“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
about the things that matter.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr
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Hi all!
Please join us tomorrow, Tuesday January 16th for our first monthly in-person meeting to kick off the 2024 election year!
The meeting's focus will be on our plans and strategies for making maximum impact this coming year, including which states and districts we aim to target and what actions we plan to take to help Democrats win in November. We'll also walk through some the highlights of last year's work - there's nothing like hearing about progress and accomplishments to motivate us as we move forward this year!
We'll also hear from Larry Drake of the NH Write-In Biden Campaign about their work and how we can help. (If you are unclear why the heck our current President has to be written in on the NH ballot please read the articels referenced in the To Consider section.)
Mostly, we want to address your questions and hear from you:
- Have questions about what is the best way to get involved?
- Have ideas about how we might want to do things differently?
- Have friends who are constantly doomscrolling on their phones, worried about the state of our country? Bring them along and help them get involved.
We have 297 days. 42 weeks. Less than nine months. If we each do our part we can do this!
We don't have to do everything, but we must do something.
Onward.
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TO DO
Join us TOMORROW at the first in-person meeting of 2024!
Our meeting is at Central Congregational Church on Titcomb Street at 7:00-8:30 pm on Tuesday, Jan 16th. See you then!
Looking ahead, please save the dates for upcoming meetings (with details to follow later):
- Feb. 20 - Letters to the Editor as Activism
- March 19 - The Youth Vote
Write Postcards for a Time-Sensitive Campaign
Through this month, we will be writing to help get out the vote for the Democrat running to replace the expelled George Santos. Write for this campaign in one of two ways (or both!):
- Action Hour, Wednesdays at 5:30-6:30 at NU Kitchen on Pleasant Street
- Remote writers, you know the drill: get postcards at one of our pickup locations, supply your own postage and email indivisible.rise.newburyport@gmail.com for the script and addresses. Email us for instructions if you are new to this program.
Thanks to all of the remote writers who already have been writing for this campaign, and to the great crowd at last week's Action Hour who feverishly wrote hundreds of cards for Write In Biden!
Donate Strategically
Like it or not, an enormous amount of money is needed to launch and run successful campaigns, and Democrats are often at a disadvantage because they more ethically don't take dark money from corporate donors. Consider where and how your small-dollar donations can make the most difference, and think of these donations as another form of activism!
Some great options include:
- Support state races through Sister District, specifically their State Bridges partnerships, which provide money directly to state-specific grassroots groups.
- Help fund key Congressional races through Force Multiplier's aggregate funds. Their research team identifies races that are both winnable and in need of cash so that your money goes where it has the biggest impact.
- Movement Voter Project donates to community-based organizations in swing states and districts, with a focus on youth, people of color, LGBTQ+ voters, and other communities that bear the brunt of injustice in this country.
To learn more about what these national organizations do and how they evaluate races, candidates and grassroots organizations, join Greater Andover Indivisible at a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, Jan 24 at 7:00 pm, featuring representatives of Force Multiplier and Movement Voter Project. RSVP here for this informative event.
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TO CONSIDER
Want to get involved and commit to a #WeeklyAction but unsure where to start? Consider signing up for Jen Hoffman's checklist! This twice monthly email lists easy action items and ranks them in order of importance and urgency. It also includes good news and notes of gratitude, which are great to keep fueling us for the work ahead.
Wondering why President Biden isn't on the New Hampshire primary ballot, and why the write in campaign is important? This article explains how this situation developed, and this piece discusses why it matters.
Watch Indivisible-RISE favorite Heather Cox Richardson sit down with President Biden to discuss his recent campaign kick-off speech at Valley Forge.
For an interesting conversation that helps untangle some of the completely contradictory and confusing information about Trump's legal issues versus his eligibility to run for office, listen to this episode of the Ezra Klein show with David French.
And for some of the very real risks of the Court ruling that Trump is not allowed on the ballot, read this t hought-provoking New Yorker article.
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TO CELEBRATE
It was a quiet couple of weeks when it comes to good news about elections and voter protection efforts, but there still were a few good decisions to celebrate:
AZ - The Democratic Secretary of State announced that a statewide system to text voters when their ballots are being mailed to them and again when they are received will be up and running this year, offering voters more surety about the status of their ballots.
NJ - Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed a bill into law permitting 17-year-olds to vote in the state's primaries if they will be 18 by the next election. The change is effective in 2026.
WI - Courts in this state keep improving voter rights! This time, a trial court rejected a rule that has caused confusion and disenfranchment for years, issuing a major win that could prevent thousands of ballots from being unfairly rejected due to witness certificates with an incomplete address.
As always, we appreciate and rely on two sources for most of this information: Jessica Craven's Chop Wood Carry Water newsletter and Democracy Docket.
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SOME RECENT #WeeklyAction UPDATES from Indivisible-RISE members
- "Set up a small monthly donation to Sister District State Bridges program. Monthly donations allow organizations to plan and forecast -- even a small amount monthly is a huge help!"
- "Signed up for the American's of Conscience Checklist and did the first few actions!"
- "Emailed friends and family with a short message encouraging them to donate or volunteer, with links provided. Already heard back from two that they will set up recurring donations!"
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