Letter - People Power United joins coalition efforts to urge President Biden to establish a White House Office of Democracy
🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
People Power United joined other local, state, and national groups to urge President Biden to establish a White House Office of Democracy. Shout out to DFAD for leading these efforts. Here is the letter sent on behalf of our membership to President Biden:
November 7, 2023
Dear President Biden:
Our organizations write to thank you for your actions to preserve and strengthen our democracy and to urge you to continue this critical work. As you recently reminded the nation at your speech in Arizona, we are at an inflection point for democracy, and decisions made now will determine the course of democracy not only in our country but across the world. In this way, your continued leadership and action are necessary if we are to become a truly multi-racial, multi-ethnic democracy that provides fair representation to all Americans, honors the peaceful transfer of power, and protects and honors our Constitution.
Sadly, large majorities of Americans lack faith in the current state of our democracy, and do not trust that government can be responsive to their needs. Exacerbating this situation are extremist legislators in many states that are passing laws aimed at suppressing voters of color, creating gerrymandered maps, and sabotaging valid election results. These newly erected roadblocks to free and fair elections destabilize our democracy, and when they are combined with political extremism, violence, and power grabs, our nation risks sliding toward autocracy.
We also applaud the leadership that you have shown in championing transformative pro democracy legislation, namely the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Moreover, your executive orders designed to protect and expand voting access are important and commendable. At the same time, your Administration has made tremendous strides to lower the costs of life saving drugs, strengthen the economy, improve oversight over federal spending, and to connect everyday people with their government so they may better feel the impact of our national policies.
We urge you to now follow up on your powerful words with decisive actions. In your speech, you stated “I’ve made the defense and protection and preservation of American democracy the central issue of my presidency.” We applaud this commitment and hope to see it continue to be realized, as much more can and must be done to help create a truly representative democracy. For example, the existing voting-related executive orders must be implemented much more aggressively to achieve their desired effect.
The Administration must do more to improve our democracy via additional executive actions that will increase transparency, fight corruption, and improve the functioning of American elections, among other goals. We echo the recent call to action from a group of Senators similarly concerned about the state of our democracy and urge you to establish a White House Office of Democracy, to direct the U.S. Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to determine the frequency and amount of foreign money that is directly or indirectly spent in connection with U.S. elections, to call on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to begin a rulemaking process requiring public corporations to disclose the full extent of their lobbying activities and expenditures, and to maximize the use of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's forthcoming beneficial ownership database to investigate cases of corruption and foreign money laundering.
By increasing the pace of bold action to bolster our democracy’s defenses, strengthen our nation’s free and fair elections, and fight corruption, you would send a strong signal that your Administration is using all available tools to achieve your goal of creating a strong democracy for the 21st Century. But without sustained, concrete action, we risk squandering progress made by this Administration and reinforcing an emerging perception and expectation that neither political party has a clear vision or commitment to furthering democracy. In fact, recent polling shows that most Americans see no appreciable difference between the two main political parties on this issue, despite your leadership.1 This lamentable dynamic makes Americans less – not more – apt to follow your path toward a durable and truly representative democracy.
We strongly urge you to cement your pro-democracy legacy and strengthen our democracy for generations to come by taking such actions.
Sincerely,
20/20 Vision DC
American Humanist Association
Blue Future
Campaign Legal Center
Center for American Progress
Center for Popular Democracy
Church World Service
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Clean Elections Texas
Common Defense
Common Power
Communications Workers of America
Daily Kos
DC Vote
Defend Democracy
Fair Fight Action
Faith in Public Life
Fix Democracy First
Franciscan Action Network
Friends of the Earth
Future Coalition
Generation Vote
Get Money Out - Maryland
Greenpeace USA
Indivisible Santa Fe
Interfaith Alliance
International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR) League of Conservation Voters
MoveOn
National Council of Jewish Women
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice People For the American Way
People Power United
Project On Government Oversight (POGO)
Public Citizen
Rank the Vote
Reclaim Democracy!
RepresentUs
Revolving Door Project
Secure Elections Network
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Institute Justice Team Stand Up America
The Digital Democracy Project
The Workers Circle
Transparency International U.S.
Union of Concerned Scientists
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
United Church of Christ, Justice and Local Church Ministries Un-PAC
Venice Resistance
Voices For Progress
WALKING TO FIX OUR DEMOCRACY