Dear OSTPDX Members,
I hope you are all staying healthy while we all do our part to follow social distancing guidelines. Here is a video of a lovely poem by Kitty O’Meara on staying home and staying safe: And the people stayed home
Activism is going digital so take a look at the virtual events that are coming up and the actions can be done from home! Oregon’s primary is just around the corner and there is work to be done.
Announcements
The Consolidated Oregon Indivisible Network has issued a letter calling on the Special Joint Committee on Coronavirus Response of Oregon to ensure the response that Oregon provides, addresses the economic and health and safety needs of Oregon's stricken population during the upcoming special Legislative session. One Small Thing PDX co-signed the letter. Take a look: COIN Special Session Coronavirus Response Letter
Actions & Events
Oregon Primary part 1 – Get Informed and Get Engaged
We are lucky to be able vote at home/vote by mail in Oregon for the May 19 primary. In our current upside down world and so much focus on Covid-19, it is reassuring that our system of voting at home allows us to participate in this most basic action of democracy. While other states are needing to delay primaries because of their in-person voting system, our Secretary of State’s Office clarified their confidence in carrying on this important election. Now it is up to activists like One Small Thing members to inform and engage our community!
One Small Thing planned to come together with many of you at our April 5 Secretary of State Democratic candidate forum, planned and co-sponsored with several other Metro area activist groups. That event had to be cancelled, but you can still make your voice heard by voting for your choice for this office on the May 19 ballot. Here are the current Secretary of State candidates and links to their bios on Ballotpedia:
Democratic primary candidates
Republican primary candidates
Other races of particular interest in the primary are President, Senate. Oregon state reps and state senators, city council, and other local races and measures, too. Check out the City Club of Portland videos library you can access candidate forums for important offices such as District Attorney, City Commissioner and Mayor. Here is the link: pdxcityclub.org
Oregon Primary Part 2 – Declare your party affiliation to vote on all primary races
Did you know that if you are not registered as a member of a major party, your primary ballot will only include nonpartisan offices and measures, and won’t include the candidates for contested races such as SOS and President?
If you are a registered in Oregon, but are an unaffiliated voter or a member of a minor party, you won’t have the opportunity to help pick the candidates who will appear on the November ballot. You have until the deadline of April 28 to change your registration to declare a party (or to register to vote if you or friends or family have not done so). Do so in minutes on the Secretary of State website linked in the article above. Ballots will begin to be mailed to voters on April 29 and the very last day to safely mail your ballot is May 14, but doing so earlier this year is better. Verify your registration here.
Oregon Primary Part 3 – Consider signing up to contact non-affiliated voters
The new “Be A Primary Voter” is the only project reaching statewide to help non-affiliated voters register as Dems so they have the right to vote in the primary. Sign up to contact voters by post card, phone or text. By Democratic Party of Oregon, Multnomah County Democrats and DemCast Oregon. Sign up here to make a difference.
The next OST-PDX Activist Reading Group meeting will be held on ZOOM!
Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 2, 7:30-9:00pm via zoom. Phil Kiesling (former Oregon Secretary of State) will be our guest. We will probably also start our planned discussion about the 2020 elections.
To offer an optimal participant experience, please RSVP to rlshallcross@gmail.com if you plan to attend Thursday, 4/2/20, 7:30-9 p.m. by Thursday at noon. The link will only be sent to people who RSVP.
Action by Indivisible Oregon
A reminder that Indivisible Oregon posts daily actions, in addition to their Indivisible Tuesday actions, with scripts if you’re looking to stay active and engaged while practicing social distancing. Indivisible Tuesday has gone virtual! Details are listed below in the Digital Events section.
Our Tuesday ask: We can fight this pandemic with the right tools. Trump has failed to act and Congress must do the same. They must stay in session, pass legislation invoking 2the Defense Production Act and make sure we have the ventilators, personal protective equipment, and testing supplies we need to fight covid 19. The action will be posted on Tuesday at 6:00 AM here: indivisibleor.org/actions
Digital Events
Be a Primary Voter Action Party: Tuesdays & Saturdays
Our Lives On The Line | Live Town Hall Kick-Off: Tuesday, March 31st from 6-7 p.m. EDT
Census Day Livestream Party: Wednesday, April 1st from 12-2 p.m.
Virtual Indivisible Tuesday at Sen. Wyden & Rep. Blumenauer's: Tuesday, April 7th at 11:30 a.m.
Virtual meeting - Indivisible Tuesday at Sen Merkley's: Tuesday, April 21st at 11:30 a.m.
Articles
Visit our website – www.onesmallthingpdx.org – like our Facebook page -- follow our Twitter account -- @onepdx.
OSTPDX will not be endorsing any candidates before primaries. All content included in our newsletters is informational in nature and should not be considered an endorsement.
Regards,
Sara McKinney
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