Spring has finally arrived and the 2018 primary season is in full swing. We need your help phone banking. Phone banking is the best way we have of reaching our members to remind them to get their ballots, for the primaries and/or for very important November elections.

If you sign-up for phone banking, you will be calling other members of Democrats Abroad. You have the choice to even just call members in Germany! Will you make 5 calls to fellow DAG members by the end of the summer?  And help to bring in 5 more votes, besides your own?! Phone banking is effective and fun!

Sign up or reactivate your phone banking account, and to learn how to make calls.  If you have questions or comments, please contact DA Germany phone banking coordinator Katie Solon at [email protected]

Democrats Abroad Taxation Team is on Capitol Hill this week to talk to Congress about tax reform for Americans abroad. We need Democrats abroad to phone their Senators and Representatives to demand reform so that when we walk into Congressional offices we hear, "Yes we've been getting calls from constituents about expat tax reform". Download our guide with everything you need to call, message and write to Congress.

Do you need help understanding all the tax changes brought on by the 2017 tax reform bill? There are tax seminars in Frankfurt and Munich that may help. These seminars are intended for U.S. and German tax professionals and Americans living in Germany who have interests in German companies and will discuss the following U.S. Tax Aspects:

• The Repatriation and GILTI Taxes
• The problem caused by tax reform and understanding the new tax laws
• The impact these laws have on American business owners and professionals living in Germany
• Compliance timelines, planning options, advocacy alternatives

We’re active on social media. Are you? Follow Democrats Abroad Germany on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Voting and Elections

If you have yet to request your ballot from your local election office, please make going to VoteFromAbroad.org (and be near a printer!) among your highest priorities for the day. If you have children who will be 18 years old before the election, please help them get registered. Many voters find out that they have been removed from the voting rolls after it is too late. If you are currently registered to vote back in the U.S., please go to IWillVote.com to view your status.

Upcoming Primaries

Next Up! Special Elections:

There are four vacancies in the US House, with special elections scheduled in Texas 27 (June 30, 2018), Ohio's 12 (August 7, 2018) and Michigan 13 (November 6, 2018, concurrent with normal general election). The election for New York's 25th CD to replace the late Louise Slaughter (D) has yet to be determined.

Sign of the Times: Special Election in AZ April 24th On a national scale, Republican State Senator Debbie Lesko’s single-digit victory - a mere 5% margin - over her Democrat opponent Hiral Tipirneni follows the pattern of other special elections during the 115th Congress. Since the Kansas special election in April 2017, Republicans have held onto most of their seats, but their voter performance advantage has shrunk considerably!

Remember: Democrats Abroad are the margin of victory so your vote counts! Democrats will need a net gain of 24 to reach the 218 of 435 needed to take control of the House in 2018.

Highlighted Events

Even though spring is just starting, you can already save the date for our 10th Annual Oktoberfest Extravaganza on Sunday, October 7th. If you sign-up before July 1st, tickets are only 65€ and this includes a reserved seat in the “Gallerie”, a half roasted chicken (vegetarian options are available), 2 liters of Spaten beer (there are other beverage options, too), and a 10-euro coupon for other purchases. Starting July 1st, tickets will go up to 75€.

Please join our Wiesbaden/Mainz chapter on Memorial Day Weekend for a trip to Luxembourg American Cemetery. 5,075 American service members have been laid to rest here, many of whom lost their lives in the Battle of the Bulge and in the advance to the Rhine River. DA Germany will be joining the DA Luxembourg chapter for a laying of the Wreath ceremony over the Memorial Day Weekend at 2:00 pm.  The Luxembourg chapter has kindly offered to provide home stays for those who wish to stay the night. Please RSVP and please fill in and submit this form by May 18th so we can plan the transportation and housing.

DA Caucus Update

Be on the lookout for an introductary email from the new Germany Black Caucus leader, Lori-Kaye Miller.

We have Germany representatives for all the DA Caucuses except the Hispanic Caucus. If you would be interested in becoming the Hispanic Caucus leader please contact us.

Even though spring is just starting, we are already making plans for the fall. Save the date for the Germany Women’s Caucus event in Berlin on Saturday, September 22nd. More details will follow soon, but you can already start to look forward to a weekend to discuss women’s issues and to learn about some of the many women running for office this fall.

If you are interested in what our caucuses are doing, please contact our caucus leaders listed below.

Noteworthy News

2018 Democrats Abroad Global Meeting in Tokyo, Japan – Friday, May 25-Sunday, May 27. Democrats Abroad will hold our 2018 DPCA Global Meeting on May 25-27, 2018 at the TKP Shinagawa Conference Center, Takanawa, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, (next door to Shinagawa Station). Find out more information about the meeting and Tokyo!

Heidelberg Half-Marathon Fundraiser a Success! Our DA Heidelberg Teams ran in both the Half-Marathon and the 3.1K Team runs to raise awareness of and money for Democrats Abroad Germany. We raised nearly 800 Euros! Thank you to all the donors. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us. Thanks to Irisita and the Carpenters (sounds like a band) for making great signs.  Thanks to all the 3.1K runners: Xander, Luisa, Charles, Katie, Melisa and 9-year-old Liliana, and a HUGE thanks to Mandi Larsen and Niki Vonderwell, who ran the Half-marathon! This is one of the hardest half-marathons in Germany, with one uphill part 4K long, and temperatures got up to 29 degrees Celsius. Democrats Abroad Heidelberg rocks! Check out the photos from the event.

On April 14th, the Cologne Democrats Abroad teamed up with March for Science Köln. We had a voter registration stand and helped get the word out to Americans to get registered and how to stay in touch with us! Check out photos here: https://www.facebook.com/democratsabroad.germany.nrw/posts/10155479227557944

2018 is shaping up to be a really important year in the history of American democracy. DAG needs to find as many Americans as possible and persuade them to vote. Advertising, making calls, paying local registration fees, and buying postage all require money. Please consider becoming a DAG Sustaining Member. DAG is a member-funded, 100% volunteer organization. With the 2018 midterms approaching, we are appreciative of all the financial support we receive. In 2016, we calculated that each euro spent resulted in 3 new members/voters, and in this year's midterms, every vote counts! Please consider making a donation to us, whether one time, monthly or quarterly.

Account name: Democrats Abroad Germany

IBAN: DE04 5405 0220 0140 2702 99

BIC: MALADE51KLK

To make it a recurring donation, you can set up a Dauerauftrag. Let us know if you need assistance with this process — we’re glad to help! Thank you in advance for your support.

Thanks for reading and keep resisting!