Hi, fellow patriot!

Want to feel smug for a few minutes?

Of course you do...

Here's how - VOTE EARLY in the Primaries this year. You waltz into your early voting location, no hassle, no lines. THEN, you get the sticker, take a picture, send to us (that part is optional but we love to see them), and you don't have to worry about it again til the General Election, when you will ALSO vote early. Trust us, you will feel SMUG about how you hacked the election process in RI, and tell your friends about it. 

YES, Primary Election Early Voting is underway! From now til September 8. Election Day is Wednesday (I know, right?) September 9 this year. Remember:

• There are very important Primary races this year, including Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General

• The Primaries often decide who gets elected in November – less than 10% of Democrat voters usually vote in them!

• There are many candidates posing as Democrats this year – get the facts on their positions and financial backers!

Want to know why it's great to VOTE EARLY?

Read this!

OK, let's dive into this week's Blue Wave news:

Calling all WBBW friends and Soon-to-be Friends!

Mark your calendars for the West Bay Blue Wave Summer's End social/gathering to celebrate what we've accomplished and to gear up for the Midterm Elections.

When: Saturday, September 19th, 6PM-8PM

Where: In the Warwick/West Bay Area, exact location to be shared prior to the event to those who RSVP to the Luma invitation

What can I bring: We will provide food, you bring your favorite beverages 

Who can come: All friends and supporters of WBBW and our pro-democracy movement. We especially hope to see some new faces and some that we haven't seen in a while!

How can I help? Glad you asked! We need a 4-6 person WBBW Party Planning Committee.  If planning events is your superpower, or if you just like parties and have opinions, please:

Email us at hello@westbaybluewave.com or respond on our WBBW Members Signal chat to let us know!

Really Great News!

Rhode Island now has a truly comprehensive Voting Guide! Every one of our 39 cities, towns and villages is represented in this grassroots effort. Brought to you by RI-based Rising Alliance!

We hope you'll spend some time with the graphic-filled  "Did you know?" analysis of RI's voting statistics.  Rising Alliance and its donors and supporters are looking at data from the last decade and planning a strategy that takes progressive politics in RI through 2036. 

Check it out!

About the LilRhody Voter Guide: 

• The guide covers 281 candidates across all 39 RI cities and towns. 112 candidates (42%) do not have campaign websites, leaving voters with very limited digital footprints to learn about them.
• Nearly half of expected users are 18 to 34, the age group most underrepresented at the polls. We expect most voters will pull it up on their phone 📱.
• Voters over 65 are seven times more likely to vote in the primary than voters under 30. This is one tool we can use to close the gap.
• Share it. 📣 Once you see the site, send the guide to five people in your RI orbit, post about it online and tag #LilRhodyVoterGuide #RIPolitics #RIsingAlliance. You may use some of the images attached or flyers to distribute to your communities.
• Invest to help us expand the Guide's reach. The founders are raising $10,000 for search ads, so when a voter looks up their ballot or a candidate, the guide shows up first.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

After careful consideration and much research on the Democratic candidates for the vital Attorney General role in RI, we cannot recommend Joe Solomon, Jr as our candidate. Even though he is running as a Democrat, he is backed by right-wing PACs and has many views that do not align with ours. Please spread this information NOW so that your friends and neighbors will have the facts before they vote. 

Editors Note: Although we are not formally endorsing candidates, we had three qualified candidates for Attorney General meet with the WBBW community:  

Keith Hoffmann

Jason Knight

Kim Ahern

A few comments:

1) Current Attorney General Peter Neronha has publicly endorsed Keith Hoffmann

2) In the latest Salve Regina University poll, Kim Ahern leads Keith Hoffman by 23% to 13% (Solomon 10% and Knight 5%) but with 46% Undecided, the race is really wide open. 

3) Because this is a crowded race and Solomon has name recognition in his favor, it is important for our readers to know that it's possible that the progressive vote will be split among the three qualified candidates and help Solomon. Please consider this as you do your research and make your choice. 

Back to the Primary Elections - So what can I do to help, you ask?

GLAD you asked! FOUR simple things you can do:

1. Make a plan to VOTE EARLY in the Primaries yourself, and make sure all of your friends and loved ones do the same.

2. Download and Print our handy info sheets and hand them out at local shops, events and gatherings - do this on your own or with friends!
   

3. JOIN West Bay Blue Wave as we work to Get Out the Vote to Democrats across the West Bay for the RI Primaries! We have distributed over 1,001! friendly, neighborly postcards to West Bay RI registered Democrats. Want to be part of this unprecedented effort? Email us at hello@westbaybluewave.com to do postcards and to host a postcard party for the General Election! You can also DONATE to WBBW's Venmo account to help with the cost of our post carding and bannering efforts. Thanks!

    

4. Get a "Register and Vote" Yard Sign to inform your neighbors of the need to get out and VOTE. As they say, "If you don't vote, you can't b****!" Email us to get a free sign (you can use it through the General Election too!)

Want candidate yard signs or handouts?

We have a limited supply of signs and handouts for: Helena Foulkes - candidate for Governor

Sue AnderBois - candidate for Lt. Governor

Keith Hoffmann - candidate for Attorney General

Email us at: ngtwbbw@gmail.com to get yours!

If you are looking for other candidates, please reach out to their campaigns directly, we know they'd love your support!

Save the Date!

WBBW is pleased to announce that

U.S. Senator Jack Reed 

will join us for an update and Q&A on

Wednesday, October 7

in RI's West Bay.

Location and time to be announced at a later date.

Stay tuned for details on an informational evening with US Rep Seth Magaziner too! 

Your RI Resource of the Week: 

The Rhode Island Current online newspaper has also done an excellent on-line voter guide for the key state-wide races. Click on the graphic below to access it and please review and share...

(and subscribe to the RI Current)

Join Us on the Bridge on Saturday, September 19 at 10AM as we celebrate our

25th Weekly Bridge Brigade!

Our pro-democracy messages are seen by 15,000-20,000 vehicles every week (at an average of 1.5 persons per vehicle, that's 22,500 to 30,000 sets of eyeballs!) 

...then come celebrate at our Summers' End Social at 6PM (see above)

Hey check out our revamped

W E B S I T E !

We now have:

• A Newsletter Archive of our most recent newsletters

• A Resources page with lots of the info that we share in the newsletter, especially around VOTING (did we say voting is important yet?)
• A Photo Album of recent events and actions