Ring Ring. Democracy Is Calling . . . ☎️

Happy Wednesday, Activists! We’re excited to host this meeting with Congressman Brendan Boyle on tonight at 6:30! We hope you'll be there. Congressman Boyle represents Philadelphians in the 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. There's a huge line-up of bills going through Congress right now. This is your chance to learn about pending legislation and future bills that will be coming to the floor. We’ll ask Congressman Boyle about the strategy to get these bills passed, the chances of success for them, plus more! Sign up here.

We know we have a lot of work to do to restore our democracy. Electing Joe Biden was only the beginning. Just take it from the 100 scholars of democracy who wrote a Statement Of Concern describing their worry about the real threats to our democracy and the dire straits we're in, further described in this Washington Post article. It's not hyperbole to say we are in a critical time. But the good news is we and you are on the case, to get democracy restored. So what do we do? We keep up the pressure on our elected officials! And we talk to voters to persuade to vote in next year's midterms. This week, we continue to pressure our senators to do their part. Call both senators. Call every day. CALLS TO ACTION Sen. Toomey – Phila offices: 215-241-1090; D.C. 202-224-4254; email link Sen. Casey – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. 202-224-6324; email link

For outside PA: Find your Senators’ phone numbers and emails at this link. #1. The Senate must pass S1, the For the People Act before the August Recess and we only have 25 days that the Senate is in session until then! The timing is important because states will need time to change their voting laws, redistricting processes etc. to comply with S1. If it’s passed after August, there won't be enough time for all the changes to go into effect before redistricting and we run the risk of losing Congress for at least the next ten years. So it's critical to continue to put pressure on our senators now and during the June/July Recess (more on that soon). #2. Tell our Senators to Abolish the Filibuster. The filibuster gives Mitch McConnell a cudgel to stop all our legislation in its tracks, even without a majority behind him. This is the only way the For the People Act, or so much we care about, will be passed. Here's another tool -- Phone Banking to West Virginia Voters! Many of you have said you want to do something to help end the filibuster. Here’s your chance! You can call West Virginia voters asking them to call Senator Joe Manchin and ask him to support the For the People Act. The system uses an easy-to-use dialer and there will be a training at the beginning of the call session. You’ll have lots of good conversations! For the People Act Phone Banks to West Virginia Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at various times. Sign up here! Last but not Least -- Write Letters to The Editor! Letters to the editor can reach our legislators in ways that can influence their vote, and it’s an additional tool we should use. Right now we’ll promote the upcoming vote on the For the People Act. It is essential to protect the rights of voters and to ensure that our Democracy endures and of course, Mitch McConnell has already instructed his members to vote it down. The vote can also provide the impetus for filibuster repeal. Get all the deals and our help to get you started. Email megberlin271@gmail.com to get all the info.

OUR THREE NEW PROJECTS As we've discussed before, and also at one of our recent meetings, we need to expand the vote in Philadelphia in 2022. So we're starting now. Below is our three-pronged plan. Plus, of course, we are still scheduling all of our “regular” events like voter registration (two dates below). Take your pick! 1. POSTCARDS Just added -- New dates for Cards & Cocktails for postcard writers! Sign up below. Here’s how it works – * We will deliver or ship the postcards to you or you can pick them up at a Center City location. * The hand-written script is only two sentences and you’ll also write the address. *. We recommend you order enough cards to write over the next two months. * The packet you receive will include the postcards and the list of addresses. We’ll email you all the instructions and the script. We are preparing packets in 50-card sets, so please order them in multiples of 50. If you can, please donate $7.00 per set of 50 postcards to cover our costs. We understand that in these times some of you may not be able to incur this cost in addition to buying the postcard stamps, BUT we want you to participate anyway. So please don’t let the donation stop you from ordering the postcard packets.

On the other hand, if you can, please consider chipping in a little extra to cover the cost for those who cannot.

Here’s how to sign up –

1. Email us at this link to tell us how many postcards you want.

2. Purchase your 36-cent postcard stamps online at this link or at your local post office.

3. Donate $7.00 per set of 50 postcards at this link.

4. If you are outside the Philadelphia area, we will ship the packet to you. Please add $5.00 to your donation for shipping costs. Here's the card! 🏼

2. NEIGHBORHOOD CANVASSING We're using some of the same techniques used by Stacey Abrams and other Georgia groups to expand the electorate and sign up voters. We're canvassing in Philadelphia, focusing on infrequent voters and non-voters by using proven persuasion techniques. These are great conversations! If you want more information email us here! Our next canvass will be Saturday, June 19, at 11:00 am. Sign up here. Our next training is on Tuesday, June 15, at 4:00 pm. Sign up here. 3. 35 DOORS PROJECT In this project you’ll be a Neighborhood Leader interacting with voters at 35 addresses in your neighborhood. It involves going to doors a few times per year and using the information we’ll provide about upcoming elections. You’ll be ready to be the local election expert after our training session and the information and handouts we’ll provide. We’ll also provide the addresses. For more information email us here or just sign up for the training on June 15 (above).

VOTER REGISTRATION - JUST A FEW SPOTS LEFT! We have two dates so far to register voters in Rittenhouse Square. Meet up in front of the Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. Three shifts on each day: 10–noon; noon–2; 2–4 pm When: Saturday, June 5 Sign up here. When: Saturday, June 12 Sign up here.

CARDS & COCKTAILS! It's back! We'll have our first C&C of this postcard project next Thursday, June 10, at 6:00 pm. We'll still be on Zoom for the time being and decide when to go back to in person events next week. When: Thursday, June 10, 6:00 pm Where: Zoom. Sign up here.