You can feel it, can’t you? Nothing’s going well for the GOP these days.
The war is back on. Gas prices are back up. They can’t seem to get Todd Blanche over the finish line (as of today, at least. If you’ve been blowing up John Cornyn’s phone this past week, THANK YOU 👏🏽 and please keep an eye out for future developments).
Trump’s approval ratings are still cratering, and he’s doing nothing to correct course. Even the GOP’s core voters aren’t feeling the magic anymore.
Meanwhile, we’re on a roll, finding excitement and energy building across Texas. An intrepid group of volunteers from FORWRD-TX spent last weekend making connections across West Texas, laying the groundwork for collaboration in the months ahead.
Scenes from a great & busy weekend in West Texas
We might not be able to cover every mile of TX-23 … but the folks we met live there, and they’re just as fired up as we are to support Katy Padilla Stout’s campaign. And we’ll have a schedule of Katy Convoy trips this Fall (stay tuned for deets) to keep building our network and our impact.
We also developed two new zines for the trip and the work ahead, and left lots of copies behind. We’ve got a (totally nonpartisan!) guide to voting in Texas and a (totally partisan!) look at Texas values and which candidate best represents them. (Hmm, can you guess who we picked?)
BONUS: We’ve got English and Spanish versions of both. ¡Sí se puede!
Sample pages from our Guide to Voting in Texas zine
Thanks to the Blue Bunny Brigade, copies of the voting zine are on the way to TX-15, where Bobby Pulido is running. It’s relevant everywhere in the state, and helps provide easy, step-by-step instructions & links to register and vote with confidence.
You can find all our zines here. These files are available to …
Print out and host your own folding party
Pass along to your friends
Share on social media
Serve as inspo for your own zine ideas 💥
FYI: We’re working on another zine specifically for college students on how to vote by mail … will share as soon as it’s ready.
Here’s Our Theory of the Case.
We’re all about weaving together a community that’s prepared to meet this moment. And that will have lasting effects in TX-23 no matter who wins in November.
But this is a campaign, and we want Katy to WIN. So we also intend to use data and metrics to be strategic as we build out our plans. That’s where we are now: sifting through what the prototype trip taught us, and talking to the folks who know voter data to help build plans that chart a course to victory.
It feels like people everywhere are tired of being ignored, and ready to force some oversight and accountability in DC (and right here in Texas). This seat is in play and we’re getting to work to help Katy flip it blue.
(BTW, did you see this Fox News poll 👀 The momentum is shifting everywhere.)
We’ve launched an Instagram account for the Katy Convoy — and turned our own account over to a smart young person who will help us spread the word! Follow them both if you’re on Insta —
Katy also gave us a sweet shout-out on social media:
Stay tuned for more info on future Katy Convoy trips and other activities! Let’s keep rolling all the way to November, y’all ✊
ACL Fest Voter Registration Drive? Who’s In?
The first big deadline of this year’s election season is MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, which is the last date to register to vote in Texas before the midterms.
Coincidentally, Weekend 1 of ACL is Oct 2-4.
We’ve been looking for an Austin-based project for the Fall … anyone up for a Fall voter drive that includes ACL? We’re also thinking about other spots where crowds are, like football games and bars. In fact, we’re plotting a “Bars to the Ballot Box” initiative that we’re pretty excited to tell you more about ….
Go where the voters are, right?
Everyone can’t drive to TX-23 to support Katy’s campaign, so we intend to have plenty of fun activities closer to home so we can all dive in and do something!
And! We’ll convene in-person at the end of summer to brainstorm and collab — so if you have a specific strategy or project in mind, bring it on!
If you’re a VDR and are interested in a registration project that hits Austin’s voters where they are, please reach out & let’s start plotting locations. If you’re interested in becoming a VDR, here’s the page that tells you how to do it. (Basically: take a one-hour online course, pass an exam, and you’re good to go.)
Need a Boost of Hope?
Check out this 22-minute episode of the Long Play docuseries, which focuses on Texas. WE PROMISE: watching this will leave you feeling ready to dive in and work for the change we believe is coming!
At Viva Big Bend we connected with a member of the production team, and we’re conspiring to get Jen Palmieri and Errin Haines to one of our future meetings ….
🗓️ Calendar Highlights
For Friday, July 31st: 😎😎😎
Events with a 💜are shared from FORWRD members!
💜Sunday, August 2nd 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Rosedale Huddle Monthly Meeting Join our friends at the Rosedale Huddle for their monthly meeting. If you are NEW to the Huddle please use this link to allow us to register you for the meeting.
💜Thursday, August 6th 6:00-8:00 PM Rethink Recapture Patio Party and Info Session Recapture is quietly draining money from Texas public schools — and most parents have never heard of it. Cold beer, good company, and real answers about what's happening to our schools — free beer for the first 20 parents who show up. Our good friend and FORWRD member, Sophia DeLoretto-Chudy is heading up this important work!
Monday, August 10th 6:00-7:00 PM Indivisible Austin Monthly Meeting Election defense is no longer a behind-the-scenes issue. As concerns about election integrity continue to rise, now is the time to learn, engage, and take action. Join us to explore what's happening, why it matters, and how we can work together to protect free and fair elections! For this month only, we're moving our monthly meeting to Zoom and hope it makes it easier for you to join us and bring a friend!
Recurring Events
MONDAYS in AUGUST:
💜NEW! 6-8 PM Phone Bank for Gina Hinojosa Join us for weekly Virtual Phone Banks, hosted by the Fair Shot PAC as we work to elect Gina Hinojosa for Governor AND competitive State House campaigns across Texas. It’s up to us to make sure that when Gina is elected, she has State Representatives who want to work with her to fight for working class Texans!
7-8 PM Austin Resistance Choir Hangout Need a happy way to start your week? Join the Austin Resistance Choir for a pop-in, no-experience-necessary hangout every Monday night at Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches.
TUESDAYS in AUGUST:
8:00-9:30 AM West Side Banners Over Austin with the Rosedale Huddle. These are super fun, peaceful, energetic! We will be holding banners and signs over the interstate at peak traffic /visibility times - we wave flags, support our banners and thumbs up to the many honks and waves from cars and trucks below. (Fan favorite? “Stop Truth Decay!”) At Far West and MoPac
WEDNESDAYS in AUGUST:
8:00-9:30 AM Banners Over South Austin with the Rosedale Huddle. Come help us fly Flags, Banner, and Signs like ICE OUT and HANDS OFF OUR LIBERTY on this bridge that no-one has noticed ... til NOW! Grab that coffee and meet us at 8AM for a workout waving and flagging to Lots of Honks and Waves from the many many commuters below.
8:00-9:00 AM ICE Out Rally N. Lamar & W. Rundberg Wednesdays 8:00am - 9:00am Bring signs in English and/or Spanish
💜NEW! 6-8 PM Phone Bank for Gina Hinojosa Join us for weekly Virtual Phone Banks, hosted by the Fair Shot PAC as we work to elect Gina Hinojosa for Governor AND competitive State House campaigns across Texas. It’s up to us to make sure that when Gina is elected, she has State Representatives who want to work with her to fight for working class Texans!
THURSDAYS in AUGUST:
8:15-9:15 AM Signs of Fascism - The Indivisible Rosedale Huddle meets every Thursday morning to hold up the 13 Signs of Fascism along with 2 additional signs. If you would like to join them, please plan to meet at the Randall's parking lot and walk over to the intersection of 2222/Balcones. Please wear all black!
FRIDAYS in AUGUST:
8:00-9:30 AM East Side Banners Over Austin NEW TIME! Join the Indivisible Rosedale Huddle at the 12th St bridge over IH-35 to wave signs and bring attention to current events.
Large Group Voter Registration and Relational Organizing Opportunities:
There are nearly daily events happening with two Texas orgs for people who want to jump in and help get voters registered and connected before November:
Powered by People has TONS of Voter Activation events and VDR Trainings!
Texas Blue Action - Has Deep Canvassing, Relational Organizing, and Block Walks!
© Nick Anderson, The Contrarian
