MESSAGE FROM DA SPAIN CHAIR, ANDREW ANDERSON

Get out the vote, build community, and make a difference. Defending US democracy from abroad has never been more vital, or more fun! Here in Barcelona, we have had a very busy few months, including two very special events that added massive sparks to our Get Out The Vote (GOTV) initiative: Pope Leo XIV’s visit and the city's first-ever Juneteenth celebration.

When Pope Leo visited, chapter volunteers lined the route and a member who lives along the route hung a "Vote From Abroad" banner from his balcony and convinced neighbors to do the same. The crowning moment was holding up a giant Chicago flag that caught the Pope's eye, along with our message: Pope Leo votes from abroad, and so can you!

We hosted a voter registration table at Barcelona's inaugural Juneteenth celebration, where DA Spain was a supporting sponsor. It was a great event with fantastic music and food and the opportunity to meet many US citizens living in Barcelona.

Pool parties and private concerts put the “fun” in fundraising. Our singer-songwriter member Deborah Wilbrink hosted a private concert, and then Ben and Barbara Rooks hosted a Fourth of July pool party that helped us stay cool with great food, drink and company. Thanks to our members who generously opened their homes, helping us raise over $600 that will go towards an improved speaker system for future demonstrations and materials for our GOTV events.

We are already gearing up for our fall study abroad voter registration push, contacting study abroad programs so we can hit the ground running in September. More volunteers are always needed, especially in this critical election year! If you are ready to pitch in but are not trained yet, click here for more details.

Our monthly Wake Up Wednesday and Thirsty Thursday events continue to be major draws and also ongoing voter registration hubs.

Book Club returns on July 25, when we will discuss Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow, followed by a fundraising dinner. Let's see if we can top the $300 raised at our last dinner!

And finally, we celebrated together at the Barcelona Pride Parade on July 18!

You can find all of our upcoming events here.

We are always looking for volunteers. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact us at [email protected] or fill out our volunteer form.

In Granada we’ve been very productive over the past few months and we’ve also had a lot of fun!

The main event was on May 22, a fundraising concert in a beautiful garden/bar/event venue called Go With the Wind, in the Albayzin, the city’s old Moorish quarter. It was a really lovely evening! Performances by the fabulous Kai Narezo on flamenco guitar, with the singer Nieves Molina, and also the amazing folk group The Bib Ramblers (in case you don't know, one of the city’s most beloved squares is Plaza Bib-Rambla, so The Bib-Ramblers makes a fantastic name for a Granada-based folk music band). All the musicians were kind enough to donate their time and talent, so we were able to raise a considerable amount of money for Spain’s Get Out The Vote campaign. Big thanks to all of you who came to the concert, to the musicians of course, and also to the team of volunteers who worked hard to make it happen (Jeannie, Anne and Alexia!).

Two weeks later, in early June, we had our first-ever gathering on Granada’s Costa Tropical. We called it the Coastal Social and it was at a chiringuito right on the beach. Our goal was to meet some of the many DA members who live outside of the city and hopefully attract some new members. Success on both counts! Thanks very much to the new and muy apañá volunteer there (Melissa!) for taking the initiative on this and other good things!

On July 12, we held another fundraising/community-building activity, a historical walking tour in the Albayzin. Here in Granada we are lucky enough to have a member who happens to be a professional tour guide! The group had a maximum of 12 participants and we really enjoyed seeing and hearing about the little-known history of this fascinating neighborhood.

A shout out to another DA Granada volunteer (Tara!) who has been involved in DA Spain's recent advertising campaign, which is doing a fantastic job spreading the word about DA and VoteFromAbroad all over the country. Thanks for all that you do, volunteers! Remember, the mid-terms are sooner than you think and we really need to be prepared to do voter outreach, hold voter registration events and meet with American students who come here to study abroad. Whether you are spending your summer here or in cooler latitudes, now is a great time to sign up as a volunteer and/or get trained as a voting assistant! For more information: https://www.democratsabroad.org/voter_assistance_training

Rise, Consolidation, and Fall of Viktor Orbán." Using Hungary as a case study, it was a timely look at democratic backsliding and resistance, with clear parallels to pressures facing other democracies, including the United States, today.

In July, we marched in Madrid's Pride on July 4, which was a huge success! Check out the LGBTQ+ Caucus update for the full recap and photos. The following day, we gathered in Retiro Park for our annual Independence Day picnic potluck, a lovely (albeit very hot) afternoon with fellow Democrats abroad. We wrapped up our events for the summer on July 14 with another great trivia night.

There's a lot to come in the months ahead, and we need all hands on deck! Check out our current volunteer opportunities and reach out to us at [email protected] if you'd like to get involved.

In the fall, our energy will go to Getting Out The Vote! Please join us to help with voter registration. (Click here to learn about training.) The threat of the SAVE Act is still hovering over our heads!

If you would like to be active in the Spain Women’s Caucus, please get in touch! [email protected].