Dear Indivisible Kensington,

Sorry this is coming to you a bit late. It’s still summer, and, despite the price of gas, lots of people are traveling and coming to visit. But the November midterms are fast approaching, and even though we still face two more years of the disastrous, criminal Trump administration, electing a Democratic Congress, particularly one with a growing number of progressive members, can do a lot to stop the authoritarian slide. They  can stop funding the war in Iran and the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, they can block Cabinet and judicial appointments, and they can hold hearings that will begin to hold individuals accountable for their immoral and illegal behavior. Here’s what we’re doing to win in November.

Partnering with Iowa:

As we’ve discussed in previous newsletters, the November election could turn Iowa blue, starting with Rob Sand, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, and Josh Turek, the Democratic senatorial candidate, to several flippable House seats and a number of down ballot races. We are developing relationships with two Iowa Indivisible groups (Johnson City Indivisible and Quad Cities Indivisible) as well as other political leaders and groups in the state and are preparing to visit Iowa from September 25-30. We’ll be in Iowa City (home of University of Iowa) to start with and then end up in Davenport. Working with local activists, we’ll be canvassing, registering voters, attending house party fundraisers, and participating in a town hall with Rob Sand. We’ll also have free time to explore the sights and sounds of Iowa. Please join us for this fun and impactful field trip.

If you’d like more information, please send a message to IK4Iowa@gmail.com.

Postcarding Voters:

We are currently writing postcards to North Carolina voters urging support for Roy Cooper, the popular, Democratic former governor, who is running for the open Senate seat. This is considered a “lean Democratic state” by the Cook Political Report, and is a must win for the Democrats.

We’re also hosting an in-person postcard party to write to infrequent, Democratic-leaning voters in Iowa, urging them to show up in November. The party is scheduled for Saturday, August 29, 3:00-5:00 pm, followed by a wine and cheese social. Please sign up and hang out with your fellow Indivisible Kensington activists. Address will be supplied when you sign up.

Fighting Voter Suppression:

We’re still writing letters to North Carolina voters who received notice about a discrepancy in their voter registration information that must be corrected before they can cast a ballot in November. We’re planning on at least one more round of these letters. This is an easy but important activity. Basically all you have to do is print the letters, add a salutation and sign-off, address, stamp and mail the envelopes. One batch consists of 20 names and addresses. If you would like to help with this, please sign up here and indicate how many batches you’d like.

Plus, don’t forget to sign up for national Indivisible’s Hands Off Our Vote campaign.

Other Upcoming Events:

1.  Symposium: Fight Back – How States Can Counter Authoritarianism

Catherine Lhamon, who was one of our featured speakers at our Free Speech Round Table last fall, has invited all of the members of Indivisible Kensington (and their friends) to attend a symposium at the UC Berkeley Law School, addressing the very relevant issue of how the States can counter the authoritarianism of the federal government.  The symposium will be held on Friday, August 28 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. You can get more information and RSVP here.

2.  Film Screening: Democracy Noir

Democracy Noir, an award winning documentary from Connie Fields about the struggle for democracy in Hungary, was released in 2024 before our very consequential election. The film has now been updated following the extraordinary victory of the pro-Democracy forces this year. Use this link to see the trailer.

The filmmaker is screening the updated version on Zoom for Indivisible members on Saturday, August 29, starting at 10:00 am, followed immediately by a discussion with her from 11:30-12:30 pm.  If you would like to be part of this film screening and discussion, please sign up here by August 22. 

Please join us for one or more of these actions or events. Remember: it’s not so much what you do that matters as much as the fact that you show up and do something.

In Solidarity,

Barbara and Robin, for the IK Leadership Team