WHY WE VOTE: FOR REPRESENTATION WHEN NEEDED
ACTION ONE: JOIN A VIRTUAL LETTER WRITING PARTY OR CALL VOTERS
Organizing for the 2020 Election is going VIRTUAL, & You Can HelpRegister Voters from your Home:
Find virtual events at http://swingleft.org/
Host a virtual letter-writing party! Get started here: http://swingleft.org/p/virtual-letter-writing-party
Call voters in Wisconsin about their April 7th election. Sign up for training and call info here. http://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/263614/
ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR SENATORS
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
While I continue to appreciate everything you do for your constituents, I am disturbed that the Senate adjourned during a pandemic. Today I’m calling to ask you to insist the Senate return to Washington. This Administration cannot be trusted, and without Congress in session there is no oversight. We also need new legislation to fully fund vote-by-mail and the postal service, protect and provide access to health care for everyone, and give more financial support to those least able to survive loss of income. As you know, we’re in this together; every death involves other people having been exposed.
.
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
ACTION THREE: CALL YOUR HOUSE REP
Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here.
SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
For Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Scharder:
While I appreciate everything you do, I am disturbed that the House plans to go on recess during a national emergency. Today I’m calling to ask you to insist the House remain in session through the planned April recess. This Administration cannot be trusted, and unless Congress is in session there is no oversight. We also need new legislation to fully fund vote-by-mail and the postal service, protect and provide access to health care for everyone, and give more financial support to those least able to survive loss of income. As you know, we’re in this together; every death involves other people having been exposed.
For Walden:
A pandemic is not the time to recess. Without Congress in session, there can’t be oversight of the use of funds to combat COVID-19 to protect us and our right to vote. We also need new legislation to fully fund vote-by-mail and the postal service, provide and protect access to health care for everyone, abd give more financial support to those least able to survive loss of income. We’re in this together; every death involves other people having been exposed.
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
BACKGROUND:
We vote for leaders we trust to protect us, irrespective of our race, immigration status, income, or how we vote. We vote for leaders who use the federal government’s resources when states and the private sector aren’t sufficient.
Trump’s GOP Senate padded both rescue bills with give-aways to themselves and their donors. They declined to fully fund vote-by-mail or protect the postal service it relies upon. Only oversight can ensure national production and distribution of essential medical supplies, but the Senate adjourned for 3 weeks and the House plans to follow.
Vote-by-mail and the USPS must be fully funded to protect our vote. Additionally, adjourning Congress stops oversight, as Trump continues to condition aid on whether we voted for him and our governors are nice to him and to disparage vote-by-mail. Our MOCs cannot abandon us to Trump’s whims and vindictiveness.
We demand our elected leaders use the power we gave them. We demand they stay at work during the pandemic, to protect our health and our vote. We need Congressional action and oversight to stop Trump from disadvantaging those who don’t support him. Together, by helping each other, we can save ourselves.
SOURCES:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/30/trump-voting-republicans/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/30/us-election-coronavirus-primaries-voting-by-mail?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-could-shut-down-post-office-by-june-congressional-leaders-2020-3
https://unitedstatesofcare.org/resources/united-states-care-covid-19-policy-agenda/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/governors-plead-for-medical-equipment-from-federal-stockpile-plagued-by-shortages-and-confusion/2020/03/31/18aadda0-728d-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html
https://wwjnewsradio.radio.com/articles/after-trump-attacks-whitmer-she-says-fed-supplies-delayed
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/business/gm-ventilators-coronavirus-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-mccarthy/partisan-divide-returns-in-u-s-congress-on-coronavirus-next-steps-idUSKBN21G0NM
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/26/coronavirus-stimulus-package-senate-to-adjourn-until-april-20-after-passing-bill.html
https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/legislative-sessions-and-the-coronavirus.aspx
