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Thursday, September 23
Iowa Absentee Ballot Chase This Weekend
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 23 Sep 2004 07:39 AM CDT
 Iowa Absentee Ballot Chase This Weekend
This was forwarded to Blog for Iowa from Marcia Nichols at AFSCME Iowa and Mark L. Smith at the Iowa Federation of Labor.
Participate in the Absentee Ballot Chase Weekend this week!
For more on the importance of voting by absentee ballot, click here.
The scheduling is as follows in each of the headquarters:
Friday, September 24th - 10:00 am - 8:30 pm
Saturday, September 25th - 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 26th - Noon - 9:00 pm
If volunteers need absentee ballot pickup training, they should show up at 9:30 am on Friday and Saturday.
Ames office - 319 Clark Ave - 515-268-0313
Burlington office - 100 N 4th St. - 319-752-3071
Carroll office - 511 N Main
Cedar Rapids office - 120 3rd Ave SW - 319-363-5078
Clinton office - 224 22nd Place - 563-242-9064
Council Bluffs office - 500 W. Broadway - 712-388-1009
Davenport office - 1416 W 16th St. Suite 103 - 563-322-1693
Des Moines office - 1408 Locust St. - 515-558-9580
Des Moines office - 5661 Fluer Drive - 515-244-7292
Dubuque office - 1198 White Street - 563-557-1007
Ft. Dodge office - 1026 Central Ave. - 515-576-3145
Fort Madison office - 738 G Ave - 319-372-7483
Grinnell office - 926 Main St. - 641-236-3533
Iowa City office - Old Capitol Mall, 201 S Clinton St. -319-337-8683
Independence Office - 118 1st St. East - 319-334-2152
Ottumwa office - 205 East Main St. - 641-683-1372
Mason City office - Bldg. 9, 2nd St. NW - 641-424-5519
Marshalltown office - 12 W Main St. - 641-752-2172
Muscatine office - 208 Pine St. - 563-264-1964
Newton office - 108 W 3rd St S - 641-787-0316
Sioux City office - 617 Douglas St. - 712-258-6581
Waterloo office - 501 Sycamore - 319-236-9989"
Saturday, September 18
Stop Outsourcing Iowa!
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 18 Sep 2004 01:35 PM CDT
 Stop Outsourcing Iowa!
WATERLOO - Thirty
Black Hawk County residents gathered in the Law Court Theatre at the
Waterloo Center for the Arts this past week to talk about the
outsourcing of jobs in Iowa and across the nation.
This was the first of five meetings, called 'Stop Outsourcing Our
Future,' to be held by the Iowa Fair Trade Campaign. "Waterloo was
obviously a good place for the first meeting," said organizer Dave
Leshtz. "People in this area are very aware of the damage that
outsourcing does to a community."
Steve Abbott, President of the Black Hawk Labor Council, AFL-CIO, told
the group that everyone's jobs are now threatened by the trade policies
of the Bush administration. According to the Department of Labor,
Iowa has lost over 28,000 manufacturing jobs in the last three
years.
"It's absolutely crucial that voters understand how the trade
agreements now being negotiated by the Bush administration will cause
even more severe job losses for communities like ours," said Waterloo
resident Bonni Winther.
Meeting participants plan to get together again on Thursday, September 23,
at 7:00 PM at the Waterloo Public Library, to talk about education and
action strategies. For more information, call Steve Abbott at
319-939-2127.
The Iowa Fair Trade Campaign was formed during the Iowa caucuses to
educate the Presidential candidates and make voters aware of their
choices on issues of global trade. "These meetings are a good way
to let folks know that there are real differences between George Bush
and John Kerry on international trade policies," said Abbott.
The Iowa Fair Trade Campaign currently has these town hall
meetings scheduled.
Marshalltown, Sept. 27, Iowa Valley Community College, 7-8:30pm
Mason City, Sept. 29, Public Library, 7-8:30 pm
Keokuk, Sept. 30, Public Library, 6:30-8:00 pm
Muscatine, Oct. 2, Muscatine Commuity College, 10:30-Noon
Please spread the word about these meetings and let Iowa Fair Trade
Campaign organizer Dave Leshtz know if you'd like to have a
meeting in your part of the state. Suggestions are welcome. Contact Dave at dleshtz@ia.net or 319-621-4205.
For more information on the Iowa Fair Trade Campaign, click here.
Wednesday, September 8
Iowa Fair Trade Campaign: Stop Outsourcing Our Future!
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 08 Sep 2004 10:22 AM CDT
Iowa Fair Trade Campaign: Stop Outsourcing Our Future!
The Iowa Fair Trade Campaign seeks to bring Iowans together to work for new rules for the global economy that respect workers, family farmers, immigrants, the environment, human rights, and democracy.
Groups and individuals in Iowa have worked for fair trade and global justice for many years. During the months proceeding the 2004 Iowa Presidential caucuses, we came together as the Iowa Fair Trade Campaign to insure that trade was discussed by the Presidential candidates, to present a common statement to the candidates on trade issues, and to persuade them to embrace this position.
A network of over 200 individuals representing labor, family farmers, the faith community, immigrants, students, environmentalists, and others "birddogged" the Presidential candidates throughout the state, and all the candidates campaigning in Iowa embraced our basic requests before the Iowa caucuses. The Iowa Fair Trade Statement was endorsed by 25 Iowa organizations, outlining a common position on what responsible trade agreements should include.
The Iowa Fair Trade Campaign is working to stop the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and the expansion of the World Trade Organization (WTO). We seek, instead, a new set of rules for the global economy that will insure that all Iowans, not just a few, benefit from trade and trade agreement.
Plan for September and October 2004
The IFTC will educate, organize, and mobilize citizens in Iowa to oppose the corporate global trade agenda and support new rules for global trade and investment agreements that protect the interests of workers, the environment, family farmers, consumers, human rights, and democratic processes. A major educational component will be the holding of 'town hall meetings' called 'Stop Outsourcing Our Future!' Each town hall meeting will be co-sponsored by IFTC member groups, with panelists representing as many of our constituencies as possible. Public participation and suggestions for citizen action will be a major part of each town hall meeting.
The Iowa Fair Trade Campaign currently has scheduled five town hall meetings. They will be held at the following locations and times.
Waterloo, Sept. 13, Center for the Arts, 7-8:30 pm
Marshalltown, Sept. 27, Iowa Valley Community College, 7-8:30pm
Mason City, Sept. 29, Public Library, 7-8:30 pm
Keokuk, Sept. 30, Public Library, 6:30-8:00 pm
Muscatine, Oct. 2, Muscatine Commuity College, 10:30-Noon
Please spread the word about these meetings and let Iowa Fair Trade Campaign organizer Dave Leshtz know if you'd like to have such a meeting in your part of the state. Co-sponsors and panelists are being identified. Suggestions are welcome. Contact Dave at dleshtz@ia.net or 319-621-4205.
Current co-sponsors include Iowa Farmers Union, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, many labor councils, League of Rural Voters, Americans for Democratic Action, and Iowa Conference United Methodist Church.
To read the Iowa Fair Trade Coalition’s Statement on Trade Agreements in its entirety, click on “more >>” below.
more »
Tuesday, September 7
It's GOOD to Vote Early: Get Your Iowa Absentee Ballot Here!
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 07 Sep 2004 04:54 PM CDT
It's GOOD to  Early
Get Your Iowa Absentee Ballot Here!
by Linda Thieman
Conventional
wisdom tells us that this year, the party that brings in the most
absentee ballots will be the party of victory. And casting an absentee ballot is easy to
do since no witness or notary public is required during any part of the process.
Also,
because we're going to need so many people to volunteer as poll
watchers, it's good to bank your vote and not have to worry
about it on Liberation Day, er, I mean Election Day, November 2.
This
year, because of a new state law, there is no early time limit set for
requesting absentee ballots, so you can go ahead and do it now.
Plus, one last argument: paper ballots. No matter which Iowa county you live in, EVEN ONE THAT USES UNRELIABLE PAPERLESS, TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING MACHINES
like Clay County, by voting early and by voting on a PAPER absentee
ballot, you can rest assured that your vote will actually COUNT.
**Click here
to download your Iowa absentee ballot request form. You then send
it in to your county auditor's office at the courthouse.
**Click here to get the address of your county auditor.
Just find your county on the map of Iowa and click on the map.
Are You Registered To Vote?
If you have not yet registered to vote, click here
to download an Iowa voter registration form. According to the
information provided on the Iowa voter registration form, "the deadline
to
register to vote is 10 days before a primary or general election and 11
days for all others. You may register after a deadline, but the
registration will not be effective until after that election. A
registration form postmarked at least 15 days before an election will
be accepted for that election even if it is received after the deadline
to register to vote. Registration is permanent. After you register, you
do not have to register again unless you move."
Iowa Absentee Ballots at Record Numbers
WHOTV.com
Election
offices are getting a record number of early requests from people
hoping to skip the ballot box....Iowa's a "no excuse" voting
state. You don't need an excuse to get an absentee ballot that
allows you to vote without going to the polls, and more people than
ever before want to make sure you don't have an excuse not to vote.
...Democrats
usually lead in the absentee voting efforts. Nearly three
quarters of the requests so far in Polk County are for Democratic
voters, but Republicans are really just starting their early vote
efforts, so [Polk County Auditor Michael] Mauro figures the difference will tighten up as we get
closer to election day.
How do
other counties compare when it comes to absentee ballots? 2,100
ballot requests have been filed in Dallas County for the upcoming
election, nearly 2,200 in Warren county, and in Story County, 4,300
absentee ballots have been requested.
(more)
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