CALL TO ACTION: Time Running Out for Congress to Protect Voting (July 6, 2020)



120 Days

Until the November 3rd Election


 Our Recommendations for November

What Voting Blue means to us: We Steering Committee members are pragmatic progressives with no “purity or litmus tests” for our key issues. Rather, we will support the candidate that comes closest to our positions, which means that moderate Joe Biden is much preferred to fascist Donald Trump. And, electability matters; one can’t govern from the sidelines. Sometimes that means backing someone who looks less blue than their opponent, someone who is in better position to be elected and actually help us. Finally, some candidates might want us to maintain our distance for political reasons specific to their constituencies. We respect that, so people we would otherwise recommend may be missing from this list.

Let’s flip a couple of state house seats Blue! New today*

President: Joe Biden

U.S. Senate: Jeff Merkley

Secretary of State: Shemia Fagan

State Treasurer: Tobias Read

State Attorney General: Ellen Rosenblum

*State House District 5: Alberto Enriquez

*State House District 6: Mary Middleton

Jackson County Commissioner: Terrie Martin

Watch this space; more to come.


***Today’s Call To Action***

TIME RUNNING OUT FOR CONGRESS TO PROTECT VOTING


Republican Congressional leadership continues to block every piece of proposed election security legislation. In 2016, Russia probed voting databases and systems in all fifty states in what the DHS and FBI believe was simply research for 2020.  In the past four years they have become much more capable.

Bills passed by the House to promote and fund voting systems with paper trails, audits, and upgrades to protect vulnerable voter registration databases against cyber attacks sit in Grim Reaper Mitch McConnell’s Senate.

COVID-19 makes voting in person dangerous.  The HEROES  Act contains funding and provisions to make voting safer, including increased voting by mail (VCM) which is the best way to protect voters and elections. Trump and the GOP continue attacking VBM citing made-up voter fraud potential. McConnell refuses to move HEROES forward.

 

For Trumps’ GOP—the minority party—ensuring voter suppression is more important than protecting the integrity of our elections and our democracy. They know they will lose power if the full electorate is allowed to vote. Our job is to make that happen.

Voter Suppression is Un-American!

Demand Election Security!

Pass HEROES Act NOW!


**ACTION ONE: CALL OUR U.S. SENATORS**

SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR SENATORS MERKLEY and WYDEN:

“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. 

Americans should be able to cast their ballots knowing that their vote will be counted fairly and without fear for their health. Too little has been done to protect our elections from Russian interference and too little has been done to protect voters from the dangers of in-person voting during this pandemic. I want to thank the Senator for his efforts supporting the HEROES Act and vote by mail; I am asking him to continue to press his colleagues hard to pass the act and all election security legislation now.

Time is running out.

Thank you.”

SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY

Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/

 

SENATOR RON WYDEN

Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/

 


**ACTION TWO: CALL COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN**

SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WALDEN:

“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code]. 

Americans should be able to cast their ballots knowing that their vote will be counted fairly and without fear for their health. Too little has been done to protect our elections from Russian interference and too little has been done to protect voters from the dangers of in-person voting during this pandemic. I demand that Greg Walden finally put country over party and press his Republican colleagues in the Senate to pass the HEROES Act and all election security legislation now.  Time is running out. 

To remain silent on all of this is a moral outrage. If that’s Greg’s decision, I call on him to resign his office effective immediately. 

Where’s Walden? History is watching; Greg’s legacy is at stake. 

Thank you.”

COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN

DC (202) 225-6730, Medford: (541) 776-4646
Bend (541) 389-4408, La Grande (541) 624-2400
https://walden.house.gov/contact-greg/email-me


**ACTION THREE: BE AN ACTIVIST**

July 6, 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Ongoing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
#MyORHealth  Support is available for Oregon’s “helpers”

Lines for Life has created a Virtual Wellness Room to offer support to helpers, mental health professionals, first responders, social workers and anyone considered an essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon. Each check-in call will have a facilitator to guide the conversation.

“We at Lines for Life want to thank you for all the work you do to keep our communities safe,” the organization said. “We are offering a place for helpers to exchange stories of hope and areas of need. We especially want to hear what things are coming up for you personally and explore how we can cheer one another on to continue the good work you are already doing. We ultimately want to create space to breathe out stress and breathe in hope.”

The meetings are held using Zoom conference calls from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at this link: https://zoom.us/j/4848426773. Please share this invite with anyone in your network of Oregon helpers.

ORD2 Indivisible Virtual General Meeting
“Policing in the Valley: Re-Imaging Police Work During a Time of Black Lives Matter.”
July 13 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

 To register for this important meeting, please click here.

https://ord2indivisible.org/event/ord2-indivisible-virtual-general-meeting-2/

Ongoing Action: ORD2 Indivisible Virtual Postcard and Letter Writing Parties

Postcards to Voters:

Our postcard team is temporarily suspending the delivery of postcards to your door. However, the good news is that you will find everything you need to continue writing from home (including templates to print your own or purchase pre-printed cards) here: https://postcardstovoters.org

You can sign up through https://postcardstovoters.org/volunteer/

To avoid unnecessary trips to the post office, order stamps directly from the USPS:
https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/coral-reefs-postcard-stamp-S_745104

…and voila, you’re ready to go! Send an e-mail to with any questions.

Letters to Voters

We encourage our team of volunteers to sign up with Swing Left to start writing letters to voters in 12 swing states.  It is super easy to join. Check out their website, sign up, and let’s start writing! https://swingleft.org/

Send an e-mail to if you would like more information about how to get involved.

Virtual Letter-writing Parties

We encourage you to join virtual letter-writing parties hosted by Oregon Indivisible / Swing Left. The parties are held at noon every Saturday and on the last Tuesday of every month. Here are the links for the next two parties:

https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/267146/

**Visit the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar on a regular basis to keep updated on local activities. Participate with us as often as you can. We also encourage you to submit events to be added to the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar and help us keep current with our event postings. https://ord2indivisible.org/submit-your-event/