There is so much you can do
Publish ERA 2024
What needs to happen 2022
Publish ERA 2024
Before Biden leaves office; action needed!
Vote in 2022
What needs to happen 2022
Publish ERA 2024
NOW PAC 2022 endorsed candidates post primaries
What needs to happen 2022
What needs to happen 2022
What needs to happen 2022
Where the ERA stands now and what can be done.
action items for 2021
action items for 2021
What needs to happen 2022
After reading the action items below, use the 2021 Take Action Tools Link to get examples of letters, and social media resources you will need.
support our efforts
action items for 2021
support our efforts
There are many ways that you can help, volunteer, and spread the word. Find one that suits you.
write letters
action items for 2021
support our efforts
Don't know what to say? Detailed instructions to get your message out to legislators or editors.
make a donation
Take Action, Use your voice!
Take Action, Use your voice!
Any amount helps us to keep fighting for Equal Rights. Donations are not tax deductible.
Take Action, Use your voice!
Take Action, Use your voice!
Take Action, Use your voice!
Call to Action
I just got off the ERA Coalition call and I don’t need to tell you the despair and sense of urgency among the participants.
We cannot let the ERA that is fully ratified not be published. If Biden does not do it before he leaves, we know the next president will not.
So please send a communication to each of those below urging Biden to publish the ERA and urging the others to push Biden to publish the ERA.
Below is the letter I sent. You can cut and paste or do your own. Thanks.
To get to each one, I simply put “contact NAME” into my search engine and it took me to a page where I could enter comments. It requires your name and your comment which can be copied and pasted.
TO BIDEN, HARRIS, SENATOR SCHUMER, KELLY, and SINEMA, DEMOCRATIC
LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES
Publish the ERA NOW
I don’t need to tell you since the election results that this is a 5-alarm fire. There is no time nor ability to wait around for Congress to do anything. The President can and must publish the already ratified ERA immediately. Not only can he do so under law, but the Supreme Court in their decision to make the president a king said anything you do under your Article 2 powers cannot be challenged.
You must do it. You must do it for 51% of the people in the United States, you must do it for your mother and your wife and your daughter and all of ours.
We cannot go 120 years backward with the ERA eviscerated and no protection under the 14th Amendment as the Supreme Court has already said. Women have lost the right to control their bodies. Without the ERA and with Project 2025 coming soon, women in the U.S. will soon be worse off than the second-class citizens we are now.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You cannot leave with a ratified amendment protecting human rights lying dead in a drawer. Your legacy will be destroyed if you take no action to stop the destruction of the rights of American women under the next president. Please, publish the ERA NOW.
Name
_________________, Arizona.
Thank you! Let us know if you get any feedback.
ERA Task Force AZ
Dianne Post
NOw pac 2022 endorsements post primaries
Governor
Katie Hobbs
Arizona Secretary of State
Adrian Fontes
Attorney General
Kris Mayes
State Treasurer
Martin Quezada
State Legislature
Cathy Ransom – LD 1 House
Mike Fogel – LD 1 Senate
Neil Sinclair – LD 1 House
Jeanne Casteen – LD 2 Senate
Judy Schwiebert – LD 2 House
Thomas Dugger – LD 3 Senate
Laura Terech – LD 4 House
Jennifer Longdon – LD 5 House
Lela Alston – LD 5 Senate
Kyle Nitschke – LD 7 Senate
Melody Hernandez – LD 8 House
Athena Salman – LD 8 House
Seth Blattman – LD 9 House
Lorena Austin – LD 9 House
Eva Burch – LD 9 Senate
Oscar De Los Santos – LD 11 House
Stacey Travers – LD 12 House
Patty Contreras – LD 12 House
Mitzi Epstein – LD 12 Senate
Cynthia Hans – LD 13 Senate
Brandy Reese – LD 14 House
Keith Seaman – LD 16 House
Tayler Kerby – LD 16 Senate
B. Radford – LD 17 House
Mike Nickerson – LD 17 Senate
Nancy Guttierez – LD 18 House
Priya Sundareshan – LD 18 Senate
S. Clark – LD 19 House
Andres Cano – LD 20 House (unopposed)
Stephanie Stahl Hamilton – LD 21 House
Leezah Sun – LD 22 House
Dr. Evangeline Diaz – LD 22 Senate
Jesus Lugo Jr. – LD 23 House
Brian Fernandez – LD 23 Senate
Analise Ortiz – LD 24 House
Anna Hernandez – LD 24 Senate
Cesar Aguilar – LD 26 House
Flavio Bravo – LD 26 House
Raquel Teran – LD 26 Senate
Corporation Commission
Sandra Kennedy
Lauren Kuby
Maricopa County Attorney
Julie Gunnigle
Constable
Mahogany Kennedy (Cherry) (South Phoenix)
Darlene Martinez (Downtown Phoenix)
Karyn Lathan (University Lakes, Tempe)
City Council
Mark Moeremans – Phoenix #6
Kellen Wilson – Phoenix #6
Heli Nielson – Phoenix #2
School Board
Katie McClean – Creighten Elementary School Board
Leanne Greenberg – Osborn Elementary School Board
Violeta Ramos – Governing Board of Osborn School District
Kathryn Mikronis – Marana School Board
Abbie Hlavacek – Marana School Board
Charles Lucking – Phoenix Union HSD 3
NATIONAL NOW ENDORSEMENTS
Mark Kelly – Senator
Jevin Hodge – AZ CD 01
Ruben Gallego – AZ CD 03
Greg Stanton – AZ CD 04
Kristen Engel – AZ CD 06
Raul Grijalva – AZ CD 07
Tom O’Halleron – AZ CD 02
action items for 2021
1. REMOVE THE DEADLINE ON THE ERA
Make sure your Senators and Congresspeople have cosigned the bills to remove the deadline. If they have not, make calls, send letters, write postcards to ask them to cosponsor. Share on social media and tag them.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Congressman Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) introduced H.J.Res.17 - Removing the deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment - House Bill LINK
U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced S.J.Res.1 - A joint resolution removing the deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment - Senate Bill LINK
Senate (Cardin) Press Release: Cardin, Murkowski, Speier, Reed Announce Bipartisan Resolution to Affirm Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment
Contact both your Senators and ask them to support Senate Joint Resolution 1
Contact your House Representative and ask them to support House Joint Resolution 17
Find your reps here:
https://www.house.gov/representatives
https://www.senate.gov/.../contact.../senators_cfm.cfm
2. NATIONAL ARCHIVIST
The previous administration blocked the Archivist of the US National Archives from certifying the fully-ratified Equal Rights Amendment. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney asked President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to reverse that artificial barrier to equality. https://maloney.house.gov/.../maloney-calls-on-biden...
You can contact the White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/ and ask them to direct the archivist to certify the ratified Equal Rights Amendment. Also, tag them on social media posts!
3. STATE RATIFICATION
As we know from the 19th Amendment, more ratifications matter when an amendment is challenged, especially in court. Twelve states are still unratified: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. Let’s support these 2021 state ratification efforts.
Contact your 3 AZ representatives in the AZ State Legislature and ask them to support Arizona ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment by supporting these bills: AZ Senate Bill SCR1012 and AZ House Bill HCR2010
Find your rep here: https://www.azleg.gov/findmylegislator/
4. FEDERAL COURT
Attorney General Mark Herring (Virginia), Attorney General Kwame Raoul (Illinois), and Attorney General
Aaron D. Ford (Nevada) filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to direct the National Archivist to certify the fully-ratified Equal Rights Amendment. https://www.pilotonline.com/.../vp-nw-herring-attorneys...
A number of organizations filed friend of the court briefs, including our organization, the ERA Coalition, of which the League of Women Voters of the U.S. is a member. https://www.winston.com/.../winston-and-strawn-files... Corporations also support ERA certification: https://www.paulweiss.com/.../era-business-amicus-brief.pdf We will keep you updated on the latest litigation developments.
MISC:
- Join Vote Equality and write letters to the editor in your state-
https://voteequality.us/advocate/write4rights/ - ERA Coalition is forming “Republicans for the ERA” and “Veterans for the ERA” Committees. They are looking for members to join. If you are interested, please contact Bettina Hager at bhager@eracoalition.org.
Support our efforts
simple ways you can help us support the era
- Spread the word – 80% of Americans don’t know that women are not guaranteed equal rights in the U.S. Constitution. But nearly all Americans (about 94%) agree that they should be. The Equal Rights Amendment, which was written nearly 100 years ago, simply states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” That’s it. It’s about fairness.
- Volunteer! - If you can volunteer to help table at an event, pass out fliers, send postcards/letters, please send an email to erataskforceaz@gmail.com and we'll add you to the list of contacts.
- Tell your friends, neighbors, and family members – keep communicating to others about the Equal Rights Amendment. Wear a button, t-shirt or sash -- check out our RESOURCES page for some tips and samples to help you prepare your own elevator pitch.
- Request to Speak Training - Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation is conducting training sessions across the state on how to engage with the legislative process and the “Request to Speak” system.
- Write letters: Write a letter to your legislators. Use the 2021 Take Action Tools featured above.
- Request a Speaker: We’re happy to come to you and speak to your group about the Equal Rights Amendment. Please send us an email at erataskforceaz@gmail.com and someone from our team will contact you for further details.
- Share us on Social Media:
- Website: erataskforceaz.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ERATaskForceAZ/
- Twitter: @erataskforceaz
- Send Us A Picture or Video: We’d love to share your support of the ERA! Send us a picture with your (short, please) statement on why “I Support the ERA”. We’ll share it on our social media and website alongside all our supporters. Send to: erataskforceaz@gmail.com
- Help us get the word out. DONATE to help us with basic operational costs like printing costs, local ads, event fees, etc. We need your help to reach the entire state.
Write letters
Advocacy Letters to legislators & editors
LEGISLATORS
Why Write?
- Legislators care about re-election and about passing bills
- Letters provide a written record of constituents’ concerns and positions and communicate a serious interest in an issue
- Remind them that they work for you, and you are paying attention to their actions
Structure of Letter/ Template
- Begin with a concise and clear subject line; reference the bill number or issues about which you are writing
- Introduce yourself, identify yourself as a constituent, describe relevant credentials or expertise, and explain your reason for writing. Mention any personal connection with the legislator, if you have supported their campaign, etc. (2 – 3 sentences)
- Make your case. Choose two or three of the strongest points to persuade the legislator to support your position. Include specific and concrete facts. Tell a personal story about how this legislation impacts your life or your friends/ family/ community members’ lives. Connect the issue with the legislator’s experience or interests (1 -2 short paragraphs)
- State your call to action. Are you asking to support legislation, make a public statement, change aspects of a bill? (1-2 sentences)
- Thank the legislator for considering your views, restate your key message and end with specific questions about what actions they will take, to prompt a reply (1-2 sentences)
- Include the date, your full name, address (including the zip code) email, telephone number
Best Practices/ Tips
- Contact your legislators when the issue is in front of them; see sources below to follow legislation
- Read your legislator’s website to determine what issues are most important to them and tie your “ask” to their interests
- Find the “contact” information on your legislator’s website to determine how to submit your letter (typically by email or through a web-based form)
- Write to your legislators only when advocating for action on a particular piece of legislation; If you want to influence a legislator who doesn’t represent you could ask your legislator to act on your behalf
- There may be occasions when you should write to a committee chair or other politician who has significant power over the outcome of the legislation; be guided by the legislative alerts that you read from various advocacy groups (see below)
- Spell the legislator’s name correctly, and use the appropriate salutation (Dear Representative, Senator)
- Cover only one issue per letter, and limit your letter to one page or the equivalent
- Be polite and respectful, request (not demand) action, avoid threats
- Emphasize personal stories to help them understand how the issues you care about connect to real people in their constituency
- Write from the heart; use emotionally charged words like disappointed, appalled, infuriated, disheartened, outraged, or delighted, pleased, hopeful, grateful, optimistic
- Avoid jargon and acronyms in your writing
- Use a politically neutral tone and don’t disparage opposing views; rather, make a case for your views
- Run spell/grammar check before sending the letter
- If you don’t get a response to your initial letter in a timely fashion, write again
- Send a thank you note when they do something that you like
- Ask someone else to read your letter; an extra pair of eyes may identify weaknesses or omissions in your letter
Additional Suggestions & Resources
- Research AZ state bills:
- Track the legislative process through Request to Speak https://apps.azleg.gov
- Find bills as introduced https://www.azleg.gov/Bills
- Search text of bills https://www.azleg.gov/site-search
- Member Roster https://www.azleg.gov/memberroster and Committee Membership
- Subscribe to AZ Legislative Alerts https://www.uujaz.org and AZ Legislative Update http://www.cebv.us
- Sign up on your legislators’ websites and social media platforms to follow their actions and get insight into their positions
- Set up a Google Alert to receive an email whenever your legislators are in the news
EDITORS
Why Write?
- Letters to the editor in local newspapers are read by your legislators, especially if they or an issue that they are championing or opposing is discussed
- Your interest focuses attention on an issue that has broad community impact and can mobilize others to take action
- Letters submitted by a group (formal or an alliance of concerned citizens) may have more impact
Structure of Letter
- Refer to the article or issue about which you are writing; identify in full the person or entity that you are trying to influence
- Lead with your reaction to the article, and state your opinion
- Back up your statements with facts from reputable, verifiable sources
- Include any personal experience or professional qualifications pertinent to the topic
- End with a call to action, explain what you think needs to happen next
- Include all of your contact information as requested by the paper
Best Practices/ Tips
- Read the newspaper’s submission guidelines, especially regarding length and tone
- Focus on local issues that are current and relevant to your neighbors
- Keep it short (a rule of thumb is 250 words) and write about one issue
- Use one or two powerful facts to make your point without engaging in a policy discussion
- Share relevant personal stories and anecdotes if they add color, context and validity
- Be positive, creative, show emotion, passion, and respect
- Write the letter in your own words, and inject humor if appropriate
- Read other LTEs in the newspaper to ascertain type and style of letters published
- Don’t be discouraged if your letter is not published; try again on another topic
- See “Advocacy Letters to Legislators” for additional tips
Selected Local Newspapers LTE Submission Links
- Ahwatukee Foothills News http://www.ahwatukee.com/site/contact.html (see Newsroom)
- Arizona Capitol Times https://azcapitoltimes.com/submit-opinions
- Arizona Daily Star http://speedway.tucson.com/letters/?action=letter#tracking-source=menu-nav
- Arizona Daily Sun https://azdailysun.com/forms/contact/letter_to_the_editor/#tracking-source=menu-nav
- Arizona Republic http://static.azcentral.com/opinion/letters
- Casa Grande Dispatch https://www.pinalcentral.com/site/forms/online_services/letter
- Daily Courier (Prescott) https://www.dcourier.com/contact
- Daily News-Sun (local papers by city, including Apache Junction, Glendale, Peoria, Scottsdale, Sun City & Surprise, among others) https://yourvalley.net; email LTE to tthornton@newszap.com
- East Valley Tribune https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/submissions/letter_editor_imported-1375321145
- SanTan Sun News http://santansun.com; Email LTE to news@santansun.com
- Today’s News-Herald https://www.havasunews.com/site/forms/online_services/letter/letter_editor
- Yuma Sun https://www.yumasun.com/site/forms/online_services/letter/letter_editor
