INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Author: Indivisible Lambertville / New Hope

  • Census Process Faces Challenges of Cybersecurity and Coronovirus

     Contributed by Amara Willey.

    Coming to a mailbox near you at the same time as the coronavirus (COVID-19) hits our shores, the 2020 Census has a huge impact on Federal workings for the next ten years. Determining how many Congressional representatives each state gets and how funding is allocated, the accuracy of the census numbers is vital to our democracy.

    According to the Census form letter itself, results will be used to make decisions about federal funding to communities for schools, roads and other public services; local transportation and emergency readiness preparedness; and the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as political representation at all levels of government.

    Because for the first time in history, respondents are being asked to answer online, all kinds of issues have arisen. 

    • How accurate are the online results?

    Three quarters of households are receiving an invitation to complete their census online. There is concern amongst Democratic lawmakers that with the coronavirus, the Census Bureau will rely too heavily on internet responses. In addition, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has expressed concern that the Census Bureau has not adequately prepared for the possibility of computer hacking,  stating it “continues to face challenges related to addressing cybersecurity weaknesses, tracking and resolving cybersecurity recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security.”

    • What happens if you don’t have access to the internet?

    Households can still answer via telephone or mail-in form. Also, the Census Bureau estimates that approximately 500,000 temporary workers will be going door to door assisting people with answering the questionnaires. It’s expected that 60 percent of those receiving the Census will fill it out on time on their own.

    • How will the coronavirus affect the Census?

    The estimated time for this door-to-door process is May through July, though that time frame may shift because of COVID-19. The Census Bureau is required to report their findings by December 31, 2020. “The planned completion date for data collection for the 2020 Census is July 31, 2020; however, that date can and will be adjusted if necessary as the situation evolves in order to achieve a complete and accurate count,” the Census Bureau said in a statement released on March 15.

    The date that we are using to report the population is April 1, regardless of when the census is filled out. The best way to help this process is to fill out your form promptly. It will also ensure that you avoid a visit from a Census Bureau enumerator, which will free them up to count more difficult to reach populations, such as the homeless and those without good internet access.

    Resources:

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/us/2020-census-what-you-need-to-know/index.html
    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-to-avoid-a-census-worker-coming-to-your-door-during-coronavirus-crisis/ar-BB11jK4O
    https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/12/politics/census-bureau-significant-risks-2020-census-gao/index.html

  • Just the Facts – Women’s Suffrage

    Contributed by Olga Vanucci.

    It’s Women’s History Month, and here’s to a long line of women who persisted to ensure that more than half the population of the U.S. has the right to vote. Follow the timeline of their efforts. 

    1787: The U.S. Constitutional Convention places voting qualifications in the hands of the states. Women in all states except New Jersey lose the right to vote.

    1807: Women in New Jersey lose the right to vote.

    1838: Kentucky passes the first statewide woman suffrage law allowing female heads of household in rural areas to vote in elections deciding on taxes and local boards for the new county “common school” system.

    1872: Susan B. Anthony registers and votes in Rochester, New York, and is arrested a few days later for voting.

    1878: A federal amendment to grant women the right to vote is introduced for the first time. Though initially unsuccessful, it would eventually become the 19th Amendment.

    August 18, 1920: Tennessee is the last of the necessary 36 states to ratify the 19th  Amendment.

    August 26, 1920: The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is received and ratified by the U.S. Secretary of State, adding the amendment to the Constitution.  It states:

    The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.  Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

    2020: It’s the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the U.S., and the year that women will vote Trump out!

    Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States

  • ACTION: Help Your Local Non-Profits

    Food Pantries – The non-profits supporting those in need are in need themselves as the number of people accessing their operations continues to increase. This link is a one stop shop to all the local food pantries in Hunterdon, Bucks and beyond https://www.foodpantries.org/ci/nj-lambertville. Monetary donations allow them to stock what is most needed and eliminates the need for you to shop and deliver. 

    Meals on Wheels Volunteers Needed (Hunterdon) – Volunteer drivers are needed for the delivery of meals from 11 AM to 1 PM Monday through Friday. This is a vital service to some of our most vulnerable residents in Hunterdon County.  Protocols are being put into place so there isn’t face-to-face contact with the meal recipients. Details on Meals on Wheels locations will be provided to interested volunteers. If you know of any interested residents in your community, please have them contact either Human Resources Director Grace Kelly at gkelly@co.hunterdon.nj.us or Deputy Chief of Staff Brad Myhre at bmyhre@co.hunterdon.nj.us.

    Lebanon Site:
    Needs Drivers for each of the following locations:
    Clinton, Quakertown, Jutland/Pattenburg, Hampton/Glen Gardner, Califon, Tewksbury, Annandale, High Bridge and Lebanon.

    Flemington Site:
    Needs a Driver for each of the following locations:
    Senior Housing, Flemington Central, Flemington South, Flemington North, Flemington/Ringoes, Whitehouse, Frenchtown, Milford, Alexandria, Lambertville and Stockton.

    Know of other non-profit community groups aiding people in need at this time? Post in the comment below.

  • Important State and Local Coronavirus Information

    NJ Department of Labor Benefits and the Coronavirus Information page for Employees – New Jersey residents are provided with some of the most comprehensive employee benefits in the nation. New Jersey requires earned sick leave, temporary disability benefits, paid family leave insurance, and unemployment benefits. In addition, the New Jersey Assembly this week passed several bills aimed to assist those impacted by COVID-19. One bill implements a temporary unemployment program for employees who are out of work because of the coronavirus or who have to care for a sick family member or a child whose school is closed because of the virus. Full pay would be available to these employees if this bill is passed as written. Unfortunately, like the situation in New York, the New Jersey online unemployment page is overwhelmed.

    Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Information for Workers Impacted by Coronavirus – Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor has also waived the seven-day waiting period for benefits and has published a website to assist those employees impacted by the coronavirus. Unemployment benefits are potentially available if an employer temporarily closes or goes out of business because of COVID-19, if an employer reduces working hours because of COVID-19, if an employee been told not to work because their employer feels their might get or spread COVID-19, or if an employee has been told to quarantine or self-isolate, or live/work in a county under government-recommended mitigation efforts.

    Sign up at the following links to receive emergency notifications from your State, County and Municipality 

    New Hope
    Lambertville City
    Solebury Twp
    Hunterdon County
    Bucks County
    New Jersey Department of Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard
    Pennsylvania Department of Health’s COVID-19 Alert

  • Payback Project Targets Republicans in Ten States – Join the Effort

    Contributed by Amara Willey.

    Rising out of frustration over the impeachment process, Indivisible began a campaign, Project Payback, in February to oust the Republicans who are the staunchest supporters of Donald Trump. Indivisible has identified these senators as the biggest threats to our democracy. Payback means rallying supporters in every state to elect Democratic candidates.

    In order to gain a majority in the Senate, Democrats need to pick up four seats in the Senate (three if a Democrat is elected president and the vice president takes his or her place in the Senate). Since two Democrats (in Michigan and Alabama) are also defending their seats in states Trump won, Democrats need to target a larger area in case those two aren’t re-elected.

    The eleven targeted GOP Senators are Martha McSally, Arizona; Cory Gardner, Colorado; David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia; Joni Ernst, Iowa; Mitch McConnell, Kentucky (also Senate Majority Leader); Susan Collins, Maine; Steve Daines, Montana; Thom Tillis, North Carolina; Lindsey Graham, South Carolina; and John Cornyn, Texas. 

    Arizona – Sen. McSally actually lost her bid for senator in this state, but then was appointed by the governor to fill Sen. John McCain’s seat after he passed. Arizona’s support of Trump was narrow, and Dems are feeling pretty good about some of the contenders for this seat. 

    Colorado – Things aren’t looking too good for Sen. Gardner at the moment, and his support of Trump will only hurt him in a state where Trump is not too popular. Hillary Clinton won Colorado by 5 percent of the vote in 2016, and Dems have 50,000 more registered voters than Republicans do. 

    Georgia – Stacy Abrams in her unsuccessful gubernatorial race gave some hope to flipping this state. She had wide support from younger and non-white voters, as well as women. A number of Democrats are running for this seat currently, but none are raising the kind of money that the incumbent Republican is. Abrams declined to run in this race.

    Iowa – Dems have cause to be optimistic here. Trump’s tariff threats in Mexico and Canada have affected farmers in this state. Dems flipped two house seats in 2018 and gained two statewide offices, demonstrating that this state seems to be swinging back after the 2016 election.

    Kentucky – For anyone to beat incumbent Sen. McConnell would take a miracle, but a number of Democratic candidates are giving it a go. Perhaps the mishandling of the coronavirus situation could help here, but it’s still unlikely that a Democrat will overturn this seat.

    Maine – Despite Sen. Susan Collins’ high popularity in this state, Dems are optimistic about their chances to defeat her. Whoever wins the primary will have access to $4 million of crowd-funded money raised to unseat Collins after she voted to confirm Kavanaugh.

    Montana – Democratic Sen. John Tester won reelection in 2018, but it will be more difficult for a Dem to win a Senate spot with Trump on the ballot. On March 9, Montana’s Democratic governor Steve Bullock entered the race, giving some hope to flipping this seat. Bullock, who ran for president and dropped out in December, easily won his second term as governor in 2016, even when the state overwhelmingly voted for Trump.

    North Carolina – Sen. Thom Tillis narrowly won with less than 50 percent of the vote in 2014, and in 2016 a Democrat became governor of the state. Tillis has been trying to appeal to both Dems and Republicans, but he has waffled on several issues and appears to be weak. This race may come down to who rides the coattails of the next president.

    South Carolina – This is another state where flipping the seat seems like a long shot. Although Sen. Graham has revised his original views of Trump from calling him a “race baiting, xenophobic and religious bigot” to full support, there is some hope that African Americans will help to turn this overwhelmingly red state as part of a Democratic renaissance happening in the South.

    Texas – Beto O’Rourke’s bid against Ted Cruz in the 2018 election demonstrated that Texas wasn’t as red as everyone first believed. Dems are trying to rebuild the coalition against Sen. John Cornyn. Former Congressional candidate MJ Heger is currently in that race, but there has been speculation that now that O’Rourke is out of the presidential race, he may also try for that seat. After Biden indicated that he would put O’Rourke in charge of gun control issues if he becomes president, that, however, may be a bigger carrot for O’Rourke.

    Action: This campaign is ambitious and will require a lot of grassroots activism. If you are interested in getting involved with this project, go to https://www.paybackproject.org to sign up or join the Indivisible Payback Project texting team. Donations are also being accepted. 

    Resources:

    https://onethingyoucando.com/2020/02/07/join-indivisibles-payback-project-and-target-nine-gop-senators-for-defeat-in-november-2020/
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/01/donald-trump-impeachment-republican-senate-coverup
    http://occasionalplanet.org/2020/02/03/indivisible-launches-the-payback-project/
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/07/12/senate-seats-most-likely-flip/
    https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-democrats-have-a-candidate-in-kentucky-but-can-she-beat-mitch-mcconnell/
    https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/09/steve-bullock-will-run-for-senate-in-montana-in-2020-election.html
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lindsey-graham-2020-election-gets-2020-challenger-in-former-south-carolina-dnc-chair-jaime-harrison/