A Setback on Voting Rights, a Vow to Fight
Last week was a blow. Fifty Republican senators refused to allow vital voting rights bills to be passed – and two Democratic senators joined them.
Democrats Manchin and Sinema held that a parliamentary procedure (the filibuster) mattered more than passing voting rights bills, failing to mention that the filibuster has been changed dozens of times over the years.
So do we give up, or do we stay in the fight? We keep fighting. And let’s remember how strong we are.
Over the past year, we and our partners phoned and wrote and messaged our Illinois senators thousands of times. We marched and rallied and drove in car caravans. We patched thousands of people in NV, PA, DE, AZ, WV, and other states through to their Democratic senators to ask them to put our democracy ahead of the filibuster.
Senators Durbin and Duckworth heard us and, in the end, voiced support for changing the filibuster. Other senators who’d previously refused to touch the filibuster joined our senators in voting to make a path for voting rights. That’s progress, and we’ll return to advocate for fair elections and free access to the ballot – whatever it takes.
But with midterm elections looming, we will shift our efforts now to 2022 voter protection and turnout. Watch our newsletter and social media for opportunities to volunteer in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and other states.
Democracy: Where People Stand
1. Read statements by some groups & leaders after the Senate vote:
- Indivisible Chicago Alliance
- Ezra Levin of national Indivisible
- LDF – Legal Defense Fund of NAACP
- Rev William Barber of the Poor People’s Campaign
- Declaration for American Democracy
2. Stay informed on democracy matters.
- Refer to the IC-SS Democracy Doc
Be an IC-SS Voting Member
Will you be a voting member of Indivisible Chicago-South Side? As IC-SS prepares for possible candidate endorsements for the 2022 midterms, we invite you to become or remain a voting member to have a voice in our group’s leadership, endorsement, and governance decisions.
To become a voting member of IC-SS, pleaseregister via this voting member registration form as soon as possible and no later than 5:00 pm, Sunday, February 13, 2022. You qualify if you have been active with our group in any way.
If you were already a voting member and received our January 7 or 19 emails asking you to confirm, you need only reply to that email to remain a voting member. If you did not receive the January 7 email last week, please complete the voting member registration form instead.
Notes:
- Youqualify to become a voting member if you’ve been active with our group in any way.
- If you become a voting member now (or confirm your voting membership), you can vote in any endorsement meeting IC-SS may hold in 2022.
- IC-SS will hold an endorsement meeting via Zoom on the evening of Wed, Feb 16, to consider making one or more endorsements before the Illinois primary. Invitations with the Zoom link will be sent to anyone who becomes a new voting member or confirms their continuing membership by February 13.
Work for Wisconsin
Wisconsin is at the frontline in the fight for democracy, and it’s not too early to get involved. Wisconsin election dates to keep in mind:
- WI spring primary (local): Feb 15
- WI spring election (local): April 5
- WI partisan primary: Aug 9
- US midterm elections: Nov 8
Voter Protection in Wisconsin
One way to make a difference in Wisconsin: help ensure that every Wisconsin citizen is free to register, to vote, and to have their vote count. You can help the WI Voter Protection efforts (VoPro) via in-person and remote options: poll observing, phonebanking to recruit volunteers, working on the voter protection hotline, and more.
LEARN MORE – GET INVOLVED
- Get more info on VoPro efforts – Sign up here
- Online events: WisDems Voter Protection online training – Get info/sign up
Connect with IC-SS to Work in Wisconsin
Indivisible Chicago-South Side already has a group of neighborhood folks eager to put in the work. Beyond VoPro efforts, there will be work to do in support of campaigns for WI governor, US senator, and more.
Email IC-SS Co-Leader Sarah Lincoln if you want to learn more about getting connected locally to volunteer for Wisconsin!
Congratulations, Jacky Grimshaw!
Jacky Grimshaw is a revered member of Indivisible Chicago-South Side; over the years, our organization has benefited greatly from her wisdom and advice for activists.
Today, we congratulate Jacky Grimshaw for her professional accomplishments. She has just received the 2022 Sharon D. Banks Awardfrom the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Following are adapted excerpts from TRB’s press release.
Jacquelyne D. Grimshaw is Vice President for Government Affairs, Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT). She is recognized for championing the interests and concerns of, and the impacts felt by, those not usually at the decision table.
Her areas of expertise include public engagement, environmental justice, and transportation policy research. Ms. Grimshaw fights for equity in funding, and she staunchly tries to ensure that benefits and opportunities afforded by transportation policies and investments improve outcomes for all. Her work at CNT has effectively demonstrated the importance of transportation as part of quality of life in neighborhoods.
Congratulations, Jacky Grimshaw, on this recognition of your many talents and contributions!
Thanks to IC-SS Co-founder Wendy Posner for alerting us to this exciting news.
Postcards, Letters, Messaging to GOTV
Get in the winter frame of mind. Grab the cocoa, find a fuzzy friend, write letters to voters to help turn out the vote in key elections.
ACT: Write to voters in one or all of these ways: Vote Forward + Postcards to Swing States + Postcards for Climate.
LEARN: Postcards are one piece of a larger puzzle. In a virtual meeting Thurs Jan 27, Progressive Turnout Project will outline the messages and tactics aimed to rally progressives and Democrats to vote — from one-on-one conversations with voters to handwritten postcards. Featuring renowned communications researcher Anat Shenker-Osorio.
- How We’ll Rally Democrats to Vote in 2022 (virtual meeting)
- Thurs, Jan. 27th, 7:00-7:45 CT (8:00-8:45 ET)
- Get info/Sign up
Thanks to Steve Kagan for the alert to this special event.
Organizations & Opportunities
Indivisible Chicago-South Side shares information and action announcements from other organizations on issues important in our country, state, city, and communities
COVID-19 Behind Prison Walls: TOMORROW
Wed, Jan 26, 6:00-7:30 pm. Join the Coalition to Decarcerate IL and partners, the University of Illinois at Chicago Criminology, Law, and Justice Department and Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, for a timely panel event discussing COVID-19 in Illinois prisons: COVID-19 Behind Prison Walls. The online event will feature panelists Tewkunzi Green, Michelle Daniel (Jones), Erica Meiners, and Alan Mills. RSVP here.
Confronting Rise of School Board Disruptions: 1/27
From Indivisible IL and partners: Throughout the country and in Illinois, we have seen the rise of well-funded disinformation campaigns targeting school boards and educators.
This online event will cover: Who’s behind the disinformation campaign around masks/vaccines mandates, an erosion of LGBTQ+ rights, and the way race is being taught in our schools? How can we band together to support our school boards and staff who are being threatened and to protect public education?
Hear from an excellent panel and connect with others around Illinois who are organizing in their communities to stand up for inclusion, safety, and teaching a full and accurate history in our schools that protects all students
- Confronting the Rise of School Board Disruptions (online panel)
- Thursday, January 27th, 7:00-8:30 pm
- Learn more/sign up
Community Control of Police: Join the Fight!
This summer, the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance (ECPS) was passed in the Chicago City Council. This legislation gives Chicago residents some of the most comprehensive accountability over city police in the nation. The struggle for police accountability, however, is not done.
Now we need the City Council to put a referendum on the ballot, so Chicago residents can vote for even further control.
ACT:
Join CAARPR at the ECPS Zoom workshop, every Saturday at 10 AM. Learn about the next stage in the struggle for community control of the police. Then choose to do some phone banking or find out other ways to get involved. Get info/sign up
