A webinar presented by the Secure Elections Network titled “Elections Officials: Building a Team to Secure Our Elections” on May 19 at 5 PM, will feature speaker Tina Barton, an election security advocate and the City Clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan. In her presentation, “Building Networks/Working Together to Build Election Security,” Barton will describe her community work and ideas for creating a team of election officials and advocates to secure the 2020 elections.
Barton was appointed to Michigan’s Election Security Commissionby the MI Secretary of State. The Commission, the first of its kind, was created in March 2019 to help boost voter confidence, increase turnout, and secure the integrity of elections against known and future threats such as hacking. Barton also oversaw Michigan’s first risk limiting audit pilot project after the 2018 midterm elections.
If you want to learn more about the work that IEB’s Voter Rights & Election Integrity team is doing, and how you can help, email us at info@IndivisibleEB.org, or join the #voting-issues channel on IEB’s Slack. For an invitation to join Slack, email: info@IndivisibleEB.org
Haleh S. is an Engineer turned Lawyer, turned Activist
Despite our efforts to make sure that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was able to complete his Trump-Russia investigation and deliver a report, according to a CNN poll only 24% of Americans say they’ve read any of the report. 75% have so far opted not to read it, and only 3% say they’ve read all 448 pages.
Unindicted co-conspirator Individual-1 and Attorney General Bill “Stonewall” Barr have sparked a constitutional crisis, blocking Congress and the public from seeing the full report. They’re also trying to prevent witnesses, including Mueller himself, from testifying in public hearings. But while the Democrats, with our support, fight those battles, we have the report, and a critical way to resist is to READ IT!
Members of the Not Above the Law coalition began the Mueller Book Club to encourage more people to read the report. They’re calling on Americans to start local reading groups across the country, and to join them for a once-weekly broadcast to discuss it.
The “Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election,” aka the Mueller Report, is the most in-depth summary the U.S. government has produced about Russia’s efforts to interfere in our 2016 election on behalf of Trump. The two-year investigation also resulted in a sickening chronicle of Trump and his cronies intent on obstructing the investigation.
Over the course of a month, participants in the Mueller Book Club will read the report together, section by section. We’ll devote two weeks each to the two volumes, including footnotes and redactions, to learn what they tell us about the investigations and their consequences. Legal and policy experts will explain the contents and address key questions, and we’ll debate and discuss its findings online.
How to participate:
Join the #mueller_book_club channel on Indivisible East Bay’s Slack. Not yet on Slack? Email us for an invite: info@indivisibleeb.org
Start a reading group in your own group or community.
The organizers’ ultimate goal is for participants to understand the implications of the report, and to use that understanding to inform their friends, family and communities about what it means to them.
The Report debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and tops Amazon’s best seller list, but you can download it for free. Here are some alternatives to get the report:
Buzzfeed’s May 6 article about the DOJ’s updated version of the Mueller Report, revised in response to Buzzfeed’s Freedom of Information Act request and lawsuit
To find out more about the Special Counsel’s investigation, and learn what actions Indivisible East Bay has been taking to support it for over a year, read our past articles:
Updated May 1: Read below for all details and to see all upcoming dates (and check back for additional dates). Note that if a date has no link to RSVP you can RSVP and send any questions directly to host Nancy Klein at nancyklein44@gmail.com or 510-917-4045
Think nothing is happening in May 2019, so far from November 2020? Think again – a steady stream of special elections needs YOUR help – texting and phoning is up and running. For example, PA-12 House seat is vacant (the repub resigned right after being re-elected) and we have a shot at flipping another seat! There is a primary in North Carolina in May. Virginia elects a new House of Delegates this year.
Hero phone and text bankers in West County, who wore their fingers to the bone dialing and texting for the 2018 Blue Wave, are jumping back into weekly (mostly) phone and text-banking parties on Tuesdays from 1 to 3 PM in El Sobrante, and in Richmond starting on May 14.
They’re focusing on the many upcoming special elections, and you can come help slow the trump train by texting and making calls! Join any of these West County phone or text-bank parties, Tuesdays ongoing, anytime between 1 to 3 PM. We’ll update this article as more events are added, so check back!
All are welcome, from newbies to experienced! The hosts will train you and make sure you’re comfortable calling or texting. Bring your phone, charger, and earbuds (for your comfort) AND a laptop or tablet (or when you sign up, let them know you’d like to borrow one), and don’t forget your good cheer and positive energy to #Resist! And bring friends!
To RSVP (if there’s no link for a date) and if you have any questions, contact host Nancy Klein at nancyklein44@gmail.com or 510-917-4045
Tom Steyer, head of Need to Impeach, held a Town Hall at Ruby Hill Winery’s Casa Real in Pleasanton on April 23, 2019, to encourage his large and enthusiastic audience to keep the pressure on Representative Eric Swalwell, who is now running for President. The following day, April 24, an impeachment petition with many constituent signatures was to be dropped off at Swalwell’s office; Indivisible East Bay member and CA-15 team co-lead Ward Kanowsky also planned an April 24 visit to Swalwell’s district office, making it an impeachment day of action!
Prior to the Town Hall, Steyer had asked to hold a private meeting with Alameda4Impeachment (A4I). Four members of A4I’s leadership team – Rosemary Jordan, Ken and Katie Cameron, and Lynn La Rocca (most of whom are also active IEB members) – met with Steyer at the winery, where we were joined by Need to Impeach staff members Jamiah Adams and Nat Arriola.
A4I’s Katie, Rosemary, Lynn, and Ken meet with Tom Steyer, photo by Jamiah Adams
From the start it was clear that Steyer was there to listen to us. We shared photos of our work over the past two-plus years and our original Articles of Impeachment, and then quickly turned to the current situation and possible actions to take.
A4I’s Katie and Rosemary meet with Tom Steyer, photo by Lynn LaRocca
First, we commended Need To Impeach for its recent stronger efforts to coordinate with other national and local impeachment efforts. We explored ways to end-run or persuade the Republicans, especially in the Senate, and we discussed and evaluated the Pelosi-Hoyer negative messaging on impeachment.
Perhaps most important, we all expressed frustration over the stonewalling of subpoenas by the White House and other Administration officials. It was clear that none of us, including Steyer, had answers on how and whether the House can proceed with impeachment without cooperating witnesses and necessary documents. A4I followed up by sending some questions to legal expert Ron Fein, and obtained very helpful clarification within hours; you can read the Q&A with Fein here.
The Town Hall was very well attended. Great food, typical of Steyer events – he takes care of his audience! Steyer called for us, the people, to urge our Members of Congress to hold public hearings that reveal the impeachable offenses, and to remove an outlaw President.
Tom Steyer at Pleasanton Town Hall 4/23/19, photo by Katie Cameron
Tom Steyer in front of a packed house in Pleasanton, Ruby Hill Vineyard, photo by Katie Cameron
Tom Steyer in front of a packed house in Pleasanton, Ruby Hill Vineyard, photo by Katie Cameron
Audience questions were invariably supportive of Steyer’s efforts, and of impeachment, but there was an undercurrent of frustration: Is the clock running out? What do we do if no witnesses comply with subpoenas? If the House impeaches, but the Senate does not convict, can Trump do a victory lap and win the White House? Steyer’s response is that hearings will encourage support for impeachment, and that when we don’t stop an outlaw President, worse will follow.
Takeaways from our meeting with Steyer and the Town Hall: contact your Representative on a regular basis and press for an impeachment inquiry, and educate yourself about how to deal with the obstruction!
Join the discussion on the #impeachment channel on IEB’s Slack. For an invitation to join Slack, email: info@IndivisibleEB.org
Katie Cameron is a founding member of Alameda4Impeachment. She spent her career in state government in Washington State, and now devotes most of her time to defeating the Trump administration and the corrupt forces that got him elected.
Rosemary Jordan is co-founder of Alameda4Impeachment, a registered Indivisible group and a partner in the Citizens Impeachment Coalition, which includes representatives of cities, towns and counties nationwide (including four in the East Bay) that have passed local Impeachment resolutions. Rosemary also serves on the Steering Committee of All Rise Alameda and is co-leader of the End The Tampon Tax In California campaign. She has over 20 years of professional experience in healthcare and aging.
Members of Indivisible East Bay and Alameda4Impeachment (A4I) visited Representative Barbara Lee’s Oakland district office on April 19 to reinforce their repeated requests for a meeting with Lee on next steps for impeachment. The group was well received by district staff, including aide Jain Thapa (who especially liked the group’s bold graphics on social media and printed signs – kudos to A4I/IEB member Lynn LaRocca, the graphic designer who created the powerful images).
Alameda4Impeachment Rep Lee office visit
Alameda4Impeachment Rep Lee office visit
On April 22, A4I/IEB members participated in a joint rally outside Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco office calling for her to advance an impeachment inquiry. The action was covered by the SF Chronicle. Members were glad to meet with representatives from By The People, a group that uses proven mass mobilization methods to bring greater attention to impeachment.
Impeachment rally at Speaker Pelosi’s office, photo by Katie Cameron
Impeachment rally at Speaker Pelosi’s office, photo by Katie Cameron
Impeachment rally at Speaker Pelosi’s office, photo by Rosemary Jordan
Want to take action or get involved?
Visit bit.ly/impeachresolution for By the People’s template to send a letter to your representative.
Watch for a major announcement from By The People about a significant non-violent civil disobedience action at the Capitol on May 14 – if you can go to DC to be part of this collective action, please email Alameda4Impeachment@gmail.com for more information.
Join the discussion on the #impeachment channel on IEB’s Slack. For an invitation to join Slack, email: info@IndivisibleEB.org
Photographs by Katie Cameron and Rosemary Jordan
Rosemary Jordan is co-founder of Alameda4Impeachment, a registered Indivisible group and a partner in the Citizens Impeachment Coalition, which includes representatives of cities, towns and counties nationwide (including four in the East Bay) that have passed local Impeachment resolutions. Rosemary also serves on the Steering Committee of All Rise Alameda and is co-leader of the End The Tampon Tax In California campaign. She has over 20 years of professional experience in healthcare and aging.
The 2020 election may be the most consequential election of our lives, and we must ensure that it’s secure and that all our votes are counted. Ballot Marking Devices (BMDs), electronic marking devices that don’t make a lasting paper record of a vote, are used in 20 states statewide; another 23 states, including California, use them in some counties. However, despite their rising popularity and claims about their safety, BMDs have serious weaknesses we need our state officials to be aware of.
The Secure Elections Network, made up of leaders and members of Indivisible groups in several states, including California (that’s us – Indivisible East Bay), are presenting a free webinar about BMDs. Join us for “Ballot Marking Devices: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” on April 28 at 5 PM.You can register here.
The agenda and speakers include:
Introduction: Jon Foreman, Indivisible Montgomery Maryland
Program: Andrew Appel, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University and expert on voting machines and technologies, will present an Analysis of Various BMD Systems
Discussion and questions
For more info about the webinar, email stephanie.chaplin20@gmail.com. And see the Secure Elections Network’s past webinars here.
Contra Costa County uses paper ballot scanners on Election Day. It uses BMDs primarily for accessibility and it appears they’re not intended for use by default. However in the 2018 election they were the only option to vote in person at the County’s early voting sites. It is unclear if this issue has been rectified since. Alameda County uses paper ballot scanners, and for accessibility they have “touchscreen devices”. Although they’re not explicitly called BMDs, that is what they are, and have the same concerns.
Can you help work on these critical issues with the Indivisible East Bay Voter Rights & Election Integrity team? Email: info@IndivisibleEB.org, or join the #voting-issues channel on IEB’s Slack. For an invitation to join Slack, email: info@IndivisibleEB.org
Indivisible East Bay’s CA-11 Team has worked with Indivisible Kensington (IK) on many important local and national issues over the past two years. Now IK is raising funds for Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden, an amazing group that fights against the administration’s zero tolerance immigration policies.
In the summer of 2018, hundreds of grannies traveled from all over North America to the U.S.-Mexico border in McAllen, Texas, to protest what was happening at the border. Along the way, in various states, they picked up their own caravan of concerned Americans. What Grannies Respond saw at the border motivated them to continue helping immigrants seeking asylum, and they recently started the Overground Railroad Project. Modeled after the Underground Railroad, the Project helps immigrants at bus stops across the country as they make their way to family members and community hosts who will house them while they await court dates.
Indivisible Kensington is having bake sales to benefit the group on Sunday, May 5 from 11 AM to 2 PM, at two locations: the Kensington’s Farmers Market and Young’s Market. IK will also take donations of cash or baked goods. Email indivisiblekensington@gmail.com if you have questions or want to help.
To support Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden directly, click here.
Members of Indivisible East Bay and Alameda4Impeachment (A4I) attended the April 7, 2019 Coffee and Conversation event with Representative Barbara Lee (CA-13) at Paulista Restaurant in Oakland.
We passed out copies of the Open Letter to Representative Lee that A4I’s leadership had published in the previous week’s Alameda Sun newspaper. During Q&A, Lee responded to one of our member’s questions by committing to meet with us to discuss the topics raised in our letter, including next steps to launch an impeachment investigation. Addressing something Lee said about the likelihood of Senate approval, another member pointed out that a roll call of GOP Senators in the face of overwhelming evidence of misconduct could be very helpful to Democrats. He also stressed that in any case, if we don’t hold this President accountable, we will be putting our democracy in jeopardy forever.
At the event a lively group of Oaklanders, including teachers, students, and Poor People’s Campaign representatives asked great questions about climate change, education funding, the escalation of tensions in Venezuela – and more. Representative Lee affirmed her commitment to peace and justice, with specific references to Black women’s health, the Green New Deal, reparations, and reduced defense spending.
Photo of Rep. Barbara Lee at Coffee & Conversation by Rosemary Jordan
Rosemary Jordan is Co-Founder of Alameda4Impeachment, a registered Indivisible group and a partner in the Citizens Impeachment Coalition, which includes representatives of cities, towns and counties nationwide (including four in the East Bay) that have passed local Impeachment resolutions. Rosemary also serves on the Steering Committee of All Rise Alameda and is co-leader of the End The Tampon Tax In California campaign. She has over 20 years of professional experience in healthcare and aging.
Rosemary Jordan and Katie Cameron contributed to this article
Thousands of people nationwide at more than 300 events on April 4 took to the streets to send a LOUD & CLEAR message to Attorney General William “Cover-up” Barr that we demand the immediate release of the full Mueller report and all supporting evidence. The previous night’s news that some of Mueller’s investigators believed Barr’s brief letter misrepresented their findings, and that the findings were more troubling for Trump than Barr stated, energized our resolve for full and immediate disclosure.
Indivisible East Bay members joined several local protests, and several IEB’ers organized the events in El Cerrito and Alameda.
El Cerrito Shows Up to Demand: Release the Full Report Now!
By Heidi Rand
Nearly 200 people waved signs, chanted, and got rousing honks and fists raised in solidarity from rush-hour drivers at a busy intersection in El Cerrito. IEB member George read Chair Adam Schiff’s “I Don’t Think It’s Okay” speech as a very moving call and response. Schiff’s statement was a fiery retort to calls for him to resign by GOP members of the Intelligence Committee.
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People from West County, Berkeley, Richmond and beyond lined all four corners of the intersection; many arrived with signs made at home, some created their masterpieces on the spot. Favorites included: We Want Action, Not Redaction!; We Demand the Truth!; What is Trump Afraid Of?; None Of This Is Okay!; Corrupt, Compromised, Immoral & Unpatriotic; We paid for it!; Not Exonerated!; No Cover Up; and Barr: Show Us Your Papers!
Alameda Island Joins National Demands For Release of Mueller Report
By Katie Cameron
Joining nation-wide rallies to pressure for release the Mueller report, several local organizations held a rally in front of Alameda City Hall on April 4. About fifty people attended, including members of MoveOn, Indivisible East Bay, All Rise Alameda, and Alameda4Impeachment. Rosemary Jordan, representing all of those organizations, convened the rally.
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Jordan kicked it off by summarizing recent developments: the completion of the Mueller report two weeks ago; the peculiar distillation of the report into four pages written and released by Attorney General Barr; the subsequent declaration of full exoneration by Donald Trump; and the Constitutional crisis we face as the report remains hidden from even Congressional view. “This is yet another case of obstruction of justice – this time by the Attorney General,” Rosemary pointed out.
Following her remarks, Ed Hilton with guitar treated the rally to some folk songs, including “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” and “I Once Was a Union Maid.” Katie Cameron led the crowd in chants provided by MoveOn, to an enthusiastic roar of response. Quite a few attendees stepped up to the mic to give their own short remarks on the state of things – some sad, some angry, and some delightfully humorous.
One attendee read aloud portions of Rep. Adam Schiff’s now-famous statement to his Republican colleagues itemizing a long series of presidential infractions, with the refrain: You might think that’s okay. I don’t!
To cap off the participation, Kitty Von Braskat-Crowe, attired in gorgeous purple hues, stepped away from her walker and belted out an amazing rendition of an old gospel song from the Civil Rights days. She was most definitely the star of the show!
Rosemary Jordan held the megaphone while Kitty Von Braskat-Crowe belted out a Civil Right gospel song. Ed Hilton sat behind on the steps, with guitar. Photo by Katie Cameron
To wrap up the rally, Assemblymember Rob Bonta (AD 18) gave us all words of encouragement and hope. He made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he shares our concerns about the Mueller report, the behavior of the President, and the importance of the Rule of Law. In the late afternoon chill, the crowd had dwindled a bit, but Bonta didn’t care a bit. He spoke with passion, and thanked every one of us for standing up for the Constitution.
Whether or not you made it to one of the protests, there’s much you can do! Public pressure is working, and we must keep it up. All of our Members of Congress have spoken out strongly on this issue, BUT THEY STILL NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU – they are hearing from the other side, and if you don’t call they won’t know that you support them and that this issue is important to you!
What you can do NOW:
Tell your Members of Congress that we demand transparency and complete disclosure of the Special Counsel’s report and investigation. Every day that passes without the full truth, Individual-1 and his minions continue to use the self-serving Barr letter to target and try to silence the people who are speaking out and investigating him. Take action, and keep reading below the call to action for more info & background.
What to say:
My name is ______________, my zip code is ______, and I’m a member of Indivisible East Bay. I want to thank _________ for supporting disclosing the Special Counsel’s report to the American people. I want _______ to insist that Attorney General Barr immediately give the full Special Counsel’s report and all underlying investigatory materials to Congress. The full report and materials also have to be made public. I also want Congress to continue investigating Trump beyond the scope of the Mueller investigation.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein: (email); (415) 393-0707 • DC: (202) 224-3841
Sen. Kamala Harris: (email); (415) 981-9369 • DC: (202) 224-3553
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier: (email); (510) 620-1000 • DC: (202) 225-2095
Rep. Barbara Lee: (email); (510) 763-0370 • DC: (202) 225-2661
Rep. Eric Swalwell: (email); (510) 370-3322 • DC: (202) 225-5065
For more info & background, and to learn what actions we’ve been taking for over a year, read our past articles:
Katie Cameron is a member of the Steering Committee of Alameda4Impeachment. A retired social worker who spent her career in state government in Washington State, Katie now devotes most of her time to defeating the Trump administration and the corrupt forces that got him elected.
Rosemary Jordan is Co-Founder of Alameda4Impeachment, a registered Indivisible group and a partner in the Citizens Impeachment Coalition, which includes representatives of cities, towns and counties nationwide (including four in the East Bay) that have passed local Impeachment resolutions. Rosemary also serves on the Steering Committee of All Rise Alameda and is co-leader of the End The Tampon Tax In California campaign. She has over 20 years of professional experience in healthcare and aging.
It’s a ways yet before the Democratic presidential primaries start, but the candidates — and possible candidates — are talking about serious ideas. Whatever you may think of the various individuals, it’s exciting to see their bold proposals, like Medicare for All (Bernie Sanders), a wealth tax and universal childcare (Elizabeth Warren), baby bonds to close the wealth gap (Cory Booker), and spending $315 billion over the next 10 years to dramatically increase teacher salaries (Kamala Harris).
The way we see it, candidates are responding to an activist base that’s pushing for policies that truly measure up to the nation’s challenges. And Indivisible East Bay and other Indivisible groups across the country are part of that activist base. For two years we’ve been building our people power; now, as the primaries get closer, we’re determined to use that power to influence the policy debate.
Indivisible National is developing its strategy for engaging in the primary, and as step one they sent a survey to Indivisible groups nationwide on a variety of topics concerning policy issues and campaigns. We want National to know what our members think, which means we want to hear from you!
To gather input from IEB members, we began by focusing on three key questions from the survey at our March All Members Meeting:
What issues are most important to us as we consider whom to support in the primary?
In what ways does our group want to engage campaigns during the primary?
What are our initial thoughts about the possibility that Indivisible National might endorse a candidate?
To tackle these questions, Governance Committee members facilitated small group discussions of 5-6 people each. The questions sparked lively conversation that lasted over an hour (and involved the liberal use of sticky notes and dot-voting). Here are the results of the three discussions:
QUESTION 1: What issues are most important to us as we consider whom to support in the primary?
Issues on the Indivisible National List (ordered by how the groups prioritized them):
Civil Rights (racial justice, LGBTQ rights, gender equity, criminal justice)
Gun violence prevention
Immigration
Abortion Access
Financial regulation
Tax policy
College affordability
Foreign policy and national security
Back Burner:
Transportation and infrastructure
Additional Issues Suggested in Small Groups:
Constitutional process and reform
Green New Deal, including transportation, infrastructure, environmental issues
Climate change
More resources for people being detained at our borders: better beds, meals, shelter
Post-secondary school and job opportunity support for all (not just four-year college)
Wealth disparity
Housing
Online/data privacy
QUESTION 2: In what ways does our group want to engage campaigns during the primary?
Engagement Options from Indivisible National (ordered by number of votes across the three small groups):
Ensuring the grassroots are invited to debates (11)
Issue forums and large grassroots mobilizations (9)
Channels of communication from national and local Indivisibles to candidates (8)
Organizing for key statewide Democratic conventions (5)
Candidates joining indivisible national activist calls (4) (All three groups pointed out that this is a specific example of “channels of communication”)
Training programs for the primary process (3)
Organizing Indivisible planning spaces or events to power map our opportunities (2)
Bird-dogging (2)
Additional Ideas for Engagement Suggested in Small Groups:
Candidate questionnaires
White papers developed by local groups
IEB media contact
IEB partners with campaigns
QUESTION 3: What are our initial thoughts about the possibility that Indivisible National might endorse a candidate?
To address this topic, we asked people to vote on two simple poll questions.
Poll Question 1: How should Indivisible National approach the question of endorsements in the presidential primary? (Ordered by number of votes)
Wait a few months to collect more data and see how things unfold before making any plans (12)
Take endorsements completely off the table (2)
Start work now on a thoughtful and careful process intended to end in an endorsement, but only if sufficient unity is found (1)
Poll Question 2: It’s still early. But at this stage, what do you think is the best path forward for endorsement?
1 = I think Indivisible National should definitely NOT endorse (2)
2 = I’m leaning against endorsement (9)
3 = I can’t decide whether they should endorse or not (2)
4 = I’m leaning toward endorsement (1)
5 = I think Indivisible National should definitely endorse (1)
Average Rating = 2.3 (which roughly equates to “leaning against”)
We want to hear from you, too! If you couldn’t make it to the All Member Meeting, it’s not too late to share your input! Here’s a link to a survey with the questions that we addressed at the March meeting. All responses submitted by the deadline of April 10 will be aggregated (along with the results of the AMM discussions) and shared as part of IEB’s survey response to Indivisible National.
And this is not the last chance we’ll have to consider how we flex our activist muscle to push for progressive policy! It’s still 19 months until the election. Stay tuned for more lively debate, and even livelier action.
Nancy Latham is on IEB’s Governance Committee, and is a passionate member of the Resistance. In her day job, she works with non-profits, foundations, and government agencies that support greater equity and justice through initiatives in youth development, education, housing, and community development.
