PLI Bulletin

Voter Protection Act, Abortion Rights Poll, Right Wing Watch and More

Posted on October 13, 2016

Voter Protection Act: Too many Americans are prevented from exercising their right to vote because of voter intimidation or suppression, or by mistakes by election officials. The Voter Protection Act bans specific types of intimidation and suppression, establishes a Voter’s Bill of Rights, and requires the creation of a Manual of Election Procedures.

How to answer ten tough questions: If you are politically active, you can expect some difficult debates over the next four weeks. When you are asked a tough political question, remember three messaging rules: (1) Always start in agreement; (2) Use your progressive values; and (3) Help your audience see how they benefit. Read how these apply to ten issues on IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

New poll on proactive abortion rights policies: Wednesday, October 19 @3pm Eastern, 2pm Central, 1pm Mountain, Noon Pacific. PLI commissioned a poll by Ann Selzer (called the “best pollster in politics” by FiveThirtyEight) testing 13 specific abortion rights policies as well as a variety of messages on reproductive rights. Register for our webinar and learn which seven of our model bills are favored by at least 75 percent of voters.

Policies to replace school testing overkill: Federal K-12 education law now gives much more flexibility to states and localities. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing recently published a report describing policies that minimize standardized testing and maximize classroom-based, teacher-controlled, student-focused assessments.

Right Wing Watch: People for the American Way recently redesigned their website RightWingWatch.org, a resource for information about groups, projects and leaders of conservative extremism. Particularly useful is the organizations page.

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