Wednesday, May 8 - Witness Slip for Pretrial Success Act / Postcard Season!
Actions You Can Take
Action 1: URGENT - Submit a witness slip for the Pretrial Success Act by 4 p.m. (Proponent)
Action 2: Write postcards for election season
Action 1: URGENT - Witness Slip for Pretrial Success Act
Last week, the Senate scheduled a subject matter hearing on the Pretrial Success Act, and more than 850 people & organizations filed witness slips in support of the Act!
The Pretrial Success Act will improve community safety & court appearance rates by expanding access to care through case management, mental health support, and substance use services for people awaiting trial. If passed, the bill would allocate $15 million for communities to expand access to these vital voluntary services. Distribution of these funds will be informed by our communities and go to health and human services organizations–not law enforcement.
Today the House will have a subject matter hearing on the Success Act and we need your help again. Please file ANOTHER witness slip before 4pm TODAY!
Fill out the form with your information. Note that most fields are mandatory. If you do not officially represent an organization, write “SELF.”
In the "Persons, groups, firms represented in this appearance" box, enter "Self/Org-Support HB4816, Pretrial Success Act.”
In the "Subject Matter" dropdown menu, select "HB 4296, HB 4489, HB 4816, HB 5626, HB 5650, HB 5810" (this is all one option).
Click the "proponent" button & "record of appearance only" box.
Click the "I Agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement" box.
Click the "Create Slip" button.
Action via SOUL
Action 2: It’s Postcard Season!
Ready to write? In 2020, Indivisible Chicago activists wrote and sent more than 600,000 postcards to voters in swing states, part of a national effort that saw over 21 million handwritten postcards sent.
In 2024, the organization Postcards to Swing States has set a goal of sending 26 million postcards to voters in 11 states, including Indivisible Chicago’s target states, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Postcards to Swing States has done studies to prove that their program is very effective — adding up to 1.3% to Democratic turnout. Their program this year will add more than 130,000 votes, which is three times the amount President Biden won by in 2020.
Three ways to participate
Indivisible Chicago will again be hosting postcard writing parties this year. Postcards, messages to write and voter address lists will be provided. Postcard parties will be posted on Daily Actions and our Action Calendar. You can also update your preferences to be notified of postcard parties when they’re scheduled.
If you’d like to write postcards on your own or host your own gatherings, go to www.turnoutpac.org/postcards, click on “Sign up for postcards,” complete your order and you’ll be mailed your free postcards along with messages to write and voter lists. (Note: If you enter “Indivisible Chicago” to the optional question on the form, “Are you ordering for a grassroots group?”, we can also let you know when postcard parties are scheduled nearby. Postcards will be provided at the parties or you can bring the postcards you’ve ordered.)
Indivisible Evanston is also distributing postcards for the Postcards to Swing State Campaigns. There are two pickup locations in Evanston, one in Deerfield and one in Buffalo Grove. Sign up here.
Postcard writers are responsible for providing the postcard stamps (currently 53 cents), handwriting a short message and addressing the cards. The instructions include a specific mailing date in October, so you have until then to write the postcards.
Ready to do more? Check out our Action Calendar and update your preferences to let us know where you’re ready to work to win in November!
While some of these Daily Actions come from our own work as Indivisible Chicago Alliance, others are from our many partners working to advance the progressive agenda. We invite you to join us in supporting their work. Postings from partners do not imply Indivisible Chicago Alliance endorsement of specific policies and positions.