INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Category: Pennsylvania

  • Pennsylvania Vote by Mail

    Pennsylvania Voters!  The deadline for applications to Vote by Mail in the primary is Tuesday, May 26, 2020. If you haven’t done so, hustle over to https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin now.
    • If you’re a voter with a valid PA Driver’s License or PennDOT ID number, you may apply with this online form.
    • If you do not have one of these ID numbers, you will need to download a paper application and mail it to your County Board of Elections. Otherwise, you may visit your local county elections office.
    Once you have your ballot in hand, be sure to fill it out correctly and return to the Board of Elections by 8:00 pm on Election Day. Watch this instructional video on completing your mail-in ballot. below.
    For more information, visit https://bucksdemocrats.org for important dates and guidelines. Make your voice heard and thank you for being a Voter!

    How to Vote by Mail

  • State of the State Voting: NJ and PA

    Contributed by Deb Kline.

    States currently have total control over how and when elections are held. While many eyes are on the proposal for national voting changes due to the coronavirus before the US Congress, it must be clear that states need to take or expand action to ensure a fair and robust election. Further, while Vote by Mail is the main focus, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, many states will be hard pressed to make sure enough ballots are ready, shipped and returned in time. Here’s the latest from NJ and PA, plus your call to action at the state level: 

    • Primaries in both states have been moved from their original dates due to the coronavirus. In New Jersey, the primary has been moved to July 7; and Pennsylvania is still on the calendar for June 2. 
    • Vote by Mail:  
      • NJ has allowed ‘no excuse needed’ vote by mail for some time. To receive a ballot by mail, the application must be received by the County Clerk 7 days prior to the election. A voter may also apply in person to the County Clerk until 3:00 p.m. the day before the election.
      • Pennsylvania loosened what was previously among the most restrictive requirements for absentee or vote by mail ballots. While it may seem as if the two are synonymous, the state does differentiate. Registered voters can apply for a mail-in ballot online, by mail or in person at the county election office. Applications for a mail-in ballot must be received one week in advance of the election and turned in by the date of the election. For the June 2 primary, applications for a mail-in ballot must be received by the county election office by 5 pm May 26. For more information on PA absentee and mail-in voting, go here 
    • Early voting: NJ allows in-person early voting 45 days prior to election day ending the day before the election at the County Clerk’s office. In Pennsylvania, however, there is no in-person early voting. Mail-in ballots go out 50 days in advance of the election.  

    It must be noted that the expected increase in vote by mail ballots will undoubtedly put a burden on local officials. In an Op-Ed in NJ Spotlight, David Goodman, team leader of the New Jersey chapter of Represent.Us – a national grassroots anti-corruption movement advocating for election and campaign finance reform, calls for strengthening the paper ballot system by making money available for reliable optical scanning machines and a state-wide standard for mail-in voting across counties. In NJ, two bills need your support: 

    • A- 3591, co-sponsored by Assemblymen Andrew Zwicker and Dan Benson, creates statewide standards for counties to follow. The bill provides protections for the voter and methods to ensure that questionable ballots are retained and adequately inspected. More than that, it would make information available to increase public awareness of voting by mail.
    • The second bill (A-2175) sponsored by Assembly members Raj Mukherji, Annette Chaparro, and James Kennedy, removes barriers to voting. Most significantly, the bill requires the secretary of state to establish a website for online voter registration.

    CALL TO ACTION

  • 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

  • In Pennsylvania: Ann Marie Mitchell becomes official Democratic Candidate for State Representative

    In Pennsylvania: Ann Marie Mitchell becomes official Democratic Candidate for State Representative

    Contributed by Lisa Bergson.

    On Tuesday night, February 3rd, Ann Marie Mitchell became the official Democratic candidate for state representative of PA’s 178th District.  She is challenging Trump supporter, Wendi Thomas, a Republican known for her conservative positions, who issued nasty attacks in her campaign to defeat ILNH constituent Helen Tai in 2018. 

    Ann Marie has lived in Northampton Township for 20 years, with her husband and children, who were educated in the Council Rock School District.  With degrees from the Wharton School and Penn Law, where she studied bankruptcy with then-professor Elizabeth Warren, Ann Marie stands as an experienced, grounded, and ethical candidate, very much worth our full support.

  • Impeach and Remove! Rapid Response Readiness Reminder – PLEASE READ

    The night before the House of Representatives takes a historic vote to impeach Trump, we’ll head to every congressional office and public square to declare that Nobody Is Above the Law as representatives finalize their positions and senators look on. 

    Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope is planning to turn out in force at Representative Brian Fitzpatrick’s Langhorne, PA office. The protest is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm.

    If there has ever been an event where we need to have a huge turnout in front of Rep. Fitzpatrick’s office, it is this one. He is one of only three or four vulnerable Republican MoCs in the whole country who can conceivably be convinced to vote against his party.  He needs to see where the people of this area stand. And that will only happen if there is a tremendous crowd in front of his office building, chanting, bearing posters, and making it abundantly clear that they support impeachment. Come out. Bring friends. Please prioritize this rapid response event. 

    We don’t know the exact date when this will occur, but could be nearly anytime in the next month.  So be ready! This means making your signs, coordinating transportation with others. If you haven’t already registered for the event – which is one of 345 planned events around the country – do so at the link below. You can also find other registered events in NJ and PA if getting to Langhorne is too much of a challenge. Sign up for an event here: https://www.impeach.org/event/impeach-and-remove-attend/search/