| Upcoming Actions |
| Pop-Up Action: Peaceably Assemble to Petition Absentee Senator Susan Collins for Redress of Grievances Where: Outside the Samoset Resort, At the Corner of Waldo Ave. and Samoset Rd. in Rockport, stretching along Waldo Ave. and Samoset Rd. (Park in the Shaw’s Plaza) When: Gather at 5 PM on Sunday, October 25, 2026 Why: Despite multiple invitations, Senator Susan Collins has refused for years to hold any public meeting with constituents in Knox County. In Spring of 2017, a civic group of concerned citizens in Knox County invited Senator Susan Collins to meet for a public town hall at any time of her choosing. Senator Collins first evaded the invitation, citing scheduling difficulties, then outright refused to meet in public with the people of Knox County for the entire four-year first presidential term of Donald Trump. On March 1, 2025, members of The Audacity peacefully gathered at the Knox County Courthouse to air 75 grievances regarding deeply concerning political developments since the second inauguration of Donald Trump (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R53r77B4syc). Following this gathering, The Audacity gathered signatures from 1,089 residents of Knox County (link: https://audacityspace.org/petition-for-an-open-public-town-hall-in-knox-county-maine-with-our-congressional-representatives/) requesting that our representatives in Congress — Rep. Chellie Pingree, Sen. Angus King, and Sen. Susan Collins — each hold a public town hall in Knox County to listen to and reply to their constituents’ questions and concerns. We sent this petition to Rep. Pingree, Sen. King, and Sen. Collins in the first week of April 2025. Rep. Chellie Pingree promptly agreed to, and held, an open public town hall on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sen. King’s office twice told us they’d get back to us when his schedule allowed… and never did. Sen. Susan Collins’ office not only has failed to agree to hold a town hall in the nearly 600 days since our invitation, but has also failed to respond in any way, shape, or form to the communication, even to acknowledge its existence. Despite refusing to acknowledge or meet with the citizens of Knox County in public, Senator Susan Collins will be attending a private, invitation-only party with her ultra-wealthy donors at the Samoset Resort on Sunday, October 25, attending between 6-7 pm. Senator Collins’ utter disinterest in public meetings with her constituents comes at a time when, thanks to her actions or lack of actions, we face a crashing economy, a record-high budget deficit, the revocation of constitutional rights, the disappearance and torture of people who have committed no crimes, unauthorized wars and proxy wars that have killed thousands of innocent civilians, the elevation of the presidency above the law, the targeting of people of color, women and trans people, the revocation of women’s right to control their own bodies, environmental degradation, a collapse of democratic norms, and a record-low confidence in the ability of our democratic institutions to act in the public interest. Since Senator Susan Collins has refused to hold a public meeting with her constituents in Knox County while she parties privately with her wealthy campaign funders, we the residents of Knox County will meet Senator Collins where she is on Sunday, in our own town, peaceably and nonviolently assembling as guaranteed to us by the First Amendment to petition Senator Susan Collins for redress of our many grievances. Join us. Make democracy work. Bring: friends and neighbors, a sign, a candle to light and hold, your voice (this is not a silent demonstration), and bright clothing to help you be seen Don’t Bring: items or behaviors intended to escalate the situation toward violence. Even if it’s legal for you to carry a weapon, leave your weapons at home and help keep the demonstration fully expressive but nonviolent. We will have yellow-vested peacekeepers in the crowd trained in situational response. We strongly suggest you avoid responding to provocateurs (it’s what they want) and seek help from a yellow-vested peacekeeper instead. For more information, visit AudacityCAT.com or email contact@audacitycat.com |
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| Pease sign up to be a volunteer at Rockland’s emergency warming shelters this winter! This service is vital to helping the unhoused members of our community. Training is on Sunday, November 15 and November 22 from 12-3:00 pm at the Flanagan Community Center.Sign up for volunteer training with this link! |
| Ongoing Actions! |
 Chalk It Up! Grab some bright colors, write loud and clear:* VOTE * VOTE for YOUR FUTURE * GET READY to VOTE * VOTE = VOICE * Take pictures + share on social media, emails, and in the Audacity newsletter! Free chalk available on Saturdays at Chapman Park. Stand Up and Sing Out on Saturday @ noon: Come to Chapman Park in Rockland for our weekly demonstrations. We sing, hold signs, have conversations, give away buttons and postcards. We collect food/hygiene items for the local food bank and clean up the park every week. Audacity’s Office Hours on Friday: Meet up with Audacitizens at Main Street Markets Cafe’s back room in Rockland at 10:30 AM over coffee and share your ideas, plans, and notions to act up. Stand Out with Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights: Camden, on the Village Green, Fridays @ 5 PM Rockland, at Chapman Park on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays @ 3PM Belfast, in Post Office Square, Sundays 12-12:30 PM |
| PICS FROM THE PARK ON NO KINGS DAY This past Saturday, 709 humans (and one skunk) came out for the Rockland No Kings demonstration. People came with signs, in costume, banging drums, speaking, singing, and shouting! And we all came out to support early voting for this vital midterm election. Democracy endures when we the people participate, so please Get Out the Vote! |
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| Thank you to all who attended the march, the demonstration at the park, the speak outs, and the kayak protest in Camden! Together we should the world that the people of Knox county believe in democracy, equality, and freedom for all! For information about how to vote early this election, read on! |
| Information & Education |
| Can I vote early in-person before November 3? ===>Yes! Absentee ballots are available at the municipal clerk’s office 30 days before the election, and you may vote absentee at the clerk’s office. You do not need to complete an application if you vote in person at the clerk’s office. The deadline for absentee voting in the presence of the clerk, unless special circumstances exist, is October 29, the Thursday before the election. What would happen if I attempted to vote in person after I’d returned my absentee ballot or vice versa? When you vote by absentee ballot in the State of Maine, your municipal clerk will take receipt of the ballot and verify that it can be accepted. Once they do so, they will mark your name in the voter system as an absentee voter. Thus, when they print out the incoming voter list just before Election Day, your name will already be checked off with the indicator marking that you have already voted via absentee ballot, and you will not be eligible to receive a ballot if you show up to vote in person. On Election Day, some voters are still dropping off their absentee ballots and the town office is still receiving some by mail. Absentee ballots are processed in batches throughout the day and the list of those newly received absentee ballots is shared with each polling place for each batch, so if the absentee voter tries to vote in person, they will not be able to do so. (And conversely, if they vote in person before their ballot arrives that day, their absentee ballot will be rejected). |
 What if you see ICE at the POLLS? printable zine Where do I go to vote? Maine Voting Places (aka POLLS) |
 Voices of Audacity PodcastEPISODES 17 & 18: Get out the Vote, Inside Doge vs. EPA, and on-the-ground at the NO KINGS march A SPECIAL VOICES OF AUDACITY PODCAST TWO-FER:On WEDNESDAY, an Audacity member recounts her work for the EPA, the damage DOGE caused, and the many ways she (and you) can get out the vote! Then – On FRIDAY, a SPECIAL BLAST PODCAST recorded live from Saturday’s NO KINGS Rally, featuring powerful and provocative takes from 700+ protestors. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-audacity-cat/id189… Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6clJiTBMBDDKdouoMlKWln |
| League of Women Voters of ME Important Voting Updates! Nonpartisan Voter guides: Our online voter database, Vote411.org, is live for the November 3 election. The League was the first to offer comprehensive local ballot information, covering all 400+ municipalities in Maine. See what’s on your ballot at: www.vote411.org.Register to vote online: If you want to register to vote or update your voter registration online, your application must be received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 13.Vote Early: In-person absentee voting has begun in Maine. Visit your Town Clerk’s office to vote early with an absentee ballot. The deadline to vote early is Thursday, October 29.Snail Mail: Avoid USPS mailing delays. If you’re returning an absentee ballot by mail, it’s crucial to return it ASAP so that it will reach your Town Clerk in time. Absentee ballots are due by 8:00 PM on Election Day.Absentee ballot drop box map: We recommend that you return your ballot in-person or via a secure drop box. Check out our map of drop boxes: you’ll discover whether or not your town has a drop box and you’ll find your clerk’s office address, open hours, and contact information. |
| In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, By the relief office I seen my people; As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking; Is this land made for you and me? Nobody living can ever stop me, As I go walking that freedom highway; Nobody living can ever make me turn back; This land was made for you and me. -Woodie Guthrie (verses from “This Land is Your Land”) |
| ===The Audacity (audacitycat.com) is grassroots, local, and self-funded, a coalition with broad boundaries:We are nonviolent and creative.We oppose authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption.We support inclusive, diverse, and equitable democracy.Within those boundaries, we act and speak in many different ways that not everyone agrees to. We fit them all under our umbrella, because that is what democracy and human creativity look like. |