#congressional maps

[whenweallvote]

For the first time in decades, Louisiana has a second majority Black congressional district! After a two-year fight for fairness and equal representation, the new congressional map was signed into law Monday when a federal appeals court ruled the state’s congressional map to be withdrawn to comply with the Voting Rights Act.

As Ashley Shelton, President of Power Coalition of Equity and Justice, said, “This is a win for Black voters and a powerful moment in Louisiana’s history.”

[tomorrowusa]

North Carolina may have just gerrymandered 3 US House seats out of Democratic control. But the New York Court of Appeals (what the state supreme court is called in NY) just indirectly gave the Democratic legislature the power to draw a new Congressional map. It will probably result in Dems flipping 3 or 4 seats and possibly as many as 6. In effect, the North Carolina gerrymander has been neutralized – or even more than neutralized.

Under a new map, Democrats could flip as many as six seats currently held by Republicans, enough to seize control of the closely divided House. The New York Republicans who rode a state-level red wave to Congress in 2022 are about to watch their districts shift dramatically to the left. The big question is whether New York Democrats will squander this opportunity with the kind of mismanagement and infighting that led them to disaster last year. Tuesday’s decision was the latest episode in the years-long saga over redistricting in New York. It began when residents voted for a constitutional amendment in 2014 that gave primary responsibility over the process to an Independent Redistricting Commission, or IRC. The 2014 amendment, however, divided the IRC equally between Democrats and Republicans, and the commission deadlocked on a plan after the 2020 census. So the legislature stepped in with its own congressional map—which the New York Court of Appeals struck down as an unlawful partisan gerrymander by a 4–3 vote in 2022. (The Court of Appeals is the state’s top court.) The conservative-leaning majority, appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and led by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, directed an outside mapmaker to redraw the plans. The mapmaker’s submission was heavily influenced by analyses from experts who specialized in GOP-friendly redistricting. It gave Republicans an edge while pushing two top Democrats into the same district, forcing them to compete against each other. As a result, Republicans seized five or six additional seats (though one was vacated when the House expelled indicted Rep. George Santos).

So we probably have that 2022 NY map to thank for George Santos's brief House career. His district, NY-03, is currently a tossup. But with a redraw of the map, much of that area would probably find itself in bluer territory.

In the peculiar world of NY politics, nothing is simple.

First crack at a new map will go to the IRC (Independent Redistricting Commission). But it will deadlock because it is evenly split along party lines. Then the task goes to the legislature with Dem majorities in both chambers. Dems will get out their mapping software and have a go at it. Republicans will inevitably appeal the new Democratic map and the case will end up back at the New York Court of Appeals which just handed down this decision on Tuesday.

All this has to be done before filing deadlines for the 2024 US House primaries. However, no date has been set for those primaries in NY. The primaries can be held as late as early September. Stay tuned!

[archaalen]

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-congress-redistricting-house-elections-4b8768b63e0ab7a05d184a52f8979968

New York Democrats reject bipartisan congressional map, will draw their own

[gayarograce]

Man fuck SCOTUS. "Checks and balances" my ass! They barely have shit keeping them in check

[headlinehorizon]

New Mexico Supreme Court Upholds Democratic-Drawn Congressional Map, Shaping Political Landscape

The New Mexico Supreme Court's groundbreaking decision to uphold the Democratic-drawn congressional map has significant implications for the state's political power. This article discusses the court's verdict and its impact on future elections.

[damnyousubdermalirritants]

UPDATE: NOVAVAX NOW AVAILABLE!!!

Hi everyone, it's been about a year since I posted about updated COVID vaccines and it's time for another update if you are in the US:

THE BRIDGE ACCESS PROGRAM IS ENDING!!!!

If you are uninsured or your insurance does not cover covid boosters, please schedule a new booster appointment before the end of August because the Bridge Access Program (the way the government will still pay for your booster) ends in September. The updated mRNA boosters from Moderna and Pfizer are available now. Go Go GO!!!

Shitty, I know! If you can call your congressional reps, the FDA, the CDC, whomever to tell them you want this program to continue/be reinstated, that would be great. Also, while you're at it, call the FDA to tell them to expedite the approval for the updated Novavax booster (3017962640).

The new Novavax vaccine is designed for the JN.1 strain which is one of the most recent mutations of the virus going around. If you have insurance and can afford to wait, I highly recommend getting the Novavax booster when it becomes available.

We are currently in the largest Covid summer surge since 2021

If you haven't had a booster in the past six months you are essentially unvaccinated. New strains with different spike proteins keep evolving faster than vaccine development and distribution can keep up. All that said, getting Covid is not a moral failing. If you do feel sick, take a rapid test! If it's negative, test again a day or two later. It is better to know than not to know. Here's a refresh on how to take a rapid test correctly:

If you do get Covid, it is worth getting on antiretrovirals within the first week of symptoms to reduce the overall viral load your body has to fight. If your insurance doesn't cover Paxlovid or Remdesivir, here are other low/no-cost ways to access it:

If you get sick, rest radically even after you stop testing positive on rapid tests. Avoid exercising for at least eight weeks after the fact to reduce the risk of developing long covid.

Regardless of your vaccination status, masking with a KN95 or N95 respirator (or equivalent standards in your country i.e. FFP2/3 in the EU) is the most reliable way to protect yourself and others. If Covid protections are a financial burden, there is likely an active Mask Bloc near you doing free distribution of respirators and tests that would be happy to help you. Here's a global map of them from covidactionmap.org

Some quick tips: if you're wearing a bi-fold mask, flatten the nose-bridge wire completely, then mold it to your nose on your face for a better fit. The best mask is the one that you will actually wear regularly to protect yourself. I really like the selection of styles, sizes and colors from WellBefore:

As school is starting, getting you and your family boosted is one of the best things you can do to protect yourselves. Masking is perhaps even more important. If you can advocate for updating and regularly changing the HVAC filters at your local schools to MERV-13 or higher to keep the indoor air cleaner, that can also make a big difference. Better indoor air quality in schools helps protect kids from illness, allergies, wildfire smoke, and more per the EPA's website.

These are steps you can take to improve air quality at home as well. Corsi-Rosenthal boxes are low-cost and highly effective for cleaning the air indoors.

Here's a map of clean air lending libraries for getting access to air purifiers for events from cleanairclub.org

[dostoyevsky-official]

As President Trump looks north and repeatedly presses his case to absorb Canada as the “51st state,” politically minded Democrats who are otherwise outraged by almost everything else about his agenda find themselves contemplating a potential electoral boon should it ever happen. Few in Washington take the prospect all that seriously, of course. Canada has made clear that it has no interest in joining the United States, and Mr. Trump seems unlikely to send in the 82nd Airborne Division to force the matter. But if the idea appeals to Mr. Trump’s grandiose sense of himself as an empire-building historic figure, it could also undercut his own party’s prospects. [...] “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I strongly agree with Donald Trump,” said former Representative Steve Israel of New York, who headed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Canada is largely left of center, and making it the 51st state means more Democrats in Congress and Electoral College votes, not to mention providing universal health care and combating climate change.” [...] Mr. Trump’s talk of annexing Canada appears to be a way of trolling his northern neighbors as part of his pressure for trade and other concessions. It has succeeded in getting under their skin. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada told a group of business leaders in comments that leaked out that he did not consider it a joke but in fact “a real thing.” [...] None of the provinces actually want to join the United States, though. [...] So based on that, at least, Mr. Trump should not get his hopes up — and neither should Democrats. But it does not mean that they cannot dream. “Canada is blue,” Mr. Israel said. “We’ll take all the help President Trump wants to give us.”

The New York Times, the national paper of record—the same paper that lied about WMDs in Iraq—is now running a VoxExplainer-style article smugly contemplating the electoral outcome of annexing a country by force. There is not a single mention here that annexation is illegal, that a premeditated war of conquest is a war crime. Instead, Peter Baker is laughing and entertaining the idea. Canadians aren't going to be displeased, they aren't going to be voting blue in protest: they're going to be killing every American they can get their hands on, just like the Palestinians do to Israelis, just like the Ukrainians to Russians. "Here's how Sudeten voters will dilute the Nazi vote share." This is a horror, unthinkable, this isn't a game.

[socialistexan]

So I went through some of the list of "posts flagged for explicit content" on my blog, here are some of the things I found (I have screenshots, but I won't post them because I don't want to be nuked)

A video of my dog playing in the snow for the first time

A jar of hot sauce with just words on it

Multiple screenshots of ads that have run on tumblr

A comic about taking a nap with you're dog

The cover art for the Sonic and Garfield video game double pack

A list of the line of succession in 2017 when we thought maybe Trump might be removed from office

A Congressional district map of Texas

A dog sitting in a seat on a train

A photo of two women dressed similarly sitting at a dog in a restaurant (I think Panera?)

There's more but I got exhausted.

[whenweallvote]

GOOD NEWS: Alabama’s new congressional map now includes two Black-opportunity districts.

Previously, Alabama’s congressional map was struck down for violating the Voting Rights Act diluting the voting power of Black Alabamians. Despite Black Alabamians making up 27% of the state's population, only one of the state's seven congressional seats regularly went to a candidate preferred by Black voters.

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

The Alaska Senate unanimously joined the state House Friday in urging President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to rename North America’s tallest peak as Mount McKinley.

Trump issued the order renaming Denali after President William McKinley on his first day back in office, saying he was a “natural businessman” who “made our country very rich through tariffs.”

The decision created an uproar around the state. A public opinion poll found Alaskans opposed the change by a two-to-one margin. Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, said Denali is a name with deep roots in Alaska’s history and culture.

"Alaskans and travelers from around the world have known it to be Denali. The Athabascan people have lived in the Interior for thousands of years, and for thousands of years have embraced Denali as its proper name," he said.

The state of Alaska has called the peak Denali for decades, a word that comes from a Koyukon Athabascan word with a meaning akin to "high" or "tall." The state renamed the peak as Denali on state maps and databases in 1975 and formally requested that the federal government do the same. The congressional delegation from McKinley’s home state of Ohio successfully blocked the change until 2015, when the Obama administration formally renamed it Denali.

Some state House minority Republicans opposed the resolution last month and looked to amend it to include a message thanking the Trump administration for another order seeking to expand resource development in Alaska. But there was no such opposition in the Senate.

"I think in the spirit of it, I want to honor what the people of Alaska want in this case," said Senate Minority Leader Mike Shower, R-Wasilla. "To those in D.C. that seem to be looking to change certain things — that's fine, but let's pick something that would be a reasonable thing that would not upset the people of Alaska."

The resolution passed by a combined vote of 50 to 8. It’ll be sent to Trump, Alaska’s congressional delegation, the Interior Secretary and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

[thatnamewill-probably-change]

I ranted for a good chunk of time to SEVERAL, distinct friend groups about that map. As a field staffer, I also have SEVERAL qualms about the outfitting/setdressing of the Texas campaign office.

The Red, White, and Royal Blue movie is a fun little romp that I will cherish always and the chemistry alone makes it a 10/10. But there is one sin I can not overlook: THE FACT THAT THEY MADE MINNESOTA RED. Pennsylvania: Fine. Michigan: Okay. BUT MINNESOTA?! WHY WOULD YOU SLANDER THE DEMOCRATIC NAME OF MINNESOTA? Minnesota literally has the longest unbroken streak of voting dem for pres of all 50 states, two dem senators, a dem governor, and dem majorities in the state house and senate. ANYWAYS, go watch Red, White, and Royal Blue

[headlinehorizon]

Ohio Voting-Rights Groups Dismiss Lawsuit Challenging Congressional Map

Read about the decision made by Ohio voting-rights groups to dismiss their lawsuit against the state's unconstitutional congressional map, citing the need to avoid prolonged legal battles. The approved map resulted in a slight increase in Democratic representation, amidst a history of controversial map-drawing in Ohio.

[thosemotivationalquotes]

Voting resources for the 2024 U.S. Election

Voting and Voter Registration

General voter registration

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Update your registration

Voter registration deadlines - by state

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Early voting - by state

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Info for unhoused voters

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Options for people concerned about missing work to vote

Does your work have to give you time off to vote - by state

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What to expect when voting at a polling place

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Information on Political Candidates

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Agenda 47 - full document

JD Vance - Republican VP pick

Kamala Harris political overview

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Senate race overview

Governor elections

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Other Election/Voting Resources

Swing states map

Abortion related ballot measures

What is a primary election?

What are electoral votes?

What is a provisional ballot?

Discounted rides for Lyft and Lime

What congressional district am I in?

Ranked choice voting

I will add more resources as I find them!

I will also be using the tag ‘Kenzie talks election 2024’ to talk about election stuff starting 11/4