Blackberries and Ballot Measures: 2020 Election Edition

As rumors fly about who can and can’t vote by mail, and threats to a fair election escalate, rural Oregonians are sharing paper and digital STAND Election guides with their neighbors to offer clear information about how people who are displaced by the fires or who were wrongfully evicted can still vote by mail, are leading car caravans to safely drop off ballots, and surveying their local candidates! On our special 2020 election edition of Rural Roots Rising, you’ll hear from rural Oregonians about what’s at stake on Oregon’s statewide ballot measures, as well as ways to take action to encourage electoral change in your community.

If this episode inspires you to take action for democracy, we have a Defend Democracy toolkit that you can find at rop.org/democracy. To access more shareable election resources in both English and Spanish including the public service announcements sprinkled throughout this episode, go to rop.org/STAND.

Download this episode’s transcription at RuralRootsRising.org.

Blackberries and Ballot Measuresfeatures a conversation about how the ballot measures will affect rural Oregonians between ROP organizer Hannah Harrod, Pam Reese, an ROP board member and organizer based in Echo, Oregon, and Keyen Singer, a Rural Organizing Fellow and member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation based in Mission, Oregon. 

We also highlight Leslie Rubenstein and Cathy Bellavita from the Blackberry Pie Society in Cottage Grove. If you’re inspired by their work sending candidates running for all state and local offices a survey to respond to in order to earn their endorsement, we can help you get involved too! Reach out to us at [e-mail] to share your thoughts, and get support for your organizing.

Did you like the music in this episode? We featured music from The Road Sodas, Ryan Cullinane, and Ketsaa.

Rural Roots Rising is a production of the Rural Organizing Project. Thank you for listening!

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