Category: Meetings

May 9th Team Meeting

May 6, 2017

Come to our next team meeting, at which you will have the opportunity to learn from and interact with our guest speaker, Gary Daniels, chief lobbyist for the ACLU of Ohio. Mr. Daniels will lead a discussion about how you can influence your elected officials, at the state and national level.

In addition, redistricting reform, a fundamental priority for our state and our country, will be on the agenda. 

We hope to see you there! If you can, please RSVP on Facebook.

Date/Time:  Tuesday, May 9 – 7:00-8:30

Location:  

Upper Arlington Main Library, 2800 Tremont Road

Friends Theater (lower level)

Our First 100 Days

April 28, 2017

As journalists work to capture the tumultuous first 100 days of the new administration, let’s take a step back and reflect on our own journey.

During the 2016 campaign, volunteers from Upper Arlington and Northwest Columbus registered over 1,500 new voters, made over 35,000 recruitment calls, and knocked on over 40,000 doors. Those doors were all over the city, from UA, NW Columbus, and Hilliard to Grandview, Franklinton, and Hilltop. It was truly incredible to see what we accomplished together.

We want to keep up the momentum and truly make a difference in UA and around Columbus.  Our plan is to continue to take action and build our team, knowing we cannot wait or stay on the sidelines for two years until the midterms. Here are some of the actions we’ve taken in our first 100 days!

We have sent out “calls to action” — email requests to contact your elected officials.  Some of the issues these calls to action have addressed include the Affordable Care Act and Cabinet nominees.  Stay tuned for more!

Many of our members have attended rallies and marches here and in DC. Let’s all continue to follow up those rallies with action!

We have called, emailed, and written to our elected officials, and staged rallies and visited with staff at Senator Portman and Congressman Stivers’ offices. Some of us attended a meeting with Representative Stivers to voice our concerns about Republican plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

We’ve had two successful group meetings, where we’ve filled the Friends Theater to capacity!  Zach Klein joined us for our first meeting as we talked about “why now” and “what’s next” for our neighborhood teams in Upper Arlington and Northwest Columbus. The focus of our second meeting was redistricting, with speaker Professor Richard Gunther.

We’ve built connections with other Indivisible and local activist groups. In conjunction with seven local groups—Organizing4UA, Forward 15, Columbus Northwest Blues, Upper Arlington Progressive Action, Central Ohio Citizens for Truth in Government, Progress Hilliard, and Indivisible Ohio District 15—we held a protest at Stivers’ Hilliard office to urge Stivers to vote against the AHCA.

We have a new webpage–have you checked out the Resources and Contacting Your Elected Officials pages yet? We have continued to grow our Facebook group. We also have a Twitter account!

What will we to do in our second 100 days? Redistricting reform is on the immediate horizon, as are continued plans to fight to improve (not dismantle) the Affordable Care Act. Stay involved and stay connected!

Join us for our next meeting on May 9 at 7 pm in the Friends Theater of the Upper Arlington Public Library on Tremont Rd. Our guest speaker will be Gary Daniels, the chief lobbyist of the ACLU of Ohio.  Come learn how to influence your elected officials and make positive change, while also resisting the Trump agenda.

Recap: Redistricting Reform in Ohio

April 12, 2017

The focus of our second Organizing4UA meeting was redistricting reform in Ohio.  Our guest speaker was Professor Richard Gunther, one of Ohio’s leading experts on the effort to bring fair Congressional districting to Ohio.

Professor Gunther outlined how gerrymandering results in fewer competitive elections, which in turn gives voters fewer choices, undermines accountability of elected officials, and contributes to increased polarization.

As we’ve said many times, Organizing4UA is an action-oriented group. Here are a number of action steps you can take right now:

  1. Donate to League of Women Voters Ohio. LWV Ohio is a founding member of the Fair Districts = Fair Elections Coalition. Click donate, and in the memo, indicate that  your contribution is for “Fair Districts.”
  2. Sign up for email updates from the Fair Districts = Fair Elections coalition
    or get mobile updates by texting DISTRICT to 864237.
  3. Watch for emails from Organizing4UA about volunteering! We will be sending out more detailed information about how you can help gather signatures to get the congressional redistricting reform proposal on the ballot. Stay tuned!

Thanks to Professor Gunther and to all who attended tonight’s meeting.

Fair Districts = Fair Elections

April 4, 2017

Professor Richard Gunther, one of Ohio’s leading experts on the effort to bring fair Congressional districting to Ohio, will join us for our April 12 meeting. Dr. Gunther works with the Fair Districts/Fair Elections Coalition which “seeks to reform the way Ohio’s Congressional Districts are drawn with the goal of prohibiting, or at least reducing, partisan gerrymandering.” This reform is a fundamental priority for our state and our country. You will not want to miss this opportunity.

Date/Time:
Wednesday, April 12 – 7:00-8:30

Location:
Friends Theater, Upper Arlington Main Library, 2800 Tremont Road

If you can, please RSVP to our Facebook event.

We hope to see you there!