Laura Packard

Campaigns

• Governor Cuomo: Make it easier to vote in New York!

  New York is one of only a handful of states that has no early voting option. New York not only lacks same-day voter registration—but it requires voters to register at least twenty-five days before Election Day. New York also makes it hard to request an absentee ballot too. This is why there are long lines on Election Day, and why voting is as much of a mess in New York as the subway system. But we can change it! Governor Cuomo's budget includes funding for early voting and automatic voter registration. The Assembly budget includes only early voting, and the Senate budget includes vague language about voting. Budget negotiations are happening NOW. Tell Governor Cuomo to stand up for us and reject any budget that doesn't improve voting for New Yorkers. References: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-problem-with-voting-rights-in-new-york https://www.wnyc.org/story/progressive-leaders-pressuring-cuomo-and-albany-early-voting/

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  Created by Laura Packard
• Tell Your Senators: Stop Brett Kavanaugh

  Last year I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The Affordable Care Act saved my life, and is why I am in remission today. President Trump's pick has come out publicly against the ACA, in his record and most recently in his speech to the Heritage Foundation. His record against women's healthcare is also clear. Our Senators must listen to us and vote NO on Kavanaugh. Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/brett-kavanaugh-could-take-an-ax-to-obamacare/2018/07/09/c8817c50-83df-11e8-8f6c-46cb43e3f306_story.html Slate: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/07/how-brett-kavanaugh-will-gut-roe-v-wade.html

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  Created by Laura Packard
• Dept. of Justice: Investigate Arizona voter suppression

  UPDATE 4-5-16 I delivered your signatures to the DOJ last week, and now the Department of Justice is going to investigate! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/justice-department-arizona_us_5702b720e4b083f5c6085933 - In Maricopa County (Phoenix area) Arizona, the number of polling places was reduced from 200 during the 2012 primary election, to just 60 for 2016. They were warned that this would mean long lines and discourage people from voting. But they did it anyway. Some predominantly Latino areas only got one or no polling places at all. County officials allocated one polling place for every 108,000 residents but Anglo communities had more polling sites per residents. The result was traffic jams, and people had to wait in 5+ hour lines to vote. [Republican] "Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, in charge of overseeing the election, told reporters she was sorry people were upset but didn’t offer solutions." The Justice Department can put a stop to this, they are the best hope for upholding the rights of all Arizona voters. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton has asked for the DOJ to investigate, now it's our turn to keep up the pressure. Reference: http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/2016/03/23/arizona-primary-our-view-we-outraged-long-lines/82152636/ http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/elviadiaz/2016/03/22/maricopa-county-election-officials-writing-off-voters-you-bet/82145554/

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• Here's how Howard Schultz is threatening cancer patients and survivors

  I'm a stage 4 cancer survivor, and the Affordable Care Act saved my life. 130 million Americans have pre-existing conditions, and we need to make sure that no more out-of-touch billionaires are elected President that will threaten our health care. Howard Schultz is another unqualified billionaire businessman. He's mad that strong progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren want the rich to pay their fair share, and so he's decided to run for President to stop this. 1 Schultz can't win as an Independent. But he can peel off just enough voters to act as a spoiler and re-elect Donald Trump.2 He's already hearing from the public that this is a terrible idea.3 He has been critical of popular bipartisan plans which will provide health insurance to all Americans at no cost to us. He's trying to water down one of the boldest progressive stances–healthcare for all–just to fuel his ego as yet another billionaire white man with no public service experience who thinks he has the right answers. No! We need to step it up and make sure Howard Schultz gets the message. We all cannot afford four more years of Trump and the GOP attacks on healthcare for cancer patients and those facing serious medical issues every day. 1 https://www.thedailybeast.com/howard-schultz-blames-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-for-his-decision-to-run-as-independent 2 https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/howard-schultz-own-polling-reelect-trump.html 3 https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/howard-schultz-freaked-out-by-democratic-backlash-to-independent-presidential-run-rethinks-effort 4 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/howard-schultz-health-care_us_5c4e5677e4b06ba6d3be4904

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• Tell the FTC: Oppose the latest Big Pharma Merger!

  Bristol-Myers Squibb wants to spend $74 billion to buy out a rival, Celgene. It would be the largest pharmaceutical merger ever, and their consolidation would give the combined companies number one positions in oncology and cardiovascular drug sales. But there's something we can do to stop this mega-merger. We've seen what happens when big pharmaceutical companies merge -- drug prices soar. It happened to the Epi-Pen. It happened with arthritis drugs. It even happened with insulin. As patients, we bear the ever-increasing costs and many of us can't afford to keep paying and paying. Several of us depend on our prescriptions to stay alive, and nobody should have to choose between a roof over their head and the drugs they need to thrive. The Federal Trade Commission must listen to comments from the public before approving the merger. Here is our chance to speak up. This mega-merger will block the development and sale of affordable drugs and reduce competition just when we need more of it. We can't sit by and let Big Pharma get even bigger, at our expense. Take action and tell the FTC to protect patients by stopping this potential merger now.

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• SHAME: Senate Republicans must vote NO on Trumpcare

  My cancer came out of nowhere for me. I had a nagging cough a few months ago, it was diagnosed as pneumonia, but the cough continued so I eventually went back to urgent care. This set off a chain of events and fun medical procedures that ended up with me being diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer. It sounds terrible--but it can be cured. But I need access to health insurance to get better, and now they are threatening Obamacare, which is what will keep me alive, and hopefully well soon. Cancer, or any kind of devastating medical condition can happen to anybody at any time. We need to stand up and tell them to stop.

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• Dept. of Justice: Investigate Alabama voter suppression

  Alabama just closed 31 drivers license bureaus in counties with the highest percentage of non-white voters. Every county with over 75% of registered voters that are African-American will have their DMV office closed. Alabama requires voters to have photo ID to vote, so this will disenfranchise the voters in those counties. The Justice Department can put a stop to this, they are the best hope for upholding the rights of all Alabama voters. Reference: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/09/alabama_sends_message_we_are_t.html UPDATE 12-9-15: Great news! The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into the closure or reduction in services at 34 drivers' license office in Alabama, "as part of the agency's responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make sure federal dollars going to state and local governments are used in a non-discriminatory fashion". http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/12/us_dot_launches_investigation.html UPDATE 10-16-15: Alabama Governor Bentley says drivers license tests will be offered 1 day a month in those counties that formerly had an office. It's a start, but as Rep. Sewell put it, it provides "only bare minimum access". Please keep contacting the DOJ to make this right. http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/gov_robert_bentley_says_licens.html UPDATE 10-13-15: Alabama Governor Bentley is considering a plan to open the 31 drivers license bureaus back up, but nothing is decided yet. Please keep the pressure on. http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/bentley_plan_would_reopen_clos.html UPDATE 10-5-15: The Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund have asked the DOJ to investigate, as has Rep. Terri Sewell (who represents the Selma area of Alabama). "Dena Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, confirmed that the department had received Sewell’s letter, declining to comment further." Please keep contacting the DOJ. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/alabama-dmv-closings-draw-call-federal-voting-rights-probe

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  Created by Laura Packard
• Congress: Pass universal background checks for all guns NOW

  Guns are a public health issue, and easy access to guns MUST be stopped. Holes in our background check system still exist online, in newspaper ads, at gun shows, and between individuals. All of our elected officials, Democrats and Republicans, need to go beyond words and prayer and take action to stop the next tragedy before it happens. A background check bill is the bare minimum, but it's a good start.

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• Walgreens: Follow CVS's lead and stop selling cigarettes!

  CVS/Caremark was the first chain of national pharmacies to take tobacco products off the shelves, but this should be just the beginning. Now we need to encourage other national drugstores to follow suit. "We have been evaluating this product category for some time to balance the choices our customers expect from us with their ongoing health needs," Walgreens spokesman Jim Graham said back in February. They need to hear from us that this is what their customers want. Cigarettes cause more than 480,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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• Tell Gov. Bel Edwards: Veto HB 386

  HB 386 is working its way to the Governor in Louisiana. This bill would extend the mandatory waiting period for an abortion to 72 hours. Under the bill, women who live as far as 149 miles away from a clinic would be forced to drive over three hours to the clinic, take three or more days they may not have off of work, and find child care and a motel room to sit and wait out the government's intrusive clock. All for a common, safe procedure that 1 in 3 women will undergo. But some women cannot wait this long due to personal need or medical circumstance, and those who can will travel to other states. That means waiting periods for everyone. States that have passed similar laws have wasted millions defending them in court also, and Louisiana is about to do the same. Aren’t we in a budget crisis? Governor Bel Edwards and the legislature should focus on fixing the budget rather than attacking women.

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  Created by Laura Packard