Vote early, vote by mail.  Click here for all the voting information you need.
October 16, 2020 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Trump found another way to suppress the vote and diminish the political power of those that won't vote for him. The Supreme Court this week allowed the Trump administration to halt the 2020 census count ahead of schedule. 

The census helps determine how congressional and local voting districts are drawn. An accurate count ensures that everyone has fair representation in Congress and that their voice is heard.

Ending the census early will undoubtedly lead to undercounts and inaccuracies. It is estimated that 4 in 10 houses will not be counted. Typically these are households in minority neighborhoods and areas where young people live.

Trump has viewed the Census Bureau the same way as the Post Office -- it's one more independent government agency to be used for his own political agenda. Trump recently placed several political aides with no job description inside the Bureau.

If halting the census isn't enough, he hopes outright voter intimidation will help him succeed even more. He is urging his supporters to "go to the polls and watch very carefully."  Trump has also threatened to send law enforcement to the polls, a move that could result in violations of the US criminal code. We have only seen this type of voting threats coming from authoritarian regimes and dictators. 

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, armed groups or individuals who claim to offer security services at polling stations will also be in violation of state and local laws. Virtually all states have laws that strictly regulate the provision of private security services, particularly armed security services.

Nevertheless, a private security company is recruiting former U.S. military Special Operations personnel to guard polling sites in Minnesota on Election Day.

Yet, Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, refused to say whether she thought voter intimidation is illegal during her Senate confirmation hearing.

Trump's threats, tweets, and fear-mongering will not succeed in stopping the will of the people. More than 17 million Americans have already cast ballots with many waiting in long lines. We will not be prevented from voting. Rather we will prevent another four years of Trump with our vote.

Make a plan to vote.

source: NPR
 
UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS
Virtual Events to Support Joe Biden for President


or 



Click here to be a poll watcher

_______________________________
 
Please note: Login links for Biden for President events are sent out directly by the campaign. 
__________________________________
 
Watch your inbox for more online events.
ISRAEL
Israel's UN Envoy Slams UN Human Rights Council After Russia, China, Pakistan, Cuba Elected

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan assailed the international body after its members elected several countries widely criticized for their human rights records to the premier UN body tasked with defending human rights. "Today's Human Rights Council elections prove once again that this council has nothing to do with protecting human rights and everything to do with violating them," Erdan said in a video statement.
Continued Reading

ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
Twitter Follows Facebook on Removing Posts That Deny the Holocaust 

Facebook announced that it will ban content that "denies or distorts the Holocaust," reversing its earlier policy. The company said it introduced the change after noticing a rise in anti-Semitism. Twitter confirmed it is going to start removing posts that deny the Holocaust just two days after Facebook implemented the same policy.
Continued Reading

CHOICE
 
Amy Coney Barrett Says Roe v. Wade Is Not 'Super-Precedent'
 
Amy Coney Barrett told a Jacksonville University audience in 2016 that the Supreme Court is unlikely to overturn a woman's right to an abortion, the key holding of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. However, Barrett has written law review articles that outline arguments attorneys theoretically could use in trying to strike down that ruling and other precedents.
Read Full Article
Continued Reading


SEPARATION
The Role of Religion in Presidential Elections
 
Donald Trump's showing among evangelicals was a very big post-election story in 2016. His impressive support from white Catholics did not get so much attention, but was key as well. This year, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is counting on his Catholic identity to reverse the 2016 outcome among Catholic voters. How can we then make sense of the religion factor in the 2020 election? First, consider the following voting breakdowns in the voting populations among the one-party-leaning groups.
Continued Reading


BEYOND THE CORE
Amy Coney Barrett at Hearing: Climate Change is 'Politically Controversial'

During her confirmation hearing this week, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett declined to stake out a position on the existence of climate change, describing it as a "very contentious matter of public debate." But Barrett's refusal to express her stance on climate change comes in spite of the overwhelming scientific evidence on the subject.
Continued Reading
POLITICAL BYTE
Across the Country, Democratic Enthusiasm Is Propelling an Enormous Wave of Early Voting
 
With less than three weeks to go before Nov. 3, roughly 15 million Americans have already voted in the fall election, reflecting an extraordinary level of participation despite barriers erected by the coronavirus pandemic - and setting a trajectory that could result in the majority of voters casting ballots before Election Day for the first time in U.S. history. So far, much of the early voting appears to be driven by heightened enthusiasm among Democrats.
Continued Reading

BIDEN ROUNDUP
VIDEO: Change | Joe Biden for President 2020



Rudy Giuliani Is My Father. Please, Everyone, Vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
 
To anyone who feels overwhelmed or apathetic about this election, there is nothing I relate to more than desperation to escape corrosive political discourse. As a child, I saw firsthand the kind of cruel, selfish politics that Donald Trump has now inflicted on our country. It made me want to run as far away from them as possible. But trust me when I tell you: Running away does not solve the problem. We have to stand and fight. The only way to end this nightmare is to vote. There is hope on the horizon, but we'll only grasp it if we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Continued Reading

FYI
This Group Is Working Behind the Scenes to Change the Stories You See on TV
 
ICE agents raid a big-box store, racing down the aisles to apprehend an employee. A DACA recipient who's a doctor frets over her future. And a family separated by deportation struggles to connect on the phone. These scenes on TV shows aren't just quick plot twists ripped from the headlines in the age-old tradition of primetime television. They're part of a deeper effort behind the scenes to shape new immigrant characters and storylines. And an advocacy group known as Define American is leading the charge.
Continued Reading

The Last Word
"If I'm elected president, you won't hear me race-baiting, you won't hear me dividing - you'll hear me trying to unify."

- Joe Biden
Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.
Paid for by Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs. Contributions or gifts are not tax deductible.  Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle. Corporate contributions and contributions from non-US citizens who are not lawfully admitted for permanent residence are prohibited. All contributions by individuals must be made from personal funds and may not be reimbursed or paid by another person.