,

Over the Labor Day weekend, I visited Salem, MA. It's a trip I've always wanted to take. As a kid, I couldn't learn enough about the Salem Witch Trials. I remember being in awe of that kind of cruelty and injustice. 

Those stories helped me form my understanding of power. As I stood over the names of women I'd read about so many times, I couldn't help but think about the election we're heading toward and the work we'll have to do after. 

We're facing two futures: One is a future where our loved ones, our neighbors, our communities will be divided and pit against one another, otherized, and persecuted. The other, a future where we can continue to build on the victories we've already won and push for even more of what we need.

Voting is key. It matters who wins the presidency and state races on November 5. There is no question. (Key voting dates and info-to-know on that below.) 

But no matter what happens, on November 6, we'll have work to do. We will still have to fight against Bruce Rastetter's proposed CO2 pipelines, we will still have to fight against attacks on public education, and we will still have to fight to keep our immigrant, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC siblings safe. 

And that's our role. We will continue to build community and band together to fight corporate greed and corruption. Because - as we know - change only comes from the ground up, and that change is us. And that keeps me hopeful. 

We'll build the Iowa we deserve, and we'll do it together. People power is how we win!

With hope and a fight-back spirit,

Katie Biechler, she/her
Political Organizing Director

Important Voting Information

• There is still time to request a mail-in ballot! For instructions and to get a request form, follow this link.
• Early voting starts Wednesday, October 16! You will be able to vote at your county auditor's office.
• Check to make sure you're still registered! Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans have changed the law in an attempt people from voting by removing them from voter lists if they've not voted recently. 

Take Our Five Minute Survey!

• Have you held an elected office or an elected/appointed seat on a board or commission? Tell us about it! Please fill out this form - we want to learn more!

Election Opportunities With People's Action

• We know a lot of you are plugged in on local candidate races and Get Out The Vote work - thank you! If you're looking for a way to have an impact in the next 39 days in a swing state from the comfort of your home, we highly recommend People's Action's deep canvass calling.  

What We're Reading

Have you read something good lately that informs how you think about our political reality? Let us know!

• I'm not a fan of 2025. CCI President Barb Kalbach lays out the reality of what Project 2025 would look like for everyday people, including a loss of critical health care wins like capping the cost of insulin at $35. But while there's, of course, reason to be alarmed, it also lays out a map for us of what we need to do to fight for the world we deserve.
  
  
• Democrats have been losing working-class voters. Here's one playbook to win them back. Working-class voters are often thought of as white men in the trades. In reality, the working class makes up 63% of the electorate, and its demographics are much broader than that. If Democrats want to win with working-class voters, they'll need to approach them as more than just a monolith.
  
  
• 'Billionaires Own Trump': Sunrise Organizers Occupy Republican's Phoenix Office. Thankful for activists young and old who are reminding us that elections are about issue that impact our lives, not the candidates.  "My future, and the future of this country, shouldn't be up for sale."
  
  
• Kamala Harris promises 'bold action' on climate after home targeted by protesters. Of course, we at CCI Action know that direct action is sometimes what it takes to get folks in power to do what our people and our planet need. Keeping the pressure on is how we get things done. 
  
  
• Swing state election officials say they'll sue counties that won't certify 2024 result. Swing states are preparing for the possibility of county governments attempting not to certify election results if Donald Trump loses the election. The good news: both Democrats and Republicans have committed to doing everything they can to ensure results are accurate and people's votes are counted. 
  
  
• Trump is taking politics in new, racially charged directions, critics say. We're in the political moment we are today in large part because of the way people in power have long used race to divide us. Trump's campaign is no different. Trump and his political affiliates continue to use what they can to drive a wedge between everyday people to weaken our power and build a pathway to authoritarianism. 
  
  
• The contest in one New Mexico swing district mirrors a larger, anxious electorate. So much of our country is experiencing contentious elections, especially for Congress. The fight to determine who will control the House comes down to bread-and-butter issues, as well as the fight against the divides the wealthy would have us believe are real. 
  
  
• Georgia Election Board requires ballots be hand-counted despite warning from key GOP state officials. Pro-Trump election board members won a vote to pass a rule requiring that ballots be hand-counted. While they attempt to make it sound like a pro-democracy voting measure, the reality is that it has real potential to lead to confused voters, disinformation from those in power, and slowed results that increase the possibility of questioning the legitimacy of election results.