PLEASE NOTE: The newsletter is published once monthly on the third Saturday of the month. For the most up-to-date info on events, check the SWIM website here and bookmark the link so you can return weekly for the latest news and additional events that are continually rolling out from our partners!!
If you have other events you'd like included in the newsletter, please submit by email before the preceding Monday.
DONATE
If you are planning to make a donation to support SWIM'S work, the time to do that is approaching. From October 1-31 Indivisible National will be matching all donations up to a total of $500. You can donate here.
SCHEDULES FOR SWIM AND PARTNER MEETINGS
FOR OUR PROTECTION THESE EVENTS MAY NOT BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!!! Copy and share ONLY with your members to avoid Zoom intruders.
See SWIM's website here for more events!
SWIM BI-MONTHLY MEMBER MEETING The next Member Meeting will be Tuesday, September 26 at 7:00 pm. Mark your calendars - this month we will host Hank Mayers with Michiganders for Fair & Transparent Elections to discuss current efforts underway pursuing an end to dark money in our elections! Then, our own Nikki Wilson from Ann Arbor will share her fun ideas on how to attract younger members - bring your own recruitment ideas for discussion! And don't miss the intro of a fantastic voter contact tool has exploded is use throughout the state! Bob from WAVE Michigan will be giving a quick teaser of how you can maximize your turnout for events, pop-ups, and keep a record of your voter contacts easily with a single tool! Register here now! RED WINE & BLUE BACK-TO-BACK SPECIAL EVENTS On Sunday, September 18 at 6:30 pm, join RWB and End Gun Violence MI for an Emergency Troublemaker Training to explain the Domestic Violence Prevention bills before the Michigan legislature. Learn how to use their quick tool to email your state representatives urging them to pass these critical bills. Register here. Stay on Zoom for a discussion at 7:00 with historian extraordinaire, Heather Cox Richardson, on the importance of the 2023 elections to set the stage for 2024 wins. Register here. In addition to the ZOOM event Red, Wine and Blue will be organizing local actions. Register here to sign up for an event in your area. Signing up should also allow you to receive updates if new events become available.
ANAT SHENKER-OSORIO AND DANA NESSEL TEAM UP FOR THIS POWERHOUSE MEETING Monday, September 18 at Noon, Michigan AG Dana Nessel and Anat Shenker-Osorio from ASO Communications will talk about research and guidance around messaging we all use to talk about fake electors and the various indictments. Register here for this event. JOIN DEMCAST 'HAPPY HOUR' AS THEY RAMP UP TO PROTECT THE (MICHIGAN) HOUSE On Wednesday, September 28 at 4:30 pm ET, Demcast Michigan is hosting a Virtual Happy Hour to have some fun while ramping up for 2024, and to talk about different platforms and resources available for protecting the MI House, the Congressional/Senate seats, and local elections. A casual gathering to talk about how we can speak to voters in persuasive ways, learn about the growing number of social media platforms (and our take on which matter most), and how we can tap into helpful resource - ours and yours! Come share your experiences, ask questions, get demos. TOGETHER, we can and must protect Michigan's Democratic majority in the state legislature, hold our US House and Senate seats, and make a difference in ever-critical local elections. Register here! Questions? Email Michigan@demcastusa.com. MEET WITH SENATOR STABENOW'S STAFF We have almost come to the end of our long and wonderful relationship with the senator and her staff and there is still so much to learn. You won't want to miss this meeting. Join us on October 5 at 6:00 pm by registering here. The Senator's staff prefer questions sent prior to the meeting so the staff has time to research the answers. Please submit your questions by 10 days prior to the meeting, to info@statewideindivisiblemi.com. Looking forward to seeing you there. CLICK HERE FOR MORE EVENTS!
CALLS TO ACTION
CLIMATE RALLY FOR OUR FUTURE If saving the planet is your thing, check this out. Have you ever gone to a Capitol Day in Lansing??? They are fun, inspiring, motivating and amazing! You will learn lots of important stuff and get to spend time with like minded citizens. When: Tuesday, September 26 2023 – 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Where: Michigan State Capitol Lawn (100 N Capitol Avenue, Lansing) Sign up here: https://michiganlcv.org/event/rally-for-our-future/
Please consider joining the Michigan League of Conservation Voters in Lansing on Tuesday, September 26th. We are at a crossroads in Michigan. Recent smoke from Canadian wildfires has served as a reminder that climate change is already having a serious impact on our state. If we don’t make changes, our air, our water, and the Great Lakes themselves are at risk. To top it off, our energy bills are too high, and big utility companies aren’t looking out for Michigan families. It’s time to take action for #MICleanEnergyFuture. Since utility companies are putting corporate profits over Michigan families, let's rally in Lansing to hold them accountable! #MICleanEnergyFuture.
ANTI-DEMOCRATIC IMPEACHMENT EFFORTS UNDERWAY IN WISCONSIN
You’ve likely heard about the anti-democratic impeachment efforts underway in Wisconsin. If you haven’t, read this. It’s bad, but we think Republicans are greatly overestimating what even their most die-hard voters will tolerate on this one. WI Democratic State Chair Ben Wikler is asking for the following help: 1. Wisconsin residents should call or email their state representatives now! Use the new website defendjustice.com to find their contact info. 2. Amplify on your social media using samples here: Hey Wisconsin! Republican are threatening to impeach and remove Justice Janet Protasiewicz from office before she’s ever tried a case. This is an attack on democracy and a slap in the face to the voters who elected her by an 11 point margin. We need WI folks to call their state reps NOW. Please go to defendjustice.com for instructions. We cannot let Republicans who lose elections nullify the votes of the people. If it happens in Wisconsin, Republicans in Michigan could be emboldened by these actions.
KEYBOARD WARRIORS!!! HAVE YOU CONTACTED YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR ASKING FOR SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE YET? In 2000 and 2016, the presidential candidates who lost the popular vote still became president, because they had won the most electoral votes. This system of the Electoral College deciding the presidency is not only an inaccurate and unfair representation of the people, but it is also founded in racism. Although it would take a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Electoral College altogether, some states are adopting a workaround by joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The states that have joined the Compact have passed state laws in which they commit their electoral votes to the popular vote winner of the presidential election. Michigan has taken the first step to join the Compact, by introducing the National Popular Vote law (HB 4156/SB 126) in the House and Senate. Contact our state legislators and tell them that every Michigander's vote matters, and that we want them to support and pass the National Popular Vote Law. It is imperative we get Speaker of the House, Joe Tate, on board and bring this up for a vote before the legislature adjourns in November. Please commit to emailing your legislator AND Joe Tate (JoeTate@house.mi.gov). Emphasize that this legislation is popular with both parties, will probably take only 2 hours of discussion on the floor prior to the vote, and best of all, costs nothing to implement. Ask 5 friends to commit to do the same. (FYI-The only people who oppose the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact are MAGAs and election deniers. Passing this legislation should be a no brainer.)
SWIM IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS - DEADLINE SOON!
We are still basking in the success of our Statewide Conference in June and hope you are, too! Look forward to a final survey in the coming months, as promised, about how you were able to implement any of the ideas from June 3 into your local work. We are looking ahead to repeating this event in 2024, but WE NEED YOU! Whether you enjoyed the conference, have feedback to improve it, or are sad that you missed it, we can't repeat this without more input on planning. We heard you loud and clear that you want to maintain the momentum generated by a conference and continue to hold similar events next year and beyond. We have several wonderful members who have volunteered to help plan next year's conference, but not enough to make it happen. We have a deadline of September 30 to simply establish a group who will serve as a planning committee - can you join us?? Drop us a quick note before 9-30-23 at info@statewideindivisiblemi.com and let us know you want to join the team. Many hands make light work - we can't do it without you! Let's get this DONE!
POSTCARD WRITERS! LET'S FLIP THE HOUSE 2024 WITH POSTCARD WRITING! Activate America is dedicated to mobilizing voters to elect Democrats in the House and Senate through post-carding, phone banking, texting, and canvassing opportunities. Right now, the organization is focusing on flipping 11 House seats in California and New York, all of which President Biden won in the 2020 presidential election. Click here to join Activate America in writing postcards to voters in these districts, and work towards flipping the House back to Democratic control in 2024. SHOW UP IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND BE HEARD!
Red Wine and Blue is hosting a series of in-person events around the State to draw awareness around the November 7 municipal elections. (MAGA extremists and criminals are now trying to infiltrate and dominate local control. One need only to look at Ottawa County as an example of the havoc being caused.) These events will probably occur in more populated areas like Kent and Oakland Counties, but check out Redwine.blue/events or SWIM's website to check for events in your area. INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL IS MAKING A MAJORITY Over the next year, a big emphasis with Indivisible National is to encourage the Dem Party to keep fighting for ordinary Americans. Celebrating the Inflation Reduction Act, tackling corporate greed, and of course the national and local successes of “Bidenomics” is a big part of this, as is fighting for personal freedoms such as access to abortion care. Fighting for visibility for ordinary Americans will boost the Dem brand, so to speak. That will hold back MAGA and support Progressive goals at federal and state level for years to come.
Indivisible has built a national campaign to do just this. Making a Majority is the name of this new for 2023-24 campaign and local groups with Dem Reps at the federal level can play an important role here in pushing and celebrating electeds who are indeed fighting for a person’s right to choose and to keep costs down for working families. https://indivisible.org/campaign/making-majority
Making a Majority Letters To the Editor (LTE) RESOURCES for Local Groups in Dem Legislative Districts: * LTE Template: Ask your MOC To be a Reproductive Freedom Champion
* LTE Template: Thank your MOC for being a Reproductive Freedom Champion INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL ENDORSES JOE BIDEN 2024 Indivisible is one of the first national networks to clear the air and back Biden’s re-election. More here: https://indivisible.org/statements/indivisible-endorses-joe-biden-president-2023 “President Biden and Vice President Harris are honored to be endorsed by Indivisible, one of the most active and engaged grassroots organizations in the United States,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. “To win in 2024, the president needs a diverse and broad coalition of voters in every corner of the country, and the organizing power of groups like Indivisible will be critical as we continue to build unprecedented support for President Biden and Vice President Harris to finish the job for the American people.” https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4187592-progressive-advocacy-group-indivisible-endorsing-biden-reelection-bid/
COOL APPS FOR ACTIVISTS
If you are concerned about keeping microplastics out of our environment, food chain and our bodies, there is a cool, snap and know app you can use to see if your toothpaste, cosmetics or other products contain these microscopic plastic bits. Check out Beat the Micro Bead here.
TurnUp is an app developed by young people who decided to become more politically engaged and who were frustrated that they couldn't find actions they could attend. With some generous funding and grit and determination, they developed TurnUp. You can watch a video here about their journey. Then download TurnUpActivism: Social Change and attend or post your own events to get young activists to TurnUP.
You can be a formidable climate activist with your smart device just by downloading and using ClimateActionNow. Climate Action Now will suggest a number off actions you can take, right from inside the app, that can email state, national and local government officials, CEOs of corporations, etc. And you can earn points toward trees. When you earn enough points, a tree will be planted somewhere in your name by ClimateActionNow. This is so easy. We start each day by doing 5 climate actions and feel like the day is off to a good start! Check it out here:
DemCast has a new app you can find on Google Play or the Apple store that makes sharing positive messages incredibly easily. They have been collecting videos and GIF files from the DNC, CAP Action, Into Action Labs and other sources into one Biden/Harris 2024 toolkit to spread the good news about the accomplishments of the Biden Administration.
And here is a shout out to another one of our partner's toolkits: Check out Red Wine and Blue Michigan - scroll down to the bottom to share their pre-made social media messages! You can share to your networks on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and WhatsApp.
Got a cool app to share? Email info@statewideindivisiblemi.com and we'll include it in our upcoming newsletter.
STAY CURRENT ON SWIM ACTIVITIES AND PARTNERS' EVENTS
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Visit the Website often! www.statewideindivisiblemi.com. New events are being posted regularly; bookmark the page! The new website is designed to be a central repository of the resources and network partners that we’ve amassed since 2016. We also want you, as members, to be able to add your own announcements about your successes and events. Have news to share? Let us know by using the "Comment" link at the top of the homepage, or click here! Follow us on Facebook! The SWIM private group is now open to all interested members. Simply go to the page, answer a few simple questions and you are in. This is a great way to keep current on events and issues in between newsletters. This page will be the sole Facebook page for SWIM going forward as the SWIM public page is being archived in the near future, so join the group today! Help us build our social media presence and impact by following SWIM on Twitter (X) @SWIMIndivisible and Instagram StateWideIndivisibleMichigan! If you are familiar with social media platforms like Threads, Mastodon, WhatsApp, TikTok, Tribel, Post, etc. please contact SWIM CORE member & resident social media maven Vickie Gutowski at info@statewideindivisiblemi.com to help expand our outreach!
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