Wednesday's Actions: Letter Writing with Swing Left, Virtual Town Halls and More

****Actions 4/15/2020****

ELECTION:

Swing Left's National Virtual Letter Writing Party:
Now’s the time to work on the 2020 elections! Even though lots of us are isolated right now to protect our communities, we can still get together virtually to make an impact. Join Swing Left staff and volunteers from around the country for a virtual letter writing party, where we'll be hand-writing letters to potential voters asking them to vote in critical elections. This proven tactic (3-4x more effective than postcards) will help turn out the vote for Democrats in our 12 Super States!

Swing Left's How We Win Podcast hosts, Steve Pierson and Mariah Craven, will be helping host this letter writing party so there will definitely be great conversation while we write letters!

Details:
https://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/264489/


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Virtual Town Halls with Cal Cunningham:
US Senate candidate Cal Cunningham is holding a series of virtual town halls with Indivisible groups over the next few weeks. These town halls will allow you to connect with Cal and to learn how you can get involved in his campaign. Taking back that Senate seat from Thom Tillis is absolutely pivotal if we want to unseat Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader. Cal is a great candidate who supports progressive policies, so this is a real opportunity to learn how you can make a difference.

April 18th, 11 AM-12 PM
https://www.mobilize.us/cunninghamforsenate/event/267166/

April 25th, 2:30-3:30 PM
https://www.mobilize.us/cunninghamforsenate/event/267159/

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FEDERAL:

Protect the Post Office:
The Post Office is the:
*only federal agency mentioned in the constitution
*key to small businesses & rural communities
*largest employers of veterans (120K) apart from DOD
*basis of vote-by-mail
*only provider that will get your letter to AK for 55 cents
We need to do everything we can to protect it. Call your reps and tell them to support the post office not just with a temporary bailout but a path toward more permanent support. The Post Office, despite being the only federal agency mentioned in the Constitution, receives no federal funding.

Details:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/11/post-office-bailout-trump/

Script:
Hello, I am a constituent from zip code ___________ calling to urge Rep./Sen. ______________ to support legislation that would help to sustain the Post Office. The Post Office provides vital services, especially to rural communities. It employs thousands of veterans. And if the pandemic continues, it will play a crucial role in delivering ballots to voters. 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/


Resistbot Option:
Text 50409 with "USPS".  This will sign you up to send a letter to Support the United States Postal Service. It is a lifeline for all Americans, regardless of age, gender, race, disability, or socioeconomic status. We need 100,000 signatures, so let’s keep pushing.


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Support Voting Rights in the Age of Coronavirus:
We’ve all seen the Wisconsin primary clusterf^%& happening this week. SCOTUS ruled somehow that in-person voting should be allowed to continue and that vote-by-mail deadlines should not be extended. The case was literally RNC vs. DNC, so the court’s ruling is unapologetically partisan and unambiguously an attack on voting rights. This is a warning for what could happen in November. So naturally, Elizabeth Warren has come out with a plan to protect voting rights in the age of a pandemic, and it’s really good. The basic provisions include the following:

Nationwide vote by mail
30 days early voting
No voter roll purges
End voter ID requirements
$4b aid to states
Hazard pay for poll workers
More funding for USPS

To ensure that our elections can be held safely and fairly, we need all of these provisions in place. It is especially important to protect poll workers, many of whom are elderly and appear to be more vulnerable to the virus. Warren’s plan is building on the work of others, most notably Amy Klobuchar, but these ideas are good, and it’s worth pushing for them, especially in the Senate, where we need to hold One Term Tillis and Big Bucks Burr accountable.

Script:
Hello, I am a constituent from zip code ___________ calling to urge Rep./Sen. ____________ to pass legislation that would protect voting rights, especially if we are still dealing with the coronavirus. It is absolutely essential that we have the option nationwide to vote by mail, that we have at least 30 days of early voting, and hazard pay for poll workers. We should also end voter ID requirements at a national level and prevent states from engaging in voter roll purges. This is a pivotal election, and we shouldn’t have to choose between voting and our health (or the health of people around us). 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/

Details:
https://medium.com/@SenWarren/protecting-our-elections-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-efd3da6dbcaf