We're sure you saw the headlines when you woke up yesterday: 

Leaked draft of Supreme Court ruling signals a seismic shift in American politics and law.

If you're experiencing some feelings in light of this news, join us for an open conversation on what a Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade would mean to us and an inclusionary place to share your thoughts and fears.

The 2022 midterm primary season kicks into high gear with 10 federal primaries and a run-off in May.

Who will win the Texas Runoff? Who will run against Stacy Abrams for Governor? How will Dr. Oz fare in Pennsylvania? Stay tuned to find out.

Here is a list of elections by state that will take place throughout the month of May. The list is compiled from Ballotpedia.

Be sure you vote counts and register and request your absentee ballot at VotefromAbroard.org.

We are pleased to announce the 2022  Annual General Meeting (AGM) via Zoom on Sunday, May 15th at 3:30 pm. The AGM is a great opportunity to come together, re-set, re-focus ahead of  the midterms in November and review our bylaws.

The AGM will last about 90 minutes with the following proposed agenda:

• 2021 Year In Review
• Financial Report
• Bylaws Revisions
• Chapter, National Team & Caucus Updates
• GOTV November Midterms Brainstorm
• Year Ahead

We will also vote on our revised bylaws which have been updated to meet current Democrats Abroad global requirements. The revised bylaws include amendments to ensure FEC compliance and Executive Committee decisions by circulation procedure. Here are the DACH Bylaws 2022 for your review. We are looking forward to debating, discussing and voting on them at the AGM.

That said, it is important to RSVP in order to receive the log in details and your Membership ID to properly register your vote. 

I'm looking forward to seeing you online for the AGM on May 15th!

- Eric Burns, Chair

Would you like to get more involved with the DA Women's Caucus? We're looking for someone who can organize events (virtual or in-person) and mobilize around issues affecting women. Please contact Alissa at [email protected] to learn more. 

The DACH Women’s Caucus aims to keep you informed with relevant updates. Here’s some breaking news from the New York Times.

Abortion Pills, Once a Workaround, Are Now a Target

In advance of a Supreme Court decision, states are proposing new restrictions and heavier criminal penalties on medication abortion.

Kate Zernike | April 6, 2022

Last year, after Texas passed its strict abortion ban, surgical abortions in the state dropped by half. Many women found a workaround: pills. The week the law took effect, requests for medication abortion shot up to 138 a day from 11 a day at just one service that delivers the pills by mail.

Anti-abortion lawmakers in the state were already on it. That same week, they passed another law making it a felony to provide abortion pills through the mail and requiring doctors to comply with new testing and reporting procedures to prescribe them.

Medication abortion is the new front in the nation’s five-decade-long fight, as both sides anticipate that by summer the Supreme Court could overturn or pare back the constitutional right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade.

Supporters of abortion rights, who argue that women should be able to make their own reproductive choices, see the pills as a workaround in states that have already moved to ban or severely restrict abortion. Women in those states would get abortions not in the back alleys of pre-Roe America, but via a post office box or a friend in a state where abortion remains legal, or from an online pharmacy in India.

To anti-abortion activists, who believe ending a pregnancy is murder, the pills are a back door to be locked shut with new restrictions and heavier criminal penalties. In the first three months of this year, legislators proposed more than 100 restrictions on medication in 22 states.

A new Presidential administration prompted us to change the name of our wine tasting events. Without so much to whine about, we no longer felt that Wine Whine was an appropriate name. Instead, we're celebrating the Democrats in power and paying homage to the Roman god Bacchus (known as Dionysus to the Greeks), the god of wine and ecstasy.

Twice rescheduled due to Covid, the Basel chapter was finally able to meet for the first of a two part series, comparing wines from the Old World and the New. Tasting number one focused on white wines and the second (date to be announced soon - stay tuned!) will focus on red wines. Here are some pictures from the evening as well as a description from our host and sommelier, Steph Waite.

First Bacchus Caucus wine class in over 1.5 years with @swissdemocrats Basel chapter! The theme was Old World vs. New World white wines. Got to showcase the beautiful Finger Lakes wine region with @forgecellars classic riesling against a @weingut_markusmolitor Mosel riesling, paired with slightly spicy garlic ginger chicken.

Chardonnay was next with a beautiful Chassagene-Montracht from @domainebernardmoreau_et_fils against a Mendoza bottling from @elenemigowines and paired with gougères.

We finished up with sauv blanc from @rustenbergwines in Stellenbosch against our neighbor winery here in Muttenz - @weingutjauslin - paired with a chèvre and caramelized onion tart.

What a seriously fun evening we had 🍷 🥂 🇺🇸

Does this sound like an event you would enjoy? And do you live near Geneva? (Or are you willing to travel?) If you answered yes to those questions, then you're in luck!

Sommelier Steph travels to Geneva with a unique “vertical” wine tasting! Join us at an old-town Geneva private residence in sampling six wines of the same type at different price/quality levels. Enjoy great wines, great food (each wine offered with an appropriate food pairing) and a fascinating exploration of what makes a great wine! Canton Geneva COVID mask and certificate requirements in effect on the date will be observed.

• US citizens: CHF 35
• Non-US citizens (only as a guest of a US citizen): CHF 10

Tickets are available at Eventzilla.

The stakes are high for control of the house and senate, state legislatures, governorships. The 2022 midterms elections will be the most consequential of our lifetime and for our planet.

In honor of Mother Earth, here are some key senate races whose Democratic contenders support legislation that address the climate crisis:

• Congresswoman Val Demings is looking to unseat Republican Senator Marco Rubio and make Florida great again.
• A judge will decide if former Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer will face incumbent Senator Chuck Grassley. She is the favorite in a crowded Democratic primary in Iowa.
• Charles Booker of Kentucky is back in the race. This time he is challenging incumbent Senator Rand Paul after narrowly losing his primary bid last year to Democrat Amy McGrath.
• Former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley is running to succeed retiring Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina.
• Congressman Peter Welch is vying to replace retiring Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont.
• Lucas Kunce of Missouri is hoping to replace retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt.

Here is a list of elections by state for April and May compiled from Ballotpedia.

California

• Fresno Unified Board of Education Trustee Area 5 Special Election
  April 19, 2022

• Marin County Local Ballot Measure Election
  April 19, 2022

• Pacific Grove Local Ballot Measure Election
  April 19, 2022

• West Park Elementary School District Special Election
  April 19, 2022

• State Assembly District 17 Special General Election
  April 19, 2022

Georgia

• Georgia House of Representatives District 45 Special Run-Off Election 
  May 3, 2022

Indiana

• Indiana Statewide Primary
  May 3, 2022

Louisiana

• Baton Rouge Special Primary
  April 30, 2022

Massachusetts

• Boston City Council District 1 Special General Election
  May 3, 2022

Michigan

• Statewide Special Election
  May 3, 2022

• House of Representatives District 15 Special General Election
  May 3, 2022

• House of Representatives District 36 Special General Election
  May 3, 2022

• House of Representatives District 43 Special General Election
  May 3, 2022

• House of Representatives District 74 Special General Election
  May 3, 2022

• Midland County - Lee Township Special Recall Election
  May 3, 2022

• Montcalm County - Sidney Township Special Election
  May 3, 2022

• Oceana County - Newfield Township Special Recall Election
  May 3, 2022

Missouri

• St. Louis Board of Aldermen Ward 28 Special General Election
  April 19, 2022

New Jersey

• Newark Public Schools General Election
  April 19, 2022

New York

• New York State Assembly District 20 Special Election
  April 7, 2022

North Carolina

• Charlotte Municipal General Run-Off Election
  April 26, 2022

Ohio

• Ohio Statewide Primary
  May 3, 2022

Tennessee

• Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Primary Election
  May 3, 2022

• Hamilton County School District Primary Election
  May 3, 2022

• Knox County Schools Primary Election
  May 3, 2022

• Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Primary Election
  May 3, 2022

• Nashville Primary Election
  May 3, 2022

• Rutherford County Schools Primary Election
  May 3, 2022

• Shelby County Primary Election
  May 3, 2022

• Williamson County Schools Primary Election
  May 3, 2022

Texas

• Green Party Statewide Convention
  April 9, 2022

• Libertarian Party statewide convention
  April 10, 2022

Utah

• Salt Lake County Republican Convention 
  April 8, 2022

• Salt Lake County Democratic Convention 
  April 9, 2022

• Utah County Democratic Convention 
  April 9, 2022

• Utah Libertarian Party Statewide Convention
  April 9, 2022

• Washington County Primary Election
  April 9, 2022

• Weber County Democratic Convention
  April 9, 2022

• Davis County United Utah Convention
  April 12, 2022

• Salt Lake County United Utah Convention
  April 14, 2022

• United Utah Party Statewide Convention
  April 16, 2022

• Tooele County Republican Convention
  April 21, 2022

• Utah State Party Convention
  April 23, 2022

Washington

• Olympia Special Election
  April 26, 2022

• Spokane Special Election
  April 26, 2022

The teams have been selected, the brackets are set and its time to see which teams will make it to the big dance. The 2022 NCAA Tournament (also known as March Madness) is underway.  Are you ready to play?

This year we are hosting the official unofficial 2022 March Madness tournament brackets. To join the fun, donate 5 CHF/ USD on the Democrats Abroad Switzerland Donation Page. Send confirmation of payment to receive your bracket to your editable bracket to [email protected]  or download a DACH March Madness bracket here. Fill it out, email it back to [email protected] and/or post it to Instagram and tag @swissdemocrats. We'll tally and announce the leaderboard based on the following criteria:

March 15 & 16 - The First Four - 4 points, on us!

March 17 & 18 - Round 1 - 1 point for each winning prediction

March 19 & 20 - Round 2 - 2 points for each winning prediction

March 24 & 25 - Round 3/ Sweet 16 - 4 points for each winning prediction

March 26 & 27 - Round 4/ Elite 8 - 8 points for each winning prediction

April 2 - Round 5/ Final 4 - 16 points for each winning prediction

April 4 - Round 6/ National Championships - 32 points for the winning prediction

Your donation will help us fund GOTV events throughout Switzerland in this critical election year. Whether you go by the stats, the mascot or your school's conference, it will be fun to see who will get bragging rights in all of Switzerland. Let's dance!

In honor of Women’s History Month, we shine a light on the women running for office in the November 2022 midterm elections. Their elections would not only be historic but could help change the the trajectory of our nation and ensure we can keep our children out of poverty, protect our right to vote and care for our environment. The only thing standing in our way is turnout.

If we vote in November, we can win! According to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office nearly 3 million people voted in the March 1 primary. Republicans outnumbered Democrats by more than 900,000. If Democrats turnout in the states and abroad, we win!
 
We are looking forward to the primaries in Georgia and North Carolina in May when Stacy Abrams is running again for Governor and Cheri Beasley is looking to take a coveted U.S. Senate seat.

Val Demings is poised to take on Marco Rubio in Florida and Mia McCleod is looking to become the first Black female Governor of South Carolina.

Turnout is key. Let’s help them win!

It's another election year, and 2022 may hold the most important midterm elections of our lifetime! To make sure that Democrats hold the House and Senate (and maybe pick up some Governorships and Secretaries of State along the way), Democrats Abroad needs to mobilize all of our members, as well as registering new voters!

You can help!

First, go to VoteFromAbroad.org to register to vote and/or request your ballot(s) for 2022.

To make the voter registration process more fun for our members, we created a "Race to 222" campaign. We tried to register 222 members by 2/22/2022. Here's where we stand on February 22nd:

We didn't meet our goal, but now let's see how fast we can get there. Tell your friends, family, and acquaintances to request their ballots as well. US politics are world politics, so our votes from abroad matter for us as well as for people still living stateside. Make your voice heard!

Already requested your ballot?

THANK YOU! You should be receiving a message from a DACH leader in the coming days with a special "Race to 222" graphic you can add to your social media accounts to help get the word out!

It's another election year, and 2022 may hold the most important midterm elections of our lifetime! To make sure that Democrats hold the House and Senate (and maybe pick up some Governorships and Secretaries of State along the way), Democrats Abroad needs to mobilize all of our members, as well as registering new voters!

You can help!

First, go to VoteFromAbroad.org to register to vote and/or request your ballot(s) for 2022.

To make the voter registration process more fun for our members, we have created a "Race to 222" campaign. What does this mean? We are trying to register 222 members by 2/22/2022. Here's where we stand on February 14th:

Already requested your ballot?

THANK YOU! You should be receiving a message from a DACH leader in the coming days with a special "Race to 222" graphic you can add to your social media accounts to help get the word out!