While affiliated with the national organization Indivisible, we welcome people from a variety of political perspectives with a commitment to our nation’s ideals of freedom and equality and who are open to joining with us in promoting more effective, responsive, inclusive, fair, and civil governing institutions in the United States.
Indivisible Portola Valley is an informal association of residents of Portola Valley and nearby communities who are dedicated to strengthening democratic institutions within our constitutional republic.
Our activities are grouped into three categories:
- Sharing reliable information and credible perspectives on protecting election integrity, supporting the rule of law, and engaging constructively on public policy issues. See the Finding Information section.
- Highlighting opportunities for personal action through volunteering, donating, and joining organizations working on these topics. See the What Can You Do? section.
- Improving the responsiveness of democratic practices, norms, and institutions generally through enhancing constructive citizen engagement. See the Events and Meeting section.
Residents of Portola Valley, Menlo Park, Ladera, Woodside, Atherton, Stanford, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Carlos, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View and other neighboring communities are invited to join our communication group.
IPV: A Brief History
IPV was formed in January 2017 in response to the election of our 45th President
About 25 neighbors, mostly strangers, met in a private home where we agreed to join the Indivisible movement and work together as Indivisible Portola Valley to resist the Trump agenda. At IPV’s next meeting, we welcomed approximately 75 people into another private home, where we learned how the Republican Party uses extreme gerrymandering to win elections, and how important it is to elect officials at all levels of governance who will uphold our democratic principles. Considered too partisan to meet at our town center, we rented space in church community rooms until the pandemic forced us to learn to Zoom!
Since 2017, IPV has participated in peaceful protests like the Women’s March, Tax March, March for Science, March for Our Lives, Black Lives Matter, and GOTV rallies. We engage our representatives at town halls and contact them by phone, letter, and email regarding voting rights, climate change, and other essential legislation. Members of our group work tirelessly to elect pro-democracy candidates and get out the vote in key swing states. We have held online forums to learn how to combat misinformation, protect our elections and election officials, make impactful political contributions, discuss CA ballot initiatives, and support local efforts to inspire marginalized citizens to vote. We maintain an active forum to help each other stay informed.