Our democracy is at its best when we are informed and engaged on the issues that matter to us.
Whether we show up to vote on Election Day, make a call or send an email to your elected officials, or turn out in person for a lobby day at the state capitol, the best way to fight for our rights and defend our civil liberties is to stay involved.
After all, electing our preferred candidate is just the first step in protecting and expanding our civil rights in Pennsylvania. The rest of the year, we have to stay organized and active to both give newly elected officials the political capital they need to pass good legislation and to hold them accountable when they teeter towards bad legislation.
Staying politically engaged all year isn’t easy. After all, life is busy. We have jobs to show up to, family to care for, and there’s always the unexpected curveballs that life sends our way.
The good news is, the ACLU of Pennsylvania has you covered when it comes to tracking where Pennsylvania lawmakers stand on vital civil liberties issues in the commonwealth. From voting rights to privacy protection to criminal legal reform and so much more, the ACLU-PA Legislative Scorecard is a useful guide to how your state rep and state senator have voted when it comes to defending our rights and our freedom from government overreach.
When we stay involved and engaged in politics, we win on the issues that matter most to us.
Have you voted by mail in Pennsylvania? If so, you can thank the Pennsylvanians who organized at the grassroots to pressure lawmakers in Harrisburg to finally pass legislation allowing for mail voting in the commonwealth in 2019. Imagine if that bill had failed on the eve of the pandemic and how difficult voting would have been in 2020 had it not been for the option to mail in ballots or return them at drop-off locations. Curious about where your state representative and state senator stand on similar voting rights bills? Check the ACLU-PA Legislative Scorecard!
Grassroots organizing and public pressure also led to the long-awaited passage of a bill to deter powerful individuals and corporations from using Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, commonly referred to as SLAPP suits, to intimidate their critics. SLAPP suits are intended to weaponize the courts and bury the target of the lawsuit in costly litigation to chill and silence public criticism. Thanks to everyday Pennsylvanians who tirelessly organized and advocated for the bill’s passage, the anti-SLAPP legislation passed through both chambers of the General Assembly with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Shapiro in 2024. Check the ACLU-PA Legislative Scorecard to see how your elected officials have voted on other First Amendment bills.
Looking ahead, there’s so much more that we need to fight for in Pennsylvania. That means continuing to organize and stay active after election day to make sure that our state legislators continue to pass laws that strengthen our civil rights and liberties. We need to continue the fight to repeal the death penalty in Pennsylvania. We need to continue to fight for reproductive health access. We need to remain vigilant in preventing mass surveillance of our DNA. We need to win adequate state funding for Pennsylvania’s public defenders so that every person charged with a crime in the commonwealth is afforded counsel that has the time and resources to meaningfully defend them. And so much more.
It’s never been more important to get off the sidelines and get involved. Voting is important, yes (make sure you do it on or before November 3). But what we do the rest of the year to organize and push our elected officials to do the right thing is equally important to winning on key civil rights and liberties issues. As you take action, don’t forget that you can always check to see where your state lawmakers stand on the issues that matter to you on the ACLU-PA Legislative Scorecard and use that information to inform and strengthen your vote this fall and advocacy efforts year round.
About the scorecard
As an interactive scorecard, scores update as new votes are taken throughout a legislative session. The ACLU of Pennsylvania is a nonpartisan organization. While we lobby state legislators as part of our 501(c)(4) work, we do not endorse or oppose candidates for elected office, nor do we make financial contributions to candidates. If you are a Pennsylvania voter looking for resources to make informed voting decisions, the ACLU-PA scorecard can help you research incumbents up for reelection.
