Happy Tuesday, Activists!
We hope you’re all staying safe, healthy, and sane. I hope you read to the end for some fun ideas.
Last week you made calls to tell Congress to add funding for the Postal Service, including full funding for vote-by-mail. That was an amazing effort, and they heard us, but our fight goes on. This past weekend Indivisible had a call with some House Members, including The Squad, to confirm what still needs to be done and how we get there. Here is the full video including Leah Greenberg’s message (at 34:30).
In fact, speaking of our vote-by-mail campaign, in the fantastic Wisconsin Supreme Court election, won by a Democrat who unseated the Republican incumbent, about 70% of the votes cast were by absentee ballot! And most of those were cast by Democrats, resulting in an 11-point Dem victory. This is the difference we can make by encouraging Democratic voters to sign up to vote by mail. So let’s get this done and be like Wisconsin! Pick one or two or three of the actions below and together we will win!
CALL TO ACTION
You can see our previous Calls To Action, which are still a good thing for you to do, on our website here.
Sen. Casey – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. office 202-224-6324; email link
Sen. Toomey – Phila office 215-241-1090; D.C. office 202-224-4254; email link
Rep. Evans – D.C. office 202-225-4001; Phila. office (215) 276-0340; email link
Rep. Boyle – D.C. office (202) 225-6111; Phila office (215) 335-3355; email link
The next pandemic relief package is not great. But it’s still being negotiated, so we need to call now to make sure our representatives and senators know what we want – a people-first response. The last relief bill prioritized corporate profits over workers’ protections and wages. We need a package that prioritizes protecting our democratic systems, providing accessible health care for all, and direct economic support to everyone.
Call our MOCs and demand:
Sustained economic support for families and workers that are suffering, instead of band-aid after band-aid.
Requirements on large companies to maintain payroll
Health care for those who don’t have insurance
Hazard pay or Essential Worker Bill of Rights
Aid for states and cities (in fact, Trump has said he doesn't want it in there because he wants to use it as leverage later to get states to open sooner)
Rent, mortgage, or utility shut off freeze
The money we’ve already demanded for the USPS
Safe elections. Americans can’t be forced to choose between their safety and their vote.
Also – Remember to:
1. Sign up here to vote by mail. The applications are accepted through May 26 but don’t wait! Get it out of the way now. For a history of mail-in ballots you can read this short article from MIT about voting by mail. You can see the important recent changes to the vote by mail system in a recent newsletter at our website here.
Once you sign up you can track your ballot status here. It shows when your application has been approved, when your ballot has been mailed to you, and when it is received back at the election office.
2. Register To Vote (if you need to) – The voter registration deadline is extended to May 18. If you, or someone you know someone, needs to register or update your voter registration with a new address or new name, tell them to do it now. Register online here.
3. Fill out your Census!
For some community conversation, join Joe Biden organizers this weekend –
Soul of the Nation Saturday Virtual Community Meeting – This Saturday, Apr 25, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
This is a virtual community meeting organized by Joe Biden’s organizers in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties. They’ll discuss the work happening in our community, how we can thank our first responders, and what we can do to continue to support each other during this global health crisis. You can sign up here.
PHONEBANKING
Let's be like Wisconsin! Call Voters & Tell Them About PA’s New Vote By Mail
Join this Saturday’s Back 2 Blue Phone Bank. The new phone bank system eliminates calls with no answer or an answering machine, so all the calls go to a person who answers the phone – no wasted time. Choose an hour or two to make calls between 11 AM-8 PM. You can sign up here to call Democrats and urge them to vote by mail this Saturday!
Training is optional but recommended. Sign up for phone bank training HERE.
Make Calls from the Couch at Your Convenience! Choose from the full line-up of Back to Blue open virtual phone banks HERE. Check out Turn PA Blue Phone Banking Tips HERE.
Call & Tell Philly To Complete The Census!
First of all, we ALL need to fill out our own Census form. Then, we can sign up to make a few calls to our fellow residents and ask them to fill out their Census form too. Here’s how to do it:
Sign up here to make some calls. It’s really easy and the system removes the rings with no one home or an answering machine. So you get only real people on the other end. Here are instructions on how to set up your account for the phone bank.
POSTCARDS
We had a great time again at last Thursday’s virtual postcard party! And if you don’t want to write postcards together, no problem – just write cards at home. Details are below.
We’re writing to voters in Arizona to remind them to double-check their voter registration status. We’re also writing to Wisconsin voters again, this time to urge them to vote for Tricia Zunker, Democratic candidate for Congress in their May special election. We’ll be adding more options as we go along. This is guaranteed to relieve your anxiety and give you confidence that you're making a difference.
Here’s how it works:
– Step One: Order postcards from the Postal Service at this link. They are 39 cents each, including the stamp, and are the cheapest way to buy cards and stamps.
– Step Two: Email us at info@indivisiblephiladelphia.com and let us know you want to write cards.
– Step Three: We will send you addresses and a script for you to write the cards. We’ll replenish your supply of addresses as needed.
Virtual Postcard Events
We’ll be doing these events every week, so order your postcards now. The Zoom meeting link is at the bottom of your confirmation email.
Virtual Cards & Coffee
When: TOMORROW, April 22, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (stay for as long as you want)
When: Wednesday, April 29, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (stay for as long as you want)
Virtual Cards & Cocktails
1. When: Thursday, April 23, 6-8 pm (stay for as long as you want)
2. When: Thursday, April 30, 6-8 pm (stay for as long as you want)
DONATION MATCHING GRANT
Don’t forget the Indivisible matching grant. First, we want to send a big THANK YOU to all those who have donated so far! We'll receive double any donations made between today and the end of May, up to a total of $500 in donations. So now your donations will go twice as far to help Indivisible Philadelphia fulfill its mission. Please donate here.
Even though we are not busy with every one of our activities right now, we want to be ready to hit the ground running the moment the shutdown lifts.
MORE IDEAS FOR SPENDING QUALITY INDOOR TIME
Here's more fun stuff! If you missed our ideas from last week, find them on our Newsletter page on our website here.
1. Some Good News – Better known as “SGN” this is John Krasinki’s new YouTube show. You guessed it, he offers some good news and heartwarming stories, with a big dash of humor and fantastic guests. This is the link to the first episode. If Episode 3 doesn’t make you misty-eyed I don’t know what to say. Watch to the end.
2. Have questions about where to buy adult beverages in Philly? Here are your answers!
3. Another Quarantine serenade – This one is from Home Free and it’s an soulful ode to our common situation. It’s lovely!
4. Food stockpiling? – What have you stocked up on? Some women ages 5 to 75 tell us what they’re doing on this front.
5. Astronauts can give us some tips on sheltering in place. Let astronaut Mike Massimino show you how it’s done.
6. More animals!
First, want to spice up your zoom meetings? You can invite an animal to participate. Check out your options here.
More live cams --
* Bald eagles – It was hard to stop watching the eagle feeding her eaglet in their aerie (love using eagle terminology) on this live cam from Decorah, Iowa. And then the mate brought a live fish to the nest for lunch! What more can you ask for?!?
* Watch the koalas from these Koala Cams
* Elephant cam (+ other animals) – live view from Tembe elephant park in South Africa plus a lot of other animal cams on this channel.
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