This week in Iowa organizing…

Written By Guest User

Last week saw city and school board elections take place across the state. In many, many school board races, Iowans voted to support public education and the freedom to read.

Here in Des Moines, though Chelsea didn't win the Ward 2 seat, our movement took a stride forward. We build the power we need to win one person, one conversation, one step at a time. Thanks to all of you who hit the phones and doors with us to connect with more grassroots folks on Des Moines' eastside.

To win the world we want to see, we have to organize day-in and day-out to build the power we need. A world that includes racial justice, clean water, and more isn't going to be handed to us by the politicians we have now - so it's up to us to make it happen.

Let's keep at it,

Matthew Covington (he/him)
Strategic Operations Director

A note from Chelsea Lepley

Thank you!!

I want to express my gratitude to everyone who put time, energy, money, and other resources into our campaign for a more accessible, responsive city government.

As you may know, we received just under 2300 votes, winning 8 of the 19 precincts in Ward 2. We got more votes than the incumbent did 4 years ago, but voter turnout was up, so 2300 wasn’t enough after all. I'm taking the increased voter turnout as the election's silver lining (the dark cloud being the incumbents' collective shut-out of new voices).

Of course I’m disappointed with the results, but that’s not to say I’m discouraged – and I hope you’re not, either. We have always known progress is slow and comes with setbacks, so let’s not lose heart. If you've spent much time around me, you've heard me say, "If it were easy, it would be done by now," which I repeat to remind myself to be patient and persistent. There will be other great campaigns for us to work on – and soon!

Neighbors for Lepley (my official campaign committee) knocked about 4000 doors, made a few thousand calls, and had over 1000 conversations with voters – and that's not counting the many, many shifts staffed by volunteers with Iowa CCI Action Fund. You all made a tremendous difference, adding hundreds if not thousands of interactions to that total. You helped make our grassroots campaign more powerful!

I have never felt more supported in my life than I did by CCI Action Fund during this election. We couldn't coordinate activities, which meant I couldn't participate in your canvass and phone bank events, but every time I saw photos online afterward, it was a huge morale boost. I know a lot of voters and spectators were rooting for me during the campaign, and that's encouraging, but it was so much more encouraging to know that a bunch of like-minded people were out there doing the work to bring our shared vision to life.

Speaking of morale, I want to emphasize that volunteering makes a difference both in terms of voter outreach and in terms of candidate morale – which can mean the difference between someone being willing to run again and someone feeling burnt out. Because of you all, I am willing to try again someday. And if you're thinking about running, please know that it's not as scary as it can seem, especially when a team like this has your back.

Community organizing has changed a lot over the 20+ years I've been canvassing, but I am so glad to know that there are still people willing to go out and do the work to put people first. I hope you'll be there for the next campaign, too -- and when one of you runs, you know you can count on me to knock some doors for you!

Take action 

Tomorrow: Nov. 14 - Add your name for 'Dear IUB...' letter delivery!

We've collected over 700 signatures on our letter to the Iowa Utilities Board opposing the CO2 pipelines - there's still time to add your name here! Tomorrow, we'll be delivering the letter along with your comments to the IUB and other decision makers - you can still join us by registering here!

The Iowa Utilities Board, the Iowa DNR, and the Governor's office need to do everything in their power to stop these proposed pipelines. Thousands of Iowans across the state oppose CO2 pipeline projects because they:

  • are dangerous and potentially deadly,

  • use technology that has consistently failed to reduce carbon emissions,

  • extract over half a billion gallons of water per year, and

  • rely heavily on public money, and put millions of dollars in the pockets of CEOs like Bruce Rastetter. 

Test our waters! 

Are you curious about your tap water? What about the local stream or river? Is swimming allowed in the lake near you?

Iowa CCI has partnered with Izaak Walton League and their Nitrate Watch program to facilitate citizen water testing. It's super simple and we are excited to launch this people powered program!

What does that look like? Community driven science with our own water testing and data collection!

In clean water book clubs and meetings, we had several people ask about doing their own water testing. We are excited about the partnership with Nitrate Watch to help meet that request. We hope you will join us to test water and collect data!

CCI Action 2023 Year End Campaign Part 1 - Mail Party this week! 

Our year-end campaign is our week-long, power building party! It's our biggest fundraiser and membership drive of the year and is critical to growing CCI Action's membership. You can help this week!

Starting tomorrow through Thursday from 10am-4pm we’ll be assembling mail together at the CCI office in Des Moines. We'll have a mail assembly station set up where you can drop in for an hour or more, chat with staff and other volunteers, enjoy some food and help us complete the largest piece of our year-end fundraiser! Reply to this email if you can help!

CCI Action 2023 Year End Campaign Part 2 - join us to phone bank!

Our week-long power building party is Nov. 27-Dec. 1! Members and staff will be working together to raise much needed funds for 2024, renew current CCI Action members, and ask new people to join our movement.  

Here is another fun and important way you can participate!

Get on the phones! We'll be on the phones calling fellow members all five days of the campaign. In Des Moines, we have two shifts daily Mon-Thurs from 12-3pm and 5-8pm, and a 12-3pm shift that Friday Dec 1. We also have phone banks in Mason City, Dubuque, and Iowa City. We are SOUPer excited to have folks on the phones across the state!

Join us in person at one of these locations to enjoy hospitality and community. Calls are a great way to connect with our great members, renew their membership, and raise funds to do the work. To join any of these phone banks, please click here to sign up! Any questions, contact kim@iowacci.org. 

BONUS! ALL fundraising volunteers will receive this year's limited-edition CCI Action swag. Thanks for helping CCI sock it to ‘em!

Save the date!

January 23, 2024 - The People's Lobby Day!

The 2023 state legislative session was a whirlwind of activity and, let's be honest, not that great for our people and planet. It seems Gov. Reynolds is dead set on furthering the agenda of her corporate donors and out-of-state special interests at the expense of our neighbors, communities, and places we love.

But we're not ones to back down or throw in the towel. That's why we're going back en masse to 'the People's House' on Tuesday, January 23 next year!

Join CCI members and other Iowans from across the state for a day of citizen lobbying, taking action, and reminding our elected officials they work for us, we the people.

Stay tuned for more details on what to expect, but in the meantime let us know if you're interested in joining by registering here.

What We're Reading

These are a few links that are informing our work - we've shared them so that you can read, too!

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Thank you from Chelsea Lepley