Indivisible Ventura’s Voting Guide for the 2020 Presidential Election

Note: this post will be periodically updated! (10/6/2020)

• If you’re voting for Trump and the end of democracy, this is not the voting guide for you.
• If you’re looking for an absolutely non-partisan guide, go here and here.
• Although Indivisible Ventura is not officially endorsing any particular candidate, we’ve pulled together endorsements from other groups we respect for your consideration, along with relevant reference materials.
• Phonebanking! Textbanking! Letter Writing! and other great things to do!: Click here.

QUICK LINKS TO: Federal candidates, State candidates, County Supervisor, City Candidates, School District Races, Special District Races, Propositions, Local Measures, Voting/registration information, Ballot drop-off locations, In-person voting locations, “Protect the Vote” volunteer opportunities, Other voting guides/endorsements.

We have promises to keep to Rep. Elijah Cummings, to Rep. John Lewis and to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg – that we would care for the country they sacrificed so much for. It’s now our job to fix what we can and to create a path to a more just and sustainable future for those who come after us. At a polling booth, or at our own kitchen tables, armed with a pen and a ballot, we are going to fight for the American dream for everyone.

Voting tips

• Why should our husbands be the only ones to benefit from our hours of research? Sit down with a cup of coffee and run through our lists. There’s only one reasonable candidate for most offices, so this won’t take long. Then pull out a black pen and vote at your kitchen table.
• THERE ARE NO ELECTED OFFICES WHERE THE BELIEFS OF THE CANDIDATE DON’T MATTER, even ones marked as “Non-partisan.” We’ve had plenty of local examples (book-banning here, for example, and church/state issues here) where right-wing “non-partisan” office holders have caused plenty of mischief.
• Not all the people/races listed below are on your ballot. Check your sample ballot or click here.
• It’s OK to leave parts blank.
• We’ve collected different kinds of endorsements and other materials to help you make your decisions. Links to endorsement are at the bottom of this post.
• Read flyers carefully. Are they from a political party, or are they pay-to-play “slate” mailers? Read this article from 2016.
• This post will be updated as more endorsements come in.

QUICK LINKS TO: Federal candidates, State candidates, County Supervisor, City Candidates, School District Races, Special District Races, Propositions, Local Measures, Voting/registration information, Ballot drop-off locations, In-person voting locations, “Protect the Vote” volunteer opportunities, Other voting guides/endorsements.

President/Vice President

Joe Biden/Kamala Harris (D)

• OpenSecrets Funding: here.
• Complete HYUUUGE endorsement list here. Representative samples below.

	±500 Military & NatSec leaders

Donald Trump
The Taliban, seriously! Snopes update: group claims remarks were misinterpretated	Vladimir Putin, fascist, reputed Taliban employer.	David Duke, White Supremacist	Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, fascist

Share videos that reflect your values or the values of the person you’d like to send them to. There‘s a wide cross-section here…something for everyone.

From LA Progressive: We’ve Got Reasons to Elect Joe — He Isn’t One of Them

House of Representatives

District CA-24 – Salud Carbajal (D)

VC Star report on three candidates here.

• Age: 55
• City of residence: Santa Barbara
• Occupation: Congressman
• Education: Master’s degree, Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara
• Funding: here
• His GOP opponent, Andy Caldwell has appeared at public hearings in Santa Barbara speaking in favor of plans to drill 760 new oil wells in the Cat Canyon area. At campaign events he has been critical of Carbajal’s vote in favor of impeaching the president.
• Courage California bio here. His website and awards here.
• Sample of Carbajal’s endorsements below.

District CA-25 – Christy Smith (D)

One thing we’ve noticed putting this graph together, is that Christy Smith has gotten more environmental callouts than any other candidate!

• City of residence: Santa Clarita
• Occupation: California assemblywoman
• LA Times endorsement article here.
• Funding: here
• Sample of her endorsements below. Complete list of endorsements here.
• She is endorsed by our tribe – Indivisible and by the LA Times, who wrote this article comparing her to Mike Garcia.
• Endorsements here, website here.

District CA-26  – Julia Brownley (D)

VC Star report on three candidates for CA-26 here

• Age: 67
• City of residence: Westlake Village
• Occupation: Member of congress, 26th District
• Funding: here
• Sample of her endorsements below. Complete list of endorsements here. Website here.

District CA-27 – Judy Chu (D)

• Age: 66
• City of residence: –
• Occupation: Incumbent Congress Member for CA-27
• Education: California School of Professional Psychology
• Funding: here
• Sample of her endorsements below. Complete list of endorsements here. Website here.

District CA-30 – Brad Sherman (D)

• Age: –
• City of residence: –
• Occupation: Incumbent Congress Member for CA-27
• Education: California School of Professional Psychology
• Funding: here
• Sample of his endorsements below. Complete list of endorsements here. Website here.

• Los Angeles Times endorsement here.

Newspaper Overview stories

• Ventura Star articles here.
• VC Reporter

Interesting groups!

Physicians for Progress – Ventura County.

Since 2017, when the administration started dismantling the healthcare reforms of the Affordable Care Act, this amazing group of medical professionals has been conducting educational outreach campaigns in support of single-payer national health insurance as the way of ensuring universal healthcare. “We strongly endorse @JoeBiden because of his platform, the most progressive of any general-election presidential candidate in history!“ And instead of dwelling on our current administration’s failures, they’ve put together a POSITIVE campaign – with 100 reasons to vote for Biden based on his platform planks (see all 100 reasons here) – Please share their uplifting and educational graphics on twitter, and Facebook!

“Get Out To Vote” (GOTV).

This is an organization of Ventura County African American leaders, residents and local African American organizations working together in an effort to make sure the community votes and is properly educated, represented and informed about the issues and candidates on the November 3 ballot and other issues that affect the community throughout the year. Download their guide here.

Greta Thunberg 10/9/2020

Today, teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg added her voice. “I never engage in party politics. But the upcoming US elections is above and beyond all that. From a climate perspective it’s very far from enough and many of you of course supported other candidates. But, I mean…you know…damn! Just get organized and get everyone to vote #Biden”

Black Lives Matter. Blue Green Alliance 10/13/2020

Today we’ve added endorsements from the LA and Long Beach chapters of Black Lives Matter. We would also like to call attention to a great piece on Prop. 16 from the LA Times here, and a debunking of Prop. 15 myths here.

While adding a bunch of union endorsements to Biden’s page, we came across a group called the BlueGreen Alliance which “…unites America’s largest labor unions and its most influential environmental organizations to solve today’s environmental challenges in ways that create and maintain quality jobs and build a stronger, fairer economy.” It includes groups like the League of Conservation Voters, the AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, SEIU, National Wild Life Federaion and United Steelworkers. Their website is very interesting.