Category: Absentee Voting - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Check that your ballot has been counted - What You Can Do Now

11/1/2024

Has your mail-in ballot been counted?
Tuesday, November 5th - General Election Day

PACG's Adopt a Precinct Initiative

With the 2024 General Election under way, many voters are unable to make it to their polling places and have to send in their mail-in absentee ballots. Do you know if yours arrived? Was it counted? There may be concerns about whether the mail-in ballots will reach the auditor's office. C heck the status of your mail-in ballot in any of the 50 states through this link.

Susan Leuthauser

Voter Registration Day of Action - Message from the Board

7/25/2024

Voter Registration Day of Action
Saturday, August 10th from 11 am to 3 pm

A Message from the PACG Board of Directors
Our friends at Power in Our Numbers has adopted neighboring Davenport Precinct D34. We encourage our members and friends to attend this voter registration event to help out. We believe that everyone should vote! And PACG gets credit from Vision Leads for attending and supporting other voting efforts in Davenport.

Third Missionary Baptist Church
parking lot
222 W 14th ST
Davenport, IA (map)

Power in Our Numbers

Power in Our Numbers will be sponsoring a Voter Registration Day of Action throughout the
Quad Cities area on Saturday, August 10th from 11 – 3. Power In Our Numbers is a non-
partisan partnership of local organizations in the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities. This
organization works together in partnership to maintain and enhance objectives in our Quad Cities
community that will allow our voices to matter.

The Voter Registration Day of Action will allow Quad Citians the opportunity to:

Register to vote
Find election and voter information
Pick up absentee ballot request forms
Get answers to questions concerning voting

There will be a central location at the Third Missionary Baptist Church parking lot at 222 W. 14th
St. in Davenport, Iowa with members and volunteers present from 11 – 3 providing voter
information. Members will also be visiting QC churches, beauty salons, barbershops, and local
businesses sharing informational packets and giving out information on that day about voting in
our November 5th General Election.

Because Your Voice Matters!

The purpose of the Day of Action is exactly that…bringing awareness, getting our Quad Citians
involved and ready to express themselves in selecting those individuals who will be able to assist
in making our community safe and prosperous for each and every one of us.

Democracy in the Balance - After Action Report

7/6/2024

Democracy in the Balance Community Gatherings - After Action Report

Board of Directors

We were very pleased with the great turn out we had the last week in June for our three Democracy in the Balance Gatherings! If you attended, you were able to see the amount of work that went into these Zooms. And we appreciate your willingness to try to figure out a way to channel your feelings about the November election into action!

We were encouraged by the great questions that attendees asked and their desire to help out with our Adopt a Precinct efforts. If you have not already joined one of our volunteer Teams, you can still do it! Sign up from this PACG blog post by contacting the respective Team Leader. You can join more than one team.

Vision Leads will conduct Bridge Builder training for Voter Contact and Voter Education/Registration Teams on Sunday, July 14th from 3:00 to 5:30 pm at the MLK Interpretive Center in Davenport. Please register here for the training. If you would like to work with voters but cannot attend that training, please email us to let us know.

Thanks again for a fun turnout!

Join our "Democracy in the Balance" effort!

6/28/2024

Democracy in the Balance Volunteer Sign Up

Board of Directors

Now that you know that we part of the Vision Leads Adopt a Precinct initiative, we need volunteers! At this point we don't know a lot of details about what each of our teams will be doing, but we have a general idea. There are numerous ways you can be involved. And you can participate on several teams! How would you like to help?

Click on the links below to contact the Team Leaders

Voter Education/Registration - Allison Ambrose

Voter Contact - Alta Price

Precinct Logistics - Loxi Hopkins

Voting Primary Dates - A Message to Our Membership

5/17/2022

Iowa and Illinois Primary Voting Information
Various Dates

A Message to Our Membership

Know the dates for voting in the upcoming primary elections!

Iowa Primary Voting

May 18: First Day of Absentee Voting
May 23: Deadline to Request Absentee Ballots to be mailed
June 7: Primary Election Day

Your ballot must be received at your Iowa County Auditor's office on June 7th. Ballots will not be counted if they are received later, regardless of postmark date. This is a new voter restriction that the Iowa legislature has instituted.Learn more about voting in Scott County here: https://www.scottcountyiowa.gov/auditor

Illinois Primary Voting

May 19: Early in-person voting begins at your county clerk's office
June 12: Last day to register online to vote in Illinois. You can still register to vote in-person, up until and on election day (June 28).
June 7: Primary Election Day
June 23: Last day for election officials to receive your mail-in ballot (so make sure your mail-in ballot is postmarked before this date)
June 28: Illinois statewide primary election. Polls open at 6:00 am and close at 7:00 pm. Learn more about voting in Rock Island here: http://rockislandcountyil.gov/Elections/Home/

Lori McCollum

Iowa Absentee Ballot for June Primary - What You Can Do Now

4/6/2022

Request Your Absentee Ballot for Iowa’s June 7th Primary

Civil Rights Forum

Download your absentee ballot request for Iowa’s June primary. From the Scott County Auditor's website:
About Early Voting by MailVoting by mail is easy – and you can start as early as 70 days prior to an election.

Beginning 20 days before the election, absentee ballots will be mailed out within 24 hours after receiving your absentee ballot request. For voters not located in the United States (such as military personnel) we mail beginning 45 days before the election.

Ballots will be mailed 20 days before the vote on Tuesday, June 7th.

Click on this link to download the Absentee Ballot Request form and fill it out:
https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/absenteeballotapp.pdf

Julie Ross

Action Alert - Petition to Repeal Iowa Voting Restrictions

11/21/2021

Petition to Repeal Iowa's New Restrictive Voting Laws -
Action Alert

petition_to_repeal_new_voter_laws.pdf
File Size:	275 kb
File Type:	pdf

A Message from the President

PACG has joined a coalition of Iowa organizations to support the effort of the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, Iowa (LWVJC) to oppose the changes to Iowa's new voting laws (HF413 and SF568). These laws are restrictive and unnecessary. They make it harder to vote! Per the LWV, the restrictions:

Invalidate some mail-in ballots that, even when mailed promptly, cannot be returned before polls close
Impede voting by medical and other workers with 12-hour shifts by closing the polls earlier on primary and general election days
Obstruct returning absentee ballots by limiting the use of ballot drop boxes to one per county, regardless of population, and by unnecessarily restricting who may return absentee ballots
Drastically shorten the early voting period from 29 days to 20 and needlessly limit ballot request periods
Invite interference in our elections by allowing political parties to challenge Iowa elections in court
Limit county auditors’ abilities to adapt to local conditions and criminalize good-faith errors
Provide less time for voter registration and move voters who miss any general election to an “inactive” list

To get an even better understanding of what changed in these new laws, see this PACG blog post.

The list of voting law changes summarized by the Iowa State Association of County Auditors in the flyer below.

The League of Women Voters (LWV) is collecting signatures to oppose these changes from now until December 15th. The goal is to collect thousands of signatures across the state. These signatures will be delivered in person to the Iowa Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, the Speaker of the House and Minority Leader in January of 2022. LWV will host a press conference at that time.

LWVJC is offering both a paper petition or online signature. Here’s more information about the petition:

For further details about the petition, and to sign in online click this link: https://www.lwvia.org/petitions
To sign the online petition without further details, click this link: https://www.lwvia.org/anti-voter-laws
All signees must be Iowa residents, at least 18 years old and eligible to vote. However, a signee does not have to be registered to vote.
Paper copies of the petition can be printed from pdf we have attached above. Susan Leuthauser will pick up your signed petition or you may mail it to the address below.
Each person can sign only one petition - either online or a paper copy.

If you have visitors from Iowa over the holiday, encourage them to sign the petition. Feel free to forward the online signature link to friends and relatives living across Iowa, and encourage your neighbors and friends to participate in this campaign. Email them this link: https://www.lwvia.org/petitions

Contact Susan Leuthauser (by clicking on her name) with any questions. She will also coordinate the collection of the signed petitions. If you would rather mail your signed petition, send it to:

LWVJC
P.O. Box 5254
Coralville, Iowa 52241

Our growing list of coalition partners for this petition drive includes:

Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Common Good Iowa
Sierra Club
Delta Sigma Theta
Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Interfaith Alliance
Des Moines Chapter, The Links, Incorporated
Progressive Action for the Common Good
One Human Family of the QCA
QC Pride, Inc.
Metropolitan Community Church of the Quad Cities

As usual, PACG is proud to be working for the common good in this important way.

Allison Ambrose

iowaelectionlawchanges.pdf
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New Voting Restrictions In Iowa - A Message to Our Members

10/19/2021

Are You Still Registered to Vote in the Election in Iowa?

A Message to Our Members

The Iowa legislature recently passed sweeping new voting laws that actually make it harder to vote in our state. If you did not vote in the 2020 election, your voting status becomes inactive. But because we now have to show an ID to vote, once you go to the polls and to vote again, your status moves to active. However, if you do not vote in two general elections, then your voter status is canceled. If you wish to vote in any subsequent election you must re-register to vote.

PACG supported the efforts of Iowa Women United to create an informational flyer about these changes. The second page (shown below) summarizes some of these restrictive measures. Please download and print off the flyer to hand out to your family and friends.

The right to vote is critical to our democracy. We will continue to fight any laws that restrict that right.

Allison Ambrose

iowa_women_united_vote_flyer.pdf
File Size:	27 kb
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Contact Iowa Governor Reynolds Regarding Voter Suppression - What You Can Do Now

3/2/2021

Contact the Iowa Governor

Voting Rights and Civil Rights

Legislation has been introduced in the Iowa Legislature that affects progressive values.

House File 222 proposes that information found in the “1619 Project” regarding the history of slavery in America be banished from public school's curriculum:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/search/document?fq=id:1210570&q=HF+222

House File 590 impacts the ability of Iowans to vote:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/search/document?fq=id:1213531&q=HF+590

House File 590 has passed both the Iowa House and Senate and is waiting for Kim Reynolds signature. Please contact The Governor and Lt. Governor welcome your comments and concerns.

You can Register an Opinion by clicking this link.

If you would prefer to speak with a member of the Governor's staff, please call their office at 515-281-5211 (press 5 to go directly to voicemail), Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

If you prefer to send your thoughts in writing, address them to:

Office of the Governor
Iowa State Capitol
1007 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319

Allison Ambrose

Contact Iowa State Legislators Regarding Progressive Values - What You Can Do Now

2/23/2021

Contact your Iowa State Legislators
Iowa State House

Voting Rights and Civil Rights

Legislation has been introduced in the Iowa Legislature that affects progressive values.

House File 590 impacts the ability of Iowans to vote:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/search/document?fq=id:1213531&q=HF+590

House File 222 proposes that information found in the “1619 Project” regarding the history of slavery in America be banished from public school's curriculum:
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/search/document?fq=id:1210570&q=HF+222

Contact your Iowa State Legislators to express your views on both of these bills by visiting the links above. Legislators have indicated that contact by email is the most effective way to reach them.

Allison Ambrose