Mastodawn

Random Participation Feb 4

Amy Diehl, Ph.D.

SAVE Act would require birth cert or passport that matches voters legal name. 69M women may have a legal name that doesn’t match their birth cert. An estimated 21M would be turned away at polls. This act is an attempt to disenfranchise women voters.
https://www.thepersistent.com/this-bill-in-the-senate-could-disenfranchise-millions-of-women-voters/

This Bill in the Senate Could Disenfranchise Millions of Women Voters

Trump has renewed pressure for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote. For the 69 million women who have changed their last name this would create a barrier to voting.

The Persistent

Seán Fenian Feb 3

@amydiehl That could backfire on them. I saw it asserted a day or two ago that without white women voting disproportionately conservative, no conservative would have won election in the last century.

I don't know how true the assertion is.

[UPDATE (see below): Looks like it's not.]

Eric deRuiter Feb 4

@zakalwe @amydiehl It wouldn’t backfire on Republicans.

2024 data: https://vividmaps.com/presidential-election-if-only-white-men-voted/

2018 data: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-if-only-men-voted-only-women-only-nonwhite-voters/

What If Only White Men Voted in the 2024 U.S. Election? - Vivid Maps

Examine what would have happened if only white men had cast ballots in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Vivid Maps

Seán Fenian Feb 4

@ridogi @amydiehl Thanks for the information! I was a little skeptical about the claim myself but wasn't sure where to look for evidence for or against.

cwicseolfor Feb 4

@zakalwe @amydiehl @ridogi Not that this isn't utterly monstrous any way you slice it, but cutting out the 21 million name-changed voters wouldn't produce the same result as "only white men," which is the subset of population most reliably right-wing. Women also vote at higher rates than men presently (across racial demos), do more networking generally, & such a blatantly immoral move might actually galvanize other fence-sitting voters (~1/3 sat out in 2024!) into action if women in their families/ communities are vocal about disenfranchised, which is more likely to be a provocation on the left & center. It's despicable, and must be fought at every level, but it's also not a decisive political victory for the contemptible.

The Lack Thereof

@cwicseolfor
Any way you slice it, women lean left in the American electorate. Every study/poll done rediscovers this.

This particular set of maps comes from https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-if-only-men-voted-only-women-only-nonwhite-voters/

The actual outcome of this election was 199 seats Republican, 236 seats Democratic

Sean Lynch Feb 4

@zakalwe @amydiehl @ridogi

The only silver lining is that JD Vance does not have a current legal name that matches the name on his birth certificate.

James Donald Bowman -->
James David Hamel -->
James David (J.D.) Vance -->
JD Vance

Why did JD feel the need to transition to his current identity? I'm not sure, but I do respect his right to transition to an identity that makes him feel like himself.

Disappointed_Horse 🇺🇦Feb 4

@SeanPLynch @zakalwe @amydiehl @ridogi In the south—maybe in other parts of the country too; I don't know—there's a general assumption that any man who goes by "JD" is actually named after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy.

Fight Fascism #RESIST Feb 5

@ridogi @zakalwe @amydiehl

This is why the #GOP attack higher ed.

“white men with college degrees are more likely to vote Democratic. One of the best indicators of voting behavior is educational attainment, and states with lower percentages of college graduates typically have more Republican voters.”

I believe what was meant by that is that white women are a crucial pivot point. It’s assumed most white men will vote Republican. White women shift more, like independents, and have more effect on elections. But most low educated white women also vote Republican, and so in every presidential election, the GOP wins the white vote overall.

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Feb 3

@amydiehl For a nation that advertises itself as a bastion of democracy, Americans put a lot of effort into denying people their right to vote.
I prefer our system, where you get in trouble if you *don't* vote. It's inclusive.

Alex Rosenberg Feb 4

@anne_twain @amydiehl Not Americans but rather anti-American Republicans.

contrasocial Feb 3

Look out! Chuck Schumer is gonna tell the GOP not to do that and then lean back and hope they don't do it.

jumpin up and down about this since it passed the House.
I call my Senators to say I want to hear them sounding off

Nicole Parsons Feb 4

It's useful to know who has funded a war on women for over 60 years.

The fossil fuel industry.

Koch Network, Heritage Foundation, Federalist Society.

All avatars of the same billionaire bigots.

Charles Koch - abortion criminalization was supposed to be a felony disenfranchisement scheme.
https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/11/koch-brothers-pouring-money-into-anti-abortion-agenda-through-the-center-to-protect-patient-rights-and-freedom-partners.html

https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2013/11/05/anatomy-of-the-war-on-women-how-the-koch-brothers-are-funding-the-anti-choice-agenda/

https://msmagazine.com/2022/05/06/childcare-koch-women-independent-womens-forum/

Efforts at no sex education, no contraception, deprofessionalization of nursing & teaching, no daycare, ...

1/

Why Are “Free Market” Organizations Pouring Money Into Anti-Abortion Activism? The Koch Brothers.

Looks like we have the "libertarians" to thank in large part for the escalation of attacks on reproductive rights in recent years. Adele Stan at RH...

Slate

Nicole Parsons Feb 4

2/

... ending no fault divorce, promoting child marriage, no ratification of the ERA, forced AI adoption, book bans & illiteracy, ending independence in institutions & higher education, eroding LGBTQ civil rights, & shielding sexual predators.

https://www.newsweek.com/jess-edwards-teen-child-marriage-opposed-republican-ripe-fertile-age-1897512

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/republican-lawmakers-child-marriage-abortion-1235018777/

https://www.jezebel.com/several-mississippi-republicans-are-blocking-child-marriage-ban-introd-by-a-child-marriage-survivor

They fund disinformation about the "male loneliness epidemic" which is really homophobia & "sudden divorce syndrome" hitting misogynists hard.

They fund efforts at male supremacy

Republican Against Child Marriage Ban Calls Teens ‘Ripe, Fertile’

Lawmaker Jess Edwards opposed a child marriage ban and described teens as being of a “ripe, fertile“ age.

Newsweek

Nicole Parsons Feb 4

3/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2026/02/03/exclusive-charles-and-chase-koch-discuss-their-first-book-together/

https://thefulcrum.us/inclusion-diversity/project-2025-affirmative-action

https://msmagazine.com/2024/09/09/misogynist-manifesto-project-2025-marriage-women-abortion-bible-divorce-men/

https://msmagazine.com/2023/02/06/fda-abortion-pills/

Charles Koch & his ilk are unparalleled bullshit artists determined to fry the planet & end democracy.
https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/02/50321116/charles-koch-says-his-fathers-letter-left-him-a-stark-warning-that-changed-how-he-viewed-inherited-wealth-beware-of-this-curse

https://www.businessinsider.com/koch-funded-group-backing-nonpartisan-campaign-before-america-250-2025-12

https://msmagazine.com/2024/09/09/misogynist-manifesto-project-2025-marriage-women-abortion-bible-divorce-men/

https://msmagazine.com/2023/04/11/anti-abortion-groups-era-equal-rights-amendment/

https://truthout.org/articles/dark-money-womens-groups-are-using-anti-trans-scaremongering-to-oppose-era/

https://msmagazine.com/2024/02/08/project-2025-conservative-right-wing-trump-woke/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/07/koch-family-stand-together-music

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2023/10/10/how-four-aging-billionaires-are-making-sure-their-money-doesnt-go-to-uncle-sam/

https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/09/02/koch-backed-group-launches-permitting-push-00536571

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2025/07/17/bill-gates-charles-koch-and-three-other-billionaires-are-giving-1-billion-to-enhance-economic-mobility-in-the-us/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/27/project-2025-dismantle-us-climate-policy-next-republican-president

Exclusive: Charles And Chase Koch Discuss Their First Book Together

In a new book, the 90-year-old co-CEO of Koch, Inc. and his son outline the 41 principles they say have shaped their family company and their Stand Together nonprofit network.

Forbes

Nicole Parsons Feb 4

4/

https://progressive.org/magazine/billionaire-kingmaker-still-dividing-the-nation-maclean-graves/

https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/12/morrison-v-olson-and-the-triumph-of-the-unitary-executive-theory/

https://www.citizen.org/news/koch/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/26/charles-koch-us-government-rightwing-supreme-court

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/05/donald-trump-unitary-executive-theory/

https://theconversation.com/dick-cheneys-expansive-vision-of-presidential-power-lives-on-in-trumps-agenda-269071https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/30/trump-firing-executive-branch-supreme-court/

https://www.hnn.us/article/despite-aggressive-rebrand-charles-koch-is-still-f

The Koch dynasty wants to rule from beyond the grave, just like the Bradley Foundation & Scaife Foundation & their attacks on voting rights.
https://popular.info/p/charles-kochs-5-billion-tax-loophole

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2023/10/10/exclusive-charles-koch-koch-industries-has-given-more-than-5-billion-of-his-koch-industries-stock-to-two-nonprofits/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/politics/koch-network-2024-election-trump.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/27/koch-americans-for-prosperity-trump-tax-breaks

https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/26/project-2025-would-pillage-our-rights-and-institutions-kansans-want-to-fight-back/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2023/10/10/billionaire-charles-koch-shares-his-secret-plan-to-pass-on-his-fortune-and-influence/

The Billionaire Kingmaker (Still) Dividing the Nation

Despite a rebrand, Charles Koch won’t stop until U.S. democracy is dead.

Progressive.org

Nicole Parsons Feb 4

5/

https://legal-planet.org/2026/01/30/does-the-unitary-executive-theory-exist-not-really/

Bradley, Koch, Coors, Scaife Mellon, Seid, Uihlein fund public corruption, coup attempts, political 'divide & conquer', and efforts at a White Supremacist Constitution.

https://www.desmog.com/2024/08/14/project-2025-billionaire-donor-heritage-foundation-donald-trump-jd-vance-charles-koch-peter-coors/

People who spent their lives polluting the planet now spend billions on polluting knowledge & information to thwart free & fair elections using AI.
https://www.desmog.com/2025/12/11/the-koch-network-is-pushing-trump-to-accelerate-ai-documents-show/

https://washingtonspectator.org/project-2025-the-latest-plot-against-america/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/25/climate-science-deniers-downplaying-coronavirus-pandemic

https://www.desmog.com/2017/01/12/trump-kingmaker-billionaires-robert-rebekah-mercer-pouring-millions-climate-science-denial/

https://www.texasobserver.org/dysfunctional-government-rfk-trump-v-slaughter/

Does the Unitary Executive Theory Exist? Not really. - Legal Planet

At Legal Planet, we often bemoan and gnash our teeth at the Unitary Executive Theory, which supposedly holds that because “the Executive Power shall be vested in the President of the United States,” Congress can not circumscribe the President’s removal authority or even his ability to manage federal agencies in any way. But last week, … Continue reading "Does the Unitary Executive Theory Exist? Not really."

Legal Planet

@Npars01 @amydiehl Look how scared they get when half the population is 6% less in favor of their scam

MegatronicThronBanks Feb 4

yeah first thing the Backlash administration has to do is re-enfranchise all US voters

David Croyle Feb 4

@amydiehl More absolute ratf*ckery.

KanaMauna Feb 4

For a bunch of fragile patriarchs who are afraid of the world not conforming to their every beliefs, that is one wild way to end the name change tradition.

BTW, did it not occur to them that women could change BACK to their maiden names?

Edelruth, PBS Passport Holder Feb 4

This Should end the name change on marriage cultural practice, and yay! to that.

Paul Healey Feb 4

@amydiehl Catholic women keep their name, so it will liberate Protestant woman from the misogyny of male marriage contracts? All the Catholics have to do is recognise that sexism; gender inequality has no place in the 21c; love not war for chauvinism, racism, sexism and ableism is a greater commandment than injustice; inequality of the law favouring paedophilia and rape? #TheVote #DemocraticRights #DiverseInterests #Freedom

Hannah Steenbock Feb 4

Another way of skewing elections to the right.

Republicans have always hated that women predominately vote more left and in favor of families, communities and mutual benefits.

This is an easy way to cut them off - until women get away and change their names back to their maiden names en masse.

But if I am frank, you'll be lucky if there even are elections in the future of the rogue US. Trump will do his best to ensure a win, and if that's not possible, he'll cut elections.

✡️ 🇵🇸

anarchismhebrew

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨#ALERT

#votersuppression #USElections #TransAndNonBinaryrRightsAreHumanRights

#womansrights #ElectionStealing #SAVEAct

Corb_The_Lesser Feb 4

@amydiehl The headline should change "Could" to "Would" and editors need to remember that most people don't know what "disenfranchise" means.

jcrispimromao Feb 4

@amydiehl Trump will not stop rigging the election as he knows that if everything goes by the rules he will lose heavily! And still 9 months to go!

Rozzychan Feb 4

I also heard an unconfirmed rumor that some people's passport records have been cancelled. Only saw it on you tube, but it is distressing if true.