Pancakes & Policy: February 15th
Hot off the griddle! Welcome to Pancakes & Policy, Be The Ones’ brand-new weekly newsletter. Think of this as your Saturday morning dose of democracy - quick, digestible, and drizzled with just the right amount of South Carolina syrupy goodness.
This year, we’re stepping up our advocacy work with two big goals.
Making the legislative process in South Carolina easier to understand and navigate
Expanding access to clear, actionable information on voting rights and democracy policy in South Carolina
Want to dive deeper into our priorities and plans? Read more here.
Since this is our first edition, it's a taller stack than usual. But moving forward, we'll keep it short and sweet. Ready?
Grab a fork, let's dig in. 🍴
📣 THREE ACTIONS TO TAKE RIGHT NOW
🥞 Catch up on our Defending Democracy Kickoff Meeting (Feb 6): Missed it? Watch the recording or listen to the audio - get up to speed on how we’re fighting for voting rights and democracy in SC
🥞 Download the SC Legislature App: Knowledge is power, download it here. We made two quick guides to help you navigate the website and mobile app like a pro. (keep scrolling for more to come too!)
🥞 Take this 60-second Survey: We’re building out advocacy trainings, resources, and events - tell us what you need! Your input helps shape what we create. Tap here for survey.
🏛 DEFENDING DEMOCRACY AT THE SC STATE HOUSE
Since January, 50+ bills on voting and democracy have been filed - some good, some bad, some just plain unnecessary. We’re tracking them all right here in our Democracy Bill Tracker. Three major themes we’re seeing:
🗳 Primaries: SC currently has open primaries, meaning voters don’t have to be registered with a party to vote in its primary. Several bills aim to change that.
🗳 Ballot Access: Includes changes to voter registration, polling hours, and election scheduling. Some bills could streamline voting, while others may create new and unnecessary barriers.
🗳 Proof of Citizenship: AKA a solution in search of a problem, as we like to say. Non-citizens voting is not an issue in SC, but lawmakers continue to introduce bills about it anyway.
📆 WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK
S.38 moved out of the Senate and into the House Judiciary Committee (waiting a hearing date). This bill would establish a statewide standardized election calendar for special elections and vacancies. As currently written, these elections would take place on 5 established days each year.
Did You Know? There is a saying that every Tuesday is Election Day in SC (there were 40+ election Tuesdays in 2024, 52 weeks in a year...)
What We’re Thinking: Could this improve voter turnout & make life easier for election commissions? We think so.
👀 WHAT'S COMING UP THIS WEEK
🗓 No priority democracy bills have been scheduled for hearings in either the House or Senate yet - but that could change. Stay tuned.
⚰️ Bonus bill to watch: H.3048, a proposal to change the qualifications for Coroners (yes, it’s a partisan elected position in SC). It’s up for a hearing on Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee. Read more & impact of the bill here.
🔜 WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US NEXT SATURDAY
✅ Updates on bill progress & any new filings
✅ A deeper dive into our All Assemble Guide – including video + interactive training on how best to use SC’s
✅ Legislature website & app to track bills and take action
✅ Deeper look at our Democracy Bill Tracker, built to help stay on top of legislation impacting voting rights in SC
✅ More syrup, less fluff - this was a big first serving, but next week’s will be the usual short stack
🍯 EXTRA SERVING
We just dropped our 2024 Yearbook (and some big announcements)! If you haven’t checked it out yet, what are you waiting for? Dive in here.
Be The Ones is a nonpartisan grassroots organization building healthier communities, a more equitable democracy, and expanding power by removing barriers to local civic participation across the South Carolina.