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We hope you all had a nice July 4th and semiquincentennial. We have much to be proud of as a nation, but there is so much work that remains to be done. From today, we have 116 days until the midterms – a concrete opportunity for all of us to show what we want for the future of our country. Hundreds of you have already registered to vote and requested your ballot using votefromabroad.org – thank you! But many of our members still need to take this critical step. Now is the time. It only takes 5 minutes and there are recurring live voter help sessions run by DA Global for anyone with questions on voting. Here are a few ways you can join us : DONATE – Help us reach as many Americans in Switzerland as possible. We still need 6,000 CHF to support public transit ads in Geneva and Basel, billboards in highly trafficked areas in Zurich, and our postcard campaign. Please donate today, any amount helps! We are also planning a wine tasting fundraiser and social event in September where we hope to see many of you. VOLUNTEER – Sign up to send postcards encouraging fellow members to vote. You can also sign up to call and text fellow members encouraging them to vote. In late August, we are planning a virtual postcard writing party. Thank you to all those who have already signed up to do this critical outreach and for joining us in Lausanne for LGBTQIA+ Pride, as well as our other recent events! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We are on our way. In solidarity, Katie Wright In this newsletter: Get Out The Vote Update
TRUMP IS LOSING BIG IN COURT, IN CONGRESS, AND AT THE BALLOT BOX Recent days have seen Trump’s efforts to interfere with U.S. elections stopped cold by the courts, and flounder in Congress. Republican attempts to advance the so-called SAVE Act or SAVE America Act, which would disenfranchise millions of perfectly legitimate voters, stalled in the Senate, and efforts to revive it in the House by appending it to must-pass legislation have also stalled. (Want notifications when important bills are moving through Congress? Sign up to TAKE ACTION with Democrats Abroad, here!) Federal courts ruled against Trump’s executive orders on elections, blocking him from imposing unnecessary ID requirements and blocking him from weaponizing the US Postal Service to determine who gets a mailed ballot and who doesn’t. Federal judges—and yes, even this broken Supreme Court—have reaffirmed that election administration remains the job of Congress and the states, not subject to unilateral actions by the President. Take a breath and a bow Democrats—but take nothing for granted!Democrats have flipped 30 state legislative seats since Trump's return to office while Republicans have flipped none. Democratic enthusiasm is translating into record-breaking candidate recruitment, with Democrats fielding candidates in more districts than they have in decades. As Trump and the GOP’s opinion poll numbers drop, Democrats are working to take back control not only the House but also to retake the Senate. Democrats must win state elections to block the GOP from imposing state-level SAVE Act-type voter restrictions, to restore black and minority voting rights, to stop the endless assault on bodily autonomy. Democracy itself is once again on the ballot this year and many races will be decided by narrow margins—the overseas vote is more important than ever. VFA Reminder
If you are a U.S. citizen living abroad, using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) is the absolute best way to request your ballot. While you can technically use your specific state’s standard absentee ballot form, the FPCA grants you specific, powerful legal protections under federal law that state forms do not. In the last few newsletters, we have been highlighting the benefits of using the FPCA. Here is the fifth benefit: Access to the Emergency Backup Ballot. If you requested your ballot but it hasn't arrived, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) as an emergency backup. However, in many states, you are only legally allowed to use the FWAB if you have already submitted an FPCA.
If you haven't requested your ballot yet this year, please do so now at VoteFromAbroad.org! And check with your U.S. citizen friends and family to make sure they have as well.
Events may be added throughout the month, so check our Events Page or Google Calendar for additions! We encourage you to participate in any DA events across Switzerland.
Introducing Event AssessmentsWe want to know what you think about the events we've had so that we can make future events better! If you have attended any of our events so far this year (in person or virtually), please click through to answer a few questions about them. Please go to our website for more information on upcoming events, how to become a volunteer, and how to become a sustaining donor. DA Switzerland https://www.democratsabroad.
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Support our efforts to turn out the Democratic vote abroad by donating here. |
