Notes from our Oct 12, 2020 meeting
October 12, 2020 Wright County Indivisible Meeting Notes
(31 people present for Zoom Mtg.)
90 Second Sharing
1. Women’s March Saturday, October 17, 3:00 pm, MN State Capitol or locally Annandale Pavilion (Gazebo) Park (Meet at 2:30). Masks and distancing required. Bring your favorite signs! In attendance will be Candidates Tawnja Zahradka, Renee Cardarelle, Chris Brazelton, and others. We are marching in support of women rising and as a sister march to the St. Paul march.
2. Update on Get Out The Vote: We have had 70 volunteers, 17 registration tables, 64 completed registrations, gave out 51 registration forms, verified 22 registrations for people, assisted with 24 absentee ballot requests, held 22 Zoom meetings, found 12 places for drop-off flyers, delivered 1400 flyers to apartment complexes, trailer parks, and others). We had 10 volunteers doing phone banking who placed 3000 calls with 10% connection rate or 300 actual conversations.
3. Members discussed the two debates. Biden/Trump Harris/Pence
Presentation: Choose Democracy
Lori Cocking:
Introduced this nonpartisan effort; the purpose is to defend our democracy, in nonviolent ways. How will we counter Trump if he loses the election, but refuses to leave the White House saying the election was rigged? This group is working to establish plans for us to follow if this happens. We believe we need to think this through and plan. We need to define some critical actions to take.
Stage 1: From now until Election day (Nov. 3, 2020)
Hold the Line: One important one is what we have been doing which is Get Out the Vote. Also get people registered and assist with the voting process. We need to encourage others to vote with frequent reminders now. We could sign up to be poll workers. Senior citizens are the usual workers, but with Covid, many are not doing it. We need younger people to step up. Judicial planning is important. Supreme Court ruling on the outcome of the balloting could happen in a Trump challenge to the results.
This is how we we ensure that the voting process is legitimate. We prepare ahead of time for Trump’s actions. Talk to others, this IS real. We want to ensure and election that is:
Free, in which all eligible voters are able to vote without hindrance, interference, or intimidation.
Fair, in which all votes are counted transparently, non-partisan rules and laws are followed, and any disputes are resolved without bias towards any particular candidate.
Respected, by which the loser of the election accepts the results, concedes, and engages in a good faith transition process to the election’s winner.
Safe, in which risks of COVID-19 transmission and political violence are minimized.
Glenda Dalman:
Trump does not get to slant the election or choose to stay in office if he loses. That’s the people’s choice. That’s how democracy works.
Stage 2: Hold the Line from Election day to Inauguration day (Jan. 20, 2021).
We need to know the Red Lines that President Trump and other political officials at the state or local level may try to cross between Election day (Nov. 3, 2020) and Inauguration day (Jan 20, 2021). If and when those Red Lines are crossed, we need a strategy that generates power, unity, and discipline. We must learn how we can instill election protection efforts with these attributes. If President Trump or other government officials cross any of our Red Lines, we’ll need to respond fast.
Election day results are unclear, and Trump declares victory anyway.
Election results show significant irregularities and/or signs of tampering, and Trump declares victory.
Trump loses the election but refuses to leave office.
The Line we must hold: all votes must be counted, without interference or intimidation. This is a position we can organize around proactively before, during, and after election day.
The Line we must hold: incidents of fraud, voter suppression, or other election irregularities must be investigated impartially and remedied as appropriate. This can be effectively done especially at a local level.
The Line we must hold: The true election results must be respected, regardless of who wins. Preserving democracy is more important than any individual candidate.
Renee Cardarelle: Electoral College Process overview
The Electoral College is a body of electors established by the United States Constitution, which forms every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the United States. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, and an absolute majority of electoral votes, 270 or more, is required to win the election. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution requires each state legislature to determine how electors for that state are to be chosen, and it disqualifies any person holding a federal office, either elected or appointed, from being an elector.
Following the nationwide presidential election day on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, each state counts its popular votes according to that state's laws to designate presidential electors. In 48 states and Washington D.C., the winner of the plurality of the statewide vote receives all of that state's electors;[1] in Maine and Nebraska, two electors are assigned in this manner and the remaining electors are allocated based on the plurality of votes in each congressional district.[2] States generally require electors to pledge to vote for that state's winner; to avoid faithless electors, most states have adopted various laws to enforce the elector's pledge.[3] Each state's electors meet in their respective state capital on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December to cast their votes.[1] The results are counted by Congress, where they are tabulated in the first week of January before a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives, presided over by the vice president, as president of the Senate.[1][4] Should a majority of votes not be cast for a candidate, the House turns itself into a presidential election session, where one vote is assigned to each of the fifty states. Similarly, the Senate is responsible for electing the vice president, with each senator having one vote.[5] The elected president and vice president are inaugurated on January 20.
Important dates: States’ certifications of voting results: 11/3-12/4
Federal certification of voting results: 12/14-1/20
Lani: The Pledge
OUR PLEDGE:
We will vote.
We will refuse to accept election results until all the votes are counted.
We will nonviolently take to the streets if a coup is attempted.
If we need to, we will shut down this country to protect the integrity of the democratic process.
Sue: 10 things you need to know
1. Don’t expect election results election night.
2. Do call it a coup.
Sue defined a Coup. It is a sudden, violent, illegal seizure of power from a government. The following are the markers of a coup.
a. If they stop counting the votes.
b. If they declare someone the winner who did not get the most votes.
c. If they allow someone to stay in power who did not win the election.
If this happens, we will need to be unified in our commitment to resist.
3. Know that coups have been stopped by regular folks.
4. Be ready to act quickly, and not alone.
5. Focus on widely held democratic values, not individuals.
6. Convince people not to freeze or just go along.
7. Commit to action the represents the rule of law, stability, and nonviolence.
8. Yes, a coup can happen in the USA.
9. Center in clam, not fear.
10. Prepare to deter a coup before the election.
Glennda: Where will you fit in?
--Take the pledge
--Take the training
--Join the planning committee
--Take part in events: phone calls, rallies, writing letters, sending postcards (education)
-- Talk to others, this IS real.
Sue: Summary
Updates about Choose Democracy will be sent out
Next meeting: November 9, 2020
Talk to others, this IS real.