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

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.

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.