DA Switzerland has new leaders at the country and chapter levels and we want to meet you!

Hikes are being arranged for Sunday, May 2, in:

• Zurich

and for Saturday, May 8, in:

• Basel (rescheduled from May 1)
• Geneva (rescheduled from May 1)
• Lugano (rescheduled from May 1)

In line with our Diversity & Inclusion goals, we aim to have these hikes be:

• Easy for people with disabilities, easy for people of all ages, easy for parents with strollers, etc.
• Easy to get to - a route which doesn’t require too much of a journey, also so that everyone can join without a extra train ticket or such. It should be free for all.
• Within COVID regulations; masks should be worn and we will have a contact tracing form available.

There will be a small break during the hike so that we can rest and also enjoy each other's company safely.

Click through the event links above for complete details.

You can join our DACH Hiking Group on WhatsApp to connect with other attendees and discuss alternative plans in the event of rain.

The Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA) 2021 Global Meeting will take place the weekend of May 14-16, online. During this meeting, DPCA voting representatives elected at the county committee level (5 from Switzerland) will elect the Global Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Legal Council.

The Global Executive Committee (ExCom) will lead Democrats Abroad for the next two years, giving guidance and support to the leaders and volunteers around the world.

DA Switzerland wants to be sure that we know the candidates and can make informed votes. We wanted our members to have the opportunity to hear from these candidates. We also welcomed DPCA voting representatives from other country committees to attend and ask questions.

This Zoom session was recorded and can be viewed on YouTube:

PowerPoint

Chat transcript

The 2020 Annual General Meeting of Democrats Abroad Switzerland is this Sunday!

We will be electing our leaders for 2021 - 2023; they will guide us through our social, educational, and political events leading up to the 2022 Midterm Elections. This will be a crucial period of creating and executing policy during the first half of President Biden's first term in office and we want your input!

Are you interested in attending? Please RSVP on the event page here.

Learn about the candidates here.

Not a member yet but want to participate in the elections? Join here.

Want to cast a ballot but not able to attend? Complete a proxy form and email it to [email protected].

New Executive Committee to be elected at Annual General Meeting March 14

The DA Switzerland 2021 Nominations and Elections Committee is pleased to announce that Election of the 2021-2023 Executive Committee will take place during the 2021 Annual General Meeting, on Sunday March 14th, online. (See separate AGM announcement for details). We hope you will attend to hear our annual reports, to show support for the nominees, and, most importantly, to vote for the candidates of your choice. The offices to be elected are:

1. Chair

2. Vice-Chair

3. Secretary

4. Treasurer

5. Members-at-Large (4)

6. DPCA Voting Representatives (3)

We thank all those who came forward to present themselves as candidates. See their names and statements below.

Candidate for Vice-Chair

Liz Voss (Basel)

I have been an active member of the DACH ExCom since joining as replacement Secretary in May 2017, being reelected in 2019, and becoming Vice Chair effective January 2020. I have worked hard to assist the other members of the ExCom, as well as my local Basel chapter, and members around the country, with tasks including event planning and promotion, voter registration, and fundraising and donation tracking. With my degree in Business Admin and minor in Management Information Systems, I am able to handle digital organization with ease. I have managed the new members as well as overseen the annual membership verification process, keeping our records accurate while handling record membership growth. I organize the Google Drive where we store our documents. I also take minutes at our ExCom, AGM, and supplementary meetings, distributing them afterwards via email and in Slack.

The Candidates (2)

Eric Wasson Burns (Zurich)

The last few years have been difficult for all of us. Our nation has become increasingly polarized, basic information has become politically charged, and mistrust in our institutions has grown. At the same time, our planet faces tremendous challenges which desperately call for urgent and unified fact-based action.

I am running for Chair of Democrats Abroad Switzerland not because I think I am the solution to our problems. Instead, I run because I know that we must empower our community to deliver the necessary solutions that we all want and care about.

Candidates for 4 X Member-at-Large (4)

(in alphabetical order by last name)

Joe Amato (Zurich)

I was born in New York City in 1955 and grew up in Flushing, Queens. I left in the early 1980s to work as a Biology and Geography teacher as well as an IB Coordinator at international schools in Caracas, Bangkok, Tokyo and in Zurich (since 2000). I am presently retired and once the pandemic dust reasonably settles, hope to be involved in a number of volunteer activities.

DACH Needs YOU!!!

Joe and Kamala have been inaugurated! And members like you help make it happen. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Now, work continues for 2022 and 2024. Locally here in Switzerland, DACH members will soon elect officers for two year terms. Becoming involved on the Executive Committee is rewarding and helps guide the future of our organization. The tremendous growth of membership in the last four years (as Democrats unified in the mission to defeat Mr. Trump) has allowed us to have highly motivated volunteers and a great basis to keep up the momentum with new ideas. We would love to see many new members running for offices. In addition to the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, we will elect “Members-at-Large” to the Executive Committee where you can volunteer your expertise in a given field (Volunteer Coordinator, Communications Chair, Fundraising Chair, etc.) or participate as required based on upcoming activities.

NOMINATIONS

This year, Democrats Abroad Switzerland will hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Elections on Sunday, March 14th. We have established a Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) with Peter Buterfield as the NEC Chair. This Committee is available to help you determine which position you would like to run for and to answer any questions about how to promote your candidacy. You can contact the Nominations Committee via email at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can call Peter at +41 79 598 53 74 or Vance White (Outgoing DACH Chair) at +41 79 746 60 26 to ask about roles and responsibilities.

Running for officer positions is quite rewarding. And the next two years are a really good way to make your mark on our organization because during non-presidential election years you have time to really focus with the global team to make positive change happen.

You can help set the Democratic Party Platform, encourage new members and get to know other Democrats Abroad from around the world! And when COVID-19 restrictions ease, you can help us run local in-person events once again!

Can we count on you? Do you have questions or want to learn more? Are you interested in any of our roles, or know somebody else who might be a good fit? If so, please reach out to [email protected]. We will be more than happy to hear from you. 

In addition to officers at the DACH country level, we will also have elections this Spring for officers in the Basel, Geneva, and Zürich chapters during their AGMs, so you can also run for local chapter positions.

IMPORTANT DATES

To learn about officer and member-at-large duties, follow this link to see excerpts from the DACH Bylaws.

Track your ballot and make sure it has been accepted. You have until January 8 to fix any issues. Please contact your Local Election Office (LEO) and if you have any questions, reach out to our Voter Help Desk!

Are you a Georgia voter? Have you sent your ballot back yet? If so, great! Make sure you track it to ensure that it is received and counted by your LEO. If you haven't sent your ballot back, you still have a bit of time! You can request and mail your ballot back, but be sure to return it via a courier service to ensure it reaches your LEO in Georgia in time! If you have questions, you can attend a 1-on-1 live voter help session with voting from abroad specialists or find out more at votefromabroad.org/georgia.

Are you not a Georgia voter but want to get involved to make sure that Democrats #FlipTheSenate? Phone- or textbank with us or many other organizations doing this work! (Yes, you can do it from abroad!) Find more info at democratsabroad.org/phonebanking.

All resources for the Georgia Runoff Elections can be found here and an overview of the candidates can be found here.

On Wednesday, Jan 6th, the 117th Congress will hold a joint session to accept the results of the Electoral College and certify Joe Biden & Kamala Harris as President and Vice-president elect. Currently, 140 GOP House & 12 Senate members have stated they will not accept, or will challenge the votes from some states. 

Democrats Abroad is outraged by this seditious behavior. With the release of the Trump Tape it is clearer than ever that Trump is trying to get people to do literally anything they can to steal the election for him. Even if this sedition will fail, it happening at all is damaging to our democracy. Let's do everything WE can to help Congress stand up to him, end the reign of this would-be autocrat, and help us turn the page on this awful chapter in our history. 

The Action:
Call your Senators & Representative and ask that they support the Constitution and state elections, and accept the results of the Electoral College vote. 

A) If your Senators or Representative have stated they will challenge the Electoral College results, call them to demand they stop. They are participating in an attempt to steal the election, disenfranchise and invalidate the votes of American citizens, and support Trump's baseless accusations of fraud. 

List of Senators in the #SeditionCaucus*
Tommy Tuberville, Alabama
Mike Braun, Indiana
Roger Marshall, Kansas
John Neely Kennedy, Louisiana
Josh Hawley, Missouri
Steve Daines, Montana
James Lankford, Oklahoma
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
Bill Hagerty, Tennessee
Ted Cruz, Texas
Ron Johnson, Wisconsin
Cynthia M. Lummis, Wyoming

(A full list of Congressional members is not available, but 2/3 of Republican Representatives have stated they will challenge the results.)

B) If your Senators or Representative have not spoken up, or have said that they do not support this sedition, call them to let them know you support their decision to defend the Constitution and support the will of the people. 

Look up your Representative here.
Look up your Senators here.

* Note: this is a developing story and this list is changing in real time. 

Sample script for seditionists: 

Hi, I'm {Name} and I am a constituent of {insert person's name}. I'm calling about Wednesday's joint session to certify Joe Biden as President elect. I strongly support {insert person's name} accepting the results of the Electoral College vote, and believe that it is sedition to not do so.  

Sample script for others: 

Hi, I'm {Name} and I am a constituent of {insert person's name}. I'm calling about Wednesday's joint session to certify Joe Biden as President elect. I appreciate {insert person's name} accepting the results of the Electoral Collect vote.

via Aaron Fishbone at DemocratsAbroad.org/Tiny_Actions