ZOOM WITH US FOR A VIRTUAL POSTCARD WRITING PARTY TO COMBAT VOTER SUPPRESSION!
The Talmud teaches, “A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted.” With perhaps the most important election of our time just over three months away, we must, as a congregation, raise our voice to ensure that every community across America is able to vote. As part of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s Every Voice, Every Vote civic engagement program, aligned with Kol Ami’s antiracism initiative, we’re participating with the California RAC in the non-partisan Reclaim Our Vote Campaign, a project of the Center for Common Ground.
Eligible voters of color are being purged from voter rolls at a much higher rate than white voters. People in minority communities were already struggling to reach the voting booth in voter-suppression states, due to the implementation of strict new voter ID laws, a reduction in polling places and/or early voting days, and many other tactics. Reclaim Our Vote is working towards a 20 percent increase in turnout among voters of color in at least four states, and a significant percentage increase in others. Sending handwritten postcards is one of the tools of the campaign that also includes phone banks, textbanks, geofencing, GOTV billboards in key areas, canvassing, rides to the polls, and election monitoring. In 2019, 20-25% of our postcards into nine counties in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District resulted in a voter registration.
Kol Ami will host two postcard writing sessions on Sunday, August 23rd from 1:00 - 2:00 PM and Sunday, September 13th from 1:00 - 2:00 PM.
Please join us for one or both as we write postcards to infrequent voters in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas with information about how to ensure their votes are counted on November 3, 2020!
Our virtual postcard parties will help make a real difference in the election. Together online, we’ll craft colorful, handwritten postcards as we schmooze and kibitz for an hour. Register to join us in this fun, impactful and important social action event, and then please order a free kit that includes 30 postcards, instructions, a script, and mailing addresses. When placing your order, you are encouraged to watch a brief training video and consider making a donation of $18 to the RAC. You'll provide the 35-cent postage for each card, which can be purchased online here.
We are #KolAmiStrongerTogether and hope you’ll join us in this important, non-partisan civic engagement and sacred act of tikkun olam, helping to repair the world. Register for the postcard writing parties on Sunday, August 23 and/or Sunday, September 13. Let’s do this together!
Shalom,
Tzedek Council
David Glickman Rebecca Shurz Jess Winfield
