Brandon Williams Tries to Undermine Public Education
No More Sidelines: Join Us on the Field
Here are some numbers for you.
IMV has published a weekly email newsletter and calendar since
...before we decided to call ourselves Indivisible Mohawk Valley,
...before we had a website or a Twitter account or a Facebook page,
...before we had hundreds of political events, elections, and actions in our rearview mirror.
Now, nearly seven years later, our email newsletter arrives in the Inbox of 1346 individuals who subscribe, and our open rate averages about 45%--last week's 49.8% open rate was a recent record. That means that last Friday, 670 potential Mohawk Valley progressive political activists opened our email and read at least some of it.
Marketing professionals will tell you that a nearly 50% open rate is unbelievably good. We don't spam you, and we don't flood your inbox every day. It's just the one weekly email on Fridays. And last Friday, 670 of you opened the email!
Here's the challenge: We have events every week during a critical voter contact period leading up to the 2023 election. There is literally something for everyone. Some actions are online, and some are in person. Some are in the day, some in the evening, and some on the weekend. And yet we have nowhere near 670 people showing up to volunteer for campaigns, knock doors, write postcards, work the polls, or register voters. If you are ready to get off the sidelines and come on to the field, or rejoin us after an absence, now is the time.
We are asking every person who opened this email to consider what you can do between now and Nov. 7th, when the local candidates who share our values will be on the ballot. Please choose off this menu and commit now to your (local bite-size, and fun!) political actions. Our #1 recommendation for making these political actions FUN, is to ask a friend to join you and do it together.
1. Knock doors with IMV --start this Sunday (see below)
2. Write postcards (see below)
3. Register voters (we have some ideas for locations, email IndivisibleMV@gmail.com)
4. Sign up as a poll worker (see below)
5. Write a letter to the editor in support of a local candidate, praising President Biden, or criticizing Brandon Williams (those last two are part of the 2024 election effort).
Each of our actions may be small, but together we can make a difference!
Sunday Join IMV to talk with voters about Caroline for County
It's our first IMV canvass of this election season! Please join us Sunday, Sept. 24th 3:00-5:30 pm to Canvass for Caroline Reale for County (District 15-New Hartford and part of Utica). Meet up location is the Nicky Doodles parking lot at the New Hartford Shopping Center. We really need as many people volunteering as possible. You can just show up, but if you plan to be there, email jgeiger777@gmail.com as soon as you can so that we can be sure to have enough turfs.
Caroline, a former broadcast journalist and mom of young children, is a top notch legislator, part of a small but hard working Democratic minority caucus on the Oneida County Board of Legislators. We helped her win but just a handful of votes in 2021, but the lines of her district have changed and we need to make sure voters know about her and about how important it is to vote on Nov. 7th. See you on Sunday!
Climate Crisis: One Action Today
Several members of IMV's Climate Crisis Work Group traveled to NYC last weekend for the March to End Fossil Fuels. More than 75,000 climate activists of all ages marched, and the mood, according to Maggie Reilly, was hopeful and upbeat. There was even an inspiring speech by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. You can read Maggie's report out to the Climate Crisis Workgroup on the march with photos HERE.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the statewide call day on Monday as an act of solidarity. According to Divest NY, It's not too late to call NYS Controller Tom DiNapoli's office and ask him to divest from Exxon. Even if you called, call again!
NYS Controller DiNapoli
518-474-4044
Tell him: "Divest from Exxon and all Big Oil & Gas. Stop funding climate destruction. It's time to end the era of fossil fuels."
IMV Postcards: Asking Women Voters to Vote for Women
Thanks to everyone who came yesterday to our fourth weekly postcard party at New Hartford Library. Cards for Crystal and Caroline in New Hartford are done! (although we are still waiting for a few writers to return cards). We have many more to go to voters in Utica in support of Celeste and Julie (and Caroline's slice of Utica).
Please join the party next Thursday, Sept. 28th at New Hartford Public Library (2 Library Lane) from 3:00-5:30 pm. We are in the process of printing the next batch of labels and restocking the box at Carole's house in Whitesboro. So there are no packs to pick up this week if you prefer writing postcards from home. Check again next Friday, Sept. 29. We know there will be more to do then.
Update
Thanks also to those of you who have donated money and postcard stamps for this biggest postcard project we've ever done. We are going to send 5000 very targeted postcards ahead of the Nov. 7th election. For stamps alone that means $2550. We have received stamp and monetary donations equal to $1615. That means we still need $935 so we can mail every last one of these handwritten postcards to voters. Please send your contribution to this cause in the form of a check to Indivisible Mohawk Valley, c/o Deborah Wilson-Allam, 2 Laurelwood Drive, New Hartford, NY 13413.
Together we are going to make an impact in voter turnout and election results this November!
Victory for Voting in NYS!
Good news! Thanks to years of hard work by the Let NY Vote coalition, Gov. Hochul signed 10 new democracy bills into law on Wednesday. Below are just the first five big bills to give you an idea of what has been accomplished. New York is now finally catching up to states that have had more flexible voting options and inclusive voter registration for years.
Vote By Mail- The New York Early Mail Voter Act establishes New York’s first universal Vote By Mail system. It ensures that every voter can access their ballot, even if they can’t make it to their poll site in person.
Mandatory Poll Worker Training- To ensure proper training for poll workers, the State Board of Elections must now provide a standardized training curriculum instructed every few months.
Golden Day- New Yorkers now have one extra day, known as Golden Day, to register to vote during the first day of the early voting period.
Student Registration and Pre-Registration- Requires local Boards of Education and non-public schools to provide opportunities to register to vote and pre-register to vote.
Registration in Jails- When someone convicted of a felony is about to be released, they’ll now be informed that their voting rights will be restored and be given a voter registration form.
Organizing wins!
Poll Workers Needed in Oneida County
It's not too late to volunteer as an election worker. How many volunteer jobs can you do that get paid? This one does! For information on hours and pay, see: https://ocgovboe.net/become-an-election-worker/. It is probably also a good idea to call the Board of Elections (315-798-5765) and let them know that you are filling out the form.
Now, about Brandon Williams...
Thanks for hanging in there on this long email. Here's what Brandon Williams was up to this week:
Brandon Williams: Says American school children are being indoctrinated by China
As our country careens toward a MAGA government shut down because of extremist Republicans, Rep. Williams decided to use his floor time in the House to parrot talking points from a right wing group similar to Moms for Liberty called Parents Defending Education that is trying to undermine American's trust in public education. This is what he sounded like as he talked about Oneida Herkimer Madison (OHM) BOCES and other schools and districts being funded by the Chinese Communist Party to indoctrinate children.
Yep, Brandon Williams is just making up problems--like who is using which bathroom, and who is reading what library book --these are phony issues designed to gaslight and distract from the Republican failure to get things done that benefit Americans. He's not focused on helping constituents and his district; he's trying to get people believe that the services, investments, and institutions that serve them every day are somehow failed or corrupt. UGH!
What can you do?
Write a Letter to the Editor. Williams continues to support Trump and "the Big Lie." There are some great tools on the Unrepresentative 18 webpage. Check this out...LTE templates and a call script if you call Williams' office.
Tell Williams: "No Shutdown!"
Finally, mark your calendar for our contingent rally on Monday, Oct. 2 (3:30-5 pm). Experts are now putting the chance of a shutdown at 90%, especially after McCarthy sent House members home for a break even as the clock is ticking on passing the 12 appropriation bills with a Sept 30 deadline.
If the government shuts down on Oct. 1st, we plan to rally in Rome, where hundreds of federal workers are likely to be cut off from their income in the blink of an eye because Republicans like Brandon Williams care more about scoring political points than providing essential government services, more about "shrinking government" than investing in our lives and futures. For now, call Williams' office (315) 732-0713, and tell him NO SHUTDOWN.
Finally, Go Local
And then, turn your attention to something that is far more in your control--helping our (local! women! Democratic!) candidates win on November 7th.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. That's why we all belong on the field!
Follow us on Twitter using @indivisiblemv and of course our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.
