1. Message from your national officers
2. Come Join our Thanksgiving Events
3. National Treasurer Vacancy Status Update

🌟Message from your national officers

We will keep it short and sweet this time. First, all members who are able to join our Kansai, Tokai, and Kanto Thanksgiving events are encouraged to come out to our events.

Second, we need to update you on the status of finding and seating a replacement for our National Treasurer.

Finally, we have a link to the DA Taxation Task Force, which is promoting a bill in Congress to simplify US tax filing requirements for overseas filers.

❤️ From your DA Japan Executive Committee

Sarajean (Chair), Elliott (Vice Chair), Dave (Secretary)

🌟Upcoming DA Japan Events

1️⃣ JOIN US FOR THANKSGIVING!

Our ever-popular Thanksgiving Events are Back! All our major regions are planning events on Saturday, November 27th. The Kansai and Kanto Chapters are currently accepting reservations. Reserve your place, as seating will be limited. There will be an after-party after the Kanto brunch. Click RSVP link below for details.

It's the Gift-Matching Season!

ALL DONATIONS to Democrats Abroad Japan will be MATCHED up to a total of 1 MILLION YEN between now and the end of 2021.

The DAJ Executive Committee (ExCom) has pledged to match all contributions through the end of the year. Help us in funding the Get Out The Vote for the Midterm Elections. Hold The House and Senate!

The latest information and RSVPs for Thanksgiving can be found on the DAJ Events page HERE:

🌟 Update on the National Treasurer Vacancy

As explained in our Nov. 9th newsletter, Ruth McCreery resigned as DAJ Treasurer on Nov. 2nd. She remains committed to DAJ activities and purpose. Ruth and her husband John, like the rest of us, understand we must work together to win in 2022. Dave Brauer, current Secretary and former Treasurer is serving as the Interim Treasurer.

The Treasurer is an important role. The Executive Committee (ExCom) needs to fill this position by Jan 1st 2022. It’s important that we have a complete team so we can focus on our main aims: winning elections, by Getting Out the Vote after registering large numbers of voters.

Treasurer roles and responsibilities:

• Maintain financial records
• Prepare monthly financial reports
• Review and make proposals for adjustments to the budget as needed
• Work with or oversee the fundraising team.
• Take part in regular Executive committee meetings (currently monthly but this may change when the election season heats up)
• Take part in monthly Advisory Board meetings
• The Treasurer's role has the lightest formal responsibility among the four ExCom members, meaning it is open to many possibilities
• Past treasurers sponsored global DPCA resolutions, and engaged in global and regional activities. They have been active in GOTV, fundraising events, members outreach and/or promotional events based on their own skills, interests and time.

The Treasurer is also a Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA) Voting member. To meet the gender balance requirements, this person should be a woman or nonbinary, as we currently have 3 men (the Vice Chair, the Secretary and the directly elected DPCA representative) and 1 woman (the Chair) serving. The DPCA Voting Member roles and responsibilities:

• Be active leading up to and during the hybrid (online & in person) global DPCA meetings in Costa Rica in May 2022 and any subsequent global DPCA meetings during the Treasurer’s term. (Usually one per year)
• Vote at DPCA meetings on behalf of DA members in Japan on DPCA business, such as charter amendments, resolutions expressing support for or against policies, elections, etc.

The ExCom takes filling this role very seriously which is why we consulted our Japan Legal Counsel and the DA Office of International Counsel to clarify processes laid out in DA Japan’s Bylaws and DA Global Charter related to selecting a new DA Japan Treasurer, who is also a DPCA voting member.

The Executive Committee considered an array of options in order to find a person who might be able to fill the position. The Chair has been in talks with several persons to assess interests and options. However, the ExCom recognizes the democratic principle that the DPCA Voting Representatives should be elected by the membership. At our elections last June, we did elect an Alternate DPCA Voting Representative to be able to fill any vacancies.

• Filling Executive Committee member vacancies can be done by appointment of the Executive Committee within 30-60 days (Article XII, section 2 DAJ Bylaws) => in this case Dec 2, 2021 - Jan 1, 2022.
• The DA Japan Treasurer is also a DPCA voting member, meaning that the Treasurer can vote at DA Global meetings on behalf of DA members in Japan. (Article V, section 1d).

Moving forward:

• The chair would like to propose the alternate DPCA Rep Regina Salathé for the DA Japan Treasurer position at the next Executive Committee meeting on Saturday Dec 4 10-11:30am. This meeting will be open to observers. See link below.
• Regina Clark Salathé graduated from the University of Virginia Law School and built her career as a finance lawyer at a large NY law firm. She later moved to Japan, where she has been engaged in raising a family and has served on the board of several schools and educational foundations. Regina has been active in Democratic causes and as a fundraiser for Biden, Harris, Obama and other Democratic candidates. She was elected Alternate DPCA Voting Representative for DAJ in June of 2021.
• She is eager to contribute to DAJ by taking this role.
• This fulfills the gender balance requirement for DPCA Voting Representatives, and also abides by the principle that Voting Representatives should be elected.
• It means we will need to have an election for the Alternate DPCA Voting Rep - we plan to do this in the new year.

Want to know more? Have questions? Contact your ExCom at info-Japan@democrats abroad.org.

Together we make change happen!

Sarajean,

Chair, Democrats Abroad Japan

🌟 Please call or contact your US Representative and Senators to pass the Tax Simplification for Americans Abroad Act of 2021

Most Americans living overseas do not owe U.S. taxes, but must file complicated tax returns to prove it, and are liable for penalties if they don't, so many end up paying accountants to prepare their returns. If passed, this act would enable most overseas filers to file a very simple form, and would extend the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion to include foreign government social welfare, carer's leave, retirement benefits and education awards. Democrats Abroad has been working tirelessly to make your life easier. Now we need your help to get this bill over the finished line. More information HERE:

🌟 Upcoming DA Japan meetings

• Thurs Dec 2 11am-12:30 Basic voter registration online training - RSVP HERE:

• Sat Dec 4 10-11:30 Executive committee online meeting - RSVP HERE:

• Thu Dec 9 7-10pm Speakeasy - RSVP HERE:
• Sat Dec 11 9:30-11am Advisory board online meeting - RSVP HERE:
• Sat Dec 11 11-12:30pm Basic phone banking online training RSVP HERE:

We ask you to support Democrats Abroad as we fight to protect and expand your right to vote from abroad.