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United in hope
April 24, 2020
VOTING RULES
Opinion
The November elections will be a disaster without mail-in voting
By Judith Taylor, Lower Cape Indivisible
 
As we saw in the recent Wisconsin primary, mail-in voting is essential for safeguarding health—and therefore the right to vote—during a pandemic, but Trump and the Republicans are going to fight it tooth and nail. And the Roberts Supreme Court is likely to back them up.  As Trump, speaking aloud his thoughts, said about mail-in voting, 'You'd never have a Republican elected in this country again.'
 
But setting up mail-in voting isn't going to be easy.  Here are some key issues to watch.

1.  Mail-in voting requires mail, that is, the US Post Office and it's in deep financial trouble (mainly because of constraints imposed by Republicans).  According to Slate, without a massive infusion of cash, the USPS expects to be “financially liquidated” by Sept. 30 – and Trump opposes a bailout, apparently because he thinks the Post Office is too nice to Jeff Bezos.
 
2.  A handful of states has mail-in voting procedures in place but setting them up in the other states will take a long time.  According to Talking Points Memo, officials in these states will have to consider buying new equipment, retraining or hiring additional staff, revamping the current way they handle absentee ballots, and changing procedural deadlines — which in some places require the cooperation of the legislature.   And, to make matters worse, the presort mailing industry—which does the actual work of  preparing the materials to mail to voters—is already at capacity, meaning it couldn't handle new orders.  Most important, the companies  “would need to purchase more equipment. But obtaining that equipment takes several months....and vendors wouldn’t make that seven-figure investment without the contracts to justify it.”
 
3.  The shortcomings inherent in vote by mail can disproportionately disenfranchise minority voters.  As Talking Points Memo reports, there are several reasons for this.  Some cultural practices emphasize voting in person (e.g., “Souls to the Polls” organized by many Black churches). Systemic issues can also be a problem—for example,  African Americans change addresses more frequently while Native Americans on tribal lands often don't have addresses. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights emphasizes that there are ways to ameliorate  these barriers, but state officials have to be aware and willing to address problems.
 
4.  Finally, security measures must be put in place.  An article in the Lawfare blog provides examples and guidelines.  One example: automatically mailing ballots to voters at their address of record (see above, African Americans change addresses more frequently).  It's more equitable and accurate to mail out request forms on which recipients can affirm their eligibility to vote and indicate the address to which the ballots should be sent. 

There are a number of other, equally important considerations, which are detailed in the following resources:

Democracy during Coronavirus: Expand Voting Options
Join this Common Cause webinar this Sunday to learn how every voter can vote freely and safely

Sunday, April 26
7:30 PM ET

RSPV here

Top experts from Common Cause will hold a special members-only town hall where you can learn about how organizations are fighting for democracy in the time of coronavirus--and how you can help in the fight. This weekend's webinar will focus on different options for mail-in voting from leaders who have implemented these reforms - and those who are fighting for them.

Confirmed panelists include:

  • Kathay Feng, California Common Cause
  • Elena Nunez, Director of State Operations
  • Susan Lerner, Common Cause New York
  • Jessica Trotter, Fellow in Mississippi
  • Tierra Bradford, Common Cause Maryland (invited not confirmed)
Take actionRegister here to reserve your spot.
Election reform coalition urges swift MA legislative action to protect voters in fall elections

Common Cause, ACLU, League of Women Voters and others urge protections against simultaneous Coronavirus threats to public health and democracy

A coalition of leading voting and electoral rights organizations recently submitted a letter to Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo urging swift legislative action on a host of voting and electoral reforms to protect the vote--and the voters--in November. The coalition supports the following reforms to ensure that all eligible voters can participate in our fall elections while protecting public health in the Commonwealth:
Take actionRead the letter here.
But don't stop there!

Tell your legislator to help protect our elections during COVID 19!

In the current COVID-19 crisis our Massachusetts state legislators are juggling many priorities. They took a critical first step by passing emergency legislation to delay state special elections, allow towns to postpone their spring elections, shorten voter registration back-out periods, and ensure that more people can vote from home.

However, this crisis may not be over anytime soon, and we must ensure that our fall elections are as safe and participatory as possible.

Tell your legislators to support even more protections for this fall’s elections including expanded absentee balloting rules and mailing absentee ballots to all eligible voters so that they can vote from home, Election Day voter registration so that all eligible voters can cast a ballot, and in-person voting options that are as safe as possible.

Take Action - Start writing this important letter here!

Vote-by-Mail in Wisconsin Helped a Liberal Candidate, Upending Old Theories

A large shift from in-person to mail voting, as happened in the state because of the coronavirus, had been thought to create little advantage for either party. A Times analysis found otherwise. Read more here.

...and this is why we write all those letters.
The Rogues' Gallery
Senators and senate races we're targeting

Twenty-three Republican seats are up for election this November, and many of them are in some of the reddist corners of the country. But there are nine elections across eight states that our endorsements team has identified as vulnerable—the races that could finally doom Mitch McConnell's majority:
  • Susan Collins in Maine
  • John Cornyn in Texas
  • Steve Daines in Montana
  • Joni Ernst in Iowa
  • Cory Gardner in Colorado
  • Kelly Loeffler in Georgia
  • Martha McSally in Arizona
  • David Perdue in Georgia
  • Thom Tillis in North Carolina
Democrats have a shot in each and every one of these states, but beating an incumbent is never easy, and several of these states are toss-ups or even lean Republican. We need to flip at least three of these seats to tie the Senate 50-50—four of them to win the majority outright.

Take action and donate hereWe must flip the Senate to undo the damage Trump and his cronies have inflicted on the country. Please give $1 to unseat each of these Trump-acquitting Republican lapdogs.

Source: Daily Kos
And to put a finer point on things...
Senate battle hinges on four states
By Max Greenwood, TheHill.com, 04/18/20 12:14 PM EDT

Democrats are racing to broaden their path to the Senate majority in November, while Republicans are spending heavily in an effort to hold their control over the chamber.

With (less than) 200 days to go until Election Day, the Democrats’ path to a Senate majority currently hinges on four states: Arizona, Colorado, Maine and North Carolina, where Republican incumbents are fighting off challenges from well-funded Democratic opponents.

Democrats need to flip three or four seats, depending on which party wins the White House in November, to take control of the Senate. But one of their incumbents up for reelection this year, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), is in serious political jeopardy, meaning that Democrats will likely have to take at least four Republican-held seats — and hold back GOP challenges in nearly a dozen other states to win a majority.

Read more here.

O Florida!
Why Donald Trump needs to worry about his odds with Florida voters
By Michael Starr Hopkins, The Hill, 04/17/20

Since 1900, Florida voters have chosen the winning president 76 percent of the time. In 2020, any hope of Republicans retaining the White House rests on Florida. The state is the largest bellwether in national politics. Its 29 electoral votes have been the deciding factor in numerous elections. In 2016, Donald Trump won the state of Florida by just a little more than one point. In 2018, Ron DeSantis won governor by less than half of one point.

While Trump has a strong approval rating in Florida, the Real Clear Politics average has him losing the state to Joe Biden by the same less than half of one point that DeSantis beat Andrew Gillum. An atrociously irresponsible response to the coronavirus, by both the president and governor, could turn Florida blue for the first time since 2012, when Barack Obama won. Read more here. 

Ladies & Gents: Get your pens out!
Join us to help register underrepresented voters in Florida next week!

Our activism will make all the difference in this critical swing state

Next week, we will continue our postcarding and voter registration to underrepresented Florida voters in this critical election year. You can write postcards on your own from home OR join us to write and talk together on a ZOOM call next Wednesday. Here's the drill:

1.  RSVP here, today, to Anne Moore to let us know that you will definitely participate and want a Florida Vote By Mail package. The first 15 people to respond this weekend will be assured of getting a package. An RSVP is required.

2.  Monday, April 27, 1:00-3:00 pm. Pick up one bag of 20 postcards from the back of Anne's car at 6 Quasons Path, Brewster. Stamps are provided. Bags will be numbered, so please save your bag and use it to return your postcards upon completion.

3.  Donations. Only if you are able, please make a donation in any amount to the donation basket while picking up postcards. Your donations help us cover postage and other costs, and every dollar helps the cause.

4.  Once you get home, email Anne again to verify you picked up a bag and indicate the number on your bag.

6.  Wednesday, April 29, 1:00-2:30 PM (optional). Login to our Zoom Virtual Postcard-Writing Party for group writing and socializing on camera. (Anne will email all participants with instructions for joining the Zoom call in advance. Stay tuned for Zoom instructions.)

7.  Friday, May 1 @ 1:00 - 3:00. Return all finished letters in the original bag and be sure it has the number code on it. Drop off your bag to Anne's car (6 Quasons Path, Brewster).

8.  And don't worry, if you miss next week's action, we will be offering similar letter-writing--and Zoom meeting--opportunities nearly every week....so stay tuned!


Take actionQuestions? Contact Anne Moore at: 
moorea4924@gmail.com or 774-722-3083.  
Still steamed about Susan (Collins, that is)?
Let's can Collins and giddyup for Gideon!
Get active to support U.S. Senate candidate Sara Gideon, Democrat, Maine

You remember Susan Collins. She cast the deciding vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. She refused to believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony after first categorizing it as "credible and compelling." And then she voted against impeaching Donald Trump because he had “learned his lesson.”  Yes. That Susan Collins. Collins is one of eight US senators labeled as beatable in November.  If we turn four of these red seats blue, we can take back the Senate and oust McConnell as senate president.

Sara Gideon is a terrific Democratic candidate needs our help to defeat the 4-term Collins. Read more about Sarah Gideon here.

Take action - If you'd like to start making phone calls on behalf of the Gideon campaign, click here to sign up to phone bank with the Sara Gideon for Maine campaign. 
 

Here's the link to a tutorial on how to set up and use Google Voice on your smartphone: When searching for a number, you should be able to either search by area code (207), or by city (you can search Portland, ME). And here's the document for key talking points about the Gideon campaign.

Any questions? Contact:


Vincenzina Monteleone, Cumberland County Organizer
Sara Gideon for Maine
(207) 200-8644
she/her/hers
Your donation—no matter the size—will help defray the direct costs of operations, from meeting room rentals and printing to posters, postage and transportation. What’s more, your contribution will enable us to grow our programs to further inform and mobilize Cape Cod communities to resist the Trump administration and promote progressive values, candidates and policies at all levels.

*Contributions to LCI made through ActBlue are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
Lower Cape Indivisible is an all-volunteer group of Cape Cod citizens whose mission is to mobilize for social, economic and environmental justice; promote universal participation in the democratic process; and resist political agendas that subvert American democracy. Standing for inclusion, tolerance, and fairness, we are one of more than 6000 Indivisible groups committed to resisting the Trump/Pence/McConnell agenda, as well as to holding our state and local leaders accountable for fair and ethical action. Our work is based on the Indivisible Guide, created by former congressional staffers who sought to demystify political activism and share effective tactics for change.
The Lower Cape Indivisible Action Newsletter is curated and crafted by Fran Schofield.
Comments, questions, or suggestions? Please respond to this email...and stay well.


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