Rallies to Stop the Judicial Takeover Frequently Asked Questions
Updated often. Please check carefully to see if your question is answered here before using the link at bottom to ask a question.
Signing Up Questions| General Questions | Questions about organizing rallies
Signing up Questions
How do I get my password? What is it?
I never got an email confirming that I signed up to lead an event. What should I do?
General questions
Help! I can see the rallies near me but not where exactly they are!
What's going to happen at the rally?
Why isn't there a rally closer to my house?
Is the vote really going to happen so soon? I read that it's been delayed.
I applied to coordinate rally logistics/media, but never heard back. What happened?
How do I find a rally near me?
Will MoveOn provide signs or other materials?
I have a question that isn't answered here. What do I do?
Questions about organizing a rally
HELP! You just sent detailed instructions for the rally but I already have a complete plan. Do I have to follow your suggested program?
Can I have speakers besides the MoveOn members selected through the process you describe?
How will you decide whether to approve an event?
How will I know if my event has been approved
Why can't I organize a rally within 50 miles of another rally?
If I can't find the kind of location specified, what should I choose?
Do I need a permit?
If I have to pay for a permit, will MoveOn reimburse me?
Can MoveOn provide proof of insurance if they ask for it?
What if I can't confirm my location by Thursday afternoon?
What will happen at the rally?
Should I notify the media?
How do I get in touch with the media volunteer for my rally?
How do I edit the info for my event?
How do I log in to my "coordinator tools"?
I don't have a password -- how do I log in?
I'm having trouble logging in. Help!
Is it a legal problem if a politician speaks at our rally?
How do I get people to come to my rally?
How long should my rally last?
I have a question that isn't answered here. What do I do?
Sign-in Questions
How do I get my password? What is it?
When you signed up to coordinate an event, you should have received an email with the subject “Thanks for creating an event: more info.” Near the bottom of this email is a link you can use to create a password—just click on the link and then enter your new password twice.
You can also go directly to http://www.moveonpac.org/login/forgot.html and enter the password you used to create the account. You will then get an email sent to you that will allow you to set a new password. It may sound a little complicated, but it’s really easy in practice.
I never got an email confirming that I signed up to lead an event. What should I do?
There are a few reasons why you might not have received your confirmation email. Don’t forget that until you click on the link in the confirmation email, your event won’t be posted online. Here are a few steps you can take to get the confirmation email:
1) Check your junk mail box. Sometimes these messages get filtered—even if the normal MoveOn emails don’t.
2) If you don’t see it in your junk mail, then you should check your email filter settings, and try temporarily relaxing them—again, sometimes this type of message gets blocked. Once you’ve changed the settings, go back and re-enter your event at:
http://www.moveonpac.org/event/events/create.html?action_id=4
3) If neither of these options work, and you’re sure that you correctly entered your email address when you signed up, then your email is probably blocking our emails in a way that you can’t change. For instance, many people have this problem with verizon email accounts. In this case you should either use an alternative email address or if you don’t have one, you should create one (you can do it for free at www.hotmail.com or www.yahoo.com)
General Questions
Help! I can see the rallies near me but not where exactly they are!
When you search for rallies by ZIP code here, you'll see a list of events in your region. Then you need to click on the name of the event you want to attend, and sign up -- when you sign up, you'll receive full directions and location information.
What's going to happen at the rally?
If you sign up for a rally, we'll send you detailed instructions in a couple days. But, in brief, where the location allows, we'll try to visually dramatize the Republicans' plan by forming a cordon in front of the courthouse holding signs which say " RIGHT-WING JUDGES ONLY -- By Order of Congress" and "Ordinary Americans -- KEEP
OUT." We'll also ask you to form into small groups and discuss the issue, and theneach small group will choose a speaker to address the group as a whole. The rally will end with each one of these people speaking for one or two minutes.
Why isn't there a rally closer to my house?
If you are more than 50 miles from a scheduled rally, it's because no one in your area has volunteered to host a rally. It's not hard -- please consider it! You can sign up here. If you live within 50 miles of a rally, it's because we need these rallies to be BIG to show the depth of public concern on this issue. Sometimes, when we all spread out at a ton of very small events, it can actually under-represent our strength to the public. Because we're organizing these in a hurry and they're on a work day, our experience suggests the best way to make sure they're well attended is to have fewer, centralized rallies that each draw from the surrounding region. If you live at some distance from an existing rally, please consider traveling to get there. If you absolutely can't, take some solace in the knowlege that other members in your area will travel, and the rally will be bigger for it.
Is the vote on the nuclear option really going to happen so soon? I read that it's been delayed.
There have been conflicting reports about the timing of the vote -- several that suggestion Republicans are going to move this week, and others (which leaders have denied) that they might hold off. What seems clear is that they'll vote on it as soon as possible if they're sure they can win, and no one seems to know exactly how likely this is. If they push the vote back, it's a sign that we're having an impact.
I applied to coordinate rally logistics/media, but never heard back. What happened?
If you haven't heard back from us, it's because a) someone had already agreed to coordinate logistics or media in your area before you applied, b) you applied too late for us to get back to you before we invited the general membership to post rallies, or c) you applied to coordinate media in an area where there wasn't anyone to set up the rally (if someone posts a rally in your area, we'll get back in touch with you if there's time for you to do a good job with media outreach).
How do I find a rally near me?
You can enter your ZIP code and search for a rally near you by clicking here.
Will MoveOn provide signs or other materials?
You can find signs you can download and print out as well as flyers you can print up and hand out to passersby on our materials page.
Questions about organizing a rally
HELP! You just sent detailed instructions for the rally but I already have a complete plan. Do I have to follow your suggested program?
No. Some of you already have very creative rallies planned -- that's great. If you notice, our instructions to attendees specifically say that we've left the ultimate decision up to local coordinators, and their local rally might differ from our description. But you might want to include some role for other MoveOn members, as we've outlined -- we've found it always adds a lot.
Can I have speakers besides the MoveOn members selected through the process you describe?
Absolutely. Our process is designed to ensure that at rallies where the coordinator has not planned a program or recruited speakers, things will still go great. But if you have good speakers, that's terrific -- just make sure they are brief and on message.
How will you decide which events to approve?
We'll approve any events that meet the general criteria -- organized in a public location in front of a courthouse or federal building -- as long as there isn't already a rally organized in that area.
How will I know if my event has been approved?
We'll email you within 24 hours of approval. But you can also go directly to our event lookup page and enter your ZIP code to see whether you're rally has been approved for public signups.
Why can't I organize a rally within 50 miles of another rally?
We want these rallies to be BIG to show o show the depth of public concern on this issue. Sometimes, when we all spread out at a ton of very small events, it can actually under-represent our strength to the public. Because we're organizing these in a hurry and they're on a work day, our experience suggests the only way to make sure they're well attended is to have fewer, centralized rallies that each draw from the surrounding region. If you live at some distance from an existing rally, please consider traveling to get there. If you absolutely can't, take some solace in the knowlege that other members in your area will travel, and the rally will be bigger for it.
If I can't find the kind of location specified, what should I choose?
Our suggestions are pretty broad: in front of, or across from, a courthouse or federal building. If even that doesn't work, look for some other location that is central, where people can gather. If it has some linkage to the issue of an attempted takeover of our courts by extremist Republican leaders, that's best. But in the end, you just need to find a location where people can gather.
The Constitution gives us the right to peaceably assemble. You are going to be posting a public location where people from your community can gather peacefully, without amplification. From the perspective of police, it's most like a vigil, which takes place without central coordination or sound equipment. In most places, you won't need a permit for this, but in a few places the police could require a permit. If they tell you that you must have a permit, then you need to follow their instructions, even if you don't agree. We have neither time nor resources for legal challenges to local permit requirements. However, by stressing the decentralized and non-amplified nature of the event, you may be able to convince them that a permit isn't actually required.
If I have to pay for a permit, will MoveOn reimburse me?
Unfortunately, we cannot reimburse you in the case that the police demand a permit. However, fees are usually quite small. You should emphasize in your dealings with the police that this is a local gathering which you will post to on the MoveOn web site but MoveOn.org Political Action is not the official sponsor of your local rally.
Can MoveOn provide proof of insurance if they ask for it?
A group of citizens should not require proof of insurance to hold a peaceful vigil on public property, and it is very unlikely you will be asked for one. If you are, you should make clear that this is a local gathering which you will post to on the MoveOn web site but MoveOn.org Political Action is not the official sponsor of your local rally. We can neither vouch for, nor control, your local event, nor provide resources for your local event (other than general instructions and downloadable signs). MoveOn members have held thousands of vigils around the country without providing proof of insurance or the like.
What if I can't confirm my location by Thursday afternoon?
Post your location as soon as you can. We'll send our email on Friday morning, but some people won't read it 'til later in the day. We'll also send a reminder email early next week. So if you can't meet the Thursday deadline, all is not lost! But if you post your rally before then, you'll have a better attendance.
What will happen at the rally?
The complete set of instructions for suggested rally content have now been posted. Here's a guide for coordinators and one for attendees.
We are working to find a seperate volunteer at each site to notify the media. Unless we tell you otherwise, you don't need to worry about this.
How do I get in touch with the media volunteer for my rally?
We'll send you an email with the contact information of your local media volunteer as soon as we have identified that person, which might not happen until the weekend.
How do I edit the info for my event?
To change any of the parameters of your rally, log in to your coordinator tools page using the same email address you used to sign up for your event and click " Update event location, size, or time."
How do I log in to my "coordinator tools"?
Click here, then log in using the same email address you used to sign up for your event.
Is it a legal problem if a politician speaks at our rally?
As a PAC, there are strict legal limits as to how we can coordinate with candidates or political parties. However, our lawyers have reviewed these events and told us that it's OK for an elected official to attend your rally and speak about this issue (note that this will not always be true at MoveOn.org Political Action events).
How do I get people to come to my rally?
You can and should take initiative to get people to come to the rally. You can do this via email, community bulletin boards, listservs, and phone calls. Local progressive groups can be good places to advertise. Also, we will send an email invitation out to all MoveOn members in the areas where rallies are taking place, which will also help boost attendance.
How long should my rally last?
A full set of instructions appears here. However, plan on your program ending around 5:50 (assuming it starts at 5:00 PM).
I have a question that isn't answered here. What do I do?
If you contact us with your question; we'll answer the most common questions in this FAQ and do our best to email you back individually.
