moscow - the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities." On Tuesday, November 15th, Admiral Michael Rogers said a "nation state" (Russia) had meddled in the 2016 election "to achieve a specific effect." And Paul Ryan said that "Russia is a global menace led by a devious thug. Putin should stay out of this election." So why is Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the House government oversight committee, asking for more evidence to investigate Russia's interference and to help "ensure the security of American democracy?" Let's not let partisanship usurp the importance of keeping our democracy safe and our elections fair and free from a hostile foreign country's interference. This must be investigated swiftly and vigorously. Please sign the petition to hold Congress accountable and for them to swiftly open an investigation into this matter. And in the meantime, it would be helpful for you to contact Jason Chaffetz's Utah office at 801-851-2500. Thank you.

Congressman Keith Ellison is who we need to chair our party towards progressive change.

This election was stolen not only by the Electoral College, but potentially also by Russian hackers aiming to interfere with election results. A public investigation needs to take place by Congress. US Citizens need to know specifically what intervention occurred, what was investigated, and what steps are being taken to rectify the situation and prevent further intrusions.

A hero to White Supremacists has no place in American government.

A full 46.9% of eligible voters in this country opted out of casting their vote in our most recent presidential election. This is a direct threat to our democracy.

To ensure a fair and free election and demand our representatives and agencies protect the integrity of our votes!

To stop Steve Bannon from being a strategist for President Elect, Donald Trump by having the people in power denounce him due to his questionable history with Brietbart News.

A president is obligated to make decisions for the benefit of the country without any thought of personal or familial gain.

Mitch McConnell held up Merrick Garland's appointment to the Supreme Court because he wanted to hear the voice of the American people. The American people have now spoken and given 2 million more votes to the Democratic candidate than the Republican candidate. The Senate must therefore either confirm Garland or have Hillary Clinton make the next appointment.

We must have an accurate accounting of the votes cast for the 2016 Presidential election.