For the Week of November 17, 2025

🎙️Nov 17, 2025 Weekly Actions Audio – available for when you’re on the go

📣 See Eastside and Seattle Protests 2025 for up-to-date opportunities.

📣 See Ways to Help our Immigrant Neighbors for up-to-date opportunities.

🔷 The 2026 Legislative session runs from January 12 – March 12. Indivisible Eastside members will continue our effective advocacy for just and popular legislation through Washington Indivisible Legislative Action (WILA) . Help us prepare for the 2026 legislative session by completing the 2026 WILA Legislative Priorities survey by December 7.

🔷 Paid signature gatherers have recently been active on the Eastside, please continue to oppose the Brian Heywood backed initiatives, IL26-001 and IL26-638 by declining to sign these petitions. These two initiatives to the Legislature, if they succeed, would sabotage youth and LGBTQ+ rights. Each measure faces a signature collection deadline of Jan 2, 2026. Heywood will need to amass 309,000 signatures (plus 15-20% for duplicates and errors) for each to qualify. Let’s make sure he does not reach his goal.

🔷 Organized efforts in Washington and across the country are seeking to make it more difficult for individuals to register to vote and maintain their current registration. In Washington, Measure IL26-126 would require all voters to have an enhanced drivers license or provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person to prevent having their registration canceled. Decline to sign Initiative Measure IL26-126 and make sure the backers of this initiative measure do not collect the needed signatures by Jan 2, 2026.

🔷 Washington is home, not a military target. Sign up for Washington Indivisible Network alerts to be ready for national guard deployment to Washington. This network will focus on de-escalation, community defense, understanding your legal rights, and providing a unified response to reject military occupation.

🔷 Please join us Sunday Dec 7 for Indivisible Eastside’s In Person Group Meeting in Redmond. Register to attend using the access code ‘indivisible’. The meeting is 3-4:30 pm, with a new-member orientation at 2:30.

Here are your 2 Actions and Bright Spots.

✊ Action 1 – Call your Senator: It is Time for Chuck Schumer to Step Aside

from Indivisible National

On November 9, Senator Chuck Schumer surrendered the fight for affordable healthcare, supplying Republicans the votes necessary to advance a budget that will cause premiums to double and triple for millions of Americans.

This was not a capitulation by the entire Democratic Caucus–the group consisted of senators who are retiring or who will not face primaries for several years. While the capitulation is being described as eight Senators “going rogue,” it instead appears to be a clear indication of Schumer’s unfitness to lead.

It appears that the surrender was scheduled after the election to avoid raising ire against the Democrats before voting day. Senator Schumer gave up crucial leverage by caving to the GOP’s demands and this is his second capitulation, effectively giving permission to push an authoritarian agenda without meaningful opposition from Congress. This damaging surrender has changed the story from the GOP hurting millions of Americans to Democrats who are too weak and divided to take a stand to protect these same people.

We need a Democratic Party that fights back and if the current one will not do so, the next step is primaries and new leadership.

Sen. Patty Murray: DC 202-224-2621 | Seattle 206-553-5545 | EMAIL
Sen. Maria Cantwell: DC 202-224-3441 | Seattle 206-220-6400 | EMAIL

☎ Sample Script:

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY]. I am calling to ask [Senator] to demand that Senator Schumer step down as Senate Minority Leader.

Senator Schumer has once again demonstrated ineffective leadership by allowing a budget that will harm millions of Americans to pass the Senate. Voters showed up in historic numbers this November to show they want leaders willing to hold the line against authoritarianism.

Leader Schumer has shown he is not up for this fight, if Senator [name] is, they must call on Schumer to step down.

Thank you.

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]

✊ Action 2 – Remote Phone Bank- Tennessee District 7 Special Election

From our friends at Seattle Indivisible

Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat and a former Indivisible staff member, is running against Republican Matt Van Epps in the general election on Dec. 2 to fill the empty seat left by U.S. Rep. Mark Green in what will be the last opportunity to win a Democrat seat in 2025. Heading into the election, Republicans have a 219-213 majority in the U.S. House with three vacancies.

Tennessee Democrats have been organizing and canvassing in the 7th District for months seeking to energize a Democratic base. Behn represents the 51st District in the Tennessee House of Representatives and was re-elected in 2024. She is running for Congress with a focus on fixing roads, feeding kids, and funding hospitals.

The outcome of this special election could shift the balance of power in the U.S. House. Tennessee’s 7th Congressional district has been represented by Republicans since 1983. However, new district boundaries drawn by the Republican-controlled state legislature in 2021 moved the district into northern Nashville and added a significant Democrat population. Since redistricting, Republicans have not won more than 60% of the vote.

This phone bank is sponsored by Swing Left and will involve calling voters in Tennessee to support Behn for Congress. A training for doing the phone bank will be included during the first hour. Register to participate and choose a time to take part in this virtual action. If you have accessibility questions, reply to your registration email and confirm requirements or request more information.

If you cannot make the phone bank or if you are interested in doing more to support this special election, local postcard writing campaigns on the Eastside will be writing for this special election the week of Nov 17. Please see “Calendar of Events” below for the times and locations of these postcard writing events.

Donation Corner

Washington Neighborhood Defense (WAND) has been canvassing the past two months to make sure businesses know their constitutional rights during an ICE raid. Help us reach more communities by donating to cover the printing costs of these materials. It only costs $2 per business for materials, so if you donate $20 that provides materials to ten businesses.
On Thursday, a federal judge declined to throw out the criminal case against Representative LaMonica McIver. In May of 2025, she was charged with assaulting federal agents while attempting to visit an immigration detention center in New Jersey. Representative McIver is the type of fight back Democrat we want and it is important to show support by donating to her legal defense fund if we want more Democrats to be brave.

⛅ Bright Spots

from Good News for Lefties and other sources

On Wed Nov 12, congresswoman Adelita Grijavla was finally sworn in to Congress marking the end of a seven-week delay that kept more than 800,000 Arizonans without representation.
The Ballmer Group has announced a new 10-year philanthropic commitment to help Washington State expand access to its Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) —a comprehensive Pre-K program serving children from families with low incomes.
Katie Wilson becomes Seattle’s new mayor following a close fought victory against incumbent, Bruce Harrell.
Following a recommendation from City Council on Nov 3, 2025, the Redmond Police Department (RPD) has suspended operation of its Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system, also known as the Flock cameras. News reports have uncovered the sharing of Flock camera data with federal agencies. Access to the system has been disabled pending further review by the Council.
The Supreme Court rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
All 31 Moms for Liberty endorsed candidates in competitive races were defeated as communities across the country rejected the far-right education movement.

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