Probably every sentient being in CA received this glossy screed of misinformation, misdirection and outright nonsense from the “No on 50” campaign. It uses different arguments than what the “YES on 50” campaign is focused on, as they are reaching out to the MAGA and undecided demographic. But the damage of an unconstrained Trump for another two years will harm all of us, so we need to be able to competently push back against what they’re shoveling. There are 5 points to cover. Buckle up!
If you’re looking for something to do to help our elections and democracy, you do not have to go far, or take a lot of time. Come and assure skittish supervisors that it’s the first option. Seriously!
A flashpoint for election deniers is coming Tuesday morning – agenda item #36 – approval for County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Michelle Ascension to sign a contract with Dominion Voting Systems, Inc to upgrade our current equipment (both the voting system and mobile ballot printers), and to pay for the annual licensing and warranties.
Will the 1,501st addition to their pathetic collection come from right here in Ventura County? Mr. Boyer may have thought he was just teaching us a lesson, but you and our county and state election officials will be the judge. Roll the film!
We believe 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. And after watching the GOP abandon any pretense to democracy, after watching raucous school board meetings with angry parents yelling out fake CRT beliefs and demanding the banning of books, after watching red state legislatures pass harmful anti-LGBTQIA laws, anti-abortion penalties and racist voting restrictions – we find that we actually share one belief with the extreme right-wing– that there are no unimportant elections, no unimportant public offices, and no elected offices where the beliefs of the candidate don’t matter, even those deemed “non-partisan.”
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. We need to win.
Note – we NEVER RECOMMEND VOTING FOR SOMEONE WITHOUT ENDORSEMENTS! Leadership implies trust has been earned. Minimum ask for candidates: Find people who would trust you with the power of the office you seek and ask them to endorse you. Can’t find anyone? Get involved in the community in a hands-on way and earn that trust.
Not all the people/races listed in our guide are on your ballot. Check your sample ballot or click here.
You don’t need to be an expert to become involved. Phonebanking! Textbanking! Letter Writing! and other great things to do!: Clickhere.
This post will be updated as more endorsements come in.
We fell down research rabbit holes for you so that you and our husbands wouldn’t have to. It’s now on all of us to fix what we can and to create a path to a more just and sustainable future for this country that we love. 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.
If you were actually looking for an absolutely non-partisan guide, go here and here.
Oh, but there’s MORE! Check out the Scrutineers and their opportunities to help create trust in the integrity of our elections! If you are a detail-oriented person, and not frightened by words like “spreadsheet”, this may be the dream volunteer community for you!
Who or what are the Scrutineers?
“Scrutineersis an online community of people who care about the fairness and accuracy of US elections and are committed to doing what we can to protect the elections. We’re movement veterans, newcomers, and everything in-between. We’re a nonpartisan organization dedicated to ending voter suppression and ensuring secure elections. We’re here to LEARN, CONNECT, and ACT. ”
Now that the election is over, their project list for volunteers is being constantly updated. Some of the projects require you to become a membeer of Scrutineers ($1.99 – we are members!) and others don’t.
You can download their “Find a Project” app for Android or iPhone from here, or, as we have done, you can access the information through a computer. However, since we found the desktop interface a little confusing, we’re walking everyone through it here.
When the page comes up on a desktop computer, it just looks like the image of a phone, but you can enter your email address directly into it.
Quote:For those of us only remember part of the first line of Roosevelt’s inauguration speech of 1933 (our hand is up!), it’s worth reading the whole thing, which sounds like it could have been written yesterday.
#1 – Let’s take a breath here…
Our email and media feeds are flooded with potential election stealing and violence at the polls. Not only may these visions be overblown, but they may, in fact, be turning fear into a weapon against us, intimidating us from voting this criminal administration out of office.
Today, we were given permission from writer/observer R. Hubbell, to reprint his Oct. 28th article, to remind us the safeguards even a tyrant like Trump can’t touch. (You can subscribe to his great newsletter here.)
“It is a sad reality that our president is not elected directly by the citizens of the United States. For good or ill, the Framers of the Constitution created a body that we now refer to as the “Electoral College.” The Electoral College elects the president and vice president, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and enabling legislation. The Constitution and statutes provide that states may count votes from November 4th through December 8, 2020, with the latter date serving as the deadline for states to certify the selection of their Electors to the National Archivist. Six days later (December 14), the Electors meet in their respective states to cast their ballots in accordance with their state’s election results. For a general description of the timeline, see Congressional Research Service, “The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline.” The election of the president becomes official on January 6, 2021 when Congress counts the votes cast by the Electors in their respective state meetings.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 