| DM PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE…CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS…MONTHLY QUOTE & IDEAS …MONEY VS DEMOCRACY…FACTS YOU CAN USE DM PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Welcome back! As you know, November 2024 will be critical! DMers are joining with activists everywhere to protect our elections, our democracy, our values, and our future! At stake is progress on climate change, reproductive rights, and the right to vote. Also the make-up of the future Supreme Court, the right to peaceful protest, and the Department of Education. I’m excited to be working alongside this year’s great Democracy Matters students. Together we’ll educate and mobilize our campuses, register voters, and help ensure that student turnout on Election Day is the biggest ever. CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT – New DM Chapters Each Fall, we have many great returning DM campus chapters as well as new DM clubs. Among the newest this year – already off to a great start – are Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY and Atlanta Clark University in Atlanta, GA. Our most recent DM addition in California is St. Mary’s University in Orinda, and two new high school DM clubs have joined us this year – one in Washington DC and the other in Dunwoody, GA. DM organizers on both returning and new campuses are pulling out all the stops for the next 70+ days to help get millions of young people to the polls on Election Day. QUOTE OF THE MONTH “Students constitute a large enough voting bloc to shape election outcomes and shape the future and health of a participatory, equitable, and informed democracy.” Young people aged 18-34 make up over 40 million potential voters in 2024, nearly one-fifth of the American electorate. Tufts University: National Study of Learning, Voting & Engagement https://idhe.tufts.edu/about-us/our-work/why-college-student-voting-matters IDEA OF THE MONTH Tabling at least once every week is the most effective way to register and inform students about voting. Here are some “Tabling Tips” from DM activists: Where: Highest traffic area on campus When: days/times when the ost students are out Display: Big colorful posters, candy, DM sign-up sheets, DM buttons etc. Be pro-active: stand in front of the table – don’t just sit behind. Engage students with provocative questions. Interactive: talk to everyone walking by have a game or quiz to engage studentshave a petition for students to signhave a white board with a question to answerpostcards to write to politicians Handouts: have DM club info, voting, or otherinformation to take away. Give handouts to everyone (don’t ask if they want it!- just give it to them!) https://www.democracymatters.org/actioncampaigns/tabling-tricks FUNDING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS The 2010 Supreme Court ruling, Citizens United, unleashed an ever-increasing flood of private money in election campaigns. Mandle suggests that a Harris presidency might again trigger debate and action on the successful public campaign financing that once funded presidential campaigns. See “Facts You Can Use” below and read Mandle’s article at: https://www.democracymatters.org/money_on_my_mind/financing-presidential-elections FACTS YOU CAN USE Vote to Stop Climate Change Climate change fuels environmental degradation, natural disasters, weather extremes, food and water insecurity, economic disruption, conflict, terrorism, and more. Sea levels are rising, the Arctic is melting, coral reefs are dying, oceans are acidifying, and forests are burning. The overwhelming majority of Americans support government action to mitigate global warming. But massive political contributions from the oil and gas industry block action to counter climate change. The fossil fuel industry’s political clout drowns out the voices of the people calling for clean/renewable energy. In November, we can vote for candidates who listen to Americans and will fight climate change. Campaign Contributions The Oil and Gas Industry so far has contributed $125 million for the 2024 election (89% went to Republican candidates;11% to Democrats). The Alternative Renewable Energy Industry so far has contributed $11 million for the 2024 election (40% to Republican candidates; 60% to Democrats. Presidential Candidates’ Positions Kamala Harris: “Every day, all across our nation, we feel and see the impact of the climate crisis. The urgency of this moment is clear. The clock is no longer just ticking, it is banging. And we must make up for lost time.” Harris cast the deciding vote for the Inflation Reduction Act – a pro-environmental climate change bill. 78% of Democrats view climate change as a major threat. Donald Trump: “Climate Change is a hoax.” His speeches support regulatory rollbacks on the energy industry, scaling backrenewable energy, and increased reliance on fossil fuels. As president, Trump withdrew the US from international agreements to combat climate change. 23% of Republicans view climate change as a major threat. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/09/what-the-data-says-about-americans-views-of-climate-change/#:~:text=Nearly%20eight%2Din%2Dten%20Democrats,identical%20to%2010%20years%20ago. |