Citizen Action Weekly

Citizen Action Weekly: Friday, July 31st

Friday, July 31st

Request your absentee ballot today! Protect your health vote from home. 

All Registered Wisconsin voters are eligible to vote with an absentee ballot. You can request ballots for both the primary and general elections in 2020.

Request your absentee ballot today.

Primary Election is Tuesday, August 11th; Thursday August 6th is the last day to request your absentee ballot.

Volunteer to Send texts and/or Make Calls for Citizen Action of Wisconsin Endorsed Candidates who have contested Primaries.

Both the text messages and the call scripts will incorporate the Race Class Narrative Messaging that we’ve been testing over the past couple of months, and the call program will give you an intro into the Deep Phone Canvass model we’ve been developing with People’s Action!

Senate District 6: LaTonya Johnson
Senate District 30: Jonathan Hansen
Assembly District 8: JoAnna Bautch
Assembly District 9: Marisabel Cabrera
Assembly District 10: Tomika Vukovic
Assembly District 16: Melissa Sargent
Assembly District 17: Supreme Moore Omokunde
Assembly District 78: Lisa Subeck
Assembly District 96: Josefine Jaynes

Sign up here to get out the vote in these important races for the Tuesday August 11th Primary!

Texting will happen Tuesday, August 4th, and Tuesday Aug 11th from 4:00-6:30 pm.

SIGN UP FOR A TEXT SHIFT HERE!

Calls will happen on Wednesday August 5th from 5-8pm, and you will be able to make calls whenever you want after this initial training.

SIGN UP FOR A CALL SHIFT HERE

Take a stand against medical debt in La Crosse this Sunday!

Citizen Action of Wisconsin and SEIU Healthcare are taking a stand against medical debt. Join us for a socially distant rally and protest to let Gundersen know that they need to stop suing their employees and the community over medical debt!

Please use this form to RSVP for this important event.

As one of the largest employers and health care providers in our community, Gundersen Health System has a responsibility to our most vulnerable citizens. In just the past few years, Gundersen has taken hundreds of our community members to court for unpaid medical debt – including its own employees who cannot afford the who cannot afford the steep cost of the Hospital’s insurance plan.

Gundersen has been named one of the most profitable hospitals in the country.  Community members and Gundersen employees should be able to receive affordable services at a nonprofit Hospital without being sued, taken to collections, or having their wages garnished.

We demand Gundersen:

  1. Cease suing our community members and employees for medical debt
  2. Forgive existing medical debt
  3. Provide employees with affordable health insurance coverage

Remember to bring water and sunscreen.  Also please wear the color purple in solidarity.

PLEASE RSVP

You can read more about the Stand Against Medical Debt and why we are standing up to Gundersen right here.

Follow the brand new Citizen Action of Wisconsin Driftless Co-op page on Facebook

Citizen Action has rolled out a brand new public Facebook page for the Driftless region.  This page is the best place to stay up to date on important events, calls to action and campaigns Citizen Action is working on locally. This public page also makes it very easy to share this important information to everyone on your Facebook friends list with one simple click. Please use this link to like this page and share contact across the internet.

You can also help get the word out by joining our social media team.  We are recruiting a team to help share content from the new local Citizen Action page.  This is a very easy job but a very important one.  Members of the team will be called upon to share specific content on their own Facebook page.  Basically when a team member gets tagged in a post they are asked to simply click the share button.  It only takes a few seconds but it has a HUGE impact.  If you would like to join the social media team please contact Ben Wilson at [email protected].

Contact the La Crosse County Board to let them know that you support 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050

On August 20th the La Crosse County Board will be voting on a resolution committing La Crosse to 100% clean, renewable energy We need to let them know that La Crosse County has to stand up and lead the way by committing to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050.  We need to send a message to our leaders on the county board that we support clean renewable energy!

Our planet is in crisis.  We must protect the environment for generations to come.  It is vital that our elected leaders hear from us NOW.   Wisconsin will not be immune to impacts of climate change, but we can be part of the solution! Climate scientists agree that we must limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid the most destructive and dangerous effects of climate change. This will require net zero carbon emissions by 2050, which means ditching fossil fuels and transitioning to clean, renewable energy.

This effort is being brought to you by Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, Coulee Region Sierra Club and Citizen Action of Wisconsin.

For those of you outside of La Crosse County thank you for your support but please do not submit these forms.

Please use this form to send an email directly to your county board supervisors.

Please use this form to sign our digital petition.

CALL TO ACTION: Join in a phone banking day of action for Citizen Action of Wisconsin endorsed candidate Josefine Jaynes on August 6th

Citizen Action of Wisconsin endorsed candidate Josefine Jaynes is running in a tight primary for the Democratic nomination in Wisconsin’s Assembly district 96 covering Vernon, Crawford and Monroe counties.

Josefine is an inspiring 18 year old candidate who will bring a bold new progressive voice to Madison.  She is committed to protecting Wisconsin’s small farms, fighting climate change, protecting our water, making sure our schools are getting the funding they need and making sure that rural Wisconsin is protected and heard. She is the voice of the next generation of progressive leaders.  You can actually hear an interview with Josefine in this week’s “Battleground Wisconsin” podcast.

Josefine’s campaign is planning a major day of action in advance of the August 11th primary.  They will be hosting a phone bank next Thursday Aug 6th.  She is looking for volunteers from across the state to make calls to residents of district 96.  Official instructions on how to get involved in this phone banking event will be announced this weekend on Josefine’s campaign Facebook page.  You can also email Josefine directly at [email protected] and she will make sure you are connected and able to get involved.     

Let the City of La Crosse know that you support expanding voting access

Voting is one of America’s most important rights. Elections during the age of COVID-19 should not be a choice between voting and your health.  The City of La Crosse can take steps RIGHT NOW to expand voting access and ensure safe, free and fair elections through the rest of 2020.  Please take a moment and complete this form to send an email to La Crosse’s mayor, city clerk and deputy city clerk to let them know that you support the following plans to expand voting access and make sure that every La Crosse resident can vote safely.

  • Provide at least three secure absentee ballot drop boxes throughout the city
  • Strive to identify, prepare, and maintain the standard number of polling locations. At a minimum, the city should have at least seventy-five percent of an average election’s total number of polling locations open for Election Day
  • Develop and enact a plan for the recruitment and retention of poll workers to be made available to the public
  • Identify, prepare, and maintain suitable areas for drive through voting for both early and same day voting. Ensure that every in-person polling location has functional curbside voting as required by state statute

Please use the links below to sign our digital petition and send an email directly to the mayor of La Crosse (along with the city clerk) to let them know you support expanded voting options to keep everyone safe while they vote this November.

Please use this form to email the mayor and city clerk directly
Please use this form to sign our digital petition

Driftless Co-op Anniversary Meeting, Saturday, August 29th

On August 29th the Citizen Action of Wisconsin Driftless Co-op will have its one year anniversary of organizing in the area.  In honor of the big day we will be hosting a virtual meeting for all our members, friends and allies.

This will be a chance to hear about all the work we have done to expand healthcare, protect voting rights, fight climate change and elect progressive candidates.  We will also be laying out our plans for the rest of the year.  Several members will be presenting on projects they have been working on with Citizen Action.

We encourage everyone to come out for this very special virtual meeting.  Please use the link below to RSVP.  Space is limited so RSVP today!  Details on how to join this Zoom meeting will be sent once you RSVP.

Volunteer for Citizen Action endorsed candidate Joni Anderson and help flip State Senate District 14

Progressives have a chance to flip Wisconsin’s State Senate district 14 this year!  Citizen Action of Wisconsin member and endorsed candidate Joni Anderson is running as the State Senate district 14 Senator.  District 14 is an open seat in a very gerrymandered, rural area but we can win if we start organizing RIGHT NOW.

Joni is the vice president of her union.  She is a strong advocate for universal healthcare.  She sees the urgent need to fight against the climate crisis.  She will be a powerful ally for Wisconsin progressives and Citizen Action of Wisconsin.  For more information about her campaign you can visit her campaign Facebook page here.

Joni has no primary opponent but she is building a strong volunteer network now so that they can spring into action after the August 11th primary.  She is looking for virtual volunteers to phone bank, send handwritten postcards and share her message across social media.  No matter where you are in the state (or country) you can help by joining her volunteer team.  For more information on how to get involved please contact Joni directly at [email protected].  Please contact Joni NOW so that after the primary she has a team ready to go to flip State Senate District 14!

Virtual Town Hall and Volunteer opportunities for Supreme Moore Omokunde on Tuesday August 4th!

Join Citizen Action’s North Side Rising on Tuesday, August 4th at 5pm for a virtual town hall with State Assembly candidate Supreme Moore Omokunde. Supreme is running for District 17th on Milwaukee’s Northside.

As a member of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, Supreme has been addressing the issues that matter to us the most – climate change and economic opportunity for Milwaukee. As co-chair for the Milwaukee City/County Climate and Economic Equity Taskforce that is developing and implementing a Green New Deal in Milwaukee creating good green jobs for the city. Green jobs are currently the fastest growing job sector in the US today that Milwaukee could really benefit from.

Now, Supreme is running for State Assembly to continue the fight for an equitable green new deal.

Join the town hall to hear more about his campaign and how you can help him.

North Central Organizing Co-op Member Takes Part in National Living Room Conversation

NC Co-op member, community activist, and Wausau City Alder Tom Kilian was interviewed by CHEJ (Center for Health, Environment and Justice) as a part of their weekly living room leadership series. CHEJ is an affiliate of the Action Network and People’s Action. Tom started a grassroots fight in Wausau, in regard to decades of environmental contamination from industry in his neighborhood. He lives in a working-class neighborhood, and believes that it has not been a priority to remediate the years of pollution because of this fact. Tom’s activism led to the creation of the grassroots group Citizens for a Clean Wausau, and has spanned nearly a decade of researching and exposing the past that led to this contamination. You can see Tom’s full interview here.

And here’s an article from Wausau Pilot & Review about the interview.

Marathon County Board of Supervisors Passes a Fair Maps resolution!

After a second attempt (in 4 years) the Marathon County Board of Supervisors has passed a Fair Maps resolution, 19-17! Newly elected Supervisor Will Harris (Who was also endorsed by Citizen Action of Wisconsin) and Jean Maszk sponsored the resolution.  Those voting in favor were Supervisors Harris, Maszk, Beastrom, Buttke, Cihlar, Conway, Christensen, Fisher, Gonnering, Johnson, Krause, Lo, Leahy, Opall, Overbeck, Robinson, Rosenberg, Van Krey and Xiong. This was the result of a coalition of grassroots community members, who organized around this issue, contacted their Supervisors, and fielded calls to Supervisors from community members. At least half a dozen members of the NC Organizing Co-op played an active role in making this happen.

Here is the video of the meeting.

WSAW provided some coverage of this as well.

This follows Rusk County, which passed a measure to have a Fair Maps referendum question on their November ballot a couple of months back. Co-op members were also involved in that. There are more efforts happening in other parts of the NC region. Stay tuned for updates!

Citizen Action in the News

Citizen Action released a report on the impact of cutting the $600 federal supplemental unemployment insurance payment in Wisconsin. See details on our findings and full video of the press conference here, which included State Senator La Tonya Johnson. See and hear media coverage from ABC TV Madison; Up North News, and listen to an interview with Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig on WCLO Radio.

Citizen Action Health Care for All Director Claire Zautke did an interview on WORT Radio on prescription drug reform.

Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig discussed the prospects for progressive influence in the Biden Administration on the Jeff Santos Radio Show. The program, which originates from Boston, is replayed on the commercial progressive radio stations in the Madison and Milwaukee media markets. Citizen Action’s Battleground Wisconsin is also featured on these stations every week.

“Trump mails in the election” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast

We discuss President Trump’s disturbing pronouncement that the 2020 election should be delayed because mail-in ballots will make it inaccurate and fraudulent. Trump’s statement comes on the heels of a cratering economy and complete absence of Republican leadership on extending desperately needed COVID relief. We celebrate the extension of the moratorium on utility shutoffs last week and thank the leadership of Citizen Action’s new North Side Rising organizing co-op. We welcome progressive State Assembly candidates Kristina Shelton and Josefine Jaynes to discuss their August 11th primary elections.

LISTEN NOW – EPISODE #453
Download MP3

Donate to Kristina Shelton.
Volunteer for Kristina Shelton.
Donate to Josefine Jaynes.
Volunteer for Josefine Jaynes.

Press Clips

Facebook post of the week

 

 

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