Weekly Call To Action - October 22, 2023

---

​Ballots Arrive This Weekend
The 2023 General Election is rapidly approaching on November 7th. This weekend ballots will arrive in mailboxes around the state to begin the 18-day voting period. Ballots can be returned via mail (no postage needed) or at your closest ballot drop box.

Thurston County Local Voters’ Pamphlet (Missing?)
We are aware that some people did not receive their Thurston County Local Voters’ Pamphlet. We are providing you with a link to a digital copy here. 

---

Campaigns, Get Active:

​OI Endorsed Candidates from top left to right: 
Maggie Sanders, Sarah Tonge, Jasmine Vasavada, Emily Clouse, Wayne Fournier

Action: Stay Updated on General Candidate Support Opportunities
Access OI’s Endorsed webpage for the latest opportunities to help our endorsed candidates turn out the vote for the upcoming General Election. At any time put the words Olympia Indivisible in your browser and you will find our website. 

----

Action: Here are campaign opportunities and actions:

Special OI sign waving for our candidates. Olympia Indivisible will be turning out for sign waving at the following dates and times. Come meet your old OI friends, make new ones, and have fun. If you have a candidate's sign, please bring it; other signs will be available. Sign up here.
​

• Friday, November 3: Harrison and Division (4:30-6pm); Any questions, email Eliane. 
• Monday, November 6: Plum and Union (4:30-6pm); Any questions, email Eliane. 

• Tuesday, November 7th: 4th Avenue bridge (4:30-6pm); Any questions, email Kathy.

----

Lit Drop for All Our Candidates on Saturday October 28 and November 4, 10:30 am - 1 pm. You will be delivering campaign literature to doorsteps–you WON'T be ringing doorbells or asking to speak to voters. Register HERE for details. 

----

Canvassing for Emily Close, Sarah Tonge, and Maggie Sanders every Saturday through November 4, 3-00 to 5:30 PM
Download the Minivan canvassing app on your phone at this link. Training, walking lists, and campaign flyers will be provided! Just bring a love for your community, water, and sunscreen. Sign up on this form for location. 

----

Help our candidates by repairing damaged or “downed” campaign signs. Make yourself a repair kit: a couple of sticks, some sign screws, a screwdriver, a mallet, a towel, and tape. If you see a sign for Emily Clouse, Maggie Sanders, Jasmine Vasavada, Sarah Tonge, or Wayne Fournier that needs fixing, and there’s a safe place to park, go fix that sign. 

----

Encourage your Thurston County friends and family to vote for our candidates. Grab the script below, tailor it to make it your own, make a list of family and friends in Thurston County, and send it out this week. This is an easy and effective way to GOTV for our candidates!
​
Script: 
Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well! 

Our mail-in ballots for the upcoming General Election will arrive soon and are due Nov. 7th. With support from progressive voters like us, all five candidates for the County-wide positions endorsed by Olympia Indivisible made it through the Primary and will be on your ballot.

Thurston County Board of Commissioners

• Emily Clouse
• Wayne Fournier

Port of Olympia

• Jasmine Vasavada
• Maggie Sanders
• Sarah Tonge

Please feel free to spread the word and copy/paste/send this info. to other progressive friends/neighbors who might be interested. Some of these races may be very close! 

Thank you for voting, whomever you decide to support!

[Your name]

---

Local Actions:

Get Acquainted with the Port of Olympia 
It’s History, Issues of Public Concern, and 
The Port Candidates Running in the November Elections

Carla Wulfsberg and Jon Ceazan, Co-Leads for the Port of Olympia Action Team 
 present a video program about the Port of Olympia

The Port of Olympia, a county-wide government agency, is not well-known to most voters in Thurston County. Few people realize how much influence the Port has on our daily lives, our environment, and on our bank accounts. All property owners in Thurston County pay taxes to the Port, a total of $7.5 million dollars in 2023. We, the taxpayers, have been providing financial life-support to the Port’s failing business operations for decades, including an annual subsidy of about $1-2 million for the Marine Terminal. The question we need to ask ourselves is what benefits do the people of Thurston County receive from the Port?

Jon and Carla address these issues in a 38 minute slide show that offers a glimpse into the past before public ports existed in Washington State. The program highlights concerns that motivated voters to pass the Port District Act in 1911. Many of those same concerns about corporate and private interests dominating ports resonate with voters in Thurston County today. 

Through a timeline of historic slides watch the transformation of the Port of Olympia over the past 100 years as it transitioned from a highly industrial base to the Port we know today. Get acquainted with candidates running for Port Commissioner and those candidates who could, if elected, help guide our Port to a sustainable future that protects the environment, addresses climate change and benefits all of us.

Action: Watch a 38-minute video,
 “Is the Port of Olympia on your Sonar for the November Elections?”

---

WA State Actions: 

Fund our Schools!

​This action is from our friends at Washington’s Paramount Duty.

Washington State's public schools are in crisis, and this is an all-hands-on-deck moment to save them -- by mobilizing to get our legislators to step up with the funding we need to ensure all our kids get a great public school education.

A growing number of schools all across our state have had to make huge cuts -- laying off teachers, eliminating programs, having larger class sizes, and even closing schools. Three districts north of Everett are under fiscal monitoring by OSPI, a number that is expected to grow.

Action: Please take a moment to click here and tell your legislators to amply fund our public schools, as the state constitution requires, by taxing the rich as well as eliminating the unconscionable cap on special education funding in the 2024 session.

---

Have You Scheduled This Event?

​Action Cafe 2023, Every Monday at Noon
OI members meet, make new friends, and take actions together. Every Cafe comes with a side order of live music and a heapin’ helpin’ of good cheer!

Cafe patrons receive an email on Sunday with a sneak-peek at what we'll do at the cafe the next day. On Monday morning, Chef Lisa will send you a pdf "Menu" which has links to the actions we'll take together at the Cafe. 

Action: Register HERE. We will send you a Zoom link and tomorrow morning, Chef Lisa will send your "menu." 

---

You Might Also Like to Attend:

Rise Up Northwest in Unity Convening, a two day event dedicated to connecting and unifying voices in the Northwest

Take this opportunity to move beyond land acknowledgement, join informative lectures and expert discussions, explore the rich cultural heritage intertwined with the region's natural resources and develop strategies to bolster the Northwest's resilience.

Their mission is to develop and implement best practices for the protection and preservation of water, orca, and salmon in this region. This is an opportunity to build unity among Tribes, NGO's and all individuals advocating for the environment and all cultures in our region.

What: The Nez Perce Tribe is hosting Rise Up Northwest in Unity Convening
When: November 1 and 2
Where: Tulalip Conference Center, Tulalip, WA

Action: More information and Registration Here 

---

Community Participation:

Books, Brownies, and Beans (Used Book Sale)
10,000 books, live music, and delicious brownies and coffee. 

Come buy gently used books benefiting local non-profits. A Justice section includes books on social/economic justice, environmental justice, and racial justice - all in line with OUUC's and OI’s vision of a more loving, just, and healthy world. 

When: Saturday, October 28, 9:00am to 4:00 pm
Where: OUUC, 2315 Division St, NW, Olympial
See: Books! Books! Books! 

All the proceeds will benefit three local partner organizations working towards OUUC and OI’s vision of a more loving, just, and healthy world: 

• Interfaith Works (for their work with the homeless), 
• ASHHO Cultural Community Center (for their work helping people of color), and 
• OlyEcosystems. ​

---

Humanitarian Actions:

​Organizations Providing Humanitarian Aid to both Israel and Gaza: 

International Committee of the Red Cross: The Red Cross is working tirelessly to provide lifesaving medical care on both sides of the Gaza border. In conflict situations, the ICRC takes a lead role and directs the work of its partners — in this case the Israeli Magen David Adom and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Aid to Israel:

New Israel Fund: This organization provides support to those Israelis looking out for the most vulnerable, fights hatred and incitement, and defends the hope for a truly shared future for all Israelis. It’s current focus is:

1. Caring for the most vulnerable and affected
2. Preventing intercommunal violence
3. Combating hate speech and disinformation
4. Providing trauma counseling
5. Responding immediately to human and civil rights' violations

NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief is an all-volunteer Israeli humanitarian disaster relief organization with over 19 years of experience in global operations. NATAN collaborates with international NGOs and local communities throughout the world. NATAN is currently operating clinics to provide primary care to the Israeli evacuees whose homes and villages were destroyed by the Hamas invasion.

Aid to Gaza:

United Nations World Food Program: WFP has launched an emergency response to provide vital food assistance to more than 800,000 women, children and families impacted by the conflict. It is distributing fresh bread, canned food and ready-to-eat meals to those in shelters. 

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund: PCRF is the primary humanitarian organization in Palestine and is known for its mission of promoting access to clean water, food, and health care for the population of Gaza.