Happy Tuesday, Activists!
I hope you’re all staying healthy, safe, and sane.
First, some happy news! Remember Jill Karofsky? She’s the Democratic candidate for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat who we wrote postcards to voters for last month. Last night it was announced that she won, ousting a conservative incumbent! This race was part of the controversial election last week in which the Republican legislature insisted on holding in-person voting during a pandemic. Apparently, the voters told them what they thought about that and voted in a Democrat to this critical 10-year position! So pat yourselves on the back for being part of this victory!
GET ON BOARD WITH MICHELLE OBAMA – Support Vote By Mail
Yesterday, Michelle Obama announced her strong support for expanded voter access including voting by mail. Let’s show we’re part of the former First Lady’s push for this critical right. First, learn all about the PA system and then you can tell your family and friends. Attend tomorrow night’s meeting, below, and you’ll be in the know. And check out the Call To Action below and urge our representatives to fully fund the Postal Service so it can handle all those mail-in ballots!
TOMORROW – VIRTUAL MEETING WITH COMMISSIONER LISA DEELEY
We know you have questions about how we’ll vote in the upcoming June 2 primary and in November due to the new PA law on mail-in voting. So we’ve invited the person who leads the agency charged with instituting the new voting procedures in Philadelphia. Lisa Deeley is the Chair of the City Commissioners and will tell us all the latest. Bring your questions! It will be tomorrow, April 15, from 6 to 7 pm. Sign up here.
And while we’re on the subject – you can sign up here to vote by mail. See the important recent changes to the vote by mail system in a recent newsletter at our website here.
Also, you can track your ballot status here to see when your application for vote by mail has been approved, then when your ballot has been mailed to you, and when it is received back at the election office.
We recorded last week’s meeting about the Census, with our speaker from Philly Counts, and you can watch it here on our Youtube channel.
TONIGHT – TELE-TOWN HALL WITH SENATOR BOB CASEY
Senator Casey is holding a tele-town hall tonight at 6:00 pm,focused on constituents in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The focus will be on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and discuss what is being done in Congress to mitigate its public health and economic effects.
You can sign up here. Note that it will take place by phone. You’ll receive a phone call right before the town hall to join the event.
TONIGHT – TURN PA BLUE CANDID CANDIDATE SERIES
After the Senator’s town hall you can switch to meeting an exciting state candidate. We’ll be writing postcards and texting for Gary Spillane and other candidates this year, so get to know them now in this candidate forum series.
The next Candid Candidate installment is TONIGHT at 7:00 with Gary Spillane (PA-HD 144). We met Gary at our February meeting and he gave a fantastic presentation. See him at this meeting and learn about his priorities, his strategy, and this district. Sign up to meet Gary HERE. (Next up on 4/21 at 7:00 PM, Meet Jonathan Kassa (HD 151)!
CALL TO ACTION
You can see our previous Calls To Action, which are still a good thing for you to do, on our website here.
Sen. Casey – Phila office 215-405-9660; D.C. office 202-224-6324; email link
Sen. Toomey – Phila office 215-241-1090; D.C. office 202-224-4254; email link
Rep. Evans – D.C. office 202-225-4001; Phila. office (215) 276-0340; email link
Rep. Boyle – D.C. office (202) 225-6111; Phila office (215) 335-3355; email link
FULLY FUND THE POSTAL SERVICE
This week let’s focus on just one important item that must be in the next pandemic response legislation – fully funding the US Postal Service so it can do its job and also support mail-in voting. We know Congress needs to address the large gaps in the legislation passed so far, but now USPS funding has risen to the top of Trump’s hate list. Republicans want to bankrupt the Postal Service and allow private equity firms and global corporations to privatize the service, dismantle the agency, and profit further off of the American people.
But make no mistake, private companies won't deliver to certain remote areas because it's not profitable to do so, but the Postal Service is obligated to serve all Americans regardless of where they live. And in this time of distancing, the Postal Service is delivering lifesaving medications and food, supporting voting by mail in primary states, and helping other services necessary for our nation to continue to operate. Plus, it’s a requirement in the Constitution!
Call and ask our Members of Congress to make sure the next pandemic package includes full funding for the US Postal Service to handle coronavirus impacts and the vote by mail volume.
Remember -
-- Voter Registration – The voter registration deadline is extended to May 18. You can register or update your voter registration with a new address or new name, and tell friends and family to do the same. Register online here.
– Fill out your Census!
PHONEBANKING
Call Voters & Tell Them About PA’s New Vote By Mail
Join the Back 2 Blue Phone Bank Day of Action on April 18. Last Saturday we helped make over 120,000 calls!!! Call Democratic voters to let them know about the new PA primary date (June 2) and about VOTE BY MAIL. The new system eliminates calls with no answer or an answering machine, so all the calls go to a person who answers the phone – no wasted time. Choose an hour or two to make calls between 11 am and 8 pm. Sign up for the April 18 Day of Action HERE.
Training is optional but recommended. Training is available on:
· Thursday, April 16th at 6 PM
· Friday, April 17th at 6 PM
· Saturday, April 18th at 2 PM
Make Calls at Your Convenience! Choose from the full line-up of Back to Blue open virtual phone banks HERE. Check out Turn PA Blue Phone Banking Tips HERE.
Call & Tell Philly To Complete The Census!
Our meeting last week with Pedro Rodriguez from Philly Counts was super informative. But the work takes all of us! Sign up to make a few calls to our fellow residents and ask them to fill out their Census form too.
Here’s how to do it:
Sign up here to make some calls. It’s really easy and the system removes the rings with no one home or an answering machine. So you get only real people on the other end.
Here are instructions on how to set up your account for the phone bank.
POSTCARDS
Wow ~ we really had a fun crew last week for our virtual post card party! And if you don’t want to write postcards together, no problem – just write cards at home. It all helps! Details are below.
We’ve been writing to voters in Georgia to remind them to double-check their voter registration status. We’re also writing to California voters to urge them to vote for Christy Smith, Democratic candidate for Congress in the May special election out there. We’ll be adding more options as we go along. This is guaranteed to relieve your anxiety.
Here’s how it works:
– Step One: Order postcards from the Postal Service at this link. They are 39 cents each, including the stamp, and are the cheapest way to buy cards and stamps.
– Step Two: Email us at info@indivisiblephiladelphia.com and let us know you want to write cards and we’ll get you all the information you need.
– Step Three: We will send you addresses and a script for you to write the cards. We’ll replenish your supply of addresses as needed.
Virtual Postcard Events
We’ll be doing these events every week, so order your postcards now. We’ll send you the link for the Zoom video meeting beforehand.
Where: The comfort of your own home, via video chat
Virtual Cards & Coffee
When: TOMORROW, April 15, 11 am-1 pm (stay for as long as you want)
Virtual Cards & Cocktails
When: Thursday, April 16, 6-8 pm (stay for as long as you want)
DONATION MATCHING GRANT
Don’t forget the Indivisible matching grant. And a big THANK YOU to all those who have donated so far! We receive double any donations made between today and the end of May, up to a total of $500 in donations. So now your donations will go twice as far to help Indivisible Philadelphia fulfill its mission. Please donate here.
Even though we are not busy with every one of our activities right now, we want to be ready to hit the ground running the moment the shutdown lifts.
MORE IDEAS FOR SPENDING QUALITY INDOOR TIME
Here we go with more fun stuff! If you missed our ideas from last week, find them on our Newsletter page on our website here and here.
1. In case you missed it, enjoy this video of Andrea Bocelli’s Easter Sunday performance, offering his soaring rendition of Amazing Grace and other favorites from the Duomo di Milano. The aerial views of the region are stunning.
2. Mark your calendars! This coming Saturday, April 18 at 8:00 pm watch Lady Gaga’s concert in conjunction with Global Citizen – One World: Together At Home. It’s hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel and will be broadcast on the major stations plus a bunch of streaming channels. Contributions from the corporate partners will go directly to the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Response Fund to support and equip healthcare workers around the world.
3. Hey Philly –Can we get a Nightly cheer for essential workers? Two West Philly neighbors started spending a few minutes hanging outside their rowhome windows and clapping every night at 7:00. They’re following in the pandemic footsteps of New York, where people across the city have been cheering for essential workers every night. Check it out and join in! #ClapBecasueWeCarePHL
4. Free online art classes from NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art – Nine courses are available through the online learning platform Coursera. It allows students to hear directly from MoMA curators, and artists and designers whose work is featured in the museum’s renowned collection and exhibitions.
5. And of course, animals!
Penguins! Watch penguins wander around an empty Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Check out the cute videos in the article. I can’t get enough of them! Here is a cute baby goat live webcam. I recommend checking it out during the day; otherwise they’re asleep.