Will You Stand with the Global Climate Strike in Utica Today?
Fridays for the Future Climate Demonstration!
Today across the globe, young climate activists are striking and demonstrating to spur emergency action on the climate crisis; they are striking for their lives and futures. IMV's Climate Crisis Workgroup will hold a solidarity demonstration in front of Rep. Tenney's district office (430 Court Street in Utica) at 5pm - 6pm. Here's the Facebook link to our event--please share it right now. Court Street is where we'll stand with signs, but our target audience is not Tenney. She doesn't care about anyone's future but her own. Our audience is the people driving by--heading to Varick street or home from work. We want them to be reminded that we CAN take action to address the climate crisis.
In NYS, the top priority for this fall is to make sure voters say YES on Prop 1 for Clean Water, Air, and Jobs. Please bring signs that say:
"Vote Yes on Prop 1 for clean water, air, and jobs"
"Pres. Biden: Declare a Climate Emergency"
"Gov. Hochul: Fund the CLCPA with $10 billion in 2023" or
"Divest from Fossil Fuels"
Oneida County Democratic Campaign Office Grand Opening
At last! The Oneida County 2022 Campaign Headquarters is open! Please join the Fran Conole campaign, local candidates, staff, and volunteers at the Grand Opening of the office on Saturday, Sept. 24th, 11 am-1 pm. There will be lawn signs, opportunities to sign up for phonebanks, and canvasses, and at 1:00 pm you can join in the Utica Canvass Launch. If you've been thinking that not enough campaigning has been done in Oneida, today is the day that YOU CAN CHANGE THAT NARRATIVE!
If you prefer phone banking, there are opportunities at the office or via Zoom during the week, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Or get started on Sunday, Sept. 24th. Sign up here.
However you decide to volunteer for the Democratic candidates and campaigns over the next 45 days, please save this link, and check it regularly. It helps when you sign up in advance so the office staff know who to expect for the volunteer events on the calendar. Make it fun--bring a friend!
Our Canvassing "Slate Cards" are Like Magic at the Doors!
If you/'ve been out canvassing already, then you know our IMV slate cards, designed by Sarah Reeske and funded through the Oneida County and Kirkland Democratic Committees, are wildly successful. Voters appreciate the information about the candidates and how to vote. And we love being able to place useful, specific guidance in voters' hands, all while we're collecting their responses to record in the voter database (VAN/Minivan). We're getting more cards printed up so we can keep going until Election Day, Nov. 8th!
IMV has scheduled three canvasses for which we're requesting volunteers. For now SAVE THE DATES. If you have mobility issues, please volunteer as a driver. Even the smaller turfs can be done more easily if one person is driving. Everything is set up for you and ready to go when you arrive. You can pick a turf that you feel comfortable doing. All the turfs are in neighborhoods that are manageable and productive for knocking (no inaccessible apartments in these turfs!).
Sunday, 10/2, 3-5pm in Rome
Wednesday, 10/5, 5-7pm in Clinton and New Hartford
Sunday, 10/16, 3-5pm in Herkimer County
Our goal is to turn voters out for Francis Conole in NY 22 and Matt Castelli in NY21. The other candidates on the slate card, all of whom we support, will benefit from that turnout. Specific locations will be in next week's email. For now, please save the dates!
Remember those Rural Voter Network Postcards for Matt Castelli?
You wrote thousands of them and now we're ready to print labels and send them. Join IMV for a Postcard Party, Thursday, Sept. 29 from 4:30-6:30 pm at the Kirkland Town Library (55 1/2 College Ave in Clinton). We'll need postcard stamps if you can bring some, and we'll be putting on labels, and addressing each postcard with a personalized name. These cards will go just before voting starts to women in Herkimer County (Democrats, unaffiliated) who voted in 2020 but not 2018. We think they are voters who came out to defeat Trump, but don't always remember to vote in midterm elections--women who are likely to vote for Matt Castelli over Elise Stefanik. See you at the postcard party!
Rally to Support Homeless Neighbors
IMV is sharing this message from our allies at Oneida Square in Utica:
"Dozens of our neighbors remain unsheltered as another winter approaches. The city and county governments have refused to take responsibility for helping Utica's most vulnerable people, instead devoting large sums of money to luxurious projects that benefit only the wealthy. Cornerstone Community Church (The Morrow Warming Center) has graciously agreed to shelter Utica's homeless people through the winter, but they need volunteers and funding to carry out this lifesaving work." Click here for information about the Oct. 15th rally that is planned at Oneida Square in support of using millions of dollars in federal funds to help the most vulnerable and neediest in our community FIRST.
Volunteers Needed for Cornhill's Harvest on the Hill
IMV is organizing a table under our tent forHarvest on the Hill, a large event for children and families (typically 3000-4000 attendees) held on and around James Street in Utica on the Saturday before Halloween,Oct. 29th, from 12pm-5pm. We'll have candy and apples (healthy choice a result of a donation from our member and local farmer, Dan Casler). Kids will be able to vote for their favorite candy. Adults will receive our slate card so their ready to vote Nov. 8th or a voter registration form so they can vote as early as the May school board election.
Pleasesign up hereto staff the table, donate items, or do some creative projects so our tent is fun for kids and their families. We're very excited about this community outreach for democracy!
Have You Filled Out Your Volunteer Action Form?
Thank you to everyone who has filled out your volunteer form already. We need to make the most of the next 45 days, and that means we need to know who is willing to do which critical tasks. Please, please raise your hand if you can knock doors. That is the #1 most important way that we impact election results. When we talk to voters at the doors, we are showing them that they matter and their vote matters. That's how we get voters to show up and vote for our candidates--the candidates who will save democracy in 2022. To fill out your form, please click here. Thank you for your political activism. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
Follow us on Twitter using @indivisiblemv and of course our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.
