Mobilizing our communities for Freedom and Democracy on November 4th and beyond! Join ROP’s Freedom Voters Campaign Visit www.FreedomVoters.com Download these materials and begin engaging your community members today: Freedom Voters Guide Freedom Survey Freedom Pledge Cards Freedom Petition VolunteerPledge Thank You Cards Study Circles for Freedom & Democracy: ROP member groups are kicking off the 2008 Election Year with study circles to ground us in the challenges and opportunities in 2008. Check out Naomi Wolf’s Letter to a Young Patriot. Start a study group in your community or share your reflections with the ROP. Stay tuned for the Freedom Voter Guide, a tool to engage our community members to vote and act for justice in 2008! Jumpstart Your Civic Engagement by Registering Voters Early & Often Your Ballot Snapshot: ROP’s Preview of Initiatives Heading Your Way (as of January 2008) As we kick off the 2008 election year, it is not just candidates who are making the rounds. Here in Oregon, more than 60 initiatives are vying for a spot on the ballot. It may very well be the longest ballot ever. Unfortunately, nearly every one of these initiatives would take us a step further away from real democracy. True democracy and freedom requires an educated population whose basic needs are cared for, not an incarcerated one, protection of workers rights through strong unions and respect for the civil rights of all, not scapegoating of immigrant workers and targeting LGBTQ members of our community. Our government of, by, and for the people demands the resources to realize this vision of democracy, not tax loopholes and restrictions that hamstring government from doing its job. Dismantling the war at home and abroad means that it is not enough to bring the troops home and stop draining our resources for an unjust war in Iraq, though these are certainly a start! This election year, the frontlines on the home front will be waged through many of these ballot measures. Unions, immigrants, teachers, working people, women, queer folks, people of color, and all of us who believe in a fair and just world are targets this election. Every time we fill out our ballots we have a chance to vote to expand democracy. It is up to us to use our grassroots power to demand accountability and turn out the vote for justice. Check out ROP’s 2008 Initiatives Overview in WORD or PDF.
