Every month, Democrats Abroad France brings you news, events, and information in a concise format.
In this edition:
- Fighting Back Against SCOTUS
- DA Taxation Task Force in Action
- Ohio Special Election in August
- Other 2023 Elections: NJ, VA, KY, LA, MS, PA, RI
- Funding the Fight
Fighting Back Against SCOTUS
The recent Supreme Court ruling that upholds the right of a vendor to refuse service to a same-sex couple, on the pretext that it protects the freedom of speech of the vendor, is an insidious regression in our civil liberties. The way to fight back against this reactionary onslaught is to elect leaders to all levels of government who will protect our rights. Although the SCOTUS rulings are extremely discouraging, remember that Democrats are already defending LGBTQ+ rights all around the country and are winning many small but important battles. Minnesota, New Mexico, and California are ensuring LGBTQ+ people are legally protected from discrimination. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, elected by only 17,117 votes out of 2.5 million votes cast, is vetoing the discriminatory bills passed by Republican state legislators. Bringing more Democrats to every level of power will turn this tide, over time. Don’t agonize... organize, and vote!
DA Taxation Task Force in Action
In mid-June, Democrats Abroad Taxation Task Force members converged on DC from around the world and met with 45 Congressional offices, both in the House and Senate, to discuss tax and financial access issues facing Americans abroad. Conversations focused on passing H.R.2729 - Commission on Americans Living Abroad Act of 2023 and re-introducing the Tax Simplification for Americans Abroad Act. You can help by contacting your congresspeople to ask them to sign on to H.R. 2729 and join the Americans Abroad Caucus in the House.
Critical Ohio Special Election in August!
2023 is not an off year for Ohio voters: Vote NO in the August special election! Reproductive rights advocacy groups are working hard to get a state constitutional amendent protecting reproductive rights on the November ballot. And so Republican lawmakers are now attempting to make it much more difficult to use ballot measures to change the state constitution. On August 8th, there will be a special election in Ohio (despite the fact that the governor recently signed a bill banning August elections). In it, voters will decide whether constitutional amendments need to win 60% of the vote, as opposed to the current 50% + 1.
This is a blatant attempt to keep reproductive rights out of the Ohio Constitution. Ohio voters, request your ballot now!
Other 2023 Elections: NJ, VA, KY, LA, MS, PA, RI
If you vote in NJ, VA, KY, LA, MS, PA, or RI, go to VoteFromAbroad.org to request your ballot now! You have very important elections for state legislature (NJ and VA), governor (KY, LA, MS), and state Supreme Court (PA) coming up. RI and VA also have federal special elections for congressional districts RI-1 and VA-4. Races in the NJ and Virginia state legislatures will be hard fought (we can flip the Virginia House to fight radical Governor Glenn Youngkin!), and our votes can certainly be the winning margin. Go here for details for NJ voters.
DA France is a 100% volunteer organization financed by donations, and we rely on the generous contributions from our members to carry out our mission of getting out the vote among Americans living in France. We’re heading into an extremely important election season in 2024, and every vote will truly count. Only 6% of Americans in France voted in 2020! (According to the FVAP, p. 17). That’s not enough… we can and must do better. There’s a lot of potential here to swing elections back home. To reach more voters via outreach and advertising, we need your help. Also, DA France is part of the global organization, Democrats Abroad, who we rely on for our website, phonebanking, and much more. Please consider donating, or becoming a sustaining (monthly) donor, to DA France, DA Global or both. Even a small sustaining donation is very helpful! Thank you very much for your generosity! We are very grateful for every investment.
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LAST THING! Democrats Abroad France is still looking for interns who'd like to help with various tasks. If you'd like to get involved, come join our dynamic group of volunteers! Read more here.
Democrats Abroad France is 100% volunteer-run, so please...
- ...donate to help us mobilize the vote from abroad.
- ...volunteer with us here (especially if you have video editing, social media, IT, or graphic design skills).
- ...follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and now Spoutible. Despite algorithms changing regularly, we know that sharing and commenting on our social media posts helps us reach more Americans abroad!
Democratically yours,
Your friends at DA France