SOMA Action Blog
Vanquish the Villains celebrates a phenomenal first month
The enthusiasm, effort and energy around our Vanquish the Villains campaign to flip 3 Senate seats continues to surge! Nearly 250 volunteers have joined a team, with new sign-ups continuing to come in.
What’s the draw? Well, besides helping to save our country, it turns out that getting involved is easier than most people might imagine…
Member Spotlight: Anita Gundanna
Let's start with a brief bio: where you're from, when did you come to the area, what you do, that kind of stuff.
I grew up in Matawan, NJ in Monmouth County. Went to college at Duke University, and then headed to NYC where I spent a good part of 17 years or so before moving to South Orange…
SOMA Actions - Week of September 7
CLICK HERE for the many action opportunities this week!
Protect PA Voters sign up by September 10
Fracking Vote September 10
Reclaim Our Vote Postcarding sign up by September 12
Turn Out PA Votes By Text September 12
Reclaim Our Vote Phone Bank Training starts September 13
Malinowski Phone Bank
The Big Send
Vanquish The Villains Tallies
Essex County Chooses Secure Voting Machines with Help from SOMA Action
Thanks in large part to the work of SOMA Action’s Voter Rights Committee, Essex County is currently the only county in the state to have purchased a voting system that uses hand-marked paper ballots with district-based optical scanners. This purchase puts Essex County at the forefront of election integrity and security in New Jersey, and marks one of SOMA Action’s most significant accomplishments to date.
At the helm of this effort were Voter Rights Committee Co-chairs Holly Gauthier and David Harris.
Learn how to GOTV in your network: Tuesday 9/15 @ 8PM
SOMA Action is excited to announce "TALK OUT THE VOTE: Organizing within your own network," a free Zoom training with Jessica James - SOMA Action Trustee & Nonprofit/Political fundraising consultant.
SOMA Actions - Week of August 24th
This week you can help save the USPS, Vanquish Villains, work on Tom Malinowski’s reelection campaign and be a part of The Big Send.
Click Here for more information, and don’t forget to sign up for our emails on the main page!
USPS: We Came, We Rallied, Now We Follow Up
SOMA Action joined 20 other grassroots progressive groups across New Jersey on Friday, August 21 in holding rallies at local post offices. Eighty concerned community members showed up with masks on and signs held high, as several speakers emphasized the need to push back on the administration's efforts to disrupt postal service and the upcoming election.
SOMA Actions - Week of August 17th
Several actions you can take this week, including a socially distant rally this Friday 8/21 in support of the United States Postal Service.
You can STILL help Vanquish the Villains: Sign Up Today!
The much-anticipated Vanquish the Villains Campaign Kickoff is over, but the work has just begun. And there’s still time to be a part of this historic effort. All it takes is a willingness to volunteer one hour of your time per week for the next 12 weeks doing voter outreach. To join one of our three Senate "Vanquish" teams, please reach out directly to any of these team captains…
Superheroes turn out in force for Vanquish Kickoff
Over 100 heroes took time out of their Sunday afternoons on August 9th to attend the Vanquish the Villains Campaign Kickoff on Zoom. The energy was high as SOMA Action leaders described the campaign and its goal of helping to displace three of the worst GOP Senators running for reelection. After brief introductions from each of the three state team captains, the teams each gathered in their own breakout room to say some quick hellos, exchange ideas, and plan next steps for their efforts…
SOMA Actions - Week of August 3rd
This week we’re vanquishing villains and reclaiming our vote —- CLICK HERE for two actions you can take remotely this week.
SOMA Action Announces 2020 General Election Endorsements
After careful deliberations by our Endorsements Committee and a vote of our Sustaining Members, SOMA Action has endorsed a slate of candidates in the 2020 General Election. Our Sustaining Members - people who have contributed $20 or more to SOMA Action in the past year and thus qualify to vote on key decisions such as endorsements - voted overwhelmingly (97% in favor, 3% opposed) to endorse this proposed slate of candidates…
Mobilizing the Community in Response to Hate: How SOMA Action helped create the SOMA Against Hate Collective
In addition to the direct actions created by our issue committees, SOMA Action recognizes the value of collaborating with other like-minded organizations at the local and state level. By combining our voices and sharing resources, we can enhance our impact in accomplishing common goals. One example of such cooperation was our role in the creation of the SOMA Against Hate Collective.
The Push for Maplewood’s Police Review Board
The killing of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis cop evoked a deep-seated reckoning on racist policing in America, with countless municipalities around the country demanding structural change -- or even outright metamorphosis -- in law enforcement. The groundswell of support for such transformation may be recent, but actually making it happen often means years of tireless dedication in even the most progressive communities -- as Maplewood’s Community Board on Policing shows. It also shows why that effort is so worth it.
Member Spotlight: Stephanie Hoeler
Let's start with a brief bio: you know, where you're from, when did you come to the area, what you do, that kind of stuff...
I'm from Portland, Oregon. My grandparents moved to the Vanport, Oregon area during WWII. It was a predominantly Black area in a very very white state. It was widely known to government to be on unsafe grounds but Blacks were barred from living too near whites. On the morning of Memorial Day 1948, the Housing Authority told Vanport’s residents that the dikes were safe and they'd get a warning. The berm burst that very afternoon. Two weeks later, President Truman visited the damage. The destruction of the town led Portland, and the state, into unplanned integration. I love that it remained a toss up in my family whether that integration was for the better.
Be a 2020 Election Hero: Vanquish the Villains!
The 2020 election is less than 100 days away, and you may be wondering how you can help, especially during this pandemic. We here at SOMA Action are ready with some ideas, and the action starts now!
Since we’re in a safely Democratic congressional district in a safely Democratic state, we get to turn our energy and attention to other places and races where we can make a difference. Specifically, SOMA Action has decided to focus our efforts on three Democratic Senate challengers in swing states who are ready to “vanquish” a trio of the GOP’s most “villainous” incumbents…
Register NOW for 8/9 Vanquish the Villains Kickoff!
The election of our lifetimes is 100 days away!!!
For anyone who cares about the future of our democracy, it's go time. SOMA Action is going all-in to flip three vulnerable GOP Senate seats by “Vanquishing the Villains!” We’re targeting Susan Collins (ME), Martha McSallly (AZ), and Thom Tillis (NC), three of the worst (and most vulnerable) GOP villains. We'll be working with the campaigns of their opponents, Sara Gideon (ME), Mark Kelly (AZ), and Cal Cunningham (NC) to ensure a proper vanquishing on November 3rd.
It will take real heroes to vanquish these villains; that's where YOU come in…
SOMA Action and LWV Question Amendment to State Constitution
For over a year, SOMA Action has been a partner with the New Jersey League of Women Voters/Fair Districts Coalition. We support their goals to reform redistricting in NJ, to make the process more "impartial, transparent, community-driven, and fair.
Recently, our two assemblymembers, Mila Jasey and John McKeon, have sponsored a resolution, ACR 188, which if passed…
Weekly Actions for w/o July 20, 2020
Check out the actions you can take, and an important Save the Date, in this week’s Action Update.
Weekly Actions 7/13/2020
Check out this weeks options for taking action!