REPORT from the DAJ/DARoK/DAT Meet The Global Candidates Town Hall: 
Saturday, May 20th 2023 @ 5:00pmJST
Thanks to everyone who tuned in to the May 20th town hall, a collaboration between the DA country committees in Japan, Republic of Korea, and Taiwan featuring four candidates for the DA Global positions for 2023–2025: International Chair and Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad: Art Schankler, Serbia; Jennifer von Estorff,Germany; Leedonal Jazz Moore, Switzerland; and Martha McDevitt-Pugh, the Netherlands.
Candidates were requested to comment on topics specific to DA members in NE Asia. Questions covered domestic policy, international implications of domestic policy, diversity and inclusion, the necessity for organizing in Asia-Pacific, how to engage the rapidly expanding AAPI population, and communication plans for the 2024 election cycle.
To kick off the conversation, candidates gave an overview of the distinctions between Asia Pacific and the North American and EMEA areas and their approaches to handling them. Candidates overwhelmingly called for regular meetings with Country Chapter leadership, despite the challenge of coordinating through several time zones.
Questions and conversations covered:
- Voter engagement ahead of the 2024 presidential election
- Impact of stories and narratives that relate to voters and the individuals that are important to them
- Importance of highlighting negative impact of policies from the GOP on US citizens at home and abroad
- Specific tactics to raise overseas votes, including collaborating with US-based groups with transnational family structures, events with US-based officials, targeted digital advertising, adding Asian languages to votefromabroad.org, and more
- Federal elections finance guidelines
The event featured not only outgoing leaders who organized the event but Jennifer DeMarco new DARoK chair and Eric Gondree, incoming DAJ Vice-chair and was supported by Mike Fisher, incoming National Secretary and Jessica Awanohara incoming Kanto Secretary. A great start to their new terms!
Don’t miss other opportunities to hear from additional DA Global candidates by RSVP-ing to a 1 of these events:
- Meet the Candidates event - Asia-Pacific Regional Vice Chair and DNC Asia Pacific representatives, Sat May 27 2pm JST RSVP here
- Meet the DA Global Chair Candidates Forum: Asia Pacific Event, Sun May 28 4pm-5:30pm JST RSVP HERE
Written by Jessica Awanohara, Edited by Mike Fisher and Dave Brauer