Call To Action 8-16-20

SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY

Heads Up – OI Postal Protests Coming Soon!
A group of us is working to organize one and possibly two protests over the next couple weeks. The first would be a protest of the high-speed mail sorting machines that are scheduled to be removed from the Olympia Post Office next week. The second is a week of informational picketing in support of postal workers. We are working to coordinate with other Indivisibles statewide for maximum exposure. We will be updating you directly as we get this lined up – things are moving pretty quickly. If you want to be involved send an email to indivisibletom@gmail.com. We will update you when we have more info.

SAVE OUR POST OFFICE
The news this week has been full of the latest developments about Trump’s attempts to damage the Postal Service and interfere in the election.  Our efforts to call our members of Congress to pass emergency funding for USPS, as well as investigate Postmaster General DeJoy, have paid off.
 
Next Monday the House Oversight Committee is holding an emergency hearing to hold Postmaster General Dejoy accountable for the mess he has created. Today, Mark Meadows, Chief of Staff at the White House said that the Administration is “open” to passing a stand-alone bill to fund the USPS.
 
WE NEED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE THIS WEEK!
 
ACTION: Call Congressman Heck today and ask him to do everything possible to get desperately needed funding for the Postal Service and to impeach Postmaster General DeJoy for dereliction of duty and harm to our country.
 
Congressman Denny Heck:  360-459-8514 

​Demand Kim Wyman Publicly State Her Strategy to Protect Washington Elections
 
Anticipating an avalanche of absentee ballots, the U.S. Postal Service recently sent detailed letters to 46 states and D.C. warning that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted — adding another layer of uncertainty ahead of the high-stakes presidential contest. The letters sketch a grim possibility for the tens of millions of Americans eligible for a mail-in ballot this fall: Even if people follow all of their state’s election rules, the pace of Postal Service delivery may disqualify their votes.
In the ballot warnings issued by Thomas J. Marshall, executive vice president of the Postal Service the warning for Washington was a narrow one focused on late registration and voting.
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/usps-states-delayed-mail-in-ballots/2020/08/14/64bf3c3c-dcc7-11ea-8051-d5f887d73381_story.html
 
Secretary of State Kim Wyman said in a Friday statement, however, that Washington voters shouldn’t be too worried.
“In our decades-long experience with mail-in voting, we remain confident in our partnership with the U.S. Postal Service and its ability to continue delivering the same outstanding service to voters, the Office of the Secretary of State, and Washington’s 39 county election officials,” she said in the statement.
“Politicizing these administrative processes is dangerous and undermines public confidence in our elections,” Wyman added. “Washington voters should know that sending ballot material to millions of voters this fall is a routine operation of the U.S. Postal Service. Washington election officials have been working with the U.S. Postal Service for more than 20 years, and we believe we will receive the same level of quality service. Though it is imperative the agency maintain its functionality and efficiency, this volume of work is by no means unusual, and is an operation I am confident the U.S. Postal Service is sufficiently prepared to fulfill.” 
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washington-state-officials-assure-residents-postal-service-delays-likely-wont-affect-mail-in-votes/
 
ACTION: Call Secretary Wyman’s office 360-902-4180 or 800-448-4881 or email secretaryofstate@sos.wa.gov
 
Script: My name is ___________ and I am a member of Olympia Indivisible. Given the unprecedented assault on our voting systems Secretary Wyman’s response that everything will be fine is no comfort. We would like the Secretary to publicly state what procedures and safeguards they have added to guarantee that all Washington voters receive theirs ballots in time to vote and return them in time to be counted. The letter from USPS stated, that “the Postal Service cannot adjust its delivery standards to accommodate the requirements of state election law” putting the responsibility on election officials to act. Wyman needs to make clear to us, the voters, what those measures are.

Olympia Indivisible Launches New Project to Register Voters in the Key State of Michigan
 
OI is launching an exciting new voter registration project in Michigan this Saturday, August 22 at 10 a.m.   Michigan is a state that must flip to blue for a win in November. In 2016, Trump won Michigan by only 10,704 votes — less than one quarter of 1 percent!
Volunteers from progressive groups around the country, including Hawaii, will be joining this 5-week voter registration effort.  We’ll be using our phones to call folks who have been identified as left-leaning, the “new American majority” - women, people of color, and young people.  These are people who have moved to -- or around within Michigan for employment, and who need a reminder to register to vote. They possibly may need our assistance to fill out the application. Olympia Indivisible is partnering with a number of progressive groups including Statewide Indivisible Michigan and Rust Belt Rising.
​
ACTION: Join us this Saturday, August 22 from 10 - 11 a.m. at our Zoom launch for project details and to have your questions answered.   If you can’t make it then, you can join us Mondays at 12 noon or Fridays at 10 a.m. The project team will be offering Zoom check-in and training sessions twice a week. This project runs for only 5 weeks, so we hope to get you calling soon!   Register Here for Saturday. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAldOGupzwjE90j8TxBCzy0xeIVog8T8DLK
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Still
 
WE WILL BE STARTING THESE CALLS SHORTLY.
 
It’s Showtime! There are only 11 weeks left until the 2020 election.
 
Eleven weeks to meet our OI 2020 Electoral goals, Win the presidency, Flip the Senate, Hold the House, Win key elections and legislation at the County and State levels. 
 
We currently have over 770 members. Of that number we have around 100 that are pretty active. We understand people are busy, people have lives, even in a pandemic. But if you want to make a change, if you want to meet our shared goals, it is time. We need you. If you can contribute a little, if you can contribute a lot, we need you. Now.
 
Let's Get Real, because we must. We currently have over 770 members. Of that number, at the moment, about one in seven are actively engaged. We understand people are busy, people have lives, even in a pandemic. But if you (yes! you!) really want to see victory in November,  IT. IS. TIME. TO ENGAGE. 
 
To that end, Lisa Ornstein, Carla Wulfsberg, Tom Dyer and other OI Movers and Shakers will be in personally touch with you and every one of our 770 members over the next two weeks.  We want to know what races are most important to you and how many hours a week you are willing commit over the next 12 weeks to Make the Change We Need To See. 
 
Whatever that looks like, whether it's an hour a month or ten hours a week, we will help you be effective and be supported and be successful. So please, please, please, step up.
 
In these pandemic times, most work will be done remotely. Never done this work? No worries. We will train you, we'll support you, and we'll be there with you while you it.  We will take the fear out of stepping up and help you Gain the Courage to Do the Work that Must Be Done. Together, we can do this! 
 
So, think about your priorities and your time now. Raise your hand – step up! If you are ready to go and don’t want to wait for that call, just drop a line to indivisibletom@gmail.com and we will get you lined up – rise up!

STATE & COUNTY ACTIONS

Protect and Preserve Farmland in Thurston County! 
Support local food sources. Tell the City of Olympia to find another location for its proposed park.
 
Since 1950, Thurston County has lost over 75% of its farmland, 50% in one five-year period (2002-2007.)  In 2012, alarmed at the rapid loss and responding to citizens agitating to stop this dangerous trend, elected leaders throughout the county adopted a “No Net Loss” policy for farmland as part of the county’s first-ever sustainability plan.  Unfortunately, since that plan was adopted farmland loss has actually accelerated.  Unless we take immediate steps to change course, we will soon see a time when it will be increasingly difficult to find fresh local food. In addition, farmland cultivated using increasingly popular regenerative techniques helps to reduce our carbon footprint and fight the negative effects of climate change.
 
This alert comes from Thurston Conservation District Supervisor T.J. Johnson.  The TCD is pushing the City of Olympia to find a different location for a planned park at the 80-acre Spooner Farms off of Yelm Highway.  Alternatively, they are asking the city to fully commit to mitigating every acre of farmland lost by adding an acre of farmland somewhere else in the county.
 
To learn more about the park, go to https://engage.olympiawa.gov/yelm-highway-community-park-plan
 
ACTION: Email the City of Olympia council members, the Board of County Commissioners, and the Thurston County Community Planning Department (the latter by August 19th, the day the Comprehensive Plan meeting will occur.)
 ​
Sample Letter
I am writing to protest the proposed park at the site of Spooner Farms off of Yelm Highway.  While more parks are always welcome and necessary, they should not be created at the expense of precious farmland.  To do so is contrary to the “No Net Loss” policy adopted throughout the county in 2012.  This policy must be respected and adhered to, because: “No Farms, No Food.”  Please find another site for the park or add farmland somewhere else in the county to mitigate the loss of Spooner Farms.
Email:
 
Olympia City Council: citycouncil@ci.olympia.wa.us
  
County Commissioners:
   Tye Menser: tye.menser@co.thurston.wa.us
   John Hutchings: john.hutchings@co.thurston.wa.us
   Gary Edwards: gary.edwards@co.thurston.wa.us
 
Maya Teeple, Thurston County Community Planning – Comprehensive Plan: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/planning/Pages/contactus.aspx

OI Endorsement Vote – Don’t Forget!
You have 4 days left to vote for OI to endorse Biden-Harris and State candidates. If you did not get your ballot, send an email to indivisibletom@gmail.com
ACTION: Vote!
 
State Supreme Court Justices Town Hall: Tuesday 8/18. 7PM
 
Join this amazing WA Indivisible Town Hall with the two outstanding women of color that Jay Inslee appointed to the WA State Supreme Court this year but who still have to run for election (and have totally unqualified challengers who have filed against them)!  
 
Oftentimes people are unfamiliar with judges and so don't vote - but we want to make sure that people vote for these incredible candidates!
 
Shareable Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1191957554481175
Registration link: https://bit.ly/Supremes_TownHall
 

Olympia Indivisible Elections Alerts and Events
Help out our OI endorsed candidates – go to https://www.olympiaindivisible.org/endorsed-candidates.html to see their upcoming needs. Here’s what’s posted this week:

Beth Doglio - Congressional District 10 Representative​ALERTS: Beth Doglio for Congress is looking for volunteers (RIGHT NOW) to host a virtual fundraiser, phone bank, and text bank! Please contact Caitlin Krenn, Field Director, for more information: (360) 339-5744 / caitlin@bethdoglio.com.
Beth Doglio is proudly endorsed by Olympia Indivisible Group, Indivisible Tacoma Community, and Indivisible Puyallup.

 
Jessica Bateman - ​Representative District 22 Position 2ALERTS: Jessica Bateman's campaign is wanting volunteers for phone banking every Wednesday and Saturday leading up to the primary. They also need volunteers for literature dropping. Contact Sara at: sara.develle@gmail.com.

​Please send questions or an RSVP to: info@votejessicabateman.com.

Carolina Mejia - Thurston County Commissioner District 1ALERTS: Team Carolina Mejia needs your help! We need volunteers and we will train! What: Here is what our campaign needs: Virtual phone banking, lawn sign planting, host a virtual fundraiser, and sign waving.

Please contact Antonia Moore Volunteer Coordinator (antonia@carolinaforthurston.com) for more information.
Phone: (253) 468-3725

Michael Steadman - Thurston Commissioner District 2
​ALERTS: Michael Steadman’s campaign is currently requesting volunteers who will do phone banking. Any of our members who would be willing to volunteer should contact Jesse Simmons via email (jwsimmons0824@gmail.com). 
Campaign phone: (360) 525-4142