Calling All DPCA Officers... to Vote On 2024 Delegate Selection Plan

Connection details will be emailed to all Democrats Abroad member RSVP's closer to the meeting date.

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Every four years, the Democratic Party begins designing the Delegate Selection Rules and a resulting nominating process for the next presidential election.

While the Rules drafting process begins anew after each Presidential election, many norms and traditions carry over, including a rule that lets some states hold their nominating contest early, which in 2024 will be South Carolina, Nevada & New Hampshire, Michigan, and Georgia.

Democrats Abroad has worked hard at crafting our Delegate Selection Plan, which is the guiding document as we play our part in nominating our Party's 2024 nominees for President and Vice President of the United States.

You can review a copy of our draft 2024 Delegate Selction Plan which was posted for public comment on our website on March 6, 2023, and submit your by writing to [email protected] through April 5, 2023.

(Please include the page and line number your feedback refers to in your email. Thank you!)

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NOTICE: This meeting will be recorded, including audio, video, and any materials exchanged or viewed during the session.

2023 will be an important year for Democrats Abroad Germany to come back together and reestablish our strong community of members. This will be our year to establish the foundation necessary to make sure we can hit the ground running in 2024. At Democrats Abroad Germany, our goal will always be to get each and every U.S. citizen in Germany to vote.

After almost three years of mainly meeting online, we are pleased to invite you to our upcoming Annual General Meeting in Ingelheim am Rhein. The official meeting will take place at the iCC Konferenzzentrum in Ingelheim from Friday, March 24 to Sunday, March 26.

If you are unable to attend in person, you still have the option to join the meeting online. To attend online, just RSVP to this event and we will share the login information a few days prior to the meeting.

We will also elect our new Executive Committee (ExCom). These are the leaders of DA Germany and includes several officers, nine at-large coordinators, and 14 Voting Representatives. You can learn more about the election process, who's running, and how you can run yourself here.

Schedule

Friday, March 24

• Starting at 17:00: A welcome cocktail reception to connect with each other over drinks.

Saturday, March 25

Sunday, March 26

• 10:00
  • Members of the newly elected Executive Committee will hold their first meeting to discuss the next steps and to get a chance to meet everyone.
  • For those that are not from the region, we will visit the Museum bei der Kaiserpfalz for a guided tour. This includes the Ingelheim Imperial Palace, which served emperors and kings as a lodging and a ruling seat. Following the tour, everyone is welcome to have lunch together at a local restaurant.

Cost

For in-person attendance, we are asking for a donation of $35 for the main meeting on Saturday. The cost for meals are as follows:

• Friday cocktail reception: $15
• Saturday lunch: $10
• Saturday gala dinner (three-course meal): $65

Under the rules of the Democratic Party and Democrats Abroad, a fee for attending the meeting is not allowed. However, we kindly ask for a donation to cover use of the iCC Konferenzzentrum, drinks (coffee, tea, water, and more), technical equipment, copies, and supplies. We ask that you donate this amount to help us avoid drawing down the DA Germany treasury, which is devoted to getting out the vote. Participants do have to pay for meals.

We will collect information regarding any food allergies prior to the meeting to ensure that everyone will have something to eat.

If you are participating online, we would ask you to still consider making a donation of $15. To attend online, just RSVP to this event and we will share the login information a few days prior to the meeting.

Prize Draw and Silent Auction

As an additional part of our fundraising efforts, DA Germany will be hosting an AGM prize draw and silent auction. There will be a wonderful variety of exciting items you can win!

For the prize draw, tickets are as follows: $5 for 1 ticket or $20 for 5 tickets. You can get your tickets ahead of the event here or in-person at the AGM!

More information about the items available for the silent auction and the chance to place a bid are available here.

Accommodation

The Wiesbaden-Mainz Chapter has compiled a list of hotels and additional travel-related information for participants. Rooms for DA Germany have been reserved at IBB Hotel Ingelheim. Please call or email the hotel to ask for a room. More information on how to reserve a room can be found here.

Elections

We urge you to attend and vote in our upcoming election, as well as to consider running for one of the leadership positions. All details about the election can be found in the DA Germany Elections Rules and Procedures. To participate in the elections, you must RSVP to attend the AGM (via this event page) by 11:00 CET on Saturday, March 25.

The Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) will be hosting online information sessions where potential candidates can ask about the election positions, election rules, DA Germany Executive Committee or other related DA Germany questions. The dates and times for these sessions will be announced soon.

These DAG Executive Committee positions will be elected for two-year terms at the AGM:

• Chair
• Vice Chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Academic Outreach Coordinator
• Advertising Coordinator
• Caucus Coordinator
• Chapter Development Coordinator
• Communications Coordinator
• Events & Fundraising Coordinator
• Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Coordinator
• Membership & IT Coordinator
• Press Coordinator
• 14 DPCA Voting Representatives
  

Please review this document that includes detailed job descriptions for all positions.

To run in the election, a candidate must have been a member of DA for at least 30 days and reside in Germany on the day of the AGM (March 25).

The deadline for early nominations and candidate statements was Monday, February 27 at noon. Nominations may also be made from the floor on the day of the election.

A list of candidates can be found on the DAG Election page. Letters of endorsement will be posted by March 13.

More detailed information on how to run in the election and how to participate in the election is available on the DAG Elections page.

Stipends for Attending

DA Germany understands the accompanying financial cost of attending the AGM, which is why we are offering five stipends to enable more members to attend. The deadline to apply for a stipend has passed. 

Changes to DA Germany Bylaws 

While we discussed and voted on amendments to DA Germany’s Bylaws at last year's AGM, and we typically strive to do this only every other year due to time constraints, you still have the right to submit proposed amendments to the Bylaws Committee. Members were welcome to propose an amendment by February 20, 2023. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

You can find a copy of the current DAG bylaws here to help you formulate proposed changes. The bylaws were last amended in March 2022.

Once you RSVP to attend, you will be taken to the ticket page to purchase the meals and to donate to attend the meeting.

How can we tackle wealth inequality effectively in the United States? Providing opportunity and security from cradle to rocking chair is our progressive answer. Join our guest speakers to learn more about proposed legislation for Baby Bonds and Social Security Expansion.  Take action to make them reality.

Confirmed speakers:

• AYANNA PRESSLEY, U.S. Rep. Massachusetts CD-7 
• ALEX LAWSON, Social Security Works Executive Director 

Here are resources to prepare for the event:

• American Opportunity Accounts Act (Baby Bonds) https://pressley.house.gov/2023/02/15/pressley-booker-re-introduce-bicameral-baby-bonds-legislation-to-tackle-wealth-inequality/
• Social Security Expansion Act: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Social-Security-Expansion-Act-one-pager-Final.pdf
  

All are welcome to attend! Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link.

Thanks to our co-sponsors: Global Seniors Caucus, proDA Austria, proDA Germany, Global Youth Caucus

RSVP below for the Zoom link!

While there is no donation required to attend, the suggested donation for this event is $10. Click here to donate. Help Democrats Abroad volunteers mobilize voters around the world. Help us fight for progressive policy changes in the new Congress!

International Voter Registration Day is almost upon us!

Each year, U.S. citizens around the world come together on January 15 to register to vote and request their absentee ballots. Overseas voters should register and request their ballots every calendar year.

Go to VoteFromAbroad.org this International Voter Registration Day to make sure you are all squared away for 2023, and don't forget to contact your local election official to make certain that your Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) was received. You never know when a surprise election may come up, and we need all of our voices to count to elect good candidates into office!

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to [email protected]. 

Looking to make a difference in the 2022 midterm elections? Consider becoming a Voting Assistance Officer. The U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt is hosting a special online Q&A and training session on April 29 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. CET. All U.S. citizens are welcome to attend!

Zoom Meeting ID: 915 9300 2779

Password: XayYz0

This month, all eyes are on Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina as we gear up for May primaries. If you have not registered and requested your absentee ballot, go to VoteFromAbroad.org today.

The Global Progressive Caucus, together with the Global Black Caucus, Ohio State Team, and Reparations Task Force, invites you to a special conversation with the one and only Nina Turner on December 11 at 9:00 a.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. CET / 10:00 p.m. Beijing time! 

We hope everyone had a spooky, festive Halloween weekend!

With Election Day almost upon us, Democrats Abroad Germany is laser-focused on making sure all of our members' voices count. We are also looking ahead to the crucial 2022 midterm year and honing our strategy to get out the vote among Americans overseas. 

Join us in the fight to increase Democratic majorities in Congress and in state and local governments across the country! Keep reading to find out the latest updates on how you can do the following:

I. Participate in DAG Get Out the Vote Initiatives 

II. Support DAG with a donation or Swag Shop purchase

III. Meet the DAG Chairs

IV. Join Local Activities in Your Chapter

V. Learn about DAG Caucus Activities

VI. Stay up to date with all the latest DAG developments

The DA Germany Veterans and Military Families Caucus has several important announcements this month regarding donations to Afghan evacuees at Ramstein Air Base and military retiree benefits. 

By Beverly Seebach

On June 15, Democrats Abroad Germany revived the DAG Women’s Caucus with a Relaunch Event. Following a welcome by DAG Chair, Kenton Barnes, the Global Women’s Caucus Chair, Ann Hesse, gave an excellent overview of the GWC history, mission, and principles.

If you are overseas and your passport expired on or after January 1, 2020, you may be able to use your expired passport to return directly to the United States until December 31, 2021.

You qualify for this exception if all the following are true:

• You are a U.S. citizen.
• You are currently abroad seeking direct return to the United States.
• You are flying directly to the United States, a United States territory, or have only short-term transit (“connecting flights”) through a foreign country on your direct return to the United States or to a United States Territory.
• Your expired passport was originally valid for 10 years. Or, if you were 15 years of age or younger when the passport was issued, your expired passport was valid for 5 years.
• Your expired passport is undamaged.
• Your expired passport is unaltered.
• Your expired passport is in your possession.

Avast, me hearties! Calling all swabbies and mates with an interest in choral singing and a smartphone! DA Germany is pursuing a sea-shanty project with a GOTV twist. We’ve written a parody version of the extremely popular song "Wellerman" centered around the importance of voting from abroad. We have a simple arrangement with 5 parts (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and Bass), MIDI rehearsal tracks and straightforward recording instructions for people who would like to learn it, record it and have it edited together as a choral piece.

Dash Nesbitt has generously agreed to serve as conductor and Daniel Hoever-Eckardt has consented to take on the tenor solo line, so we only need to collect a virtual choir for a full sound on the chorus. Depending on how much interest there is in this project, we can hold one or two sessions for Q&A or troubleshooting regarding the music, in lieu of a rehearsal. If you choose to participate, you are giving Democrats Abroad permission to use the video for its purposes. 

Please fill out this form to get started. Once we have your contact information and part preference, we’ll send you rehearsal materials so you can start recording. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail us at [email protected].

Statement by Angela Fobbs, Global Black Caucus Chair, and Julia Bryan, Democrats Abroad Global Chair

Justice has been delivered to George Floyd and his family, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief - for now. 

We must take this moment to not only deliver justice for the dead but to protect the living. We must help make our country a place where we can all breathe freely, a place where the color of our skin does not put us at risk. 

Philonise Floyd said after the verdict, "As an African American, we usually never get justice."

This inequality cannot stand. 

The House has passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It is time for the Senate to do so too. Democrats and Republicans must rise to the challenge of our times, unite our United States behind this issue, and transform policing in America.

Our moral compass is bending towards justice. It’s time to put policies in place to make this transformation complete. The time is now. 

#BlackLivesMatter

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Take action now - contact your senators today and demand they support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. 

Statement by Angela Fobbs, Global Black Caucus Chair, and Julia Bryan, Democrats Abroad Global Chair

Justice has been delivered to George Floyd and his family, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief - for now. 

We must take this moment to not only deliver justice for the dead but to protect the living. We must help make our country a place where we can all breathe freely, a place where the color of our skin does not put us at risk. 

Philonise Floyd said after the verdict, "As an African American, we usually never get justice."

This inequality cannot stand. 

The House has passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It is time for the Senate to do so too. Democrats and Republicans must rise to the challenge of our times, unite our United States behind this issue, and transform policing in America.

Our moral compass is bending towards justice. It’s time to put policies in place to make this transformation complete. The time is now. 

#BlackLivesMatter

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Take action now - contact your senators today and demand they support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. 

Spring has finally arrived – and not without many exciting updates from Democrats Abroad! Here is some of the most important news we have to share:

I. DA Germany is proceeding full steam ahead under the leadership of our newly elected 2021-2023 Executive Committee. The election results are listed below. 

II. Our chair and vice chair have special messages for all DAG members.

III. The GOTV team is hard at work devising strategies to increase voter turnout. Learn how YOU can make a difference in the 2021 elections and 2022 midterms. 

IV. Want to get involved in specific issue areas? DA’s Caucuses and local chapters have a lot of exciting events in store. 

V. Germany members can get great deals on awesome gear – all for a good cause! 

VI. Our communications teams are looking for volunteers. 

Keep reading to find out more!