by Kate Turner '21
October 15, 2018
[Taken down for site construction and re-uploaded 5.24.19]
what are the dems up to?
We’re doing everything we can to boost Democratic turnout for the midterms!
On Sunday, we worked with organization Postcards to Voters to help them get out the vote in key districts — this is something you can get involved in on your own or with your group of friends outside of Dems, too!
Next week, we’ll continue our efforts to get out the vote with MHC alum Jennifer Craig — this time, instead of postcards, we’ll be phonebanking! This is a great time to get comfortable with working on a phone bank, since we’ll be calling Democrats, who already agree with us! Low stress, super important.
Also coming up, the Democratic candidate for state Senate in our district, Jo Comerford, will be visiting one of our meetings! Stay tuned.
Don’t forget about our work registering voters and requesting absentee ballots! We’ll be tabling in Blanch every Monday and Thursday during dinner until November 6, so stop by when you can! Your vote matters, and we want to make sure you can cast it.
in the pioneer valley
The EPA has declined to investigate reports of contaminated water in Amherst public schools. According to recent testing, Amherst is one of a number of Pioneer Valley towns whose public schools’ water supply contains elevated levels of lead, making lead poisoning a concern.
The ACLU will represent both Reg Andrade and Oumou Kanoute, both victims of racial profiling in the 5 Colleges. Andrade is a black man and an employee of UMass, Amherst, who had the police called on him when he was walking in to work one morning last month. Kanoute is a black Smith College student who also had the police called on her this summer; she was sleeping in a Smith common room. This is part of an ACLU campaign called “Living While Black on Campus.”
state-wide
Incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker (R) and his Democratic opponent Jay Gonzalez held their first of three debates on Wednesday. Despite endorsements from at least 22 Massachusetts mayors, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Barack Obama, Gonzalez is still behind Baker by at least 45 points according to recent polls. 45 percent of those polled reported not even knowing who Gonzalez was.
Want to finally elect a Democratic governor for Massachusetts? Donate to the Gonzalez campaign, or talk to the Dems about canvassing opportunities right here in South Hadley. (Email Lily at james23l or Maggie at mickl23m for more information.)
Geoff Diehl, the Republican running against Elizabeth Warren (D) for Senate, says his voters are becoming more energized — and specifically energized against Warren, a supporter of campaigns like #MeToo and #BelieveWomen — after the Supreme Court hearings, giving him what he calls a “Kavanaugh bump.”
Make sure Geoff Diehl and others who don’t believe women stay out of office. You can canvas for Elizabeth Warren in South Hadley (again, contact Lily or Maggie for details) or donate to Elizabeth Warren’s campaign here.
national news
Hurricane Michael has subsided, but remains one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the continental US. The reported death toll is currently 16 and continues to rise as emergency relief efforts are underway.
As hurricanes become less predictable and more frequent in the wake of climate change, FEMA has spent at least $81 billion on emergency response and crisis management — but their decisions to rebuild in place or without consideration of flood zones often fail to take climate change into account, leaving affected communities incredibly vulnerable.
Meanwhile, a landmark report issued by the United Nations’ scientific panel on climate change “describes a world of worsening food shortages and wildfires, and a mass die-off of coral reefs as soon as 2040 — a period well within the lifetime of much of the global population.” The reports says that to avoid crisis, the world economy needs to transform at a rate that has “no documented historic precedent.”
The crisis at the border isn’t over, and children as young as two years old are still being forced to represent themselves in court. According to Ashley Tabbador, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, children under 6 are now a “regular presence” in immigration court. This is because there are more children detained than ever before in the US, which is causing massive overflow for both detention centers and the court system.
Get involved with local organizations like the Texas Civil Rights Project, the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, and the Florence Project to help prevent the imprisonment of children and the separation of families at the border.
Veterans Affairs is refusing to turn over documents relating to the influence of outside businessmen (all friends of President Trump) on department policy.
USA Today published an op-ed by President Trump on Wednesday in which, according to the Washington post, “almost every sentence contained a misleading statement or a falsehood.” That’s journalistic malpractice, baby!
about elections
SPOTLIGHT: races to watch
Recent polling in Nevada shows Democrat Jacky Rosen behind incumben Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) by two points among likely voters. His seat is one of nine tossups in the Senate, which is why Rosen’s victory is so important. Learn more about the race and find out how to support Rosen here.
We’ll be highlighting more important races as we get closer to elections, but you can find out everything you need to know about your district here.
Still need to register to vote? The Vote Save America campaign is here to help!
Plus everything you need to know about this year’s midterms, voter registration deadlines by state, and how to vote early in states that allow it (hint: Massachusetts does!).
get involved!
In Georgia, Republican Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp has frozen more than 53,000 voter registration applications leading up to the election. Through his entire tenure as Secretary of State, Kemp has canceled more than 1.4 million voter registrations total; more than 70 percent of those belong to black voters. That’s voter suppression, and could cost Stacey Abrams (D), his opponent (and a black woman) the race.
Also, the Supreme Court has allowed a Voter ID provision in North Dakota that will disenfranchise thousands of Native Americans. The law prevents people without residential street addresses on their state IDs from voting, even though the US Postal Service does not deliver to Native American reservations, meaning Native American voters often list their PO boxes on their IDs. This, again, is racist voter suppression — it also puts incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D) in peril.
Here’s how those affected by the policy can still vote in North Dakota on November 6.
Heidi Heitkamp voted against Kavanaugh, and was counting on Native support. Support her campaign here.
And, as always, find the Americans of Conscience checklist here.