Treat Indivisible-RISE to a donation and have it MATCHED!

"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete this work, but neither are you free to abandon it."

Hi all!

The news continues to be a combination of heartbreaking (in the Middle East) and mind-boggling (the Republicans' cage fight in the House). It is hard to focus on anything when everything seems to be blowing up.

But there is work to be done right in front of us, and right now we are asking you, our Indivisible-RISE community, to help us keep doing it! Until October 31st, Indivisible National is running a match to double all donations to local chapters! Please consider donating! Whether you show up every week to write postcards or haven't been active in years, now is a chance to contribute and help us keep going.

This money goes to purchase supplies (like postcards), pay for social gatherings (like last month at The Grog!), and support our group's infrastructure (like meeting space and our Zoom subscription). These costs are largely covered by a small core of volunteers, and it would be optimal to spread the costs among a wider group as well as benefit from this month's matching opportunity. Particularly if you are not an active postcard writer, please donate to help us continue to keep the costs down for those writers who give so much of their time.

Donate here. Thank you!

Onward.

Just One More Week to GOTV in VA! We're in the FINAL stretch to help encourage likely Democrats to vote in VA , with just one more week remaining to write postcards. It is so important to help ensure that Dems control both the state Senate and House in this key swing state. Plus, the results of this election will help set the tone and expectations for 2024. Whether you have been regularly writing postcards to VA for months or you write just 10 this last week, your efforts will make a difference.

Write together at Action Hour at NU Kitchen in Newburyport on Wednesday, Oct 25 at 5:30-6:30.
Write on your own: Get postcards at one of our pickup locations and email indivisible.rise.newburyport@gmail .com for the script and addresses. If you are new to this program, email us for instructions.

More options to help VA:

Support us, your local Indivisible chapter!

As noted above, Indivisible National is matching donations made to local chapters in October. Donate here and help us keep Indivisible-RISE in the black!

Voting Rights, Elections and Democracy News: If you are interested in detailed information about what's happening with voting rights, elections and democracy, you may want to sign up for the free Democracy Docket newsletter. While we share highlights of good news in the To Celebrate section below, Democracy Docket offers more in depth and expert information, analysis and opinion concerning these critical areas.

Start Focusing on the 2024 Elections:
We will be diving into actions for the 2024 elections before you know it. If you are interested in a head start, you may want to join an upcoming Force Multiplier Zoom to meet some of the Democratic Senators facing tight reelection races:

Also consider donating to Force Multiplier for these and two other vulnerable Democratic Senators who are running for reelection, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and John Tester of Montana. Donate here to help hold the Senate.

Positive Voter Protection Updates:

There have been more advances (even by Republicans) to help ensure fair redistricting in a few key states:

OH - The majority Republican Ballot Board unanimously voted that a ballot initiative to create an independent redistricting commission complies with state law. This clears the way for supporters to begin gathering voter signatures to include this initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
TX - A Trump appointed judge struck down the Galveston County governing body districts for violating the Voting Rights Act by diluting Black and Latino voting power.
WI - Gov. Tony Evers (D) moved to join a lawsuit brought by voters arguing that the state's legislative districts are extreme partisan gerrymanders that unfairly favor Republicans and violate the state constitution.

Good News for Democracy:

Democratic Senators continue to fill judicial vacancies that will help ensure that federal courts are a check on abuses of power. Recent confirmations include federal judges in California, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
There are signs that sanity may be starting to prevail:
- 7 in 10 Americans (including a plurality of Republicans) now disapprove of how Republicans in Congress are handling their jobs.
- WI Republicans backed away from their baseless threat to impeach Justice Janet Protaciewicz.
- The guilty pleas of Sydney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro in the GA case against Trump and his cronies will help make the case against other defendants, most importantly the former president.
- There also are good signs in other parts of the world, like in Poland where authoritarianism was defeated at the ballot box.

Reasons to Celebrate in Massachusetts:

The House voted overwhelmingly to pass a comprehensive new gun reform package making this state's already renowned gun control laws even stricter.
The state's sex and health education curriculum was updated for the first time in 24 years to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community and teach about bodily autonomy, mental and emotional health, dating safety, sexually transmitted infections, consent, and more.

If you are motivated by recent developments, or have some good news to share, please email us at indivisible.rise.newburyport@gmail.com and let us know. We want to hear from you!

-- The Talmud