Thursday Actions: Election Security, William Barr, Town Halls, and More

****Actions 2/13/2020****

FEDERAL:

Hold Attorney General Barr Accountable for Interfering in Trump Investigations:
While MSNBC and CNN were distracted by undecided voters in New Hampshire, Attorney General Bill Barr was busy interfering with the sentencing of Trump surrogate Roger Stone. Prosecutors originally sought 7-9 years, and Barr has pushed to dramatically reduce that. This action prompted all four of the prosecutors involved in the case to withdraw, and one even resigned. Trump also enacted revenge by taking a job opportunity away from someone who had been involved in Stone’s trial. This is authoritarianism. It needs to stop. Our elected officials need to hold Trump and Barr accountable. At a minimum, Barr needs to be compelled to testify before Congress.

Details:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/justice-dept-to-reduce-sentencing-recommendation-for-trump-associate-roger-stone-official-says-after-president-calls-it-unfair/2020/02/11/ad81fd36-4cf0-11ea-bf44-f5043eb3918a_story.html 

Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling from zip code _______________ to urge Sen./Rep. ____________ to hold Trump and Attorney General Barr for interfering with the sentencing of Roger Stone. This is an authoritarian tactic that will make it impossible for Trump to be held accountable for any of his actions. Stone has been convicted of witness tampering and obstruction of justice on behalf of Trump. These are serious crimes, and not holding him accountable will further undermine the public’s faith in elections and the institutions meant to protect them. Barr cannot be trusted and should be compelled to resign immediately. Thank you.

Federal Contact Numbers:
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tim Scott (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-6121
Lindsey Graham (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-5972
House: https://www.house.gov/representatives/

---------

Tell the Senate to Support the Shield Act:
We’re still waiting for the GOP to pay any attention to issues related to election security. Instead, they have spent the last few months shielding Trump, Rudy, and friends from any accountability when it comes to inviting foreign meddling in our elections. The House has passed several bills to address election security. One of those, The Shield Act, will close loopholes that allow foreign spending in our elections, boost disclosure and transparency requirements, and create a duty to report illicit offers of campaign assistance from foreign nations or governments. The SHIELD Act is comparable to Amy Klobuchar’s bill, The Honest Ads Act, and would go a long way toward shutting down the disinformation campaigns that continue to poison our public discourse.

Details:
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/467185-house-passes-third-bill-aimed-at-preventing-foreign-election-interference

Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling from ____________ to urge Rep. _______________ to support The SHIELD Act. This bill would take important steps toward eliminating foreignspending in our elections. It would close loopholes that currently allow foreign spending on our elections and would improve transparency when it comes to political advertisements. The bill would also prohibit the spread of deceptive information about voting procedures. We need to work to block disinformation about our elections, and the SHIELD Act is an important first step.

Federal Contact Numbers:
Thom Tillis: DC: (202) 224-6342
Richard Burr DC: (202) 224-3154
Tim Scott (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-6121
Lindsey Graham (SC): Washington, DC: 202-224-5972



---------

ELECTIONS:

Elections have consequences. We’ve all seen that. And, although it’s beneath the radar, North Carolina is already gearing up for early voting. Here are a few simple things you can do to get involved.

Get Involved--then Brag About It:
The Wake County Democratic Party will be holding its precinct meetings on Saturday. Many of the meetings will be held at the McKimmon Center at NC State, but if you live in Wake County, check your location at the link below. For other counties, check your local Democratic Party home page. I’m going to encourage everyone to volunteer for at least one action and then to post their actions in the comments. Let’s use positive encouragement to help get our group members involved.

Link:
https://wakedems-precincts.org/precinct-organization/

--------

Volunteer for our Empty Chair Town Hall:
We’re holding another empty chair town hall for Thom Tillis, and as you may know, several candidates, including Erica Smith, Cal Cunningham, and Shannon Bray, have committed to attend. These events rely on volunteers, and they wouldn’t be possible without the assistance of people like you. Volunteering can be a great way to get to know the candidates a little better, and if we haven’t met, this would also be a great way to get to know some of your fellow members. The town hall is ONE WEEK away, so it would be really helpful to have a few more volunteers.

Sign-Up Genius:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e094caba923ab9-empty2

If you haven’t RSVPed for the town hall, we would encourage you to do so. We’d like to be able to show the news media that there will be a huge crowd of people ready to demonstrate that we want our voices to be heard.

Town Hall Link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/565550154026996/

-------------

Poll Greeting:
If you live in Wake County, you can sign up here to do poll greeting at one of the early voting sites. Even during a primary, it is absolutely crucial to have a presence at the polls and to show that we are ready for 2020. Poll greeting is easy and fun. You’ll get an occasional snide comment, but hundreds of other people will be thankful that you’re there.

Link:
https://www.wakedems.org/ev-signup?fbclid=IwAR29Td-2KX3ZRkwMgZCnLLt2Qqq5AiafZ4Mn6RdusjXn1TnOWKP4qjEr2w0

--------

Primary Voting:
Early voting for the March 3rd NC primary election begins three days from today (i.e. on February 13th). Let’s start this week off by taking some personal actions to maximize our electoral impact during this season.

Confirm your voter registration information, Election Day polling place, and view your sample ballot.
Link: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/

Review the one-stop, early voting sites and times.
Link: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/ossite/

Past research indicates that making a “voting plan” can increase turnout in an electorate by almost 4%. Take five minutes to: identify where you will vote; determine when you will vote (day/time); plan for how you will get to the polls; and select those (especially down-ballot) races on the ballot that you might have to research more before heading to the polls.

After researching the races for each elected office, is there a candidate that you feel passionate about supporting outside of giving them your vote? Search for more information about the candidate to see if you can: donate, canvass, poll greet, or make calls to other potential voters.

Identify at least 3 other individuals you know who should go through these five steps. This will help to ensure that we have an epic turnout during the primary and in the general election as well.