Fri – 10/19: Today’s Action Prescription

Action #1 – Understand this meme. In CA, it’s true for REGISTERED voters ONLY!

If you are actually registered, but your polling place doesn’t have the correct information to determine that fact, or there is conflicting information about your registration, you will be given a provisional ballot on Election Day. You will be allowed to vote, given a tracking number to follow your ballot and your vote will be counted just like any other. Issues that require a provisional ballot include:

Voter’s name is not on the current roster.
Voter’s name is on the roster and HAS moved.
Vote-By-Mail Voter who does not have a Vote-By-Mail ballot to surrender. (giving them another ballot at the polling place would mean two ballots were issued to them. Despite what Trump says, we don’t issue people extra ballots.)
Voter is marked in register as “see ID” and has no ID. (first time federal voter)
Voter selects a ballot other than their listed party or selects an unauthorized party (primary only – doesn’t apply for this election)

You may also be at the wrong polling place. (See Action #4)

Continue reading “Fri – 10/19: Today’s Action Prescription” →

Tues -10/16: Today’s Action Prescription

Action #1 – Help the North Dakota Native Americans get their vote back

(from Small Deeds Done) Last week the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision that the North Dakota voting law will stand, even though it requires voters to provide an ID with an actual street address. Many tribal members have only post office boxes, which wasn’t an issue in earlier elections. However, the GOP, so focused on disenfranchising these people over a technicality, seems to have forgotten something…

Because tribes are sovereign nations, they can create their own damn street addresses. Continue reading “Tues -10/16: Today’s Action Prescription” →

Tues 10/9: Be part of this. Today.

At a school or college:

Today, we’ll be helping out with voter registration at the Oxnard College Student’s Day of Action. Come join us. No RSVP required. More information here. If you’ve never done this before, we’ll teach you how. If you can’t come today, look for other dates that work better.

At your workplace:

In California, the law requires employers to give up to 2 hours off at the beginning or end of a shift without loss of pay. Advance notice to your company is required by law. Proof of voting is not required. The California Elections Code also requires employers, both public and private, to post a notice no less than 10 days before every statewide election explaining employees’ right to time off to vote. The notice must be posted in a conspicuous place at the work site.

Other state’s information on voting here. Continue reading “Tues 10/9: Be part of this. Today.” →

Tues – 8/14: Midterms are almost upon us.

Nonvoters helped to hand Trump the presidency. (wapo), (fortune) Let’s help them take back their power.

We are within 90 days of the midterm elections! Check your status!

That’s an important benchmark, because under current law, states can’t purge you from their roles within 90 days of an election. In CA, click here to:

Check if you are registered to vote.
Check where you are registered to vote.
Check your political party preference.
Check your language preference for election materials.
Check the status of your vote-by-mail or provisional ballot.
Find your polling place.

If anything has changed since the last time you voted – your address, your political party, whatever, re-register to vote here.
You can register for the first time if you’re 18 or going to be 18 on election day. You can PRE-REGISTER if you’re 16 or 17.
Yes, you can register and vote in the 14 days before an election or on Election Day itself in CA, but you would have to appear in person at your local elections office.

If you’re not in CA, go to www.vote.org to find your state’s election center – each state’s election information is listed. After you’ve checked your registration status, do yourself a favor and take a screen shot of it. If things go wonky at your precinct that day, it will be nice to have that information handy.

Take the 24 hour pledge!

(from Small Deeds Done) “Senator Claire McCaskill (who has described herself as “stronger than horseradish”) issued a challenge the other day, and I wanted to share it.

Continue reading “Tues – 8/14: Midterms are almost upon us.” →

Mon. 6/4: There are only two forms of power…money and votes. Use yours tomorrow.

Indivisible Ventura has spent a lot of time registering college students this year. Here are the top three statements we hear.

“My vote doesn’t count”.

This is the biggest objection when we talk to students about registering to vote. These are students who:

will finish their educational efforts with the largest student debt loads in history, presided over by a Secretary of Education who has personally profited off these loans and is actively helping Trump make them harder to pay off.
will face high entry-level housing costs, inadequate health and child care access, along with stagnant wages when they graduate.
will be most affected by the possible loss of a free internet.

“I’m sending a message by not voting”.

Yes, unfortunately, they are. The message is that legislators are free to ignore everything that’s important to them and concentrate on other groups, like the elderly and the wealthy, who always show up at the polls. Students, the poor, people of color, and the disabled, are being disenfranchised because they aren’t deploying their only form of power in sufficient numbers. Continue reading “Mon. 6/4: There are only two forms of power…money and votes. Use yours tomorrow.” →

Venturans – Join in! Help determine new districts to bring representation to all.

CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy) has successfully spearheaded an effort to switch Ventura from a city-wide election model to a district-base one. District elections guarantee a voice for underrepresented neighborhoods like the Westside, leading to more diverse leadership at City Hall. While one in three Ventura residents is a person of color, Ventura has never had a non-white city councilmember, an issue that’s put us in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

However, there are other benefits of using districts. By reducing the size of a voting area, the cost of running for office is greatly reduced, making it possible for more people to consider running for local office. It currently costs an average of $18,000 to win a seat on Ventura City Council, as candidates must pay to run expensive citywide advertisements. Districts bring elections down to the neighborhood level, promoting grassroots democracy. District elections also keep our representatives more accountable to listening to their neighbors instead of wealthy interests.

So, now the mapping of the districts begins and this is where you come in. We can help place the lines of the seven new districts.

Here’s the city’s link: https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/districtelections

There are paper maps you can download, interactive maps and an on-line district-drawing tool. Also, attend the public hearings (hearing dates

Continue reading “Venturans – Join in! Help determine new districts to bring representation to all.” →

This Week in Sanity-saving Good News – “The Kids are Alright” Edition…

Lego welcomes the women of NASA.

The kids are alright.

First, let’s talk about this 11 year-old girl who’s been worried about the Flint water situation since she’s been 9. Along with playing piano, swimming, fencing and taking dance lessons, she has invented the cheapest, most effective test for lead in water and won “America’s Top Young Scientist”. God, what was I doing when I was 11?