Election Spotlight - Utah's US Senate Race
Time for another election spotlight!
Incumbent US Senator Tom Carper has a primary challenger, Kerri Evelyn Harris in Delaware’s senatorial race. The primary is September 6th, 2018. Harris says she is running because “[Carper] is a bit disconnected and when it comes time to make the hard decisions, oftentimes he doesn’t side with the people” (Delaware Public Media).
Carper, a centrist, has a long career in politics in the state of Delaware, serving five terms as a US Congressmen, a two-term Governor, and was in the Delaware Senate. If elected in September, this would be his fourth term as US Senator. Carper wants to make healthcare more affordable, create jobs and grow the economy, fight for clean air and clean water, and hold Washington accountable. To read more visit http://www.carperfordelaware.com/
Harris, a biracial lesbian, joined the Air Force after 9/11, and after being medically retired from active duty, she has been active in Delaware with various different organizations working with youth and inspiring social change. Harris supports moving to a single payer healthcare system, strong labor rights, a progressive tax code, Universal Pre-K, and raising the minimum wage. She is also a strong supporter of #AbolishICE. To read more visit http://www.kerrievelynharris.com/
Remember to request your ballot from http://www.votefromabroad.org/ so you can vote in the upcoming elections!
👩👦Families Belong Together Protest ✊& 🇺🇸4th of July Party 🎉
Here are the two big events coming up in Berlin:
Families Belong Together! Berlin
On Saturday, June 30th starting 1pm, join us in taking a stand for families and asylum seekers turn apart by the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy.
The demonstration will meet at the corner of Ebertstraße and Behrenstraße on the Tiergarten side, diagonal from the US Embassy and across from the Holocaust Memorial. ►More details
4th of July Party
On Wednesday, July 4th starting at 6:30pm, we're really looking forward to celebrating Independence Day with you. Let's enjoy coming together as an American community in Berlin, especially after all the news of the past few weeks.
We'll have a grill & drinks, plus we're hosting a potluck and a pie-baking contest in the garden at our monthly meeting spot, Begegnungsstätte Falckensteinstraße in Kreuzberg (U-Schlesisches Tor).
Please help us out and RSVP so we can make sure to get enough drinks and hot dogs. We also need a few more volunteers to help the party run smoothly.
- Sign up here to volunteer: https://www.
volunteersignup.org/XA44K
- Bring something for the potluck: https://www.
signupgenius.com/go/ 60b044dada928a0fc1-4thofjuly
- Bake a pie for the contest! https://www.
signupgenius.com/go/ 60b044dada928a0fc1-4thofjuly1
-
Invite your friends on Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/events/ 208229376480925/
Undecided? Check out the photos from last year's #Happy4thAbroad party
Election Spotlight - Wisconsin's Sixth Congressional District
Lloyd has a PhD in Rural Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has worked on sustainable forest management issues abroad. She now lives on a dairy farm, and she works off-farm for the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU). Lloyd helps farmers build their enterprises and gain access to better markets. In 2013, she was appointed by the US Secretary of Agriculture to represent the dairy farmers of Wisconsin on the National Dairy Board. She is a part of numerous other organizations that protect farmers and the environment. Lloyd wants to invest in American infrastructure, create jobs in new business sectors, do more work to address the gaps in the American healthcare system, promote fair trade not free trade, invest in quality public education, support farmers, and protect the environment. To read more visit http://lloydforwisconsin.com/
Remember to request your ballot from http://www.votefromabroad.org/ so you can vote in the upcoming elections!
Election Spotlight - Utah's US Senate Race
Wilson earned her Masters in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School. In 2005, Wilson became the first woman elected to the Salt Lake County Council, and is currently serving her sixth-term. Wilson also served as the co-chair for the Hillary for Utah campaign and was elected to serve as a Democratic National Committeewoman.
Wilson supports comprehensive immigration reform to stop tearing families apart, affordable, quality healthcare for all, more transparency in Washington, and real tax and economic reform for working families. She is also committed to protecting Utah's natural resources and our climate. To read more visit http://wilsonforsenate.com/
Remember to request your ballot from http://www.votefromabroad.org/ so you can vote in the upcoming elections!
Election Spotlight - Oklahoma Gubernatorial Race
Hi everyone! Democrats Abroad Berlin will be spotlighting races leading up to the 2018 Midterm Elections. This week we are covering the State Primary in Oklahoma where Former Senator Connie Johnson and Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson will have their Democratic Primary on June 26th, 2018 for the Oklahoma Gubernatorial race.
Johnson served thirty-three years in the State Senate, and was the first woman and African American to win the US Senate nomination of any major political party. Johnson wants to balance the budget so it will not unjustly affect poor and middle-class citizens, adequately fund career preparation and higher education, increase the minimum wage, and expand the state’s Medicaid program. To read more visit http://connieforgovernor.com/
Edmondson served in the Navy and then was Oklahoma’s Attorney General for sixteen years. He wants to raise pay for teachers and put money back in classrooms, expand Medicaid so that every Oklahoman can choose the best healthcare for themselves, breathe new life into rural communities by encouraging investment and supporting farmers, and write a budget for the interests of Oklahomans. To read more visit http://drewforoklahoma.com/
Upcoming Democrats Abroad Events
UPCOMING DEMOCRATS ABROAD EVENTS
PHONEBANKING IN BERLIN - HELP CONTACT DEMOCRATS ABROAD MEMBERS
Location: Member's home near Anhalter Bahnhof (RSVP for exact address)
RSVP| Facebook
MAY MEETING: WILL THE SUPREME COURT KILL ORGANIZED LABOR? PANEL DISCUSSION
Begegnungsstätte Falckensteintraße, Falckensteinstr. 6, 10997 Berlin
RSVP| Facebook
MAY POLITICAL PUB NIGHT - VILLA RIXDORF
DRESDEN PRECINCT MONTHLY MEETING
Funeral Service for Bill Downey, Founding Member of the Democrats Abroad Berlin Chapter
With great sadness, we share the news that Dr. William Emerson Downey, one of the founding members of the Berlin chapter of Democrats Abroad, passed away on March 24, 2018. Services will be held on Friday, April 13, 2018, at 9:30 am at Christus-Kirchhof (Mariendorfer Damm 225, 12107 Berlin-Mariendorf).
His family requests in lieu of flowers, that donations be made in memory of William E. Downey to Ärzte ohne Grenzen e.V. / Doctors without Borders at the Bank für Sozialwirtschaft IBAN: DE72 3702 0500 0009 7097 00.
February Pub Night, AGM Remote Voting in Berlin, March Meeting, and more!
For February political pub night this Wednesday, we'll be getting together at Kasch, a cafe and craft beer bar in Mitte. Bring a friend who needs help registering to vote!
It's not too late to register and attend the 2018 Annual General Meeting of Democrats Abroad Germany this weekend in Hamburg! More details here. If you can't make it to Hamburg in person this weekend, you can join and vote on amendments to our bylaws at the Berlin remote voting center on Saturday in Moabit.
We're already planning for our March events: we're excited to welcome Lisa Witter as our speaker on women's empowerment in politics and policy, RSVP and get more details below.
Last, but not least: the Sachsen Women's Caucus is hosting their first meeting in March in Dresden, a book club to discuss An Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt.
FEBRUARY PUB NIGHT & VOTER REGISTRATION
Wed. February 21, 2018 from 7pm
Kaschk, Linienstrasse 40, 10119 Berlin-Mitte (U2 Rosa-Luxemburgplatz)
RSVP | Facebook
DEMOCRATS ABROAD GERMANY 2018 GENERAL MEETING
February 23-25, 2018
Kulturpalast Hamburg, Öjendorfer Weg 30a, 22119 Hamburg
Register | Details | Facebook
In this important midterm election year, come organize to help get out the vote with Democrats Abroad Germany at our Annual General Meeting, February 23rd-25th, 2018, in Hamburg. Plenty of opportunities to meet other engaged Democrats living abroad and to help grow our organization into one that can register all Democrats living in Germany to vote!
BYLAWS AMENDMENTS - AGM REMOTE VOTING CENTER IN BERLIN
Sat. February 24th, 2018, 3-6pm
Near U9 Turmstrasse (RSVP for exact address)
RSVP | Facebook
Can't make it to Hamburg? You can still participate at the Annual General Meeting by voting for or against amendments to Democrats Abroad Germany’s (DAG) bylaws at our remote voting center. DAG’s bylaws determine how the Democrats Abroad Germany and Berlin is run as a political organization. Your input helps us improve our organization and achieve our goal of registering all US citizens living in Berlin and Germany to vote!
MARCH MEETING: EMPOWERING WOMEN IN POLITICS & POLICY WITH LISA WITTER
Tue. March 6, 2018, 7:30-9pm
Begegnungsstätte Falckensteinstraße, Falckensteinstr. 6, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
RSVP | Facebook
Lisa Witter is an expert in the intersections of communications, government, politics, tech, & behavior change. Her topic for our meeting is "It’s Time for Solutions: From the invisible to blunt force policies." In her presentation, she'll take a global look at what’s working to empower women and where the US leads the way.
SACHSEN WOMEN'S CAUCUS KICKOFF: INT'L WOMEN'S DAY BOOK CLUB
Tue. March 6, 2018, 7:30-9pm
Cafe Story, Wormser Straße 30a, 01309 Dresden
RSVP | Facebook
Sachsen Women's Caucus is gathering for an Int'l Women's Day book club: An Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. For more information, contact Becky Hellwig (becky.hellwig@gmail.com)
Upcoming Berlin Events in February
The Women's March in Berlin two weeks ago was fantastic, over 1000 people who turned out to stand up for an inclusive, progressive vision of the world. You can see some of our photos on Facebook; check out the coverage on Buzzfeed; and watch the video stream from ze.tt
Join Democrats Abroad Berlin on Tuesday for our February meeting. We're excited to host a talk on Trump's foreign policy by Ted Piccone, current fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, who works on issues relating to international order and strategy, democracy, and human rights. He served for eight years as a senior foreign policy advisor in the Clinton administration.
For February's pub night, we'll be getting together at Kasch, a cafe and craft beer bar in Mitte. Bring a friend who needs help registering to vote!
Ted Piccone: Trump’s Foreign Policy, A Year in Review
Tue. February 6, 2018, 7:30-9pm
Begegnungsstätte Falckensteintraße, Falckensteinstr. 6, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg (U1 Schlesisches Tor)
Mr. Ted Piccone will discuss the Trump administration’s overall approach to national security, with particular emphasis on Iran, North Korea, Cuba and trade. He will be speaking in his personal capacity.
February Pub Night & Voter Registration
Wed. February 21, 2018 from 7pm
Kaschk, Linienstrasse 40, 10119 Berlin-Mitte (U2 Rosa-Luxemburgplatz)
Democrats Abroad Germany 2018 General Meeting
February 23-25, 2018
Kulturpalast Hamburg, Öjendorfer Weg 30a, 22119 Hamburg
In this important midterm election year, come organize to help get out the vote with Democrats Abroad Germany at our Annual General Meeting, February 23rd-25th in Hamburg. Plenty of opportunities to meet other engaged Democrats living abroad and to help grow our organization into one that can register all Democrats living in Germany to vote!
Register to Vote from Abroad - Today!
2018 is here and now it is time to register to vote and request your absentee ballot! This must be done every year, so be sure to get that done now in time for the 2018 primaries and elections. Visit VoteFromAbroad.org to complete a ballot request -- and then send in that request!
Click “start here” on the VoteFromAbroad website, fill out the required fields, and follow the prompts that follow.
You can ask questions from any page on the site. A Democrats Abroad volunteer will help find the right answers for you.
Please remember to send in your ballot request once you have completed it! You will be instructed on whether your voting state allows electronic ballot requests, or if you must mail it in by post.
Encourage your American friends and colleagues to do the same!
Last Pub Night of 2017: Weihnachtsmarkt-style & January events: Women's March & Voter Registration
This is our last "reminder" blog post of the year. You'll find the details of our last pub night in 2017 on Wednesday below, as well as some exciting dates to mark in your calendar for January 2018. Next week, we'll be sending out an end-of-year message to revisit the most important moments in Berlin of 2017 -- and what a year full of ups and down it has been.
December Pub Night - Weihnachtsmarkt
Wed. Dec 20th, 2018 from 18:45
Weihnachtsmarkt vor dem Schloss Charlottenburg, Spandauer Damm 20, 14059 Berlin
Meeting Point: Under the sign at the main entrance
RSVP | Facebook
No Meeting on January 2nd, 2018
In lieu of our regular first-Tuesday meeting, we encourage you to visit the Stammtisch of our friends at American Voices Abroad Berlin on Thursday, January 4th, 2018
Details | Facebook
January Pub Night: Save the date!
Wed. January 17th, 2018 from 7pm
This will be the first pub night of 2018! In addition to great drinks and company, this is your first chance to confirm your voter registration and request your absentee ballot.
2018 Women’s March Berlin
Sun. January 21st, 2018
Brandenburger Tor (Exact route & time to be updated, permit pending)
RSVP | Facebook
We march to
- Commemorate last year’s marches that took place across the world
- Demonstrate that our solidarity, strength, and persistence are here to stay
- Make our demands for gender equality heard, including:
- Equal pay for equal work
- Awareness of sexual assault and harassment
- Lack of equal representation in politics
- Reproductive rights and the right to choose
We came together in 2017 to show the world that women are here to fight. Now let’s come together again to remind everyone that we are still here and we are still fighting. Women’s rights are human rights! Let’s take a stand for human rights and social justice.