Indivisibles,

You know what we could all use right now? A Convention Across America. 

Lucky for us, there’s one happening next week -- it’s finally time for the 2020 Democratic National Convention! The pandemic doesn’t allow for the standard programming of Convention’s past (thousands of people packing a venue and kicking around balloons) but we’re seeing this as an opportunity for all of us to be part of the process. We all know we’ll be celebrating Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee, but we’ll also get to hear from his VP pick (still pending), a few well-known guest speakers, and everyday Americans from all walks of life who are ready for change. 

The theme for this convention is “unity” -- and the DNC really means it: Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and former Republican governor John Kasich are all expected to speak on the first night (we know, right?!). This DNC is a major moment for us to come together to rally behind Joe Biden, remember what it’s like to build bridges and get stuff done. 

Trump would like us all to believe that he’s the great unifier, but all he’s done over the last four years (and especially over the last four months) is tear our country apart. The recent developments around COVID relief explain why the Senate needs to pass the Heroes Act. Trump’s most recent attempt to steamroll Congress and look like a hero came in the form of executive orders that, besides being unconstitutional, make the current situation even worse. Instead of deferring to Congress to set the budget, Trump’s plan to pay for COVID relief is to rob social security with no intention of paying it back and put already struggling states on the hook to pay for the program. Oh, and it conveniently makes no mention of securing the election (in fact, he’s still actively undermining it). We almost can’t tell if this plan is poorly thought out or extremely strategic. 

And then there’s the Postal Service. We’re preparing for election night to look very different this round considering it’s highly unlikely that we’ll have the results on the morning of November 4th. On top of casting doubts on the validity of mail-in ballots, Trump is refusing to fund the Post Office so ballots arrive on time and are ready to be counted. It gets worse: The Postmaster General recently announced that it will be up to states to pay 55-cent postage (instead of the typical 20-cents) to get ballots to voters on time -- nearly tripling the cost of mailing ballots when they’re already expecting tens of millions of deliveries.

These are issues that have real impacts for real people but Trump’s only focus these days is winning the election. We’re working hard to send Trump packing and the DNC is our moment to shine. In keeping with our goal to reach 20 million voters before November, we’re launching our second Windivisible week of action during the Democratic National Convention! Just like last time, Indivisible groups will be phonebanking, textbanking, and writing letters to reach the key voters all over the country. Throughout the week, Indivisibles everywhere will be coming together to stream watch parties to keep up with all the exciting speakers and entertainment. And to add to an already star-studded DNC, we’ll be joined by Representative Ayanna Pressley for a livestream to close out the week and keep us all fired up on August 21 at 8pm ET! 

And with that, we leave you with your weekly to-dos:

 Your 5 weekly to-dos 

1. Volunteer for our Windivisible campaign to defeat Trump, take back the Senate and keep the House. By signing up to phonebank, textbank, and write letters, you can reach voters directly and drive turnout in November. After 4 years of fighting the Trump agenda, this is our moment to win big -- our democracy depends on it!
2. Call your Senators to demand they pass the Heroes Act with $25 billion in USPS funding and $3.6 billion in election funding. We cannot let Trump defund Social Security and steal our elections. Congress must act NOW and pass the Heroes Act without watering it down. For more information on the Heroes Act, check out our explainer where we break down the package and how it will support vulnerable families during these times.
3. RSVP for the #ProtectOurVote townhall tomorrow with Representatives Beatty and Sarbanes. Our elections are under threat. People must be able to vote safely in November. Yet, Senate Republicans are blocking key funding needed to #ProtectOurVote. Join the Declaration for American Democracy on August 11 7:30-8:30pm ET for a virtual town hall with Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Congressman John Sarbanes and movement leaders to discuss why funding for safe elections must be included in the next COVID package, and what citizens can do to make themselves heard.
4. Record or upload a video about why you’re in this fight and what you’re doing to help us win on election day. Your story might be one of the ones we include in a series of videos that feature how critical your work is to our victory in November!
5. Get familiar with some of the important topics we can’t stop talking about and what we plan to do about them in the latest episode of Indivisible Weekly. In Episode 4, Pablo unpacks D.C. statehood, why we need to abolish the filibuster and more!

 2020 Update 

At any moment, Joe Biden could announce his running mate and we can’t wait to see who he’s picked. The choice will be historic and will play a major part in shaping the campaign that will defeat Donald Trump this fall. From now until November, we’re doing everything in our power to defeat Trump (and hold the House and flip the Senate 😉) -- join Windivisible and help us make Trump a one-term president.

 How to Get Ready for 2020 

If you’re looking forward to the DNC as much as we are, make sure to join local watch parties held by Indivisible groups around the country -- take a look at this map to find one near you!

 Trump is staging a coup right before our eyes 

Every day another news story comes out detailing the new ways Trump is seeking to undermine November’s election. Amidst a pandemic, where people’s safety and health are paramount, the last thing we should have to worry about is the safety and health of our democratic process.

Unfortunately, that’s not the world we’re living in. That’s why we need Protect the Results -- a joint project between 40 partner organizations to make sure Trump and everyone else respects the results of November’s election. We’re budgeting over $1.2 million if we need to do that work, and we need your help: can you donate $10 to protect the results and fund all our work?

 Indivisible "State of Joe"

From now to Election Day, we’ll be highlighting how Indivisible groups across the country are doing the work to make Joe Biden our next President! This week, we’re giving a special shout out to Indivisible Illinois for their supreme phonebanking commitment and to Seattle Indivisible who’s working on a special video series showing the crucial differences between Biden and Trump: 

Winning in 2020 represents the promise for more progressive policymaking in 2021 and beyond. That means everything from addressing the climate crisis to pushing for democracy reform. These are huge issues, and we can’t start tackling it all without you. Our eyes are on November, but the best is yet to come!

In solidarity, 
Indivisible Team