The question arises often, in various forms: What is ICC? What do you people do? What does ICC stand for? How are you different from other groups? Why are you so much bigger than other groups?
First, a little history. In January of 2017, a lot of people were forming Indivisible groups, based on the Indivisible Guide. This was a manifesto written by a number of Congressional aides who were <insert appropriate verb or adjective here> about the election of 45. It was a call to action, it was a list of things to do…and it has grown into a nationwide movement. In evolving, the push has been for individual groups to meet the needs of the groups’ membership and situation. Initially, Indivisible was built around calls to actions involving calling Members of Congress (MOC), holding postcard parties, rallies and other events, and keeping up with various pieces of legislation.
How is ICC different from other groups?
Indivisible Chester County (ICC) started out by designing a structure that was different from other groups in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area. While others chose to align along issue areas, we instead chose a more organized structure including Membership, Social Media, Research, Outreach, Finance and Events. We created a Mission Statement, which is prominently displayed on the top of our website.
In addition, from the start, we were committed to serving the people of Chester County. While, as individuals, we are interested in national and international events and issues, we are mostly concerned with the County. Getting people elected to the School Board and local offices, county offices, as well as the people who will represent us at the State and Federal levels. We believe that if we get good people elected, they will fulfill the two jobs of an elected officials: to provide constituent services, and to vote the conscience of the electorate.
We work to get people involved in the political process, and to be informed voters!
What did ICC do in 2017?
Along with CCAG, we held weekly protests at our soon-to-be-former Congressman’s office. We also attended Town Halls, and held a die-in in Valley Forge Park. We provided trainings on Political Activism to our group, as well as other groups around the region. We developed and disseminated a Voter Guide and a Candidate Database to make voting easier by answering questions, and providing information on the candidates so voters could compare positions. There were Voter Registration drives and two candidate forums. A Membership Meeting was held where members voted on the direction of the organization, this was after we’d sent out a survey to our membership.
We provided information on upcoming/current issues and our membership was great at making phone calls, and writing post cards and letters to make positions known to our elected officials. We sent out almost 200 sample ballots for the November election (on request), coordinated rides to the polls, and worked hard at getting candidates elected, and we were very successful.
To this day, we post an Action Item every day so that people can see what matters “today” and know how to take action.
Yeah, yeah, but what have you done for me lately?
The biggest request we heard in 2017 was to hold meetings. In 2018, we finally found a venue and have been holding Monthly Member Meetings, often with special guest presenters. Also in 2018, we participated in the Community Conversations program (and will continue to be a part of this statewide initiative), and held our first family-friendly event on Earth Day.
Begun in 2017, and growing in 2018, we send a bi-weekly newsletter with events, blog posts and information of value to our members.
We updated and expanded our Voter Guide. Two big changes are the information on voting rights of people who have run afoul of the law, and a table listing upcoming elections, by year, since it’s hard to keep straight which offices are up in which years. In addition, our 2018 Candidate Guide is interactive so it’s easy to find one’s candidates. Our Research page on our website is chock full of resources that people may need.
Since people like swag, we’ve produced tee shirts (and will again), we hand out ICC buttons, and look for our branded pens coming in May. We started collecting donations earlier this year, but mostly, the Leadership Team funded the costs of venues, insurance, the website and swag.
How do you define a “member”?
We consider our actual members to be those people who have signed up for our website. While many of our events are public, some are member-only, and to find out about them, one needs to access our website and read our newsletter. We have a large following on Facebook, but that is mostly a place for people to share events and hold online conversations. ICC is dedicated to ACTION and Facebook is more a place for people to vent and discuss.
What are your upcoming plans?
Between now and the primary, we are working hard for candidates. We are encouraging our membership to get involved with canvassing, phone banking, and not only voting on Primary Day, but also working the polls either for the county (checking in voters, counting votes), as a greeter, or for a candidate. We are sending out primary ballots, if requested, and if asked we can provide rides to the polls for people who need that service.
In addition to our Monthly Meetings, we are planning our first Endorsement Convention in July (date TBD). This will be a members-only event. Candidates from both parties at all levels will be invited to come and make brief speeches about their positions. Then, members will have an opportunity to ask the candidates questions (and yes, we’re still working out the logistics). After, there will be a vote of the attendees and that will form the slate of candidates that ICC will support for the general. We will provide as much support as possible for these candidates, and will help to connect members with the candidates so that we can truly Rock the Vote on November 6th!
Who is “we”?
ICC has a Leadership Team. Currently, there are eight members of leadership. Surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of these people are introverted, and wish to remain in the shadows. But we are certainly accessible. We meet weekly to discuss plans, initiatives, interaction with other groups and their plans and initiatives. In addition, we have other people who are incredibly active such as our blog editor and our calendar editor. If you would like to be involved, come to the meetings. Consider joining the Leadership Team. It is our ultimate goal to get enough people active, involved and educated so that we can more formalize the organization, hold votes and eventually elect a new Leadership Team. The more people active, the less work for each individual!
Questions?
If you have questions, please place them in the comments, and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Thanks for reading! And above all, thanks for being a member.