Voting is one of the most fundamental rights in this country. In fact, people throughout our history have fought and sometimes died for the expansion of voting rights for their communities and in order to see themselves as a part of this ongoing experiment in democracy. Unfortunately, the GOP is doing its best to try and silence voters, because they know that if everyone is able to vote, Republicans will lose. And so the GOP is resorting to cheating in a desperate attempt to keep power. We are seeing harrowing images and videos of Black voters and voters of color waiting in line for hours to cast their ballot. Not only that, during a global pandemic, Republican local and state officials have made it more difficult to vote by trying to make mail in ballots inaccessible to voters.And local officials have closed polling locations across the country, forcing voters to travel miles in order to cast their ballot, rather than being able to vote in their own neighborhoods. People from all walks of life are overcoming challenges in order to be voters and partake in the democratic process, and Governor DeSantis and Secretary of State Lee must ensure that every ballot is counted during the 2020 election cycle. We refuse to allow Republicans to try and disenfranchise voters in order to win the election or declare victory before every vote has been counted. Every single vote must be counted by state and local officials this election cycle.

We demand that Georgia election officials: - Be proactive about making sure voters have access to and know their rights about all the voting options including voting by mail or in person early voting and making in-person - Process all newly registered voters, and promptly update Georgia’s voter rolls accordingly and avoid any unnecessary purges of voters from the rolls - Ensure that every voter that chooses to vote in person on Election Day has an accessible and safe voting location, including proper COVID-19 precautions like clearly marked mask requirements and social distancing guidance, hand sanitizer, etc. - Take immediate action to protect votes from intimidation at the polls - Ensure that every vote is counted and that voters have a meaningful chance to procure provisional ballots or mail-in ballot if needed, - Honor the final election results and resist any effort to undermine the integrity of the election, including, but not limited to, partisan efforts to disqualify, exclude or otherwise prevent the counting of mail-in ballots, efforts to declare victory prematurely, and/or certify electoral votes in opposition to the popular vote - Communicate proactively and transparently with voters about the ballot counting process and when to expect results. Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of our democracy. For democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all. We all have a role to play to secure the opportunity for all eligible voters to participate in the general election and have their votes counted, maximize public confidence in the results, and ensure that the country sees a peaceful transition or continuation of power in January. As an elected leader, I pledge to use my authority to make sure every vote counts.

Voting is one of the most fundamental rights in this country. In fact, people throughout our history have fought and sometimes died for the expansion of voting rights for their communities and in order to see themselves as a part of this ongoing experiment in democracy. Unfortunately, the GOP is doing its best to try and silence voters, because they know that if everyone is able to vote, Republicans will lose. And so the GOP is resorting to cheating in a desperate attempt to keep power. We are seeing harrowing images and videos of Black voters and voters of color waiting in line for hours to cast their ballot. Not only that, during a global pandemic, Republican local and state officials have made it more difficult to vote by trying to make mail in ballots inaccessible to voters.And local officials have closed polling locations across the country, forcing voters to travel miles in order to cast their ballot, rather than being able to vote in their own neighborhoods. People from all walks of life are overcoming challenges in order to be voters and partake in the democratic process, and Governor Abbott and Secretary of State Hughes must ensure that every ballot is counted during the 2020 election cycle. We refuse to allow Republicans to try and disenfranchise voters in order to win the election or declare victory before every vote has been counted. Every single vote must be counted by state and local officials this election cycle.

Here's the kids' letter to all voters: Dear Grownup, We need your help. As kids, our role in the election is usually seen as sitting by and then living with whatever president we get. But not this year. We can’t just sit by and let this happen, while innocent people get hurt, and guilty people go free. No one benefits from a world like this. But by law, we don’t have a say in this, we don’t have voices. You Grownups are the only ones with voices. Last time when grownups screwed this up, kids got put in cages. Separated from their families for life for no reason other than the color of their skin. Black people keep dying from police shootings for no reason. And so many more people are going to die from Coronavirus. And the only help our president can offer is to tell us to eat disinfectant! We want to be able to learn--we want to be able to go back to school. We need leaders who care about the whole world. If we don’t do something to cut our greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, the worst results of climate change will be impossible to avoid. So here’s what we’re asking: If you care about what you can do to help the whole world, if you care about your kids, if you care about our future, pledge to vote with kids in mind--and bring as many people as you can with you. Vote for us, the people who can’t. -Osa, Ishara and Charlotte, Age 11, New York

If Trump is re-elected, many more people will die. If Biden is elected there will be a Federal response to the pandemic that will be based in science and thereby effectively save people that Trump's malignant neglect will condemn to death. Your current position on the Task Force leaves you beholden to the President and forces you to blunt your warnings to the American people. But as in other epidemics, silence = death! As directed by the Hippocratic oath, by basic ethics, and by your evident compassion for the plight of all peoples, you cannot continue in this compromised position. You can't control Trump, but plain speaking directly to the American people will save thousands of lives. We call on you to resign and speak your mind plainly and without equivocation.

The majority of the viewers of “Power“ are from black and brown communities. These are the communities that have supported him through out his entire rap career and movie career. His announcement on instagram of his support of Trump, is solely based upon his own self interest. He stated that voting for Biden would increase his taxes. Despite the fact that supporting Trump is supporting systemic racism, police brutality, racial intolerance, etc, aimed at the same communities that he has built his wealth upon. On the “Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, after exclaiming his support of Trump, Chelsea Handler, whom he once dated said “He doesn’t want to pay 62 percent of taxes, because he doesn’t want to go from 50 Cent to 20 Cent,” Handler explained to Fallon. “I had to remind him that he was a Black person, so he can’t vote for Donald Trump, and that he shouldn’t be influencing an entire swath of people who may listen to him because he’s worried about his own personal pocketbook.” What a sad commentary on the character of this man. He later publicly rescinded his support for Trump, after telling fans to vote for him. (How irresponsible, because, he is a public figure). However, privately, I’m sure when he casts his ballot it will be for Trump. Although, 50 Cents now claims he was joking. This election is not a joke, in fact, this is one of the most important elections of our lifetime, not to be taken lightly. We are in a fight for our lives, for our democracy, for equality, for judicial reform, women’s rights, etc. Is this who we should continue to make richer, when he shows such a lack of empathy for the plight of the black community. Black People Wake up, and Stop supporting a narcissist that shows us no support.

UPDATE: The recent school closure and then the announcement that schools will reopen with the aim of phasing out hybrid makes it even clearer: Remote-only families deserve another opportunity (or more than one) to make decisions best for their children based on new information. It's absurd to hold families to decisions made in mid-November as the landscape was so rapidly changing. We all know this school year is unlike any other. Parents, guardians, teachers, administrators, staff and city leaders have to work together to make it work. However, the announcement that families could only opt into hybrid learning over during one period in November was counter to that spirit of collaboration, and to all the communications families had been basing decisions on. Families had been told there would be multiple periods to switch from remote-only to hybrid. This had helped families make balanced decisions — about what they are comfortable with for their family's health, what works for their child's particular learning style, and how their plan relates to the reality of covid infections. Forcing families to choose in November -- while rates were rising and on the eve of schools being shut down -- ran against the promises made and against plans families had made. It meant placing bets for the rest of the year based on fast-changing information -- with our kids' education at stake. And it meant asking all of us to put faith in a system that is showing no reason for us to believe it can maintain its commitments. What is being offered in terms of instruction, safety, care for our kids' development is so uneven school to school -- and, as the chancellor has shown, may keep changing. We all agree that remote schooling needs more attention and resources. But changing plans and rushing families doesn't solve that. We need to focus on resources for all students: More teachers, more support for technology, more staff that attends to social-emotional development, more nurses. Last-minute changes forcing rushed decisions isn't a good foundation for that work.

Shawn Gates moved into the Streetsboro community and is deemed ineligible by law 4-7-2 for the second half of the season, this was incorrectly determined by OHSAA. Shawns has only played 2 games of his senior year and would love to get back on the field! Help us by simply signing below!!

The election will (hopefully) establish political accountability for the administration's exceedingly negligent, stupid, reckless policies. However, for the future of responsible governance, it is important that accountability go beyond the political (electoral loss). It is pedagogically important that people see that this administration’s management of the Covid crisis is akin to that of a reckless speeder who causes accidents as he/she barrels down the road to get to someplace, no place fast. My purpose here is pedagogical: promote the idea of holding our elected officials to (at least) minimal standards of responsible behavior and governance. Would such careless, wanton sacrifice of lives on a battlefield not go unpunished by military justice?

Facebook, Inc. has demanded that a group of NYU academics shut down their research into how ads are microtargeted on Facebook. Volunteers nationwide -- including Common Cause members -- signed up to let NYU automatically get a copy of the ads they were shown on Facebook, so researchers could analyze them. And thanks to this public interest effort, which Common Cause proudly supports, researchers found out that some political advertisers weren’t following Facebook's rules -- and Facebook was letting it happen, with just weeks before the election. [1] That’s right -- even while Facebook has rampant disinformation and hate on its platform (they infamously exempt politicians’ ads from any fact-checking!), the social media giant is instead going after the people who are helping voters understand who's trying to influence their votes. Remember: Facebook has already profited massively from attacks on our democracy -- Russian disinformation ads... targeted ads to Black voters from the Trump 2016 campaign to discourage them from voting... as well as the hundreds of millions of dollars that campaigns are spending on social media. This NYU project relies entirely on data that’s donated by volunteers and that Facebook offers to the public. And Facebook’s efforts to shut it down are just another attempt to diminish the power of its users, as well as grow the platform’s political influence at the expense of ordinary people. Voters have a fundamental right to know who is trying to influence their vote and who politicians are targeting with their advertising. But instead of upholding that right, Facebook is coming after the public interest advocates who want to keep voters informed about the ads it's making millions of dollars from. Right now, tell Mark Zuckerberg to allow NYU's project and other projects from researchers and civil society groups that bring transparency to continue. 1) https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-biden-election-ads

We alumni, faculty and current students of University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, wish to make it known that we believe that medical science conflicts with several claims made and opinions expressed by Scott Atlas, class of 1981. At Pritzker, when we shift from lectures to clinics, a White Coat Ceremony is held, emphasizing honesty, integrity, ethics, compassion, and scientific rigor. These values are instilled in us throughout our tenure in medical school, and without them it seems one would neither be admitted nor permitted to graduate. For this reason we are shocked and dismayed to see an alum acting in such a way as Dr. Atlas. We do not support his policy recommendations that he says are backed by science. It is difficult to come to a positive conclusion about his motives when his incorrect statements fall so directly in line with a president that flouts science on a regular basis. Specifically, based on current scientific data, we support: 1) The use of masks to decrease the spread of SARS-CoV-2; 2) The use of extensive testing/tracking/surveillance strategies as a way to track COVID and prevent spread; 3) The closing of schools, institutions, or communities in cases where the spread exceeds the ability of the hospital system to care for those falling ill; 4) The use of personal and community-wide measures in addition to vaccines (if approved) to control spread as opposed to allowing spread without such measures. In all, we feel abandoned by our colleague, who is spreading false information to the world through the willing platform of news agencies and the president. We seek a future where science will stand for itself, unpoliticized, for the greater good of the people. Sincerely, The Students, Alumni and Faculty of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Forty-five million Americans hold a whopping $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. Eight million of those individuals have defaulted on their loans. Before the coronavirus pandemic, a person defaulted on their student loans every 26 seconds. According to the New York Times, eight million people have slipped into poverty since May. With many people unable to pay for even basic necessities for themselves and their families, millions will likely be unable to make their student loan payments. Without bold action, the massive burden of student loan debt threatens the economic security of borrowers and the country as a whole. The coronavirus pandemic is not only a once in a generation health crisis, but also now a catastrophic economic crisis. Lost wages due to furloughs and layoffs will impact families for years to come. The labor shocks this pandemic is causing will increase federal student loan defaults. Borrowers in default may have their tax refunds seized or wages garnished at a time when they can least afford it. In the short term, cancelling student debt in response to the coronavirus crisis will bring relief to 45 million people with student loans and stimulate the economy when it is needed most. It will also allow borrowers to purchase the necessities their families depend on including food, housing, and critical healthcare. In the medium and long term, a student debt cancellation stimulus can help mitigate the continuing economic costs of this crisis. Student debt cancellation can boost GDP by up to $108 billion a year and add up to 1.5 million jobs per year. Since the federal government owns an overwhelming majority of student loans, the president has the power to cancel these debts. Tell your Senators to co-sponsor the Schumer-Warren resolution, which urges the President to use executive authority to cancel student loan debt.