Hundreds of people lined Ellsworth Street on April 5 for the "Hands Off!" protest against the Trump administraition.
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'Protest for Freedom'
More than 200 people held a wide range of signs — including a "No-King piñata — for several hours Saturday afternoon in downtown Albany, protesting the Trump administraton's awful daily actions and policies. Unlike previous protests on Ellsworth Street, this one was held one block east of Ellsworth on Lyon Street, with protesters lining both sides of the street, from Fifth Avenue almost to Third, so as not to conflict with the opening day of Albany Farmers' Market in the City Hall parking lot and along Fourth Avenue from Ellsworth to Broadalbin Street.. The Linn County Democrats and Mid-Valley For the People organized the protest. The Dems collected food for Fish of Albany and had an information table staffed by Susan Heath and Cathy McGuire. Slate cards with our endorsed school board candidates also were distributed. Two of the Democrats' endorsees, Greater Albany Public Schools Board candidate Stephanie Lunceford and Linn Benton Lincoln Education Service District candidate Michael Thompson participated in the protest and chatted with protesters. Among those holding signs were Barbara Nixon, a retired Methodist minister, and Rev. Hillary Hughes, executive director of Authentic Hope Center for Peace and Development. Both wore their ministerial collars. "I can't think of a better place to be — speaking for and advocating for justice between Good Friday and Easter — than out here on the streets doing this work," Nixon said; "I'm glad to be here."
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Videos: Signs and sounds of Buffalo Springfield's "Stop Children What's That Sound"; Reflections of Rev. Hillary Hughes, executive director of Authentic Hope Center for Peace and Empowerment, and Barbara Nixon, retired Methodist minister; and Vikki Mahaffy, who wants to "take back" the flag, insisting that our American flag is not a MAGA flag.
May 20 Special District Election
Linn Dems Chair Ben Watts' letter to Sen. Merkley:
Firmly oppose and filibuster 'SAVE Act'
April 10, 2025
Dear Senator Merkley,
On behalf of the Linn County Democratic Central Committee, as a firm believer in the foundational right to vote, and as a proponent for Oregon’s safe and secure mail-in voting system, I urge you to oppose and filibuster the so-called "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act" (SAVE Act), which recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives. While this bill claims to protect election integrity, in reality it creates unnecessary and harmful barriers to voter registration, particularly for marginalized Americans.
The SAVE Act mandates that all voters provide specific documentation proving their U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections. On paper, that may sound reasonable. But in practice, the bill’s specific requirements will create an onerous barrier to voting, particularly for naturalized citizens, the elderly, the poor, and rural voters who may not have access or the means to obtain the limited forms of documentation the bill demands. Many Americans, including those born in rural hospitals or abroad to U.S. citizens, simply don’t have easy access to the kind of “perfect paperwork” this law would require. No one should be denied their vote because they lack a passport or a specific version of a birth certificate.
Equally troubling is the bill’s language allowing states to purge voter rolls based on vague or unverifiable claims of non-citizenship, which may rely on flawed or inconsistent processes or data. The bill allows voter purges “based on documentary proof or verified information that the registrant is not a United States citizen” (Section 2 f) but does not make clear what may qualify to meet this burden of proof. This opens the door to mistaken removals, politically motivated purges, and, as a result, mass disenfranchisement. Our election systems must protect the integrity of the vote without excluding eligible Americans, and I believe that both of these goals are achievable. Safeguards already exist to penalize illegal voting, and current systems have proven effective in identifying the exceedingly rare cases when this occurs. Therefore, the red tape this bill establishes serves mainly to create barriers for those who are constitutionally guaranteed the right to participate.
I’m especially concerned about the impact this legislation will have on women, particularly women who have changed their names due to marriage or other circumstances. This bill makes no allowance for this sort of common name discrepancy across documents. A woman whose birth certificate is in her maiden name and whose ID is in her married name could be denied registration unless she jumps through extra hoops to prove her identity. This bill risks disenfranchising countless women. This oversight was identified during the bill’s consideration in the US House of Representatives. Amendments were proposed to correct for this oversight, but it was intentionally left unaddressed prior to the bill’s passage.
Voting is a right, not a privilege reserved for those who have the time and resources to successfully navigate bureaucratic red tape. I call on you to stand up for democracy and oppose the SAVE Act if it comes to a vote in the Senate. Our democracy depends on an inclusive, accessible system where every eligible citizen can make their voice heard.
Thank you for your continuing work protecting and expanding voting access.
Sincerely,
Ben Watts
Chair, Linn County Democrats
Dear Senator Merkley,
On behalf of the Linn County Democratic Central Committee, as a firm believer in the foundational right to vote, and as a proponent for Oregon’s safe and secure mail-in voting system, I urge you to oppose and filibuster the so-called "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act" (SAVE Act), which recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives. While this bill claims to protect election integrity, in reality it creates unnecessary and harmful barriers to voter registration, particularly for marginalized Americans.
The SAVE Act mandates that all voters provide specific documentation proving their U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections. On paper, that may sound reasonable. But in practice, the bill’s specific requirements will create an onerous barrier to voting, particularly for naturalized citizens, the elderly, the poor, and rural voters who may not have access or the means to obtain the limited forms of documentation the bill demands. Many Americans, including those born in rural hospitals or abroad to U.S. citizens, simply don’t have easy access to the kind of “perfect paperwork” this law would require. No one should be denied their vote because they lack a passport or a specific version of a birth certificate.
Equally troubling is the bill’s language allowing states to purge voter rolls based on vague or unverifiable claims of non-citizenship, which may rely on flawed or inconsistent processes or data. The bill allows voter purges “based on documentary proof or verified information that the registrant is not a United States citizen” (Section 2 f) but does not make clear what may qualify to meet this burden of proof. This opens the door to mistaken removals, politically motivated purges, and, as a result, mass disenfranchisement. Our election systems must protect the integrity of the vote without excluding eligible Americans, and I believe that both of these goals are achievable. Safeguards already exist to penalize illegal voting, and current systems have proven effective in identifying the exceedingly rare cases when this occurs. Therefore, the red tape this bill establishes serves mainly to create barriers for those who are constitutionally guaranteed the right to participate.
I’m especially concerned about the impact this legislation will have on women, particularly women who have changed their names due to marriage or other circumstances. This bill makes no allowance for this sort of common name discrepancy across documents. A woman whose birth certificate is in her maiden name and whose ID is in her married name could be denied registration unless she jumps through extra hoops to prove her identity. This bill risks disenfranchising countless women. This oversight was identified during the bill’s consideration in the US House of Representatives. Amendments were proposed to correct for this oversight, but it was intentionally left unaddressed prior to the bill’s passage.
Voting is a right, not a privilege reserved for those who have the time and resources to successfully navigate bureaucratic red tape. I call on you to stand up for democracy and oppose the SAVE Act if it comes to a vote in the Senate. Our democracy depends on an inclusive, accessible system where every eligible citizen can make their voice heard.
Thank you for your continuing work protecting and expanding voting access.
Sincerely,
Ben Watts
Chair, Linn County Democrats
Friday honk-and-wave protests continue in downtown Albany
The daily chaos, confusion, and cruelty spewing from the Trump Administration has provided ample reason for continuing the weekly honk-and-save protests in downtown Albany. From 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, just bring your signs and opinions to any of the four corners of the Ellsworth Street-Fourth Avenue intersection. Albany Regional Indivisible put out the original call for the weekly action. The April 11 protest drew nearly 50 people, including Genny Lynch of Lebanon (above), Brant Ward of Lacomb (above right) and a protester calling for the release of Kilmer Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and is still being held in the mega prison there.
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Hundreds turn out for 'Hands Off!' protest in downtown Albany
A sign-carrying crowd approaching 600 turned out Saturday afternoon in downtown Albany to send an emphatic two-word message to the Trump adminstration: HANDS OFF! The local protest, organized by 50501 and Albany Region Indivisibile, was part of mass mobilizations around the state and the nation April 5 in response to the Trump administration firing thousands of federal employees, implementing sweeping tariffs and moving to roll back environmental regulations, among other issues. The crowd count for the Albany protest at 12:30 p.m. was just over 525 and still growing along both sides of Ellsworth Street, from Third Avenue almost to Sixth Avenue. It was the largest protest along Ellsworth Street since 2020, when more than 1,000 people demonstrated in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd. Ben Watts was among a huge number of Democrats in attendance Saturday. "I didn'texpect this many people," said Watts, chair of the Linn County Dems. "What an amazing surprise!" Nita Eggers of Albany, who turned 99 Saturday, joined the protest with her daughters Pam and Theresa and held a sign that said, "WORST PRESIDENT OF MY LIFE: I'M 99!!!"
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Videos: Clockwise from top left; Nita Eggers, who turned 99 on April 5; "Hands-Off 2025 Albany, OR" Reel by Circe Verba; Vietnam veteran Kelly Stewart of Albany; and the scene along the west side of Ellsworth Street during the Hands-Off protest.
About the Linn County Democratic Central Committee
The Linn County Democratic Central Committee (LCDCC) of Oregon welcomes all those, regardless of party affiliation, who support our ideals. We’re an all-volunteer organization that works hard to elect Democrats to represent the people of Linn County at local, state and national levels. Our meetings are generally held on the first Thursday of the month. Our next monthly general meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at Santiam Place Wedding & Event Hall, 130 S. Main St., Lebanon.
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Resistence ResourcesAre you upset by the chaotic and cruel policies of the second Trump administration and want to take action? Check out our “Resistance Resources” with links to everything from effectively calling or writing your representatives, to organizations in the know about protests to blogs and podcasts from some of the greatest voices of resistance today.
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