Happy Tuesday Dear Activists ~ We hope you are hanging in there today. You probably heard about the leaked draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion released last night by Politico. If it ends up as the final ruling, it will completely and thoroughly overturn Roe v. Wade. Are we furious, heartbroken, and enraged? You bet. And we should be. Are we going to sit still while this happens to us? No, no we are not. So after we all sit with our outrage for a bit, we all need to get to work.
Republicans' Ultimate Goal -- Not Stopping Here
Ending the right to abortion and moving it to a state-by-state decision is not the end of the road here. Not only are conservatives thrilled at the prospect of removing abortion protections in Roe, but Senate Republican plans for a national abortion ban are already underway.
And they're not finished with ending legal abortions. Using the same refusal to acknowledge our right to privacy, they want to reverse our rights to same-sex marriage and contraception.
As Indivisible said today: “The Supreme Court is no longer an institution we can count on to expand constitutional rights. Their goal now is to roll back and restrict the rights we’ve all fought so hard for. This opinion signals the Republican Supreme Court’s intention to overturn marriage equality, end access to contraception, gut protections for people of color, and more.” So the importance of this year’s elections could not be more stark. The good news for us in Pennsylvania is that we can add a Democrat to the U.S. Senate and expand our majority. And we must elect a Democratic governor, for the same reasons – to keep abortions legal in Pennsylvania post-Roe. We MUST get both of these done. There is simply no other option if we want to protect our rights. Here's how we do it.
THIS IS HOW WE WIN
Various methods to talk to voters have varying effectiveness. The most effective, indeed the gold standard, is talking to voters in person. So if your outrage is pegged at eleven, you should try it out.
And we make it easy for you! First of all, nearly every single conversation we've had has been a good one. Nice neighborhoods, friendly voters, because these are non-Republican voters who just need to vote more often. Simple as that.
We train you.
We give you all the materials you need.
We pair you with a canvassing buddy.
We give you a snack!
We have the most effective way to get voters to the polls and we're giving you all the tools for success. And it’s fun!
Check out two of our canvassers from this past weekend!
Canvassing: Effective and Fun Check it out! Elyse and Alicia canvassed with us on Saturday in the Overbrook section and had a great time. After they finished up, Elyse told us: "Thank you for organizing. We had such a good time! I can’t wait to come back." Join us and you can make a big difference! Sign up for a training below.
TALK TO VOTERS WITH US!
Canvassing
Canvassing Training Next Thursday Learn all you need to know and ask all your questions. When: Thursday, May 12, 7:00 pm. Where: Zoom Sign up here 53rd Ward Canvasses - Oxford Circle
Time: 11:00 am Location: Oxford Circle. We’ll meet at Country Club Diner on Cottman Avenue
Multiple dates are available! Sign up for one or a bunch: Saturday, May 7; Sign up here Saturday, May 14; Sign up here
Saturday, May 21; Sign up here Saturday, May 28; Sign up here 2nd Ward Canvassing - Queen Village Date: Sunday, June 5 Location: Queen Village, meeting at Cianfrani Park, 8th and Fitzwater When: 11:00 am Sign up here 34th Ward Canvassing - Overbrook Date: Saturday, June 11 Time: 11:00 am Location: Tustin Playground, 59th Street and Columbia Ave. Sign up here Register Voters and Talk to Them about Voting!
Kensington Derby & Arts Festival! This will be SO fun! This well-known festival delivers lots of vendors, art, and a parade. Register voters and then go shopping for good food and artistic finds. Date: Saturday, May 14 Time: Sign up for one 2-hour shift, noon–2 pm or 2–4 pm Sign up here Philly AIDS Thrift Date: Saturday, June 4 Time: Sign up for one 2-hour shift, 10 am–noon or noon–2 pm Sign up here Be a Neighborhood Leader in our very successful 35 Doors Project! We have many Neighborhood Leaders out there right now talking to their neighbors about this year's elections. It's the most effective way to get out the vote! We'll give you all the tools you need. Learn about it here and find out more and sign up here. Coming soon -- Phone banking for Matt Cartwright! Be on the lookout for that in June.
CALL TO ACTION Our Call To Action is to contact Senator Casey and President Biden to cancel student debt now. Get all the information to make the calls in last Friday's newsletter.
Get Ready for the May 17 Primary Know your deadlines: May 10 – Last Day to apply for a Mail-in or Absentee Ballot - You don't want to wait on this. May 17 – Primary Election Day – polls are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm May 17 – Last Day for County Election Board to receive your Mail-in or Absentee Ballot Find all the links for your voting needs at our one-stop election info source – linktr.ee/VotePHL Check out last Friday's newsletter for all of the ballot questions and other information.