Pancakes & Policy: February 22nd
Hot off the griddle! Welcome to Pancakes & Policy, Be The Ones’ new weekly newsletter - your Saturday morning dose of democracy. Quick, digestible, and stacked with what you need to know about what's happening in the South Carolina State House.
📌 Want to dive deeper into our priorities and plans? Read more here
Grab a fork, let's dig in.🍴
📣 THREE ACTIONS TO TAKE RIGHT NOW
🥞 Sign Up: SC Legislature Tools Training - Wednesday 2/26 @ 7pm. Want to track bills, navigate the Legislature website, and learn how to effectively communicate with lawmakers? Join our 30-minute training on how to use the SC Legislature app and website to take action and stay informed. Register here
🥞 Sign Up: Voting Rights & Advocacy Update - Wednesday 3/12 @ 7pm. We’re two months into the SC legislative session - it’s time to check in. In this 30-minute session, we’ll break down where key voting rights bills stand, what’s at stake, and how you can advocate for democracy and issues you care about most effectively in SC. Register here
🥞 Take this 60-second Survey: What advocacy trainings, resources, and events do you want to see? Your input helps shape what we create. (shoutout to everyone who has already shared their ideas!) Tap here for survey
📆 WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK
🗳 H.3459: On Thursday, H.3459—a bill that would impose new restrictions on voter registration efforts and disproportionately disenfranchise young, rural, and historically underrepresented voters—was heard in the House Judiciary Constitutional Laws Subcommittee. Our Advocacy & Community Organizing Director, Dylan, along with other community leaders and voting rights champions, testified in strong opposition. Watch Dylan’s testimony here.
What’s in This Bill? H.3459 would:
❌ Require third party voter registration organizations to register with the State Election Commission before conducting any drives - failure to do so could result in a fine up to $500
❌ Require these groups to submit all completed voter registration forms within 10 days - failure to do so results in a fine up to $1,000
❌ Increase penalties for false registration, upgrading the offense from a misdemeanor to a felony
This bill suppresses voter participation placing unnecessary restrictions on voter registration efforts, discourages civic engagement, and disproportionately disenfranchises and harms communities including young, rural, and historically underrepresented voters.
What Happened?
The subcommittee ran out of time before they could further debate or propose amendments to the bill - stalling its passage…for now. What's next? We’re waiting for the next subcommittee hearing date assignment, where lawmakers will continue discussing and debating the bill. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more.
What Can You Do Now?
✅ Learn more about H.3459 with our Testimony Toolkit
✅ Share information about H.3459 on social media
👀 WHAT'S COMING UP THIS WEEK
🗓 College of Charleston Heads to the State House - this Thursday, we're taking students and our Honors Leaders to Columbia for their first-ever visit to the State House. They’ll get a front-row seat to how the legislative process works, participate in an advocacy training, and meet legislators from across the state to talk about issues that matter to them. Next week, we’ll share their firsthand experiences!
🗳 Democracy Bills on Deck - As of now, none of the priority voting rights and democracy bills we’re tracking have been scheduled for hearings - but things can change fast. We’ll keep you posted.
🔜 WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US NEXT SATURDAY
✅ Updates on bill progress & any new filings
✅ A deeper dive into our All Assemble Guide – new videos and resources on making an impact at subcommittee & committee meetings
✅ Another look at our Democracy Bill Tracker - your go-to resource for tracking voting rights legislation in SC
🍯 EXTRA SERVING
🎉 Join Us For the Love of SC Party (Feb 24, Charleston): Let’s celebrate South Carolina, our people, and the work ahead in 2025. Expect good food, great people, and a whole lot of energy. Click here to register!
📣 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
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.