Events

 
There are five days left before polls close here in Oregon and the energy is high. We know we're winning. But opposition turnout is high, and we are going to need every vote and every helping hand if we are going to claim victory on January 26th.

All across the state, Vote Yes for Oregon coalition volunteers are canvassing and making phone calls to help pass Measures 66 & 67, protecting healthcare, education, and public safety for all Oregonians.

The determination and persistence of our volunteers is truly inspiring. This last weekend, over 700 people packed into the Vote Yes for Oregon Campaign offices for our MLK day on the Move event. Take a look!  

Join us! In Portland and across the state, we’re knocking on doors and making calls to let voters know about Tuesday's special election. Vote Yes supporters are working alongside teachers, nurses and elected officials to make sure that everyone who can vote knows where and how to get their ballot counted.

And that’s the sense on the ground today: that every vote truly does count. In a special election, voter turnout is key. These final five days are the last mile in this race. The energy and activism that we put into this race in the final push will send a clear message that Oregonians no longer will sit by and let corporations continue to pay just the $10 a year corporate minimum while our children lose school days and tuitions rise.

So arm yourself with the facts.

Get to know where you can turn in your ballot.

And Get Out the Vote! We need you for the Final Five!

Be part of one of the largest canvassing effort in Oregon history! Join 500 people from across the state to get out the YES Vote for Measures 66 & 67.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all of these locations:

• Benton County: OSU Memorial Union "Journey Room" (2nd floor), Corvallis
• Deschutes County: SEIU Local 503 Office @ 925 SE 2nd Ave, Bend
• Jackson County: SEIU Local 503 Office @ 1257 N Riverside Ste 7, Medford
• Lane County: SEIU 503 @ 448 E. 11th Ave., Eugene
• Marion County: SEIU Local 503 Office @ 1730 Commercial St SE, Salem
• Multnomah County: Vote Yes for Oregon's Office @ 411 NE 19th, Portland

RSVP to Christel Allen: christel.allen@defendoregon.org or 503-234-0444

Or simply go to our Volunteer Page and pick your county. In Portland and Multnomah County you can sign up right here!

Invite your friends! Go to our Facebook Invitation, and click "Invite More People".

The fight to protect Oregon’s schools and critical services is about to get even more exciting. This week, ballots for Measures 66 and 67 will begin arriving in mailboxes around the state.

We have just two short weeks to make sure that Oregonians get the facts, know what’s at stake, and Get Out The Vote! Right now, we’re winning, but winning on January 26 all depends on getting all of our supporters to turn out and vote YES. Contact the campaign today to find out how you can get involved to make sure that January 26 is a night for celebrating.

Now is the time to get involved and make sure that voters all over Oregon know only a YES vote will protect the services we care about, including over $390 million for education and other services for children, funding for lifesaving prescription drugs and home care that helps low-income seniors remain independent.

Already, over 600 Oregonians just like you have volunteered at the Vote Yes for Oregon Campaign, and hundreds more have given time through our more than 200 coalition partners.

Phone banks and neighborhood walks are happening in counties across the state. Its easy to find and sign up for opportunities to talk to your neighbors about why we need to vote YES on 66 and 67!

The most effective way for your friends and neighbors to find out about the importance of voting Yes! this January is through you. You know that two-thirds of corporations in Oregon pay just $10 a year in the minimum tax. You know that healthcare, education, and public safety services are vital to Oregon's middle class. You know that Measures 66 & 67 do what's right in difficult economic times.

Help the people you know learn more about this important election with these materials:

The Handout: this two-sided flier explains the basics about this important election, and provides information on how to get involved.

FAQ: learn more about the real impacts of Measures 66 & 67 and the services they protect.

Flow Charts : A flow chart that easily and visually explains whether you are part of the 97.5% of Oregonians who won't pay a penny more under these measures, or whether your business is one of the 9 out of 10 of businesses that will pay $150 or less under these measures.

Individual Pledge: Pledge to vote Yes! this January 26th.

Every conversation makes a difference. Thank you for doing what's right to protect our communities and our values through these tough economic times.

Ballots will begin arriving in less than a month, but most voters still don't know there's an important election in January that will decide the fate of Oregon's schools and critical services.

We need your help spreading the word about voting YES on Measures 66 and 67. Can you pitch in today to help the Vote Yes For Oregon Coalition?

Join us for Neighborhood Walk

Sunday, December 13 at 1 p.m.

at Vote Yes for Oregon

411 N.E. 19th Ave.

Portland, Or. 97232

Dress warmly, bring a friend, and help protect our schools and services!

We will provide hot coffee and everything you need to talk to your neighbors about the need to vote YES on January 26th.

The news over the last two weeks has made it crystal clear that Measures 66 and 67 will have a direct impact on the lives of every Oregonian. Last week, the Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office detailed specifically what critical services would likely have to be cut without the funding that Measures 66 and 67 provide. Here are just some of the news reports about what is at stake for Oregon's students, seniors, and families:

"Among the projected cuts: more than 15,000 seniors with disabilities would lose Oregon Health Plan coverage; 3,000 families with two unemployed parents would lose monthly payments; and the Department of Corrections would close three prisons and release 1,600 inmates." Associated Press, December 1

"Potential spending cuts, which lawmakers released late Monday, could reduce aid to public schools and universities, result in less help for families and seniors, close three Salem-area prisons and trigger layoffs of state troopers and court workers." Salem Statesman Journal, December 1

"[S]pending cuts would likely mean less support for [university] courses and the elimination of faculty and staff positions. Given that the universities are experiencing the largest student enrollment levels in state history, such cuts could delay graduation for students, many of whom may drop out because of the higher cost of remaining enrolled while waiting to take required courses." Eugene Register Guard, December 1

This Saturday, Oregon needs you.

The corporate lobbyists opposed to Measures 66 and 67 will spend millions of dollars in misleading ads over the next two months. That means your voice will be crucial in giving voters the truth about these measures and protecting critical services.

Every conversation you have now about these measures will make the difference in January.

Join us this Saturday, December 5 as we knock on doors and call voters to make sure they know what's at stake in January.

RSVP: Call Vote Yes For Oregon at 503-234-0444 or email volunteer@defendoregon.org to sign up or get more information.

View Larger Map

At around 6:20 pm, there will be a break in the Civil War fighting for Ducks and Beaver fans across the state to come together in recognition of their common bonds as Oregon citizens. It will be beautiful. It will be deeply moving. For 30 seconds, we will stop all the inter-state squabbling to come together as a people and do just one thing: Watch a YES on 66 and 67 television ad.

Measures 66 and 67 preserve critical funding for schools, health care and public safety. They protect the middle class by raising the $10 corporate minimum and asking only those households with income over $250,000 to pay a little more.

In fact, the only way BOTH teams could lose this historic game is if Measures 66 and 67 were to fail in January. Then we would face the prospect of nearly a billion dollars in cuts to education and vital services, with increased class sizes and loss of school days for K-12 students, as well as tuition increases for state universities and community colleges.

So root your heart out for the Ducks or the Beavers. But when the new Vote Yes for Oregon ad hits the air at 6:20, get the whole room to do the wave to vote YES to protect all our schools this January.

By the way, if you're watching in Bend or Medford, check out the ad at 6:51 pm.

If, for some strange reason, you're not planning on watching the game, you can still watch our ad online by clicking here. And if you want to help make a difference, make a contribution to help us get the ad in front of more eyes.

Here's a quick and easy way to tell your friends and family about what's at stake this January: Send a holiday card! 

We've created four different holiday inserts for you to put into the holiday cards you're already sending. Simply download, print, cut out, insert into your cards, and mail. 

Download Holiday Present

Download Holiday Snowmen

Download Holiday Trees

Download Holiday Snow Santa

Show your appreciation for a favorite teacher by taking part in an I Heart My Teacher Neighborhood Walk on Sunday, November 22:

Sunday, November 22, 1-5pm
Alameda Elementary School
2732 NE Fremont, Portland, OR

RSVP @ 503.234.0444

 Or

Sunday, November 22, 1-3:30pm
Lane County Stand for Children/SEIU
488 E. 11th Ave, Eugene, OR (basement of Oregon Community Credit Union building)

RSVP To: Joy Marshall, jmarshall@stand.org

Not available Sunday?

Join us Saturday, November 21, 9:30am – 12pm
Cascade Middle School Cafeteria
1525 Echo Hollow Road, Bethel, OR (just south of Willamette High School)

RSVP To: Donna Deforest, dldeforest@comcast.net