Munich and Southern Bavaria

Welcome to the Munich and Southern Bavaria Chapter of Democrats Abroad (DA)!

DA Munich and Southern Bavaria is a chapter of DA Germany, serving as part of the official overseas arm of the Democratic Party, USA. Comprising an area that includes all of the German postal codes starting with 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 and 87, the DA Munich and Southern Bavaria covers the entire alpine region of Bavaria and includes the cities of Munich, Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Starnberg, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Kempten, Landsberg and all of the rural areas in between! We are already over a 2,000 members strong and we look forward to collaborating with you as we build a community of Americans living in our area, engage with the US political process, and empower voters for important elections in the US. To achieve these aims we organize regular meetings and events in support of uniting with one another to amplify our voices calling for democratic principals in the US.  These activities include rallies/protests/marches, voter registration drives, volunteering in our communities, social gatherings and much more! We invite you to join our chapter to receive email updates and to frequently check our pages for new events.

If you have questions or would like to help with Democrats Abroad in Munich and Southern Bavaria, please contact us at [email protected]

DA Munich and Southern Bavaria Leadership:

Jonah Otto
| Munich and Southern Bavaria Chapter Chair, Augsburg Precinct Volunteer
Geeta Abad
| Munich and Southern Bavaria Chapter, GOTV Coordinator and Augsburg Precinct Volunteer
Sarah Carr
| Munich and Southern Bavaria Chapter Press Coordinator
See all Leaders


  • News

    Munich and Southern Bavaria 2023 Chapter Elections

    DA Germany Munich and Southern Bavaria 2023 Elections

    → Here are the results from the Munich and Southern Bavaria Chapter’s election held on Wednesday, March 1.

    • Chair: Dennis O’Donohue (m)
    • Vice-Chair: Emily Froemel (f)
    • Secretary: Dan Kinney
    • GOTV Coordinator: Warren Knox
    • Press Coordinator: Rene Correa

    We congratulate the newly elected leaders and wish them a successful term. Thank you to all the candidates for your willingness to serve and to everyone who participated and voted in the election.

     

    OVERVIEW

    All DA Germany chapters hold elections for new officers in the first quarter of every odd-number year.

    The DA Germany Chapter Nominations and Elections Committee oversees the full process.

    You must be present to vote.  Online attendance is considered present.  Please RSVP for the meeting so we know how many people plan to attend.

    ELECTION RULES

    The election rules are defined in the DA Germany By-Laws and the DA Germany Chapter Election Rules.  

    2023 ELECTION TIME

    Date:  Wednesday, March 1

    Meeting Start Time:  19:00

    Election Start Time:  19:30

    Location: online via Zoom

    RSVP Link:  Click here

    Note that the RSVP confirmation will include the link for the online meeting.  Please be sure to save it.

    ELECTED POSITIONS

    The chapter will be electing officers for the following positions:

    • Chair
    • Vice Chair
    • Secretary
    • GOTV Coordinator
    • Press Coordinator

    Click here to read the job descriptions.

    Please note that per DA rules, the Chair and Vice-Chair must be of different gender.  Gender rules do not apply to any other positions.

    NOMINATION PROCESS

    Any member of the chapter can self-nominate or be nominated by any other member of the relevant chapter of DA Germany. All nominees must have been a member of DA Germany for at least 30 days prior to the election date and also must be a member of the chapter.

    The cutoff for nominations is 14 days prior to the election.  Click here for the nomination form.

    Each nominee must confirm they are willing to serve.  They will be given an opportunity to submit a candidate statement and up to 3 endorsement letters.

    Additional nominations from the floor will be accepted during the election meeting in accordance with the election rules.

    CANDIDATES

    ∗∗ Please note that there were no nominations submitted by the deadline. However, nominations may be made from the floor at the appropriate time during the chapter election meeting in accordance with the election rules. ∗∗

    INFORMATION SESSIONS AND QUESTIONS

    We will be hosting some online information sessions where you can ask about the election positions, election rules, chapter information or other related DA questions. Please RSVP to receive the link to the session. 

    • Sunday, February 5, 14:00-15:00 - RSVP here
    • Monday, February 13, 19:00-20:00 - RSVP here
    • Wednesday, February 22, 19:00-20:00 - RSVP here

    If you have any questions, you can send them to the Chapter Nominations and Elections Committee at [email protected]

    read more

    March for Reproductive Rights - Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, 11AM

    We must MOBILIZE and DEFEND our Reproductive Rights!

    Join the Munich chapter of Democrats Abroad and let your voice be heard to defend the reproductive rights of women across the USA!

    Logistics:

    • We will meet at 11:00 AM across Von-der-Tann-Str. from the US Consulate in Munich
    • We begin marching at 12:00 PM down Maximilianstr., ending at the Maximilianeum.
    • Please be aware of Democrat Abroad Germany's "3G" policy: everyone attending must be prepared to show proof of being fully vaccinated, recovered, or a negative test from the previous 48 hours for Covid.
    • Please also wear FFP-2 or surgical masks and keep 1.5 meters distance from everyone, so that we can all stay safe!

     

    Why March?

    Rarely has any movement been the result of one lone voice. Strength in numbers reflects the urgency and desire for change, and marches (whether in person or virtually) present the opportunity for people to come together and display that desire in solidarity.

    Join the Women’s March on October 2nd and stand in solidarity with those who will be marching across the US, to protect and defend reproductive rights. Bring your signs and make it clear how you feel about this important issue. This is a peaceful demonstration.

    RSVP here

    read more
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    Upcoming Events

    Friday, March 24, 2023 at 05:00 PM through March 26, 2023 Time · 124 rsvps
    Konferenzzentrum Ingelheim iCC in Ingelheim, Germany

    2023 DA Germany Annual General Meeting

    2023 will be an important year for Democrats Abroad Germany to come back together and reestablish our strong community of members. This will be our year to establish the foundation necessary to make sure we can hit the ground running in 2024. At Democrats Abroad Germany, our goal will always be to get each and every U.S. citizen in Germany to vote.

    After almost three years of mainly meeting online, we are pleased to invite you to our upcoming Annual General Meeting in Ingelheim am Rhein. The official meeting will take place at the iCC Konferenzzentrum in Ingelheim from Friday, March 24 to Sunday, March 26.

    If you are unable to attend in person, you still have the option to join the meeting online. To attend online, just RSVP to this event and we will share the login information a few days prior to the meeting.

    We will also elect our new Executive Committee (ExCom). These are the leaders of DA Germany and includes several officers, nine at-large coordinators, and 14 Voting Representatives. You can learn more about the election process, who's running, and how you can run yourself here.

    Schedule

    Friday, March 24

    • Starting at 17:00: A welcome cocktail reception to connect with each other over drinks.

    Saturday, March 25

    8:30 Registration at the iCC Konferenzzentrum
    9:00-9:30 Welcome and Chair’s Report: Look back at 2022
    9:30-10:00 Treasurer's Report
    10:00-10:15 Presentation by the Global Chair
    10:15-10:30 Announcement of reports from the chapters, at-large coordinator, caucuses, and DPCA Voting Representatives
    10:30-11:00 Break
    11:00-11:30 Vice Chair's Report: Looking ahead & how to get involved
    11:30-11:40 State Teams Report
    11:40-12:15 Volunteer Recognition
    12:15-13:00 Lunch
    13:00-18:00 Elections
    19:00 Dinner at the Winzerkeller
    20:30 Guest Speakers: Andrea Chalupa & Jared Yates Sexton

    Sunday, March 26

    • 10:00
      • Members of the newly elected Executive Committee will hold their first meeting to discuss the next steps and to get a chance to meet everyone.
      • For those that are not from the region, we will visit the Museum bei der Kaiserpfalz for a guided tour. This includes the Ingelheim Imperial Palace, which served emperors and kings as a lodging and a ruling seat. Following the tour, everyone is welcome to have lunch together at a local restaurant.

    Cost

    For in-person attendance, we are asking for a donation of $35 for the main meeting on Saturday. The cost for meals are as follows:

    • Friday cocktail reception: $15
    • Saturday lunch: $10
    • Saturday gala dinner (three-course meal): $65
      • The deadline to sign-up for dinner is Wednesday, March 22nd

    Under the rules of the Democratic Party and Democrats Abroad, a fee for attending the meeting is not allowed. However, we kindly ask for a donation to cover use of the iCC Konferenzzentrum, drinks (coffee, tea, water, and more), technical equipment, copies, and supplies. We ask that you donate this amount to help us avoid drawing down the DA Germany treasury, which is devoted to getting out the vote. Participants do have to pay for meals.

    We will collect information regarding any food allergies prior to the meeting to ensure that everyone will have something to eat.

    If you are participating online, we would ask you to still consider making a donation of $15. To attend online, just RSVP to this event and we will share the login information a few days prior to the meeting.

    Prize Draw and Silent Auction

    As an additional part of our fundraising efforts, DA Germany will be hosting an AGM prize draw and silent auction. There will be a wonderful variety of exciting items you can win!

    For the prize draw, tickets are as follows: $5 for 1 ticket or $20 for 5 tickets. You can get your tickets ahead of the event here or in-person at the AGM!

    More information about the items available for the silent auction and the chance to place a bid are available here.

    Accommodation

    The Wiesbaden-Mainz Chapter has compiled a list of hotels and additional travel-related information for participants. Rooms for DA Germany have been reserved at IBB Hotel Ingelheim. Please call or email the hotel to ask for a room. More information on how to reserve a room can be found here.

    Elections

    We urge you to attend and vote in our upcoming election, as well as to consider running for one of the leadership positions. All details about the election can be found in the DA Germany Elections Rules and Procedures. To participate in the elections, you must RSVP to attend the AGM (via this event page) by 11:00 CET on Saturday, March 25.

    The Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) will be hosting online information sessions where potential candidates can ask about the election positions, election rules, DA Germany Executive Committee or other related DA Germany questions. The dates and times for these sessions will be announced soon.

    These DAG Executive Committee positions will be elected for two-year terms at the AGM:

    • Chair
    • Vice Chair
    • Secretary
    • Treasurer
    • Academic Outreach Coordinator
    • Advertising Coordinator
    • Caucus Coordinator
    • Chapter Development Coordinator
    • Communications Coordinator
    • Events & Fundraising Coordinator
    • Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Coordinator
    • Membership & IT Coordinator
    • Press Coordinator
    • 14 DPCA Voting Representatives

    Please review this document that includes detailed job descriptions for all positions.

    To run in the election, a candidate must have been a member of DA for at least 30 days and reside in Germany on the day of the AGM (March 25).

    The deadline for early nominations and candidate statements was Monday, February 27 at noon. Nominations may also be made from the floor on the day of the election.

    A list of candidates can be found on the DAG Election page. Letters of endorsement will be posted by March 13.

    More detailed information on how to run in the election and how to participate in the election is available on the DAG Elections page.

    Stipends for Attending

    DA Germany understands the accompanying financial cost of attending the AGM, which is why we are offering five stipends to enable more members to attend. The deadline to apply for a stipend has passed. 

    Changes to DA Germany Bylaws 

    While we discussed and voted on amendments to DA Germany’s Bylaws at last year's AGM, and we typically strive to do this only every other year due to time constraints, you still have the right to submit proposed amendments to the Bylaws Committee. Members were welcome to propose an amendment by February 20, 2023. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

    You can find a copy of the current DAG bylaws here to help you formulate proposed changes. The bylaws were last amended in March 2022.

    Once you RSVP to attend, you will be taken to the ticket page to purchase the meals and to donate to attend the meeting.

    Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 06:00 PM Berlin Time · $5.00 USD · 6 rsvps

    DA Germany AGM Prize Draw

    As an additional part of our fundraising efforts, we will be hosting a prize draw and silent auction as part of our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, March 25th (make sure to RSVP). Prizes include a Betsy Ross flag, hand-knitted sweater, homemade Christmas cookies, Korean cooking class, and more!

    For those attending the Annual General Meeting in person, you will receive physical tickets for the prize draw. For those online, tickets with your name will be included in the physical draw taking place. Participants will be entered to win any one of the available prizes.

    Ticket donations for the prize draw must be received, or you must provide proof of a donation transfer, by March 25 at 20:00 CET.

    Once the prize draw closes, winners will be chosen at random for each of the available prizes. Prize winners who are not attending the AGM in person will be contacted the following day and shipping of the prize(s) will be arranged.

    Read more about the prizes and enter the silent auction here.