Welcome to the inaugural Level Up newsletter by Soft Power Vote. Every Sunday, we’ll put you on to the local and national meetings, forums, hearings, actions, and readings that will help you LEVEL UP! Through three sections—On the Radar, Cultural Work, & Soft Power Vote—we’ll give you the ways to stay informed, inspired, and civically engaged. We hope you enjoy!
To be real, this newsletter is full of articles we read all week, tweets we laughed at, art we love, and meetings we want to attend. If there’s something you feel that should be on our radar, shoot us a note at softpowervote@gmail.com. Keep us in the loop!
ON THE RADAR
NYC
ACTION: Apply to be on a Community Board (this is how you get those bike lanes and parklets in the city)
WATCH: Transit Coffee Hour with Chuck Schumer
Alternative transportation orgs talk to Schumer about what public transport in NY can look like under the Biden admin.
WATCH: Mayoral forum on health equity in NYC
Hosted by Community Service Society of New York, Community Voices Heard, and City & State.
WATCH: NYS Senate Hearing on Key Issues That Impacted 2020 Primary and General Election
Elections Committee chair: Zellnor Myrie, will review the administration of elections, early voting, absentee, ballots, and board of elections reforms
WATCH: City Council Meetings
Weekly calendar. All virtual, all can be viewed here.
READ: Hunts Point Produce Market Workers End Strike with a Raise
After a 6 day strike in Hunts Point, BX, produce workers win a wage and benefits raise. Local electeds and candidates showed up big-time to support. Are we seeing a new labor movement in NYC? By Claudia Irizarry Aponte. Read up!
NATIONAL
SIGN: Support Rep. Cori Bush’s bill to investigate and expel members from Congress who violated the 14th amendment by inciting the insurrection. Add your name
PODCAST: Why we need to end the filibuster so the John Lewis Voting Rights Act (HR1 For the People Act) can pass the Senate a conversation with Jamilah King and Ari Berman
READ: Biden signed executive orders all week to end the Muslim ban, re-instate DACA, re-enter the Paris climate accord, and more:
CULTURAL WORK
COMING SOON: Obama portraits coming to the Brooklyn Museum, 2021. Art + Politics, y’all.
OPEN CALL: Black American Library Card, a project by BK Library
In celebration of the inaugural year of Juneteenth being recognized as a City, State, and public school holiday. Open call for Black artist submissions. Deadline: 01.31. Apply!
ATTEND: Soft power, How textiles can talk back.
Explore fibre art’s relationship with politics and activism, and the makers and artists, who use it for social change. Wednesday, 02.03. 1pm Free!
READ: An Anti-Racism Future: A Plan for the Transformation of Public Media By Celeste Headlee. Read up!
SOFT POWER VOTE
City Council District 24 special election
Early Voting: 01.23-01.31 Find your poll site
Election Day: 02.02 Find your poll site
This is the FIRST election to use Ranked Choice Voting! We’ll announce our ranked recommendations this week on IG/TWITTER (@SoftPowerVote).
Ranked Choice Voting
RCV will be used in Primary and Special Elections only. New York uses fusion voting (when multiple parties can endorse one candidate), so RCV won’t be used in General Elections.
RCV campaigns focus on a broad range of issues. Candidates often have a “target #” of votes needed to win and cater their platform to the issues that matter to THOSE voters. With RCV, candidates are kinda campaigning for the 1st and second spot, making them have to appeal to a wider audience.
Old-guard politicians are scared of change (and therefore, Ranked Choice Voting!)
6 City Council members are trying to go against the will of the voters and stop RCV. Including Adrienne Adams, Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Robert Cornegy, Laurie Cumbo, Farah Louis, and Daneek Miller (they’re also ALL up for re-election this year!). Read more
@NYCVotes has a great primer on Ranked Choice Voting.