Yard Signs

A Note From the Chair - Volunteer for Voter Contact This Week!

VOLUNTEER FOR VOTER CONTACT THIS WEEK

If you are interested in door knocking or phone banking, please RSVP to the Chair at [email protected] to confirm interest so we have a headcount beforehand. This is especially important for doors as we need to make literature bags.

DOOR KNOCKING will repeat this week Thursday at 5:30 PM and Saturday at 4 PM (earlier than previous weeks). We will be continuing to canvass in Houghton, so instead of the Hancock office we will again meet at Cyberia Cafe on Shelden Ave in Houghton to organize for the evening.

PHONE BANKERS will meet at the Hancock office at 5pm Wednesday to get instructions and lists, but will be given phone lists they can call from home. Lots of volunteers are really appreciated but it's hard for them to all talk at once in our office!

POSTCARDS and stamps are available, along with desired address lists; when you email we can arrange a time for you to pick up a target list and enough cards and stamps.

PREP WORK: We would like a couple of folks at 5 PM Wednesday to help bag literature for doors. That would be really helpful and make this phase run quickly. It's not difficult at all but somewhat repetitive. No need to RSVP to help out with this.

.MEET AND GREET WITH HARRIS WALZ CAMPAIGN REPRESENTATIVE BOB LEDDY

At 6 PM on Friday the 20th, Bob Leddy, a representative for the Harris Walz campaign, will be swinging through Houghton County. We'll be hosting him at the Houghton Super 8. Come and hear what he has to say about the campaign, and ask any questions on your mind!

HARRIS WALZ SIGNS

We have a few signs available from our Sign Making Event, including larger signs you can personalize with a message. These writable signs are of a material more suitable as window signs, but with spray sealant or a clear plastic cling cover might be made suitable for putting out in your yard on a stake

Thanks! - Chair William Keith

An Opportunity to Volunteer from Home

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who’ve volunteered over the last weeks, and those who’ll be volunteering this week for the activities outlined in the Chair’s Note above! Your contribution is so important - not only to the top of the ticket but to all of the Democratic candidates we are supporting here in Houghton County. It is truly inspiring to see everyone who has answered Michelle Obama’s call to DO SOMETHING.

For anyone looking for ways to contribute from your own home there are lots of phone banking, text banking and postcard writing opportunities you can become a part of through sites like mobilize.us.

BUT THERE IS ONE AT-HOME OPPORTUNITY IN PARTICULAR WE’D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONSIDER BECAUSE IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR VOTER TURNOUT IN CRUCIAL STATES FOR THIS YEAR’S ELECTION. 

It’s the Harris-Walz Voter Protection Phone Bank. This phone banking effort reaches out to Democratic voters in states like Georgia where Republicans are “cleaning” the voter rolls and thereby inactivating eligible voters. These inactivated voters are never informed they’ve been removed from the rolls. So, as part of this effort you’ll let them know they have been inactivated, and share with them how they can re-register so that they are once again eligible voters before they go to the polls. These Democratic voters will generally be very appreciative of your outreach. This phone banking effort is a great way to counter a sneaky but legal voter suppression tactic.

THERE ARE SHIFTS AVAILABLE DAILY FOR THIS PHONE BANK

If you think it might be something of interest to you, but you’re still unsure, please watch this video from activist Jessica Craven. She volunteered herself, and described it as “very, very easy and fun”. And best of all, no experience is necessary.

THEN SIGN UP HERE.

On the Campaign Trail

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON THE ROAD THIS WEEK

Campaign updates for the Presidential campaigns -

So many things have happened in the Presidential campaign over the last week that it can be hard to keep up! Of course there was Kamala Harris’ strong and decisive win in the debate last Tuesday. After the debate Harris won the endorsement of Taylor Swift, whose call for folks to register to vote led to over 400,000 visits to ote.gov in 24 hours.

On Thursday the VP held two rallies in North Carolina that attracted over 20,000 people between them. On Friday she held a rally in Wilkes-Barre PA, in the midst of red Cambria County, that drew 4,000 people. Later that day the VP sat down for an interview with journalist Brian Taff of Philadelphia’s ABC 6 Action News.

Meanwhile, Tim Walz made stops in Georgia, North Carolina, and here in Michigan in Grand Rapids.

By the way, if you want to keep track of the campaign this might prove useful - Newsweek has begun a “Where is Kamala Harris Today?” piece that and it looks like they’ll be updating it regularly. You can find it here.

On the other side? After his losing performance in the debate on Tuesday Donald Trump is doing his best to wrest the spotlight away from Kamala by heaping on the crazy. He is now repeating openly racist conspiracy theories. His debunked assertions have led to bomb threats against schools, hospitals and the City Hall in Springfield, OH.

Despite all that, his VP candidate went on the Sunday talk shows to double and triple down on the “eating pets” nonsense while Ohio’s governor was on another talk show saying that such talk must stop.

And about the same time Trump, apparently rattled by the news of the number of voter registrations Taylor Swift was inspiring, put up a four word post on his Truth Social site: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”

And later Sunday the news came that Trump had been rushed from his Palm Beach golf course. A lone gunman was discovered by Secret Service and fled the scene. He was quickly arrested thanks to a citizen who managed to get his license plate number as he saw the gunman jump into his car and speed away. Trump was not fired upon or hurt by the encounter.

Even after such an eventful week the polls in battleground states like ours continue to show this race is neck and neck. Listen to this smart analysis by Pete Buttigieg about what’s behind Trump’s latest craziness -it’s meant to distract us, which perversely benefits him.

But we cannot let the craziness distract us, we must keep our focus on electing Kamala Harris. She is keeping her focus on the things that matter to Americans. As Coach Walz says, WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT ALL ON THE FIELD. Please help us locally by volunteering for the voter contact opportunities in Chair Keith’s note above. Because when we fight, WE WIN!

ON THE ROAD WITH THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN

These are the announced events for the Harris campaign this week.

• Today: VP Harris will sit for an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia. Tim Walz is slated to make two stops in Georgia today, and hold a rally in Asheville NC.

• Thursday: The VP comes to Michigan to join Oprah for her “Unite for America” livestream event with 140 different grassroots organizations. The event starts at 8 PM. You can RSVP to watch the livestream here.

• Friday: Kamala Harris’ campaign has confirmed that she will return to Wisconsin on Friday, but details have not yet been released.

TRUMP CONTINUES BEING TRUMP

Here are the announced events for the Trump campaign this week:

• Today: Donald Trump will be in Flint today for a “town hall” moderated by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee. His past town halls this year have included pre-scripted questions from audience members, and lots of rambling. We’ll have to see what this one consists of. JD Vance will be in Sparta, MI and Eau Clare WI today.

• Wednesday: Trump holds a rally at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. JD Vance visits Raleigh, NC.

• Saturday: Trump holds a rally in Wilmington, NC in the Aero Center, and airplane hanger near the Wilmington airport.

Last Highway Clean Up Monday September 23

COME JOIN US FOR THE LAST HIGHWAY CLEAN UP OF 2024! 

The Houghton County Dems will be out again for the final highwaya clean up of the 2024 season as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. Our stretch of highway is M-26 from just past Goat Hill Rd heading out of Ripley, and on through to Dollar Bay.

We’ll get together to clean our stretch of highway on Monday, September 23rd at 5:30pm. (Rain Date is the Wednesday, September 25th). Parking is available at the Adopt-A-Highway sign just past Goat Hill Rd. We provide gloves, safety vests and bags. 

Please join us so we can continue this very worthwhile community service. Hope to see you there!

WHEN: Monday, September 23rd @ 5:30 PM

WHERE: Park along M-26 at the Adopt-A-Highway sign just past Goat Hill Road heading out of Ripley

If you’d like to volunteer to join the highway clean up crew contact Barb Turuc at [email protected] or leave a message at (906) 523-1233 

Kim Corcoran to Appear in Candidate Forum

LWV-COPPER COUNTY GOGEBIC RANGE UNIT TO HOST

Kim Corcoran and her opponent Greg Markkanen meet in a candidate forum later this month. The forum will be hosted by the Gogebic Range Unit of the League of Women Voters - Copper Country. It will be held on Monday, September 30th at 7 PM. (A forum for candidates for Gogebic County Sheriff will come first at 5:30 PM.)

Word is that the event will be live streamed, but we don’t have confirmation yet. We’ll keep you posted.

Be a Nonpartisan Election Challenger or Poll Monitor with PTV!

The group Promote the Vote (PTV) is offering training and credentialing for individuals interested in being a nonpartisan election challenger or poll monitor.

From their website: “As our eyes and ears on the ground, nonpartisan challengers and poll monitors are stationed at polling places, early voting sites, and absentee counting boards across Michigan to monitor the election process. Our pro-voter volunteers make sure eligible voters can cast their ballots, free from interference and voter intimidation. In the past, PTV’s volunteers have corrected improper election procedures at early voting sites and made sure polling places were accessible to voters of all mobilities.”

Learn more and sign up for one of the many available remote training sessions on their event web page.

Our Next Monthly Meeting

HCDP Monthly Meetings: Unless otherwise communicated our monthly meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month. Potluck at 6 PM, Meeting at 7 PM. In the conference room at the Houghton Super 8, and by Zoom (starting at 7 PM).

NEXT MEETING: October 2nd

Governmental & Community Meetings

TUE SEP 17

The Laurium Village Council meets tonight at 6 PM in the Council Chambers of the Town Hall. More info can be found on the Village's website.

The Calumet Village Council meets tonight at 6:00 PM in the Village Council Chambers. More information can be found on the Village’s News & Events web page.

WED SEP 18

The Hancock City Council meets at 6 PM in the Hancock City Hall Council Chambers.