Dear friends,
It’s election time again! This year everything is different, and many of you are already receiving your mail-in ballots for the September 1st primary. Several of our friends have actually called us asking who to vote for! So here are our recommendations for the Democratic primary (there are only a few contested races), as well as some useful information about when and how to vote and how you can help get out the vote for the November election in states where there is rampant voter suppression.
U.S. Senate: Re-elect Ed Markey (and help with his campaign if you are so inclined)
Many of you know us as
long-time environmental justice advocates.
This is a major reason we are supporting returning Ed Markey to
the Senate. Ed’s co-authorship of the
Green New Deal arises out of decades of fighting for a clean environment and
against climate change. The brilliance
of the Green New Deal idea is that it prioritizes a just and fair transition
for all workers. Investing in clean
energy solutions, like wind, solar, and geothermal power, will allow us to
create millions of jobs, reduce America’s reliance on foreign oil, and keep the
United States competitive in the global clean energy race. Ed has already
introduced legislation to make this vision a reality. The Boston Globe cited this as a key
reason for their endorsement: “Markey is
poised — and arguably more prepared than any other politician in the US
government — to fill in the conceptual aspirations of the Green New Deal
resolution that he cosponsored with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
with practical policies and to get them passed in Congress.”
Both as a senator and as a member of Congress, Ed Markey has led the way in many other important areas including gun safety, free public transportation, protecting civil rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender people, welcoming refugees, saving equitable access to the internet, access to health care, and limiting nuclear weapons testing. Even in this contentious environment, Ed has been able to work across the aisle and get some of this important legislation passed into law. He has been out front in fighting for protections for working people during the COVID pandemic. You can learn more about where Ed stands on a multiplicity of issues here.
We have always supported candidates whose commitment is to be a true public servant, and have not doubt that this is true of Ed Markey. By contrast, Markey’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Joe Kennedy III, seems to be running mainly for his own personal ambition of moving up to the Senate. He has not articulated any clear reason for running at this time and against a dedicated and effective Senator who shares most if not all of his positions, and in most cases, got to them first. Here is a thoughtful analysis of Kennedy’s claims as a challenger. (However, if Joe K. wins the primary, we will certainly support him in the November election.)
Governor’s Council: Vote Paul DePalo
Most people don’t know
very much about the Governor’s Council and why it is important. This very
part-time body, with only eight elected members, is chaired by the Lieutenant
Governor and approves or rejects the Governor’s judicial nominees and
nominations of some other officials. Recent events have made even more
clear that judges matter.
Paul DePalo, a former schoolteacher now working as an attorney with experience representing children in juvenile court, is running to bring a community perspective to this office. Paul will work to approve judges who will end the trauma to prison pipeline. He will fight for judges who will affirm gender equality, find help, rather than incarceration, for troubled youth, and enforce worker rights and civil rights. Paul ran two years ago and lost to the Republican incumbent in a very close race. At this time there is no Republican candidate for this position so the winner of the Democratic primary will likely win the seat. Sadly, Paul’s opponent in the primary boasts support from organizations representing state police and correction officers and some of the most reactionary voices in our area. Learn more about Paul here.
Register of Probate
A few of you have asked
us about this race, and we don’t have a lot of information or a strong opinion
about the primary. We weren’t even
knowledgeable about what the position entails; you can learn more about that here. The incumbent Republican, Stephanie Fattman,
was backed by a lot of dark money in her first election and has a lot of money
in her campaign account, so we are concerned that she will be hard to
beat. The two potential challengers,
facing off in the Democratic primary, are John Dolan (web page here)
and Kasia Wennerberg (Facebook
page here). It appears
from her page that a couple of our good friends are supporting Wennerberg, but
Dolan seems to have a more robust and better funded campaign.
Election information: This year, because of the pandemic, mail-in ballots are available for all registered voters. You may have already applied for and received yours, but if you have not, you can do so here, with directions on how to submit your application here. The deadline to register to vote in the September 1 primary or to change your party enrollment has been extended; it is Saturday, August 22. There will also be early voting from August 22-28 (this page has Worcester's schedule; for other cities/towns you can check this page closer to the primary date.)
If you want to help get out the vote in swing states and combat voter suppression in November you can sign up with an organization called VoteForward. VoteForward provides activists with names, addresses and a data-driven proven template to write letters to voters in important states. Letter writers will save their letters and send them right before the election so that voters receive them at the perfect, most-strategic moment. This is a perfect way for your group to stay active during social distancing. Writing letters is both a safe, remote activity and proven effective! It’s a way to make an impact from home and can also be a great activity to do “together” over video chats. It’s easy and rewarding. Here are quick and straightforward instructions on how to get started and how to mail your letters. They have also run several tests and this particular letter format is proven to increase turnout!
Thank you for allowing us to share our
opinions about elections with you. We
are honored that many of our friends actually ask us for them. We also appreciate that some people who like
us and who we like don’t share our views. Whether you agree with us or not, please be sure to vote!
Sincerely,
Margot Barnet and David Coyne
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