Voting and Elections
Chair: Laurie Veninger (Organizing Group member) | veninger@aol.com
Let’s Get Out the Vote!
Now that we are in the final weeks of voter registration, Indivisible and other resistance groups are making plans for the next phase: GOTV! Getting out the vote requires everyone to lend a hand! There are many ways we can all help with phone-banks or canvassing, here on the Cape, or a little further afield! IOC also has a few actions planned and needs your help! Not only will we be writing postcards to newly registered Cape Cod voters, but we will be working on informing Cape Codders of the importance of voting for progressive candidates and for voting YES on all three MA Ballot Questions.
Voting and Election Update
Several of IOC members worked on the Cape and Islands Vote! three day library voter registration drive and we set up shop through out the summer! We have already arranged tables at Truro’s Farmers’ Market, the Truro Ag Fair, Eastham Windmill Weekend, and at the UU Church in Ptown. If you know of an event or location where we might still register voters let us know! We are looking for volunteers to staff these until the deadline of October 17!
Other registration efforts include a souvenir postcard campaign which has a QR Code that links to a voter registration website through Indivisible. The QR Code lets citizens of 37 states register online through TURBOVOTE. These cards can be distributed at events throughout town or in bars or shops. If you know a business owner who can help or if you want to distribute, please get in touch! Even if you only have 10-15 minutes, you could make a big difference handing out these cards to crowds!
Phone banking for MA State Senator Julian Cyr is ongoing every several times a week in Eastham. Once you learn how to do it, it’s easy to do from home too! Check out our calendar for days/times! Other candidates will also be needing your help so look to their websites or our posts on Facebook for more information.
We are looking into how to help with the Barnstable County Commissioner race and other Cape Cod races for the MA State House of Representatives. As you may know, Barnstable County Commissioners represent all Cape Codders, although it seems one of the current Commissioners has a lot of animosity toward our community. In order to neutralize this Trumpian Commissioner, we want to help elect Ron Bergstrom to the BCC. Other Cape Cod districts have incumbant Republican State Reps and we want to help Democrats Jack Stanton (5th district), Paul Cusack (2nd district) and Steven Leibowitz (1st district). See below for more info. If you would like to help develop materials to distribute in these other Cape Cod towns, please let us know. If you are available to distribute leaflets to voters in these districts after Labor Day, please get in touch! We need you! Perhaps IOC members can help other Cape Codders flip their State Reps!
LOCAL RACES WE ARE FOLLOWING
As mentioned at our last meeting, there are several local Cape Cod races where we might be helpful at flipping the seat from Red to Blue. Here is a list of local candidates and a little information about why it might be important to help with these races:
- Ron Bergstrom is running against Leo Cakounes for Barnstable County Commissioner. Having him on the Commission would be so important since trumpian Ron Beaty is there for two more years. Bergstrom is currently on the County Assembly and is knowledgeable about county government. One issue that is important, Cakounes supports the Barnstable County Sheriff becoming an arm of ICE, Bergstrom does not. He needs to raise money to run a strong campaign against Cakounes – his website: votebergstrom.org
- Jack Stanton is challenging Randy Hunt (5th district) who is endorsed by MA Citizens for Life and gets excellent grades from the NRA! Jack’s website is here: https://www.electjackstanton.org/ and you can find him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Jack4StateRep/
- Paul Cusack is challenging Will Crocker (2nd district) who hasn’t even finished his first term and gets low grades from Planned Parenthood and good grades from the NRA and would allow guns in schools – find Paul’s Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Paul-Cusack-586854171690127/
- Steve Leibowitz is challenging Tim Whelan (1st district) who gets high grades from the NRA and would allow guns in schools – Steve’s website is http://stevenforstaterep.com/
- Julian Cyr is being challenged by John Flores whose off-Cape super-pac has already sent misleading attack leaflets to Cape residents. Website: https://www.senatorcyr.com/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Julian.S.Cyr/
- Sarah Peake is working for us and is not being challenged this election. Website: https://www.sarahpeake.net/ Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/sarah.peake.37
- Dylan Fernandes is the newest Cape Cod representative and he is working for us. Website: http://www.dylanfernandes.com/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RepDylanFernandes/
Immigration
Chair: Alison Dwyer | alisondivine@yahoo.com
The mission of the Immigration Committee, a subgroup of Outer Cape Indivisible, is to be aware of both national and local legislation around immigration rights and respond to this legislation, to make local members of the community aware of legislation and inform them of their rights, providing direct support where needed and possible, and finally to monitor local elected officials and police as they respond to issues around immigration.
Our actions and goals include:
- Visiting detention centers with supplies
- Keeping tabs on our local sheriff
- Creating a line of communication with other local groups- such as Safe Communities Coalition and Outer Cape Indivisible
- Create an Emergency Alert System
- Outreach/Education
Immigration meetings are held every other Thursday at 1 pm at St Mary of The Harbor, Commercial Street, Provincetown.
The Immigrant Rights subgroup offers a variety of resources on immigration concerns and laws. They meet on Thursdays and currently promote local, monthly, and FREE Immigration Counseling. This service is provided by immigration lawyer and Coordinator of the Immigration Resource Center, Collin Mickle. Mickle will be in Eastham at the Children’s Place the first Wednesday of every month to answer questions regarding immigration policies and rights. Call 508-771-1727 x 140 to make an appointment.
Immigration Resources:
Health Care & Immigration Status Rights
¿Cuáles Son Mis Derechos Si La Policía Me Para En Mi Carro?
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE STOPPED BY POLICE, IMMIGRATION AGENTS OR THE FBI
LGBTQ
Chair: C-Sue Mrazik | 1stDieselFemme@gmail.com
Through keeping IOC members informed of legislative actions destroying equality under the law for LGBTQI communities, this subgroup plans to communicate actions members can take to resist! Contact C-Sue if you want to participate or have information about actions related to LGBTQI rights.
Update on upcoming ballot initiative:
While we may not be surprised by court cases when they occur in other states (like Masterpeice Cake Shop v Colorado), we are shocked to learn about an effort here in MA to roll back LGBTQ rights. This November, Ballot Question #3 attempts to repeal MA public accommodation law (S.2407) which guarantees the rights of all people, regardless of gender identity, access to public places. The law was passed in 2016 and conservative groups, based in Washington, DC, immediately began work to repeal it. They intend to make MA the testing ground for the country by using fear and hate in the name of protecting wives and daughters from trans men in bathrooms (no such actual case has ever been recorded!). The wording of the ballot question is especially worrisome and may confuse voters who must vote YES to keep the bill in place.
NEW: An IOC Forum on Ballot Question #3:
On September 23, 1-3 p.m. we are holding a forum at Nauset Regional High School to inform the public to vote for equality by voting YES on Ballot Question #3. Speakers from Freedom For All and the ACLU will be present, as will our State Representative Sarah Peake and our State Senator Julian Cyr. Respectful questions from the audience will be encouraged and members of the public will have the opportunity to volunteer to help with the YES campaign.
Healthcare/Women
Chair: Laurie Veninger (Organizing Group member) | veninger@aol.com
Current budget proposals continue to decimate our healthcare. Protections of the ACA (like for pre-existing conditions) are eroding and Medicaid faces further budget cuts. Now Paul Ryan’s budget is also considering massive cuts to Medicare and Social Security. The Trump administration’s threats to Title X, which funds care for sexual and reproductive health centers, are also coming true and will leave many poor women and men without birth control or care for STDs.
Cape Cod Women for Change (another Indivisible!) has been conducting surveys of local Cape Cod candidates and their positions on issues that concern women. These issues vary from reproductive issues, to gun reform, to sex education, to affordable housing. The results will be made available soon and might prove very useful at helping with the races in other parts of the Cape.
At the CCWFC forum on June 21, attendees heard from ACLU representative Whitney Taylor and NARAL representative Gena Frank about current bills in MA legislature that need our support. One particularly concerning issue is to repeal an antiquated MA law outlawing abortion or intentional miscarriage. This law is null so long as Roe v. Wade stands, but should it be defeated, we will have a difficult time protecting a woman’s right to govern her own body and financial future.
Emotional Support
Chair: Gail Morrison | gaiamore00@gmail.com
The Indivisible Outer Cape Emotional Support Collective offers resources, connections, and safe compassionate spaces designed to support, energize, empower and sustain all people who are concerned with issues of peace, justice, tolerance, truth, freedom of expression, and environmental preservation.
Gun Reform
We need you! Since our successful seven site Stand Out for Students on March 14, 2018, Indivisible Outer Cape and Lower Cape Indivisible would like to collaborate on promoting meaningful gun reform. Unfortunately, both groups are severely under-staffed and have not been able to make any headway. So if you are interested in representing IOC and working on this important issue with our neighbors from Lower Cape, please email Laurie Veninger at veninger@aol.com and we can put you in touch!
Environment
Michael Holt will be starting a book club October 10 to discuss the issue of climate change! The details are here:
If you have a great idea for a project that has to do with the environment, and you want to create a group to work on it, please contact the IOC subgroup liaison Maddie Veninger at maveninger@gmail.
She can explain how you set up and help get you started.
Until we have some active members working in this area, the IOC subgroup liaison is working with several Outer Cape environmental initiatives to keep you updated and involved, including:
350 Cape Cod Contact: Chris Powicki | chrisp@weeinfo
350 is looking for Outer Cape Codders to help with an event in September called “Rise the Climate, Jobs & Justice”
Outer Cape Solarize Plus (OCSP) Contact: David Mead-Fox | dmeadfox@gmail.com
Climate Mobilization Outer Cape (CMOC) Contact: David Mead-Fox | dmeadfox@gmail.com
Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative (5 C’s) Contacts: Sandy Bayne | sandybayne@comcast.net and Moncrieff Cochran | capecodclimate@gmail.com
Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer (POCCA) Contact: Laura Kelley | L.Kelley@poccacapecod.org
Outer Cape Energize Plus (OCEP) Contact Dee Morehouse, deemorehouse@gmail.com
