Hello! We, as Democrats living abroad, understand how important it is to stay involved in the democratic process. This month’s newsletter is like a progress report, showing you all the plans, people and work in progress within your Spain chapter of Democrats Abroad. The phrase "Let's Finish the Job '' is our way of saying we're all in, and we won't stop until every eligible voter is empowered and our democracy is stronger than ever! 

Message from DA Spain Chair

According to the Gershwin brothers’ famous jazz opera, Porgy and Bess, “it’s summertime,  and the livin’ is easy.” This statement is both true and not for Democrats Abroad Spain this season. We’ve had lots of fun this summer – witness the reports about July 4 festivities, for example – but we’ve also been busy gearing up for the 2024 election. 

 Here's a quick summary of what’s percolating with DA Spain:

Global Presidential Primary – In presidential election years, Democrats Abroad sponsors its own primary to select delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Helen Morgan of Seville is heading up our preparations so that all DA Spain voters can participate, in person or electronically.

State Teams recruitment – Our Madrid chapter, led by Lucia Pérez, is recruiting members for the various State Teams run by DA Global. Madrid’s efforts will magnify the excellent work done by the members of those teams, including Barcelona’s Annie Graul, who chairs the Wisconsin State Team.

Digital advertising – Our Communications folks, Daniel Garcia of Alicante, Joanne Haas of Valencia, David Coronado of Madrid, and Karl Barth of Barcelona plan to launch a series of digital ads in Spain targeting American voters to grow our membership. We want to share information about how to prepare to vote in 2024 and drive folks to join DA Spain in helping to elect Democratic candidates.

Tiger Bytes – A new team has formed to disseminate information about the accomplishments of the Biden administration. Short pieces that are easy to post on social media will be available each week, and every member is encouraged to participate by getting the timely Tiger Byte from the DA Spain Facebook page and posting it on their own social media. If you’re not on Facebook but would like to participate, please email [email protected], and you’ll be put in touch with the organizers of this effort, Georgie Grossman and Andrew Anderson of Valencia and Doris Stanger of Barcelona. 

Media presence – We plan to reach out to local media that publish in English in order to raise awareness about voting in general and DA in particular. To that end, we are gathering information about media contacts and publications online and on paper in every part of Spain. Scott Lewis of Alicante is spearheading this effort.

Phone Banking – We are beginning discussions about how to reach our membership to make sure that everyone has the tools they need to vote in 2024. Phone Banking is a key part of this outreach, and we’re building up our team to spearhead this effort. 

Fundraising – We’ve made tremendous strides in our fundraising. The “Gimme Five for Democracy” campaign has increased our sustaining donations to $455 per month. The fruits of this campaign are paying for the initiatives described above. We would like very much to reach $500 per month, which puts us on track to fund these projects and others that come up as we enter the thick of election season. If you can kick in $5 (or more!) per month to help us, please go to our website. 

Never forget that one person’s actions can make a world of difference! Porgy and Bess provides the perfect example. Ira Gershwin, one of the creators of the opera, stipulated that only Black singers would play the lead characters in domestic productions of it. In so doing, he launched the careers of several classically trained Black singers. So think about what good work you want to do with regard to Election 2024, and if any of these activities look like something you’d like to get involved in, please reach us at our Volunteer Interest Form. 

Have a great month!

Kathy Tullos (Chair)

Views on the News

From Economy to Justice: Democrats Abroad Rally Behind Biden's Accomplishments

By Daniel Solon, DA Barcelona

More than ever, it behooves US Democrats Abroad to put every effort into locating and registering eligible voters. If Trump & Co. manage to retake the White House, there may not be another chance to restore the rule of law. Well-sourced news reports indicate that the reactionary right wing has learned lessons from the chaos of the last Trump administration, trademarked by chaos and infighting on TV and social media. From Jan. 20,  2025, they are planning a much more tightly disciplined approach to retaining power permanently. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping would be rubbing their hands in envy.

The most recent NY Times/Siena College poll, traditionally among the more accurate researchers, showed President Biden and Trump neck and neck at 43% each. However, an intriguing statistic showed up deeper in the data. Among registered Republicans, likely voters in next year's primaries, 25% showed up as Never Trumpers. The remaining 75% were almost evenly divided between "Only Trump'' and "Persuadable." This implies that aggressive Democratic outreach to Never Trumpers, at home and abroad, could be decisive in close state races. Remember that the number of overseas votes in Georgia was larger than the final margin, which took the state for Biden.

Meanwhile, here in Spain, statistics show that the number of US expats grew by 13% from 2019 to 2021. There is good reason to believe that this will have increased further since 2021. Let's be on the lookout for the newcomers, and make every effort to get them registered to vote next year.

The White House recently released a summary of accomplishments by the Biden-Harris administration over the past two and a half years. The Top 10 on the list:

• Lowering the costs of families' everyday expenses through the Inflation Reduction Act and adjustments to a fairer tax code.
• Highest number of people employed in US history.
• Manufacturing more in America, with less dependence on international supply chains.
• Rescue of the economy and change of course in the Covid pandemic.
• Rebuilding US infrastructure, which has deteriorated significantly during recent decades.
• Expansion of benefits to veterans who have suffered toxic exposure.
• First meaningful legislation in 30 years to reduce gun violence.
• Marriage protection for LGBTQI+ and interracial couples.
• Confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and other federal judges.
• Rallying international support for Ukraine against Putin, with accession of Finland to NATO and that of Sweden soon to follow, strengthening the Baltic flank.

With a list of accomplishments as strong and varied as this, we have plenty to take credit for and talk up on the way to 2024. Let's get to work.

Announcements & Calls to Action

Alicante is the host city for the EMEA Meeting for OutReach and Engagement in '24 (MORE in '24)

Join DA leaders and super-volunteers in Alicante for the EMEA Meeting for OutReach and Engagement in '24 (MORE in '24) on Oct. 27-29. This retreat will focus on key goals for '24, including setting election guideposts, empowering volunteers with training, engaging new voters, and providing concrete takeaways for country committee leaders. Online options for training sessions and workshops will be available for remote participation. Let's create a blue wave in November 2024 by doing more voter outreach, bringing in new voters, and making a bigger impact on elections back home. Democrats Abroad has been decisive in past elections and,  together, we'll do even more in 2024! Go to the MORE in '24 event page on the DA website to register and to get details about the weekend.

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State Groups Abroad Teams 
By Annie Graul, DA Barcelona

You've probably heard the phrase "all politics is local," and national elections in recent years have made that point crystal clear. Although we tend to focus our attention on what's happening in Washington, DC, the politicians elected to serve there must first win state and local elections that are administered under laws and regulations passed at the state level and influenced by issues that drive local voters to the polls. It's increasingly clear that we need to pay more attention to those local races, lawmakers, issues and regulations. In 2021, Democrats Abroad began forming a series of teams empowered to address the specific needs and issues of voters in different states. In 2024, we will have at least 14 state teams staffed with a team of volunteers with local knowledge. These teams will be able to inform voters about races, candidates and deadlines, and assist them with state-specific ballot return issues. 

On Sunday, Sept. 3, there will be a Democrats Abroad State Teams Volunteer Fair to recruit volunteers for the teams, and you are encouraged to attend. Even if your state isn't on that list of 14, you can help with things like cross-functional organizing, event planning, comms and social media, just to name a few. Watch the State Groups Abroad Facebook page and your inbox for more information coming soon. 

Chapter and Verse

Alicante

By Scott Lewis

The Alicante chapter's new executive committee had an informal organizational meeting on June 27. Stay tuned for details on the next chapter meeting, planned for the first week of September. Don't forget to join our Facebook group to stay up-to-date with chapter activities and connect with other members between meetings.

Following the successful Spain AGM, the Democrats Abroad regional Europe, Middle East, and Africa organization will hold its annual retreat in Alicante Oct 27-29. Although not officially hosted by the Alicante chapter, our members are eager to volunteer and ensure EMEA leaders have the best experience on the Costa Blanca. RSVP for the "More in 24" event at www.DemocratsAboad.org/morein24.

Barcelona 

By Catherine Dexter

Mark your calendars for three exciting Sundays in September filled with DA Barcelona events! We’ll have more information posted on the DA Spain website, Facebook page and our Barcelona Signal chat soon.

Meet former Alabama senator Doug Jones 
When: Sept. 3, early evening 
Where: Terracita Bar-Restaurant at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), Montealegre 5.

Join us for a casual get-together with Doug Jones while he's visiting privately. Doug made history as the first Democrat to win statewide office in Alabama since 2008, and he held the senate seat until 2021. As United States Attorney for Alabama’s Northern District, he successfully prosecuted two KKK members for their roles in the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church. Doug is eager to learn more about Democrats Abroad and meet our members. 

Welcome Back 
When: Tentatively Sept. 13, early evening.  
Where: To be announced

Let's come together for a meet-up and discuss what lies ahead. Whether you're already a volunteer or want to become more involved in the chapter, we hope to see you there as we kickstart our 2024 GOTV efforts.

Monthly Film Series 
When: Tentatively September 24, October 22, November 19, December 17 (evenings, time to be announced)
Where: Member’s home (La Barceloneta)

Starting in September, DA Barcelona will be hosting a series of streaming parties to watch documentaries about politics and citizen activism. We'll feature four films on Sunday evenings from September to December. The tentative lineup includes All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, The Janes, ACORN and the Firestorm, and Pelosi in the House. A small donation to Democrats Abroad will be required, along with a contribution to the host for refreshments. If we have a great turnout, this could become a regular activity, and we'd love your film suggestions and help organizing future events!

Madrid

By Lucia J. Perez

July has been a busy month, with Gay Pride March, 4th of July and our guest speaker event prior to the Spanish general election. Our team has been working hard to build momentum ahead of elections in the States next year. The team has joined the GPP in preparation for the presidential primaries. We also began "50 Stars for 50 States" to encourage volunteers to join the State Teams. We will encourage voters on the importance of voting in  November 2024. We launched the first issue of Madrid's own newsletter in order to centralize all communications to Madrid DA members. Our team will promote the Alicante Retreat in our August newsletter and will work on recruiting volunteers. We’ll also have more information posted on the DA Madrid Facebook page. Kudos to the Madrid TEAM! 

Sevilla

By Kevin Dodson

The Sevilla Chapter held its final event of the summer on July 7, a First Friday Coffee in the Parque María Luisa.  Members discussed the need to share news about the successes of the Biden-Harris Administration with family and friends. Caren Goldberg and her son Evan also talked about their research on how to better entice autistic candidates to apply for job vacancies; they recently presented this research in London.

The chapter will resume its activities with a First Friday Coffee at 11am on Sept 1 at the Hotel Sevilla. We’ll also have more information posted on the DA Sevilla Facebook page. 

Valencia

By Georgie Grossman 

Mark your calendars for our September events! We’ll have more information posted on the DA Valencia Facebook page.

First Friday Coffee Continues
When: September 1st at 10:30 am
Where: Salad Planet

Summer vacation or not, there is someone meeting for coffee on the First Friday of every month. This month, we had a great core group eager to discuss the current goings-on in DC. If you’re in town next month, come on down! See you there!

Happy Hour in September
Looking for an evening event? Join the group on September 21st at St. Patrick's Pub from 6:00-8:00 PM, located at Gran Via del Marqués del Túria, 69, 46005 València, Valencia, Spain.

Caucus News

DA Spain Caucuses are taking a break in August and will be back in September.

Click here to learn more about DA caucuses and to join. When you join a global caucus, you automatically become a member of the Spain caucus.

Click here to see all the upcoming Global Caucus events.

Why I Volunteer

Featuring Annie Graul of Barcelona and written by Scott Lewis of Alicante

Annie Graul volunteers to secure her children's future and ensure the right path for her country. Although she may not live in the US again, she remains committed to making a difference. Annie discovered VoteFromAboard.org and voted for Barack Obama in the Global Presidential Primary. However, her active involvement with Democrats Abroad began during the Trump administration. When the Barcelona chapter faced closure, she assumed a leadership role. Today, she focuses on state teams and proudly collaborated with Democrats Abroad Wisconsin State Team to elect a justice who defends voter rights and opposes partisan redistricting. Annie emphasizes that voting in U.S. elections is a significant privilege, urging the return of every absentee ballot. Her dedication contributes to a better America.

To stay on top of all the news, follow Democrats Abroad Spain on social media. And please forward this email to your American friends in Spain who may not know us!

Have a great month!

Democrats Abroad Spain!

This newsletter comes to you by:  

• Daniel Garcia, Editor in Chief
• Andrea Host Barth, Technical Producer 
• Albion Land, Copy Editor

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