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KEEP - FLIP Democratic: Postcard writing parties - April & May 2018 = 1,700+ postcards
During our April and May events, we experienced a strong sense of purposefulness, friendship and community as we spent a couple of hours together moving the needle left in NJ Congressional Districts 5 and 11. We wrote close to a thousand cards (yes, close to 1K!!) in April in a room filled with 50 volunteers inspired by great music, conversation and common commitment that everyone shared and felt.
Patches Magarro, an experienced campaign professional and co-founder of the NJ 5 Coalition, kicked off the evening by briefly talking about voter engagement and the next role BID will play in our 2018 Election Action Campaign -- getting voters registered, knocking on doors and ultimately getting folks to the polls on November 6th.
Many thanks to our hard working organizer and steering committee meeting chair, Cassie Holm, as well as other steering committee members Alex Spyridaki, Daphne Bloore, Susan Van Poznac, Nora Seoane-Jobsonk, Stephanie Paolino and Julie Segal, among others, for helping make the event run so smoothly. As always, the steering committee continues to be humbled and inspired by the enormous effort and enthusiasm you are displaying by showing up and doing the work necessary for victory in November.
Another 800 postcards went to the post office on May 9, 2018. Anna Wong's presentation was a major hit and added bonus!
Between our two events in April and May 2018, we’ve sent 1700+ postcards!! Great job everyone! Thanks so much!
ELECTION ACTION 2018: HOW WE'LL WIN BACK CONGRESS - MARCH 3, 2018
Excerpts from email sent March 8, 2018, by Lori Sackler, BID President
We had a wonderful morning at the Unitarian Church in Paramus on March 3, 2018, where we demonstrated our resolve and determination to work together to Win Back Congress in the all-important 2018 midterm election.
Mark your calendars: Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
Please make sure you and your friends and family members are registered to vote and, if you plan to travel, send in your absentee ballot!
Please read the entire front-page article covering our training event in the Bergen Record.
The energy, enthusiasm and commitment was clearly heightened by the joint participation of our group, Bergen Indivisible for Democracy (BID), with Indivisible NJ 5 and NJ 11 for Change, and the other groups that attended.Elizabeth Juviler and Saily Avelenda of NJ 11 and Jeff Fox of NJ 5 provided a special kind of inspiration with their stories and successes in their respective districts, while Anna Wong of NJ 5 and the NJ 5 Coalition, and Marguerite Suozzo-Gole of Indivisible National inspired us with their technical know-how and tools and tips for registering and getting out the vote.
INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL
CLICK EACH LINK BELOW
INDIVISIBLE NJ 5
CLICK EACH LINK BELOW
The bottom line for BID, mainly representing NJ Congressional District 9, is that we will support NJ 5 and NJ 11's efforts to elect Democrats in their districts and will provide door-knocking boots on the ground, card writing initiatives, and help in getting folks registered.
Get ready to further your skills as community organizers and activists. We will be calling on you again soon, so stay tuned.
OTHER RESOURCES ON VOTING REGISTRATION
We now turn our attention to the upcoming March For Our Lives on March 24, 2018, when students and their families “will take to the streets to demand that their lives and safety become a priority, and that we end gun violence in our schools and communities.”
There are three marches organized near our area: in Newark, Bergen County and Rockland County, NY. You can find more information about a march nearest to you by clicking here.
POSTCARDS TO ALABAMA VOTERS - DEC. 4, 2017
Bergen Indivisible for Democracy (BID) sent much love and plenty of postcards to Alabama voters on Dec. 4, 2017. Our amazing volunteers wrote 800 postcards to registered Alabama voters asking them to consider voting for Democrat Doug Jones who is taking on Republican Roy Moore facing serious sexual assault accusations. Our event was part of an ambitious national volunteer effort, "Postcards to Voters." We had an amazing turnout and plenty of camaraderie in the room.
ELECTION ACTION 2017: BID HIGHLIGHTS
Excerpts from email sent Nov 8, 2017, by Lori Sackler, BID President
We have reason to celebrate and rejoice on the outcome of yesterday’s state-wide elections. We won big and what a difference a year makes!
The victories we achieved last night, from New Jersey to Virginia and to New Hampshire, prove that our progressive movement is energized, locally-led, and unapologetic in rejecting Trump’s style of hate and fear-mongering.
Activism is working and Bergen Indivisible for Democracy is proud to be a part of it. We are part of what the New York Times calls “a suburban rebellion, where more moderate voters rejected Mr. Trump and embraced Democrats.”
BID celebrates those victories and is particularly proud to have played its part in our neck of the woods.
6 out of the 12 candidates that we had endorsed got elected, a 50% success rate. Phil Murphy is the new Governor of NJ. Assembly members Valerie Huttle and Gordon Johnson and State Senator Loretta Weinberg of LD 37 have been successfully re-elected! Lauren Dayton and Jeff Grossman, both first time candidates, got elected to the Tenafly Town Council.
Our friends from LD 39, Annie Hausmann and Jannie Chung, running for the State Assembly, although not victorious, made a serious dent in this republican stronghold, only 3% away from the republicans who won. The same applies to Linda Schwager, who ran for the State Senate and got an impressive 46% of the vote, while her republican opponent was elected with 53%.
Aparna Mulchandani and Debra Sahler who ran for the Ramsey Town Council didn’t get enough votes to get elected, but, as their statement very accurately notes, they “were successful in getting our message heard and reclaiming Ramsey as a two-party town. The days of uncontested races in Ramsey are over.”
We are also very proud of our action packed month of election events.
We kicked-off the electoral season with an event hosting these candidates at the residence of Ret. Honorable Judge Ronny Jo Siegal, along with representatives of fellow activist groups, such as WEDO of Bergen County and representatives of the Phil Murphy campaign.
We also organized phone banks for them, making over 600 calls in a few hours, and co-sponsored events with the Murphy campaign and the Democratic Committee of Bergen County, hosting Tammy Murphy, our next first lady, and entertainer and activist Chelsea Handler.
So, it is appropriate for all of us to give ourselves a pat on the shoulder for a job well done!! It’s time now to roll up our sleeves and get ready for Election 2018! It’s not going to be an easy task. We need each and every one of you to stay the course, remain vigilant, active and dedicated. With our movement energized and ready to keep the pressure on, there’s no stopping us.
Please stay tuned for our new action plan for 2018! Our steering committee is already planning our next set of strategies as we enter the New Year. Together, we are stronger!