Coming in 2018: Statewide Public Mapping Competition to Engage Students in Fixing the Bug in the Operating System of Democracy

From Draw the Lines PA (https://drawthelinespa.org/): A defining political challenge facing the United States is the hyper-partisanship that infects its politics. Much of the blame lies with how elected officials of both parties can manipulate their district boundaries to maximize … Continued

Learn About the Federal Judicial Crisis—How Judges are Chosen, Confirmed, and Why It Matters

BCTV | Posted: Tuesday, November 21, 2017 8:03 pm League of Women Voters Presents (Berks County TV) hosts Kadida Kenner from Why Courts Matter Pennsylvania, who gives information on how federal judges are picked (with Jenn Hanf). http://www.bctv.org/videos/league-of-women-voters-presents/html_e846e9f9-3a16-5386-bb9e-3fe203a934d6.html

Act to Protect the Johnson Amendment in Conference Committee

From Americans United for Separation of Church and State (http://www.au.org): Thank you to everyone who contacted your Senators last week! You raised your voice, and a damaging provision to repeal the Johnson Amendment stayed out of the Senate tax plan. … Continued

Another Poll Shows Broad Public Support for the Johnson Amendment

Posted at https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/another-poll-shows-broad-public-support-for-the-johnson-amendment Nov 30, 2017 by Rokia Hassanein in Wall of Separation A new survey from the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) at the University of Maryland confirms what previous polls have shown: The majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents agree that we should keep … Continued

PA Supreme Court Orders Gerrymandering Suit to Proceed

Posted at http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2017-11-14/civil-rights/pa-supreme-court-orders-gerrymandering-suit-to-proceed/a60267-1 November 14, 2017 – Andrea Sears, Public News Service (PA) Play Audio in Browser Window If successful, the lawsuit could change voting district lines before the 2018 election. (Tom Prete/Flickr) HARRISBURG, Pa. – A ruling by the … Continued

Changing the Johnson Amendment Could Shift Billions of Dollars From Political Campaigns To Churches That Endorse Candidates—Say NO to Change

Posted at https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/changing-the-johnson-amendment-could-shift-billions-of-dollars-from Scroll down for action. Nov 7, 2017 by Rokia Hassanein in Wall of Separation Yesterday, the House Ways and Means Committee began preliminary discussion over the new tax bill, which includes language that severely weakens the Johnson Amendment, a provision … Continued

Sign the Petition to End Gerrymandering in PA

The United States is the only major democracy that allows politicians to choose their voters by drawing electoral district lines. This is a conflict of interest that undermines the integrity of our elections. There is a solution—and our legislators have … Continued