Democrats Abroad Czech Republic kicked off the midterms last Saturday with our first registration event of the year.  Combining registration with a cookie swap, members gathered together for wine, coffee and a tremendous variety of cookies. 

While most attendees had not yet requested their ballots this year, we were all ready to get prepared for what all believe is a midterm year to remember. By the end of the night, more than half of the group had printed out their ballot requests and were ready to send them in to their local election offices back in the States.

We also discussed the most important messages to remind our American friends abroad:  

1. Yes, we should all request our ballots each election year if we want to make sure our ballots are federally protected in case of a recount. 

2. Yes, US House and US Senate races are federal elections and Americans abroad can and should vote in them. 

3. Yes, our votes are counted and make a difference in elections both at state and federal level. 

The 2017 DACZ Annual meeting is coming up on March 28, 2017. Please find below statements from the candidates running for the DACZ Executive Committee. 

And here's a link to the DACZ bylaws, with marked changes. We will be considering these changes during the meeting.  

On the evening of Thursday, February 2, Democrats Abroad Czech Republic held a “Send Congress a Message” event in Beckett’s Irish Pub, in downtown Prague.

Despite the icy weather, what began as a gathering in a cozy side room turned into a group of about 50 people that had to branch out into the main bar. DACZ provided paper, envelopes, a list of tips on writing a letter to Congress, and three sample letters as food for thought: one opposing the appointment of Steve Bannon to the National Security Council, one concerning the Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch, and the last against the seven country ban.

Letter writers were free to write Congress and other governing bodies about issues of concern, and participants helped each other look up local representatives. Other topics such as the DAPL, opposition to Betsy DeVos’ Education Secretary nomination, the ACA repeal, LGBTQAI civil rights and safety, and concerns about White nationalism bounced around the room and made it onto paper as Beckett’s outstanding servers brought food and drinks at lightning speed. The event was more than putting pens to paper; it was a time for everyone to voice concerns and find comfort in each other.

Part of what made this gathering so special was the presence of people from outside the Czech capitol. To help bring people together in the spirit of support networks and activism, DACZ plans to expand these events on a national level by making sample letters easily accessible so people throughout the Czech Republic can hold their own events. Information on these events will soon be available on DACZ's events page and Czech out DACZ’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DemocratsAbroadCzechRepublic/.

by R. Samson

DA Czech Republic was proud to participate in the January 21st Prague Solidarity Rally with the Women's March in Washington. Starting at noon, ralliers gathered at the Horse on Wenceslas Square to share their concerns along with other supporters of democracy and human rights all around the world.

It was wonderful to see so many Democrats Abroad members at the rally (and so many fantastic posters as well). Of course we could not be prouder of the Democrats Abroad members who helped with the amazing organization of the rally - Bonita Rhoads, Beth Russell, and Nancy Bishop, and who created puppets that became a worldwide hit - Leah Gaffen. The DACZ chair, Julia Bryan, was honored to be one of the speakers at the rally as well. 

The rally was one of over 600 sister events of the Women’s March on Washington, taking place on President Donald J. Trump’s first day in office. Almost 5 million marchers marched across the globe.

Many thanks to the DACZ volunteers who came out and phone banked with us - calling members to let them know about the upcoming Global Presidential Primary Tuesday March 1 & March 8th at The Globe, Pstrossova 6, from 3pm to 7pm. For anyone not in town those days, remember that you can also participate by downloading your ballot here.

Thanks to all who came out last night to CET to watch the 6th Democratic Debate. Despite the snow and fre-e-e-ezing temperatures, we had a good crowd and everyone enjoyed the conversation and the opportunity to meet new members.  

Don't forget the upcoming phonebank and pizza party on February 10th! RSVP for details please. 

DA CZ met together last Saturday to celebrate at our third annual 50 State Food Fest. Members brought favorite foods from their states and we all enjoyed catching up and discussing politics, overseas citizens issues, and next year's GOTV plans.

We also used the Fest as an opportunity to raise money for the committee. Our proceeds will go towards the purchase of DACZ banners and advertisement for the Global Presidential Primary next spring. 

Thanks everyone for joining and for your wonderful support, and special thanks to Geoff for his fantastic hosting! 

DA Czech Republic members joined 35,000 strong participants in Prague's 2015 Pride Parade this Saturday. Showing our pride with rainbow umbrellas, posters, flags, and our very own DA Pride banner, we marched through downtown and enjoyed the fun and the fellowship. The Pride Parade is a great event for kids too - we had a big contingency of future members walking with us, and enjoying an ice cream treat afterwards.  

This was DACZ's second Pride Parade, and Prague's fifth, and we look forward to continuing the tradition for many years to come!

 The newly elected DACZ Executive Committee is looking forward to working with you this year and next. We've got an exciting challenge in front of us and we can't wait to get started!

From left: Marshall Johnson - Secretary, Krysti Brice - Member-at-large, Mark Grein - Member-at-Large, Kim Strozewski - Treasurer, Julia Bryan - Chair, Taylor Smoot - Vice Chair. 

Welcome to Democrats Abroad Czech Republic!

DACZ is the official country committee for US Democrats living in the Czech Republic. Watch this space for upcoming announcements of meetings and events - we have events planned throughout the year, and encourage anyone interested in participating to get in touch.

If you have questions or would like to help with Democrats Abroad in Czech Republic please contact us.

Geoff Engle Klimko, Chair
Democrats Abroad - Czech Republic
chair-CZ@democratsabroad.org

Join Dems Abroad | Follow us on Facebook