Indivisibles,

With all this talk about Trump sabotaging the election and the Senate refusing to pass legislation that would provide election funding (ahem, the Heroes Act), you might have lost sight of the fact that the foundation of democracy is the will of the people -- and it doesn’t work without us. 

This is the election of our lifetimes: COVID response, police reform, and saving democracy are all on the ballot. Whether you’re voting by mail or heading to the polls, getting out the vote has never been more crucial. If you’re trying to plan ahead for how you’re showing up this election, check out this article that breaks down how to vote in every state. 

While Trump is peddling lies about the security of mail-in ballots, he’s actively failing to respond to the real threat that COVID has on people’s ability to vote in person. In fact, it seems like he’s forgotten the pandemic is happening at all. Like when he invited 1500 people to watch him speak at the White House last Thursday and didn’t require masks, testing, or appropriate distancing: 

Such blatant disregard for people’s safety is exactly the opposite of what you expect of a president. We have to demand more of our government if we want to be able to vote safely and efficiently -- we need the Senate to step up and pass the Heroes Act. Instead of funding the Postal Service and election security, their budget prioritizes corporate immunity and forcing schools to have in-person classes. If you read that over and find it alarming, go ahead and call your senators to demand that they get their priorities in order and pass the Heroes Act. 

There’s one more group that Trump and his enablers aren’t accounting for: poll workers. No matter how you’re choosing to vote, poll workers will be at polling places leading up to and on November 3 to administer ballots in service of their community and our democracy. Because of the pandemic, we’ve seen a historic shortage of people who are able to work the polls and ensure that we have safe and fair elections. This is a crisis we’re taking seriously because fewer poll workers means lines to vote will be longer and polling sites will close. We’ve already seen how being unprepared can play out, like the chaos we saw during the Georgia primaries this summer. 

Tomorrow is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day and we’re proud to partner with Power the Polls to help keep our democracy running. For those of you who are comfortable and capable of voting in person, one way to get involved in November is to sign up to work the polls for those who can’t. 

Will you help us address our nation’s critical poll worker shortage? Sign up to Power the Polls today!

We have a ton to tell you about, so here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your weekly to-dos 

1. Call your Senators to demand they pass the Heroes Act with $25 billion in USPS funding and $3.6 billion in election funding. Don’t be fooled, the Senate’s unwillingness to pass the Heroes Act isn’t about the price tag. The relief we need for the issues we care about cost money, but that’s why, unlike senate Republicans, we’re prioritizing election funding over corporate immunity. For more information on the Heroes Act, check out our explainer where we break down the package and secure our election during the pandemic.
2. URGENT: Call your Senators and tell them to save the Postal Service by supporting the Delivering for America Act. The House already passed this resolution  -- now it’s the Senate’s turn. During Postmaster General DeJoy’s hearings, it became even more clear that he has no intention to reverse course on the damage that’s well underway. In between lies about the impact of his policies, DeJoy confirmed he will not be replacing 671 sorting machines that he has ordered to be removed. Trump and the GOP are prepared to let the Postal Service fail if it means they get to keep power -- tell the Senate we won’t stand for it.
3. Record a video about why the Postal Service is important to you and why your senator should support the Delivering for America Act. We love hearing your stories about what drives you to demand change. Many Americans depend on mail to meet their basic needs like the delivery of their medication or their Social Security checks. Trump wants to make the Postal Service a partisan issue so he can block mail-in voting all-together, leaving all Americans at a disadvantage. Tell us your story to help strengthen our mission.
4. Call your local officials and express your support for defunding the police. Outrage over the police shooting of Jacob Blake has renewed the call for us to reconsider the systems that got us here. The honest truth is a lot of that work has to happen locally, in your town and city. Call your local officials and demand that they defund the police and invest those funds in resources. If you want more details, check out our resource on how you can stand in solidarity with Black lives. 
5. Join us on Thursday for our September National Activist Call. Our monthly national activist calls are a space for group leaders, members and other Indivisible activists to hear about our key priorities and updates while building connections across the network. We’ll be discussing the Biden-Harris ticket, saving the Postal Service, and how to take action to help us win in November. 

 2020 Update 

Tomorrow is the long-awaited Massachusetts primary! We’ve endorsed three candidates in this primary: Ed Markey for Senate, Alex Morse for MA-01, and Robbie Goldstein for MA-08. As with all of this year’s pandemic elections, these races are difficult to pin down with so many new variables at play, but here’s where we think things are at:

• Sen. Ed Markey is up in the polls ahead of his challenger, Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Polls released last week have Markey up by 7 to 12 points over Kennedy. Thanks to grassroots movements around the country and in MA, Markey's chances of winning this race look better than ever.
• Alex Morse is in a tight race against incumbent Rep. Richie Neal in MA-01. A recent poll by Beacon Research has Morse just 5 points behind Neal. 13% of polled voters were still undecided. Morse’s chances at winning rest in his ability to sway those undecided voters.
• Robbie Goldstein is closely trailing incumbent Rep. Stephen Lynch in MA-08. The most recent poll by Lincoln Park Strategies has Goldstein behind by 7 points. 29% of those polled are undecided, so it will come down to these final hours of voter outreach to see who prevails.

Results for these races will likely not be available on election night due to the record-high volume of ballots cast by mail. Keep an eye on our Twitter for updates on how the in-person vote is shaping up across the state. 

How to Get Ready for November 3

Textbanking training
Textbanking is an easy way to get in touch with voters directly to answer their questions and encourage them to be part of our movement. Join this training to learn everything you need to know to get started!
Date: TOMORROW, September 1 at 8:30 pm ET -- Register here.

September National Activist Call
Join us for the monthly Indivisible National Activist Call! During the call, we’ll be discussing big topics like the Biden-Harris ticket, give you updates on the state of the Postal Service, and share details about how you can get involved in our next Windivisible Week of Action. All group leaders, group members, and other Indivisible activists are welcome. 
Date: September 3 at 8 pm ET -- Register here.

Watch our latest episode of Indivisible Weekly
If you’re looking for a renewed sense of motivation to keep up our fight, this is a video you won’t want to miss. In this episode, Pablo unpacks the work we have to do to combat systemic racism and celebrates the work you’ve already put in to help us win in November during our second Windivisible Week of Action -- Click here to watch.  

 Support those protesting for Black lives 

The news of Jacob Blake, shot multiple times in the back by police, has renewed vigor to the racial justice protests that have been ongoing nationwide for months, and organizations working on the ground to support activists need as much help as we can give them. Today we want to re-up a page where you can donate directly to nine leading organizations doing racial justice work nationwide -- click here to find out more and fund the crucial work they’re doing.

And, if you’d like to donate to support protestors in Kenosha, donate directly to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund -- they are currently extending their help with bail, tickets, and connecting protestors to lawyers.

 #BlackLivesMatter

In place of our weekly Indivisible's "State of Joe" we wanted to feature our most recent video that calls on us all to take action in solidarity with Black lives. Content warning: police violence. 

The events we’ve seen over the last week have looked all too familiar. We are committed to speaking out against racial injustice at every turn, but we wanted to leave you with this video as a way to reflect on the significance of this moment. For the last 4 months, this country has been reckoning with the reality that racism is systemic and will continue to claim Black lives every day if we don’t push for transformative change. We hope you are staying safe while taking action this week and can stand for justice from wherever you are. 

In solidarity, 
Indivisible Team