Voting

Patriot Mobile Action Celebrates David Covey Forcing Dade Phelan into a Runoff

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 7, 2024

David Covey secured the highest number of votes, but did not get over 50%, sending this election into a runoff.

Key Points: 
  • David Covey secured the highest number of votes, but did not get over 50%, sending this election into a runoff.
  • This concerted effort is essential for David Covey to secure victory over Dade Phelan.
  • Recognizing the need for change, Patriot Mobile Action supported David Covey, a candidate who embodies the values of liberty, integrity, and accountability.
  • Patriot Mobile Action heavily publicized David Covey’s endorsements, including President Donald J. Trump, Texas Lt. Gov.

Powerhouse Collaboration: Georgia's NCBW and 100BMOA Chapters Join Forces to Champion Voting Rights on Legislative Day!

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 26, 2024

ATLANTA, Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With Legislative Day fast approaching, the Georgia chapters of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) and 100 Black Men of America, Inc. (100BMOA) are set to make history by uniting forces to ignite change and champion voting rights at the state capitol!

Key Points: 
  • ATLANTA, Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With Legislative Day fast approaching, the Georgia chapters of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) and 100 Black Men of America, Inc. (100BMOA) are set to make history by uniting forces to ignite change and champion voting rights at the state capitol!
  • The highly regarded organizations are renowned for their unique programs tailored to address the specific needs of African Americans in local communities.
  • Following Sterling's speech, Virginia Harris and Milton Jones will urge lawmakers to pledge their commitment to safeguarding and preserving the voting rights of individuals for the upcoming election cycle.
  • We want to use our collective strength to tie down the lions of disparity – racism and poverty.

Landmark Trial Challenging Regressive Voting Rights Provisions in Texas Senate Bill 1 Concludes

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A six-week trial challenging regressive voting rights provisions in Texas’ Senate Bill 1 (S.B.

Key Points: 
  • SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A six-week trial challenging regressive voting rights provisions in Texas’ Senate Bill 1 (S.B.
  • 1) concluded with closing arguments today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
  • 1 violates the First, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by targeting and making more difficult the methods and means of voting used by voters of color.
  • Plaintiffs are challenging several provisions within the restrictive law including: a ban on drive-thru voting; restrictions on early voting hours, which impose a ban on 24-hour voting; and new ID requirements for voting by mail.

Landmark Trial Challenging Regressive Voting Rights Provisions in Texas Senate Bill 1 Concludes

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

A six-week trial challenging regressive voting rights provisions in Texas’ Senate Bill 1 (S.B.

Key Points: 
  • A six-week trial challenging regressive voting rights provisions in Texas’ Senate Bill 1 (S.B.
  • 1) concluded with closing arguments today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
  • Plaintiffs are challenging several provisions within the restrictive law including: a ban on drive-thru voting; restrictions on early voting hours, which impose a ban on 24-hour voting; and new ID requirements for voting by mail.
  • We believe now, and always, that shift workers deserve their right to vote just like everyone else.”
    View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240213017739/en/

An independent commission is racing to redraw Detroit’s voting maps under a federal court order − but the change may not elect more Black candidates

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 5, 2024

A panel of three federal judges ruled on Dec. 21, 2023, that a few state House and Senate legislative maps drawn by an independent Michigan commission violate the Voting Rights Act.

Key Points: 
  • A panel of three federal judges ruled on Dec. 21, 2023, that a few state House and Senate legislative maps drawn by an independent Michigan commission violate the Voting Rights Act.
  • Their ruling, which is currently under appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, says the maps dilute Black voting power in 13 Detroit area legislative districts and those districts must be redrawn.

Can you tell us about the commission?

  • The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission was created by a statewide ballot initiative to purge partisan politics from redistricting.
  • Our research found that Michigan’s commission has more members not affiliated with a political party than any other state redistricting commission.

How were Michigan legislative maps drawn before the commission?


Michigan’s 2010 district maps were drawn by Republican politicians and have been held up as examples of extreme partisan gerrymandering. These lopsided maps triggered a movement, Voters Not Politicians. Volunteers collected 425,000 signatures to get a constitutional amendment on the Michigan ballot to take redistricting out of the hands of politicians.

How did the commission create the new maps?

  • It was required to hold at least 10 public meetings to gather input prior to drawing maps; it held 16.
  • It had to hold at least five public meetings after publishing its first drafts; it held 38.
  • Citizens made more than 25,000 public comments at meetings or in written form.

Why were the new maps challenged?


In 2022, a group of Detroit voters filed a lawsuit, Agee v. Benson, challenging a few districts based on the federal Voting Rights Act. A three-judge panel ruled that 13 districts in the Detroit metro area – seven for the state House and six for the state Senate – are unconstitutional because they violate the equal protection clause, which says district lines cannot be drawn based solely on race.
The commissioners appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. But on Jan. 22, the high court refused to stop the process of redrawing the maps. The panel now has until Feb. 2 to present redrawn maps for public comment, with final ones due in March. The Supreme Court may still rule on the commission’s appeal – but likely not until after the state’s primary elections on Aug. 6.

Why did Detroit lose majority Black districts?

  • The decline in majority Black districts in Detroit isn’t unique to the 2022 district maps.
  • In 2012, the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus protested losing two other Detroit state House districts.
  • In other words, the declining Black population in Detroit is a persistent demographic trend that complicates applying the Voting Rights Act.

Why is it so complex to make the Voting Rights Act work in Detroit?

  • Under the Voting Rights Act, maps can neither crack nor pack minority voters.
  • Cracking is when minority voters are spread across multiple districts, which makes it harder for them to win elections.
  • Experts hired by the commission advised them that 35% to 45% is the sweet spot between packing and cracking Black voters in these districts.
  • In District 8, which has 46% Black voters, Mike McFall, a white man, won the primary with 38% of the vote against two Black candidates.

So you’re suggesting too many primary candidates, not map boundaries, dilute the Black vote?

  • For example, three Black primary candidates lost in the 9th House District, which has 53% Black voters.
  • Other solutions like ranked choice voting could increase opportunities for Black primary victories, regardless of how many candidates run.

The new maps must be finalized by March 29. What does this mean for 2024 elections?


Given the tight deadline for the commission to publish the maps, receive public comments and then vote on the maps, candidates will have a shorter window to organize primary election campaigns. Some incumbents will see their constituents shift again. And it is possible that Black voters will be packed into a smaller number of districts.
Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson gathered signatures for the ballot initiative that put the redistricting commission before voters, and donated $100 to the group Voters Not Politicians. Lyke Thompson helped gather signatures for the 2018 ballot initiative that created the citizen commission.

FORZA LITHIUM AND PLANET GREEN METALS ANNOUNCE MERGER ON A 1:1 SHARE EXCHANGE BASIS

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Forza Lithium will acquire the Property as a result of the Transaction, as a second lithium property, in addition to its Jeanette Property.

Key Points: 
  • Forza Lithium will acquire the Property as a result of the Transaction, as a second lithium property, in addition to its Jeanette Property.
  • For greater certainty, the Vendors will receive one (1) Payment Share for each one (1) Planet Green Share held.
  • The Company will also be changing its name to “Planet Green Metals Inc.” in conjunction with the completion of the Transaction.
  • Forward Looking Plans – Planet Green Metals Ltd.:
    Subsequent to exchange approval of the proposed merger transaction, Planet Green Metals will initiate its strategic exploration business plan to become the preeminent Project Incubator/Project Generator and Royalty (NSR) Holder, for Battery Metals (Lithium-Graphite-Nickel-Cobalt), Critical Minerals (Copper-Zinc-PGM Metals-Uranium) and Precious Metals (Gold-Silver).

Teach New York State (NYS) Announces Nonpartisan Get Out the Vote Initiative in Westchester County's Jewish Community Ahead of 2024 New York Elections

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 16, 2024

NEW YORK, Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Teach New York State (NYS), a division of Teach Coalition, today announced a new and unprecedented nonpartisan 'Get Out the Vote' initiative focused on the upcoming elections in Westchester County. Teach Coalition advocates for equitable funding and resources for all nonpublic schools including Jewish day schools and yeshivas. 

Key Points: 
  • Teach Coalition advocates for equitable funding and resources for all nonpublic schools including Jewish day schools and yeshivas.
  • In the following weeks, Teach Coalition will open other field offices for nonpartisan voter mobilization across southern and central Westchester County.
  • This initiative builds on prior successful 'Get Out the Vote' campaigns organized by Teach Coalition across multiple states and communities.
  • Synagogues, Jewish day schools and Jewish institutions throughout Westchester representing the broad Jewish community have signed on in support of this effort, encouraging their communities to mobilize and vote.

"Together We are the Dream: Unpacking Dr. King's Dream - Equality to Economic Justice, Are We There Yet?"

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 15, 2024

I was honored on Saturday to speak at a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in North Georgia.

Key Points: 
  • I was honored on Saturday to speak at a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in North Georgia.
  • The theme was "Together We are the Dream," and, when I first heard it, it felt good.
  • He would remind Christians that Muslims and Jews aren't the problem and insist that only if we are together can we become the Dream.
  • That's the only way that we'll ever be able to say that Together We are the Dream.

Museum Statement on Circuit 8 Appeals Court Voting Rights Decision

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 21, 2023

A provision meticulously designed to safeguard against gerrymandering and voter ID laws, Section 2 has been a cornerstone in the battle against voter suppression.

Key Points: 
  • A provision meticulously designed to safeguard against gerrymandering and voter ID laws, Section 2 has been a cornerstone in the battle against voter suppression.
  • It is deeply disheartening to witness the erosion of the very safeguards that were put in place to protect the right to vote.
  • Since it's passing in 1964, the Voting Rights Act has been under consistent assault.
  • In light of these developments, Congress must take swift and decisive action to pass voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens, including the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Palo Alto Networks® Announces Intent to Acquire Cloud Security Start-up Dig Security

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 31, 2023

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire cloud security start-up Dig Security, an innovative provider of Data Security Posture Management (DSPM).

Key Points: 
  • SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW), the global cybersecurity leader, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire cloud security start-up Dig Security, an innovative provider of Data Security Posture Management (DSPM).
  • They will continue leading their teams in joining the Prisma Cloud team at Palo Alto Networks after closing.
  • Dig's highly innovative DSPM technology helps safely enable this shift, and its dedicated team will complement and help advance Palo Alto Networks' strengths across cloud security.
  • Ankur Shah, SVP Products, Prisma Cloud for Palo Alto Networks:
    "Data protection was the top priority for cloud security cited in the 2023 The State of Cloud-Native Security Report .