Your Action of the Week is 
"Give to sustain our Advocacy!"
During this season of Thanksgiving and Holiday celebrations, we, members of theBoard for Oregon’s Unitarian Universalists’ Voices for Justice, want to thank you! You show up. You advocate for justice! You are standing on the side of love!
We are thankful for those who have contributed $100 to fund previous Action of the Weeks. We are thankful for those who contributed a pledge to sustain UUVfJ—from $5 to $1,500. We do NOT collect dues, each UU who signs up is a member.

Please consider a year-end tax-deductible 501(c)3 contribution.
Please ask your congregation to add UUVfJ to your Share the Plate for 2019.
THANK YOU!

Contribute to Oregon UU Voices for Justice

Or mail your check: Oregon UU Voices for Justice 
c/o David Delk, 2835 Mill Pond Ln., Astoria, OR 97103

and don't forget: add yourself to those receiving our Actions of the Week and other occasional emails. Click  here

Why should you contribute?

• This year, UUVfJ was active in defeating Measure 105 through gathering signatures for a ballot measure statement reaching every voter statewide—Oregon’s thirty-year old sanctuary status was upheld!
• Our Action of the Week on the ballot measures gave guidance to many congregations.
• Our annual meeting joined our Voices with Our Children’s Trust litigation on climate change, DACA youth on immigration reform, and young adults proposing state legislative changes to reduce gun violence.
• We also joined with Ecumenical Ministries to track Oregon issues.
• We’re growing a presence in advocating before the state legislature and will be following specific bills in the 2019 long session from January-July.
  
  With your help we can be even more effective in 2020!​

Your Action of the Week is to educate yourself about proposed redistricting and attend one of the forums around the state.

Gerrymandering, the drawing of political boundaries to advantage one party over others or to create non-competitive districts, is a huge problem around the nation and here in Oregon. We saw with our November election, especially at the state level, far too many non-competitive seats. We know competitive political races bring more people out to vote, increasing our relatively high turnout.

Redistricting will happen in 2021 following the next census. It is highly likely that Oregon will gain an additional Congressional seat, so the fair, nonpartisan redrawing of districts will be even more important, and difficult.

Secretary of State, Dennis Richardson convened a commission to look at and make recommendations for how this process should work. The commission’s report suggested following the lead of CA and made some suggestions for how it might work. Read that report here.  No action has been taken on the report.

Willamette Week in Portland reported that former Sen Kevin Mannix proposed an initiative for the Nov 2020 ballot to direct how redistricting should work. His initiative would advantage rural counties over urban. Read the Willamette Week article here

The Oregon League of Women Voters and Oregon Common Cause are co-sponsoring a series of Redistricting Reform Forums across the state. The League supports a redistricting process putting the redistricting process back into the hands of voters to create fair, representative districts.


Redistricting Reform Forums
Tuesday, Nov. 20th, 1:30-3:30 pm, Curry Public Library in Gold Beach 
Tuesday, Nov. 27th, from 11 am-1 pm, Atonement Lutheran Church in Newport 
Tuesday, Nov. 27th, from 7-8:30 pm, Coos Bay City Hall in Coos Bay
Wednesday, Nov. 28th, from 5-8 pm, Taborspace in the Copeland Commons inPortland
Thursday, Nov. 29th, from 6:30-8 pm PCC Willow Creek Main Building, rm. 103 in Washington County
Tuesday, Dec. 4th, from (TBD), (TBD) in Albany
Thursday, Dec. 6th, from 12-1 pm, Hilton Garden Inn, hosted by the City Club in Springfield 
Thursday, Dec. 6th, from 6-8 pm, Wilsonville Public Library in Willsonville
(TBD), (Corvallis Library) in Corvallis
And in the Capital building in Salem: LWVOR Redistricting Legislative Forum: Thursday, Dec. 13th, from 8 am-12 pm, Capitol Building at State St NB, rm. 162, in Salem

Questions?  Please contact the League of Women Voters of Oregon’s Campaign Coordinator Candalynn Johnson at Candalynn@lwvor.org for more information about these forums.