PathWays PA Policy Blog

General elections are on November 5, 2019. If you live in Pennsylvania and are eligible to vote, you needed to be registered by October 9. If you live in another state, please visit our site via  Rock the Vote  to find your state's information. If you are not sure if you are registered in PA,  you can confirm your registration status in the Pennsylvania voter registration database . ( If you missed the deadline, register now for the primaries next year!  Y ou can register through Pennsylvania's  website , via  our site powered by Rock the Vote , or by  mailing in an application .) *** If you have any issues on Election Day, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.  Issues  may include (but are not limited to): being told the wrong date/time to vote; not being allowed to cast a  provisional ballot ; being intimidated or challenged at the polls.  Be sure to bring this number with you when you vote! *** Who Am I Voting For? On November 5, 2019, Pennsylvanians will vote for judges, s

Here's a roundup of current actions you can take to support immigrant and refugee families: Support the GRACE Act: Each fiscal year, the president determines how many refugees can be resettled in the United States. For nearly 40 years, the number of refugees entering our country has exceeded 95,000. In September 2019, the president announced that only 18,000 refugees could enter the country in the next year. Under the Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling Enhancement (GRACE) Act, a minimum ceiling of 95,000 refugees would be set. You can take action on this Act and read more about it via HIAS Pennsylvania , or call Congress and ask them for support at 202-224-3121. Shut Down Berks: The Berks Detention Center continues to operate in Pennsylvania, despite having its license revoked in 2016. The facility has a capacity of 96 people and is reported to be at or near capacity most of the time. Just this week, a family from the UK were detained there and described the conditions as

(From our friends at the National Partnership for Women and Families ) The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently proposed a rule that would gut a long-standing civil rights protection called “disparate impact theory” under the Fair Housing Act that has offered recourse for countless people experiencing housing discrimination and segregation. Disparate impact allows people to challenge housing policies or practices that have a discriminatory impact on them because of their race, color, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, or religion – even if the policy or practice appears on its face to apply to everyone equally. HUD’s proposed rule would tip the scale in favor of those accused of housing discrimination. It would drastically increase the burden of proof for victims of discrimination, and provides new defenses that could shield housing providers, governments, and corporations from being held accountable for discriminatory policies. We need y

Are you planning to be a voter this November? If you live in Pennsylvania, you need to register to vote by October 7, 2019. If you are not registered by October 7, 2019, you won't be able to vote in this election. To vote in Pennsylvania, you must be: Age 18 or older on Election Day (November 5, 2019) A US citizen A resident of Pennsylvania for at least 30 days before the election If you are on active duty in the military, or you are a hospitalized or bedridden veteran, you can register at any time. See  www.fvap.gov  for more information. How do I register? You can register to vote  online  or by  sending this form  to the county voter registration office. You can also  register in person at your voter registration office . P ennDOT and some other government agencies  can also take your registration. I voted before. Do I still need to register? If you already registered to vote in Pennsylvania and have voted recently, you shouldn't need to do it ag