Nima Kulkarni, Representative (Louisville, KY)

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New Kentucky Law to Protect Speech

Recently, NewDEAL Leader Representative Nima Kulkarni’s bipartisan Kentucky Uniform Public Expression Protection Act was signed into law by Governor Beshear. The bill seeks to prevent wealthy businesses or individuals from filing frivolous lawsuits aimed at intimidating or silencing critics through the long and costly court process. The new law establishes a framework through which judges can determine whether a suit is being brought in bad faith, and it allows defendants to dismiss cases more quickly. “At its core, this bill safeguards First Amendment rights in our courts and makes sure that everyone gets a fair and expeditious day in court,” Representative Kulkarni said. Read more about the bipartisan bill here.

Mallory McMorrow, Senator (Oakland County, MI) 

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Navigating the GOP culture war: McMorrow rebuts ugly attack​

This week, NewDEAL Leader Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow went viral for her floor speech responding to a Republican colleague who, in a campaign email meant to score political points with GOP voters, had accused McMorrow of wanting to “groom and sexualize kindergarteners.” In the speech, Senator McMorrow cuts through this ugly, divisive rhetoric with a response that is relevant for leaders across the country who are dealing with Republican attacks over issues involving education, race, and LGBTQ rights. “People who are different are not the reason our roads are in bad shape, or healthcare costs are too high, or teachers are leaving the profession,” said McMorrow. Going beyond the specifics of the attack on her, she went on to speak powerfully about her upbringing and belief that “no child alive today is responsible for slavery. No one in this room is responsible for slavery. But each and every single one of us bears responsibility for writing the next chapter of history … we are not responsible for the past. We also cannot change the past. We can’t pretend that it didn’t happen, or deny people their very right to exist.” Watch the moving speech, which has been viewed more than 13 million times, here.

Restoring Confidence in Elections

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Problem

Securing and safeguarding the right to vote is vitally important, especially as some states have worked to suppress voters. We must make sure every vote counts – whether that is through the traditional polls or through vote-by-mail ballots. 

Solution

I have introduced bills that would do the following:

Requires voted ballots received within seven days after polls close to be valid and canvassed if postmarked by election day; allows voters to cure ballot signature defects; extends primary and general election certification deadlines.

Requires county board of elections to mail notice to mail-in voters after each election confirming ballot was received and counted.

Allows mail-in voter to cure mail-in ballot due to missing certificate.

Expanding Access to the Ballot Box

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Problem

Our 2020 election cycle faced an unprecedented public health crisis that forced cities and states to act immediately to not only protect citizens’ right to vote but their health and safety while exercising that right. Last year, nearly half the nation voted by mail or absentee ballots. 

 

Solution

In Nevada, in the midst of a statewide shutdown, our Secretary of State and election officials worked around the clock to conduct a primary election by mail– something that our state has never done. After the primary election, the state legislature passed emergency legislation to ensure mail-in ballots would be available in the general election as the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic still remained. With record voter turnout and an electorate eager for more options to cast their ballots, we passed legislation to make our emergency measures permanent. Now every single eligible voter will automatically receive a mail-in ballot for every local and state election

Enhancing Access to the At-Home Ballot Box

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Problem

More and more Mainers and individuals across the country are utilizing the option to vote from home. This is especially true in Maine where our population is the oldest in the country and absentee voting provides an accessible option for casting a ballot for older Mainers and persons with disabilities. However, it can be cumbersome for someone who votes via absentee to request a ballot for each and every election.

Solution

I introduced and passed legislation that creates an ongoing absentee voting status for persons over the age of 65 and persons with disabilities. These individuals will be able to request this status once and from that point forward they will receive an absentee ballot for each and every election. This will create greater access to the ballot box and most importantly it will enhance participation, particularly in local elections that do not have all of the fanfare of a presidential election.

Election Transparency and Integrity

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Problem

We must lift the veil of secrecy that surrounds the activities of groups working to influence the political process. At a time of increased misinformation and distrust it is more important than ever that the public is provided the information they need to make informed decisions on the policies that impact their lives. Full disclosure will improve the credibility of the government and enhance the public’s trust.

Solution

I introduced a bill that requires that election infrastructure vendors disclose financial ties for approval as a vendor by the Secretary of State; requires report of known or suspected security incidents involving election systems to the Division of Elections. I also introduced a second bill which makes various changes to reporting requirements for independent expenditure committees; establishes reporting requirements for policy impact committees. 

Civics Education – Middle School through College

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Problem

The events that transpired on January 6th represent one of the darkest days in American history. It showed the vital importance of civics education. We need to properly educate our young people so they can become critical thinkers who are able to discern truth from fiction. They must understand the foundations of our representative democracy, and take a participatory role in it. Through civics, it is our collective hope that these students will not be indoctrinated into any one particular political ideology but rather become informed and educated citizens that will shape our nation for generations to come.

Solution

Our bill, which is now law, directs the NJ Dept of Education to require at least one course in civics in middle school starting with the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally, I have introduced legislation which would require students at public universities to complete at least one course of American government and civic engagement before graduating. 

Barry Finegold, Senator (Andover, MA)

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Massachusetts Expands Voting Access

This week, the Massachusetts Senate approved a major expansion in voting access, codifying mail-in and early voting. NewDEAL Leader Senator Barry Finegold drafted the legislation and has been a leader in the fight for more access to the ballot. In addition to mail-in and early voting, the bill will allow same-day registration and require state prisons to ensure that eligible inmates can access ballots. Read more about the legislation here, and for more, check out our Democracy event series.

Jocelyn Benson, Secretary of State (Michigan)

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MI Vote Matters

NewDEAL Leader Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, celebrated National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday with the launch of the MI Vote Matters High School Voter Registration Challenge. This new initiative encourages eligible high school seniors to exercise their rights by registering or pre-registering to vote. Another NewDEALer, Alex Padilla, had significant success in registering and pre-registering 400,000 young voters with a similar program when he was Secretary of State in California, before being appointed to the U.S. Senate. To learn more about how Secretary Benson is encouraging young voters, read the article here.

Tobias Read, State Treasurer (Oregon) & Adrian Fontes, Former Maricopa County, AZ Recorder

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NewDEALers On The Hill

This week, two NewDEALers traveled to Washington to testify before Congressional committees. Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read met with the Senate Finance Committee to discuss his state’s successful OregonSaves program, the first state-sponsored private sector retirement program in the nation. One of the country’s leading advocates for transforming American workers’ ability to save for retirement, Read touted the strong performance of the program, which has saved 110,000 Oregonians more than $123 million since its launch in 2017. Separately, former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes appeared before the Committee on House Administration to discuss voter suppression, subversion, and election worker intimidation. See more about Fontes’ testimony, during which he described the escalation of threats against election officials and implored Congress to pass legislation that provides “election workers and voters with safety measures necessary to enable them to do their jobs or to vote without threats or intimidation.”

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