Meeting of Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7pm, on ZOOM…

No more “Election Day” – this is Election Month!
Ballots have arrived – help is needed NOW!

OUR GUESTS on Oct 13:
Mayoral Candidate Steve Young
and City Council Candidate Terry Scott

PDB’s meeting on Oct. 13 focused on Benicia’s Mayoral and Council races. Our endorsed candidates, Steve Young for Mayor and Terry Scott for Council, discussed their campaigns and provided suggestions on how we could further support their election to office.

During the meeting we also discussed how we should prepare for possible “election problems” on Nov. 3 and afterwards. Here’s the link to an article that raises such concerns and what we can do to prepare: 10 things you need to know to stop a coup (by Daniel Hunter of 350.org, on WAGING NONVIOLENCE.org).  Mary Susan Gast presented Hunter’s 10 points and encouraged all of us to sign the pledge to Choose Democracy, and sign up for a training. Here are links:

• • wagingnonviolence.org/2020/09/10-things-you-need-to-know-to-stop-a-coup/ (Hunter article)
  • Choose Democracy
  • choosedemocracy.us/prepare/#training (training sign-ups)

As one of our members wrote, “It’s always best to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. We are in a situation where if Trump tries to stop the counting of votes, then we need to be prepared to act in the face of a coup.  And we need to call it what it is.”

In the meantime, here is information on tonight’s Benicia Candidate Forum and on mail-in ballots, and also what you can do to counteract actions already being taken by Trump supporters to suppress voter turnout.

Everything you need to know to VOTE EARLY

• Beginning on October 5, you can drop off your ballot at a Solano County ballot drop box at our Benicia City Clerk’s office or at Raley’s. Here’s the list of drop boxes in all 7 Solano cities.
  • Detailed notes and links on how and where to return your mail-in ballot (Return it ANYTIME via US Postal Service postage paid.)
  • Information from our Solano County Registrar of Voters on how to TRACK your ballot.
  • Didn’t get a mail-in ballot?  You can still register to vote! The California deadline to register is October 19th.  Register online now.  If you miss the deadline, you can vote provisionally on Election Day, Nov 3rd.  You can check your registration status here.

ELECTION DEFENDERS

• Trump supporters disrupted early voting in Virginia. On the second day of early voting in Virginia, a group of right-wing Trump supporters gathered outside a polling location – waving flags and chanting in a clear attempt to intimidate voters.
  • That’s why Women’s March is partnering with Working Families Party, Movement for Black Lives Electoral Justice Project, and dozens of other organizations around the country to organize Election Defenders at local polling places on November 3rd.
  • Sign up now to become an Election Defender and join a training to make sure everyone can vote safely no matter what. Join a training session here – a virtual 3-minute training session (choose one, scheduled for 4:30pm on Tuesday, Oct 6, 13 and 20).