IC-SS Weekly News: March 4, 2024
Write Letters at the Nile: Start This Thursday!
This week, Vote Forward launches its 2024 letter-writing campaigns, and Indivisible Chicago-South Side is starting right in. Join us this coming Thursday, March 7th, 6:00-8:00 pm at the Nile Restaurant (1162 E. 55th).
And after March 7th, you can join us a second time on Wednesday, March 20th, same time/place. For March 7, March 20 or both dates, RSVP here.
With guidance and resources from our letter leader, Steve Kagan, we’ll be writing to voters in key districts and states. Which states, you ask? To be announced! But Vote Forward always does careful research before selecting its campaigns, so we know our letters will have an impact. RSVP here for March 7, March 20, or both dates!
Note: We’ll get appetizers for the table, and you can order your own meal. Steve will provide the letters, envelopes, and pens. We encourage you to bring first-class stamps to donate, and you’re welcome to bring wine or beer to share. The most important thing is to be there!
Contact Your Reps on IVF + Gaza + SCOTUS
Contact your members of Congress on vital issues. Important: If you are contacting the same senator on different topics, we suggest calling or writing separately for each topic.
Defend IVF & Reproductive Freedom
National Indivisible writes: The Alabama Supreme Court recently issued a radical ruling endangering access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). This anti-family court ruling is the result of the decades-long campaign by Republican anti-abortion extremists to not only overturn Roe vs. Wade, but to also ban contraception, IVF, gender-affirming care, marriage equality, and more.
They must be stopped. We need to pass the Access to Family Building Act, a bill introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth that would create a federal right to IVF and related services and protect patients and doctors from being criminalized for trying to start or grow a family. [Senate Republicans have blocked the IVF bill, but we must let our Democratic senators know we count on them to continue fighting.]
Contact Senator Tammy Duckworth and thank her for her leadership in protecting reproductive freedom and the right for people to use IVF. Thank Senator Durbin for his support as well. (Or you can read more & use the Indivisible quick action form.)
- Contact & thank Senator Tammy Duckworth
- Contact & thank Senator Dick Durbin
Contact Our Senators, Reps on Gaza
Hear Robert Reich speak about the moral imperative for a ceasefire and for humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.
To date, more than 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed or have died as a result of the bombing and siege by the Israeli government. Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages are pressuring Israeli leaders to reach a deal for their release.
ACT: Phone or email our senators and your representative in the House and call on them to demand a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, negotiations for the return of hostages, and an end to U.S. funding of the Israeli government’s war on Gaza.
- Contact Senator Tammy Duckworth
- Contact Senator Dick Durbin
- Contact Rep. Jonathan Jackson (IL-01)
- Contact Rep Robin Kelly (IL-02)
- Contact Rep Danny Davis (IL-07)
Not sure which district you live in, or who your House rep is? Check here.
Contact Sen Duckworth on SCOTUS Ethics
The Supreme Court is facing a massive legitimacy crisis, not just because of their devastating rulings rolling back our fundamental rights, but for their highly questionable behavior off the bench as well. Recent reporting has indicated that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in lavish gifts from a billionaire MAGA donor, including private jet flights and luxury trips on yachts, as well as school tuition and rent payments for members of his family.
Thomas wasn’t the only justice accepting perks – his colleague, Samuel Alito also reportedly accepted luxury vacations on a private jet from a billionaire hedge fund manager with business pending in front of the Court.
Citywide Indivisible Chicago Alliance has joined 85+ organizations urging bold action from Senator Dick Durbin, who’s chair of the Judiciary Committee, as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to hold the court accountable.
One crucial step will be for Congress to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act (SCERT). This bill would impose ethical rules on all Supreme Court justices to ensure that the highest court in the land is not held to the lowest ethical standards. In particular, SCERT would:
- Create meaningful and enforceable ethics guidelines for the Supreme Court by establishing a binding code of conduct for all of the justices and clarifying and strengthening the justices’ duty to recuse themselves from cases in which they have conflicts of interest and requiring public disclosure of those conflicts.
- Mandate that, at a minimum, the justices adhere to the same gift, travel, and income disclosure standards as Members of Congress.
- Impose a duty on justices to know their own and their family’s financial and other interests that could be substantially affected by cases before them.
While SCERT won’t solve all of the problems brewing at the Supreme Court, it’s a critical step in the right direction. Senator Durbin is a co-sponsor of the bill, but Senator Duckworth is not.
ACT: Call Senator Duckworth and tell her to support SCERT and urge her to do everything in her power to pass it through the Senate. Use this handy form from national Indivisible!
Still on the Ballot – Vote YES
When we go to the polls for the March primary, we’ll be voting in the Bring Chicago Home (BCH) referendum.
Act: Tell Voters About Bring Chicago Home
In the weeks leading up to March 19, step up and inform Chicago voters about the important Bring Chicago Home referendum (Ballot Question 1). Get on Zoom in the comfort of your home and phone Chicago voters together. Knock doors in or near your neighborhood and talk face to face with voters. Either way, you get friendly training and support – both veterans & newbies are welcome!
At BCH phonebanks, you may see some familiar faces, leading or joining in with you
Phone voters every Sunday, 4:00 pm – Indivisible Chicago Alliance in partnership with Bring Chicago Home: get info/sign up
Phone voters every Tuesday/Thursday, 5:30 pm – Bring Chicago Home Coalition: get info/sign up
Canvass on Saturdays & Sundays: Knock doors with Bring Chicago Home – find a convenient date and neighborhood: get info/sign up
What’s Going On with Bring Chicago Home?
On February 23, a judge ruled in favor of a group of landlords and developers who had sued the Chicago Board of Elections, calling on the Board to remove Bring Chicago Home (Ballot Question 1) from Chicago ballots.
Last week, both the City of Chicago and the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners have filed appeals (see Sun-Times). Meanwhile, the question is remaining on our ballots — though the votes will be tallied only if there is a successful appeal. (See Board of Elections press releases here.)
Thus, it is extremely important that we all cast our YES vote on Ballot Question 1. If the judge’s ruling is overturned on appeal, our votes will count!
Vote YES on Ballot Question 1
As explained above, Ballot Question 1 remains on the ballot. On your ballot, you won’t see the words “Bring Chicago Home”; instead look for Ballot Question 1, which asks if you want to support affordable housing and supportive services, to be funded by adjusting the one-time Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) so most people will pay less, while buyers of properties over $1million will pay more.
Find the actual wording for Ballot Question 1 in this WBEZ story.
Bring Chicago Home Resources
- Bring Chicago Home Coalition resource webpage
- Indivisible Chicago Alliance’s BCH fact sheet
Illinois Primary: Info & Resources
Illinois’s primary is March 19, but voting has already begun and mail ballots are being sent out. Here is Chicago voting info plus voter guides on judicial candidates.
Early Voting Across the City
Early voting is in full swing! Chicagoans from any neighborhood can early-vote at any of the early voting sites across the city, including downtown locations: the Loop Supersite (191 N. Clark) and the Board of Elections offices (69 W. Washington, 6th Floor). As of today, March 4, you can also early-vote in any of the ward early-voting sites. Get all the Early Voting info here.
Vote-by-mail ballots are now being mailed to voters who signed up for them. It’s still possible to sign up to vote by mail in this election alone OR to get on the permanent vote-by-mail roster. See the Vote By Mail page for details.
And check the Chicago Board of Elections website for info on all forms of voting: early, mail, and Election Day (March 19).
What’s On Your Ballot?
To find out what’s on YOUR ballot, you can use one of these guides:
- League of Women Voters of Illinois: IllinoisVoterGuide.org
- Ballotpedia: Ballotpedia sample ballot tool
- Sun-Times/WBEZ voter guide: Voter Guide tool
- Blue Voter Guide: Build Your Guide
Voting Guides – Judicial Candidates
Indivisible Chicago-South Side is not making endorsements for the primary, though we encourage everyone to vote YES on Ballot Question 1 (for the RETT adjustment to support housing/services for homeless).
Here are some judicial voting guides put out by other organizations.
- From Injustice Watch: Check Your Judges 2024
- From Vote for Judges.org: Judicial Election Guide 2024
2024 ICA Action Calendar
It really is 2024. We know the stakes. We’re fighting to protect our democracy and prevent an authoritarian takeover. You’re probably seeking actions you can take that fit with your schedule and availability.
In this vital election year, Indivisible Chicago Alliance will be focusing on races in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, as well as on Chicago’s Ballot Question 1. For ways to get involved, check the Indivisible Chicago Alliance action calendar!
The calendar is a project of the citywide Indivisible Chicago Alliance and is curated by our friend Wendy Posner.
