Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) has long supported the “Three State” approach to ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). We were among the first multi-issue national progressive organizations to endorse and support this strategy. We helped recruit the lead Senate sponsor, and helped gain cosponsors in the House and Senate.
We spoke with Andrea Miller, the Executive Director of People Demanding Action, PDA’s sibling organization. PDAction has helped lead state-by-state efforts to gain the three states needed to finally put women and girls in the U.S. Constitution. After gaining ratification in Illinois and Nevada, we remain one state short. We had reasonable hopes that Virginia would become the 38th state to ratify—the last state needed to achieve a historic victory for equality.
Andrea Miller with Rep. Jackie Speier, House ERA Resolution Lead Sponsor
Andrea told us that PDAction helped to run the email and phone advocacy for the ERA Virginia movement, and advised on lead sponsors. All the main sponsors made exemplary efforts. House leads Jennifer Caroll Foy and Hala Ayala; Senate Leads Glen Sturtevant (a male Republican), Rosalyn Dance, among others—all did their part. The resolution passed easily on the Senate side, but lost by one vote along party lines on the House floor. That’s progress compared to previous terms when the House failed to even pass the resolution out of committee.
Arizona is gearing up for a vote on the ERA, but with Republican majorities in both houses, ERA ratification unlikely to pass there. While we’ll do our best to organize for victory in Arizona, Florida, and Georgia, Virginia 2020 looks like our best bet—especially with every seat in the Virginia legislature coming up for a vote this November. With a Democratic pickup of just a few House seats, ERA ratification is virtually assured.
Contact Mike Fox at [email protected] if you’re interested in volunteering with Center For Common Ground (People Demanding Action’s 501c3 partner organization) to help make calls, texts, etc. in two upcoming special Congressional elections in North Carolina: The 3rd district (Primary May, General July or September to replace Walter Jones) and the 9th district (revote ordered after absentee ballot fraud—dates TBT).
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