Month: September 2022

Have you plugged into any of the hot elections around the country yet? I’m reaching out today to ask you to join us as a volunteer, from the comfort of your home, in our Peace Voter 2022 candidates’ campaign.

Here at Peace Action we’ve picked the close, competitive races where there are huge gaps between the pro-peace candidates we’re supporting and their far-right election denier opponents. It’s mid-September. If you want to take action in this election season, now is the right time!

Can you sign up to participate in Peace Voter 2022 today?

Even just a couple hours, taking action at home, can help gain votes in a whisker close race. Signing up on the form puts you on the list as a potential volunteer. There are a myriad of ways to volunteer including phonebanking and sending texts and the like. We’ll reach out to you to help you plug into some of the most important races in the country.

Democracy and foreign policy, war, and nuclear weapons are inextricably linked. If Democracy further erodes in this country, the risk of nuclear war increases. Decisions around war and the use of nuclear weapons are already far too undemocratic. We’re fighting to change that. But if we don’t have better representation there is only so far we can go.

I know we are all so busy in our lives. But, as you well know, this is a pivotal moment for our country. It’s time to step up. 

We’ll be taking action for pro-peace candidates like Mandela Barnes, who has been a Wisconsin Peace Action member, against incumbent senator Ron Johnson who tried to push the fake electors scam to steal the 2020 election. We’re backing John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, Rev. Warnock in Georgia and many, many other close races. Please join us. 

Can you sign up with us today, to make this election cycle a strong one for peace and democracy?

Jon Rainwater
Executive Director
Peace Action

Great news!  The Ballot DISCLOSE Act, AB 1416, is now on Governor Newsom’s desk and needs only his signature to become law.

AB 1416 is desperately needed because wealthy special interests spend tens of millions on deceptive ads that mislead voters about who supports and opposes ballot measures — but nonprofits Californians trust rarely have as much funding to let voters know the truth.

The Ballot Disclose Act will level the playing field by adding to the ballot a short list of who really supports and opposes each measure so it’s accessible to ALL voters.

Sign *NEW* PETITION for Gov. Newsom to sign AB 1416, even if you signed before!

The petition sends an email directly to Governor Newsom after letting you edit.

Due to Big Money’s misleading ads, voters often mistakenly vote against public interest ballot measures supported by organizations they trust — and vote for measures they might reject if they knew who truly opposed them.

This is a major problem in California.  Seventy-nine percent (79%) of likely California voters said it was important to them to know who supports and opposes ballot measures when they vote, but only 21% said they were very confident that they do.

AB 1416, authored by Assembly Member Miguel Santiago working with principal coauthor Senator Henry Stern, and sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign, addresses this by simply but powerfully adding a short list of supporters and opponents (maximum of 125 characters each list) to each measure on the ballot.  The names come from the ballot arguments in the Voter Guide, the 100+ page booklet that many voters are too busy with work and family to study.

AB 1416 can go a long way toward breaking Big Money’s undemocratic grip on ballot measure contests — but only if the Governor signs it now!

Click here to send your message to Governor Newsom.

Below is part of what we’ll email for you.  You can edit before we send.

    I’m writing to ask you to sign AB 1416, the Ballot DISCLOSE Act, a bill crucial to providing transparency to voters about who’s for and against ballot measures…
    That’s why I stand with a broad coalition of organizations asking you to sign AB 1416 to ensure every voter has this vital information when they vote.

Sept. 13, 2022
From Jon Rainwater, Peace Action

Dear Peace Friends,
This week marks a week of action for peace in Ukraine. While news of Russian troops retreating from parts of Ukraine is encouraging, ultimately this conflict can only be turned into a sustainable peace through smart negotiations and diplomacy.
Indeed, diplomacy has already accomplished key successes, opening up channels for grain exports from Ukraine and securing inspections to help protect Europe’s largest nuclear reactor. But there is so much more diplomatic work to be done. President Biden is right that “at some point along the line there is going to have to be a diplomatic settlement.” But how long will it take for “some point” to arrive? Wars of attrition can grind on for years, as the belligerents seek to gain territorial advantage and put off inevitably negotiated solutions.
That’s why I’m asking for you to contact the White House and urge President Biden to take these critical steps to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine. 
Ask Biden to
– Call for a ceasefire to end the bloodshed and allow time for negotiations.
– Offer U.S. support for negotiations towards a settlement between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine’s “Istanbul proposal” and the earlier Minsk agreements provide possible models.
– Directly engage with Russia to reduce U.S./Russia tensions, avert miscalculation, and to build a viable European security arrangement that includes nuclear arms reductions.
– Support debt relief and debt cancellation for Ukraine as it copes with the destruction of the war.
Ultimately there is no military solution to this intractable and complex global crisis. The longer the conflict goes on, the more bloodshed there will be. At the same time, the United Nations is warning of years of global hardship that include global “stagflation”, a refugee crisis, and severe disruptions to trade, food security, and human development. The UN is calling for urgent action to address this crisis, warning of a looming catastrophe that could bring global destabilization, starvation, and mass migration on an unprecedented scale.
Please contact President Biden today and demand to take these crucial diplomatic steps to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
Thank you for everything you do for peace,
Jon Rainwater
Executive Director