For the safety of our community, we are conducting our meetings online until conditions permit us to resume assembling in person.
Winning the Midterms:
Bill Scher on Strategies for the Home Stretch! Monday, September 19th, 7-8 PM Zoom 'door' opens at 6:50 PM
As the midterms loom closer and closer, as voter registration, enthusiasm and poll numbers begin trending towards Democrats, holding, and even strengthening our trifecta is now a possibility that even mainstream pundits are discussing.
How do we make sure we push these trends forward, all the way over the finish line to a stronger, more progressive, more pro-democracy America?
Join us to hear Bill Scher, political analyst, contributing Editor to POLITICO Magazine, and a contributor to RealClearPolitics, help us synthesize the data to identify just where and how we activists can help seal the deal for democracy!
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Get Out the Vote Action Brunch
It’s time. The midterm elections are fast approaching. Now is the time to reach out to voters, and there are several ways to do that. Please join your fellow activists at a Get Out the Vote Action Brunch in Florence on Sunday October 16, from 10:30am to 12:30pm.
Rachael Naismith and David Arbeitman, members of Indivisible Northampton-Swing Left Western Mass, invite you to their home at 357 N. Farms Rd. in Florence. Here is what we’re planning:
We’ll start with a quick overview of three methods that local grassroots activists use to reach voters: phone banking, postcard writing, and texting.
You’ll have the opportunity to sign up for phone banking if that interests you. If you would like to use texting to reach out to voters, there will be a training session and an opportunity to do some real-time texting. If you would prefer to write postcards, some postcards will be available. Please bring some cash to help offset costs.
And of course, there will be plenty of coffee as well as snacks.
We continue to be cautious about Covid: you’re welcome to join us if you are vaccinated. If we are lucky, we will have some outdoor seating, but we may be indoors. Masks are optional.
We are setting a cap of 25 people so please sign up soon by emailing rachael.naismith@gmail.com or texting 413-530-3863.
If you want to text voters and have never texted voters before, please let me know so we can save time by getting you set up in advance.
Hoping to see you at our house on October 16!
ACTIONS
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE NOW
Phone
Banking
Illustraton by PA Phone Banker, Nora Brown
Phone Bank to Flip PA! Every Thursday, 6-8pm on Zoom
Note: The IN-SLWM led phone bank will not be held on Sept 15th, as both captains are away, but will resume next week, Sept 22nd.
For those wanting to keep up the momentum to flip PA, please join the PA House Democratic Campaign Committee (HDCC)'s phone bank from 6-8pmET that same evening, Sept 15th. They're calling Dems who've voted by mail in the past, but not yet applied to vote by mail for this November, helping them to apply, and so VOTE! Here's the Mobilize link for that bank.
The IN-SLWM led phone bank to flip PA will resume Sept 22nd. See below for registration link.
Join like-minded activists from across the country on Thursday evenings, to help save democracy by expanding the Democratic electorate - and electing more Pro-Choice, Pro-Democracy Democrats in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania!
Our elected officials can truly represent WE THE PEOPLE, and pass laws to codify our reproductive and civil rights. They can unrig the Supreme Court by passing laws to enact term limits, increase the number of Justices, and enforce ethical standards for SCOTUS.
But only if we elect the politicians who will do just this.
We know that PA is a pivotal state, with an open, flippable U.S. Senate seat, an open governor's race we have to hold (as the governor appoints the PA Secretary of State, and has crucial veto power over the GOP-dominated legislature), and new, much fairer districts that make flipping 1 or both state houses a real possibility this year!
Every Thursday evening, 6-8pm, IN continues our partnership with 2 on-the-ground, powerful PA organizations:
New Pennsylvania Project, modeled after Stacy Abrams' New Georgia Project, - where our calls are part of a unique, potentially game changing initiative to not only register new voters, but to make sure they actually get to vote!
Turn PA Blue, where we'll be focusing on statewide races - PA is 12 seats away from flipping the PA House (where every seat is up for election), and 4 seats away from flipping the PA Senate (where half the seats are up)!
Join us in calling PA voters to help expand the Pennsylvania electorate and turn this state BLUE!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
GEORGIA! Phone banks to support
Democratic Candidates
Join us on Wednesday evenings to help us call Georgia Democrats in support of Rev. Senator Raphael Warnock and Stacy Abrams--a dream team of candidates! Both races are very close--we have a lot of work to do. Voting rights have come under serious attack in Georgia and our support can help bring out Democratic voters in large numbers.
We are working with the Georgia Democratic Party to make calls from 6-8pm every Wednesday. We provide training for new callers (or anyone who needs a refresher) from 6-6:30pm, then start making calls after that. The script is great! It's short, straightforward, and easy to get through.
Calling is through Open VPB (Virtual Phone Bank), which means you'll need to find and activate your Action ID. In case you don't have one or can't find it, you can use this linkto create a new one.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the zoom link for the phone bank.
One of our wonderful phone bankers, Hayley Wood, has created fact sheets that provide info and talking points about Warnock and Abrams. Please review ahead of time so you are ready with talking points.
Some of you have worked on letters to Democratic PA voters in Bucks, Delaware, and Chester counties, providing them with vote by mail ballots and information about how to submit them. We are expanding, in collaboration with Swing Blue Alliance, to reach voters in Montgomery County, PA. Previous controlled studies showed that sending a mail-in ballot application is a cost-effective and significant way to increase voter turnout.
The letters require very little writing, mostly assembling the materials into already addressed envelopes and affixing a first-class stamp. They will need to be assembled and mailed as soon as possible upon receiving them, and no later than 9/30/22. Packets will be available to pick up starting late afternoon, Tuesday, 9/20 in Florence; Wednesday 9/21 in Amherst until Saturday, 9/24.
So let’s get out that vote! Sign up here for a packet of materials. Each packet of 25 costs $27 with first class stamps and $12 without stamps. Subsidies are available (see form).
Note: Packets contain 25 envelopes addressed to the voter/50 applications/envelope in which the applications are returned/25 cover letters/ in-kind contribution letter
"It took less than 2 hours to prepare 50 vote-by-mail applications to PA voters. I just requested another 50. It's easy and quick. And impactful! This can really increase turnout. I know that we are busy working on numerous postcard campaigns but I want to recommend this project." Markers for Democracy letter-writer volunteer
VOTE FORWARD’S LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN:
NEW VOLUNTEERS CAN STILL HELP
Vote Forward, a close ally of Swing Left, is close to finishing another “Big Send” get-out-the-vote letter campaign. IN-SLWM volunteers have already downloaded and prepared about 9,000 letters that will go out to infrequent voters in key districts and states on October 29.
There are less than seven weeks left, but new volunteers can still help! If you can contribute as little as half an hour per week, it will give us 60 more letters to send. To learn more about how this works, click here. If you’re ready to sign up, click here. Every letter helps, so join now!
Social Postcarding!
Sundays at 4 pm at
Easthampton River Valley Coop
GETTING OUT THE VOTE is crucial to winning elections, so we're writing postcards to voters in Swing States with a variety of messages, many urging them to make sure to vote this year. Sending postcards to voters--cost effective, eye-catching and personal--has been shown to be effective in motivating their participation in voting.
Ready to get out of the house and take the fight for Democracy outdoors??? Join the Post Corps EVERY SUNDAY, 4:00 PM at the picnic tables outside Easthampton River Valley Coop to sit outside, schmooze with other Democracy Warriors and write postcards to reach out to swing voters. Text Deb Friedman at 240-593-6237 for more information.
Texting
IN-SLWM Activist Texting Group
On hold for the moment. We may start back up closer to November.
Other Ways to Pitch In
BAR INSURRECTIONISTS FROM THE BALLOT
Sign the Petition
Enacted after the Civil War, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies from public office any individual who has taken an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and then engages in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or gives aid or comfort to those who have.
By inciting a violent attack on Congress in an effort to prevent the certification of his own electoral defeat, Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and violated his oath of office. Free Speech For People and Our Revolution have teamed up to urge Secretaries of State and chief election officials across the country to follow the mandate of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment and bar insurrectionists from any future ballot.
Sign hereto tell Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin to abide by Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and bar Trump from appearing on any future ballot in MA.
And read about this success in New Mexico! where citizens filed suit and a County Commissioner was removed from office as a result of his participation in the Jan. 6th insurrection!
Join the Indivisible National Give No Ground Program
We need to go all-in to make sure we defend our democracy from MAGA radicals this November.
Whether it’s blocking gun reforms, gutting Roe v. Wade, or attacking LGBTQ+ kids, or gun safety, Republicans will continue to try to roll us back in time. We need to elect Democrats to lead us into the future.
Sign up with Indivisible National Give No Ground Program to join the team.
IN-SLWM'S ONLINE FUNDRAISER
WE’VE SAILED PAST OUR GOAL – BUT THERE’S STILL TIME TO DONATE
As of this week, we’ve raised over $33,000, 110% of our goal! Thank you to everyone who has donated to our two funds, Swing Left’s National Impact Fund and Movement Voter Project’s Black-Led Organizing Fund. With seven weeks to go to the end of this fund drive, we can do even better. I particularly hope that we can reach the goal of $15,000 for the Black-Led Organizing Fund – we’re only about $1200 shy of that goal. If you haven’t given, or if you’re considering giving again, please give now so that campaigns and grassroots organizations have the resources to win in November:
Join feminists from across the state to help organize actions centering on women's rights.
Currently, we're focused on fighting for abortion rights and access through a variety of tactics, including postcarding (to remind voters where their candidates stand on abortion), rallies, podcasts and more.
Here's a continuously updating toolkit with actions to take RIGHT NOW in the fight for reproductive freedom!
Save the Date for the Next Statewide Call September 27th
Save the Date for the Next Statewide Call September 27th
Before Roe v Wade, a brave group of women called "Jane" were helping women get safe abortions. Under the radar of the mafia and the law, and with the threat of 110 years in prison for each of them, they ran an underground railroad for ordinary women as well as the pregnant wives, mistresses, and girlfriends of the rich and powerful.
Join IMC for a discussion with the film makers about the women who risked everything in their fight for reproductive freedom in a pre-ROE America and what we might learn to cope in a post-ROE America.
Watch this space for more information.
NEWS & EVENTS
IndivisiGather party in Northampton was great fun!
Indivisible Northampton-Swing Left Western Mass held an in-person party on Sunday over the Labor Day weekend. What a joy to finally reconnect face-to-face outdoors with our activist community!
More than 50 people came together in this “IndivisiGather” event to share stories, enjoy food, listen to live acoustic jazz (kindly provided by postcard diva Ellen Schwartz and her partner Roger Bruno), and get re-energized for the upcoming midterms.
Leaders of our action teams, as well as the NH out-of-state Organizer Maddie Kolaja introduced themselves and our campaigns. We were delighted and honored that our MA State Representative, Lindsay Sabadosa, a strong progressive leader, was among our participants. Despite the sprinkling rain, the feeling was warm, as we schmoozed, snacked, and even picked up some new volunteers for our phone bank, canvassing, texting, and postcard actions!
With funding from Indivisible National (which is supporting ways to connect activists in live meetings) it was truly a pleasure to talk with people we’d only seen on our computer screens. What a refreshing and relaxing way to renew our spirit and dedication.
We’re grateful to Indivisible for encouraging and supporting these events, and grateful, too, to be a part of such an energized and energizing local, state and national activist community.
The Friday Action Group
On Wed evenings at 8 pm or Fri mornings at 9 am, join Paul Spector and activists from across the country to collaborate on helping Democrats win elections. At Paul's meetings, you will...
hear upbeat political news
share questions and comments
learn about new political actions
support fundraisers with special guests -- such as Swing Left, Movement Voter Project, Flip the Senate, New Georgia Project, and Bucks County Democrats
hear inspiring music (mostly from Playing for Change).
Folks find his meetings educational, uplifting, and hopeful, and it's wonderful to see 50-100 other people at each of the two meetings. To check out the meeting, come Wednesday at 8 p.m. or Friday at 9 a.m. EDT, to this Zoom room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87820043147?pwd=aXZ0K3QrZGtHR2dBUFlCZnk2TU1hQT09
Medicare For All on the Ballot
Medicare for All (MFAll) will be on the ballot in at least 17 districts for many of us to vote upon in the fall. Mass Care worked intensively with their ally Act on Mass to gather the necessary signatures to get this non-binding question before the voters in as many places as possible.
Medicare for All bills have been introduced in our legislature for more than 20 years and have not passed. The goal of this campaign is to remind our legislators that Medicare for All is extremely popular and that a large majority of Massachusetts voters want single payer health care financing to make medical care available and affordable here.
The non-binding ballot question is a powerful way to keep voters informed about the potential for passing M4All here, and to remind our legislators how important it is to us. In past years, non-binding ballots in several districts showed support of 80-90% for M4All.
For your reference, this is the ballot question:
"Shall the Representative from this District be instructed to vote for legislation to create a single payer system of universal health care that provides all Massachusetts residents with comprehensive health care coverage including the freedom to choose doctors and other health care professionals, facilities, and services, and eliminates the role of insurance companies in health care by creating an insurance trust fund that is publicly administered?”
For those who would like to continue the campaign in the fall, please complete this survey for the next phase of the campaign, to win “Yes” votes on the question.
This is an opportunity for Massachusetts to again lead the country in health care financing and delivery.
SELECTED READING
This section of our newsletter features one article written by a subscriber and one article selected by our steering committee. Subscribers to the newsletter are welcome to submit writing by email to info@indivisiblenorthampton.org with the subject line "Newsletter Submission".
The opinions expressed in the writings don't necessarily reflect any consensus of Indivisible Northampton.
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