LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

Those of you familiar with The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood may recognize the reference. "Don’t let the bastards grind you down." This seems an apt response to the very alarming start to the New Year we all woke up to Saturday morning.

I’m not going to rant or give my take on why we are doing this. I’m going to say Happy New Year. It’s clear there’s not going to be the reset as many of us had hoped. We’ve got two choices: to surrender or to use Mamdani as a beacon of hope.

Let’s fight.

It’s all too human for us to watch the unbridled injustice and the grift, to feel the compassion that turns to fear and anger, to feel the overwhelming need “to do something.” We have the best intentions, and then real life kicks us in the butt. It can all feel like too much: balancing work / kids / school / relationships and then doing the work of organizing. We need to leave some room for self-care. Sometimes, there are just not enough hours in the day. 

And then something like this happens.

But if there’s anything that women are great at, it’s finding the time for the things that matter most.

My message this month is to urge everyone to stay in the game. We’ve built a fantastic community over the past several months, and now we need to activate. We need everyone’s head in the game, because the stakes are simply too high to play anything other than our A-game. 

They are going to do everything possible to disenfranchise voters, and that will surely include the overseas vote. They’ve already shown their hand - chipping away at the rules around both voter registration from abroad and the grace period for eligibility of mail-in ballots. These threats will be one of our biggest challenges in 2026.

We need to make sure people register and request their ballots at votefromabroad.org as early as possible. Remember, as overseas voters, we need to request our ballots each and every year, so please do so TODAY! Don’t postpone this one - and remind all of your friends and family living abroad.

And when ballots drop on September 24th, we have to make sure voters everywhere return them as quickly as possible, so all votes are counted come Election Day. Because to make matters even more complicated, the US Post Office just announced your mail may not be postmarked on the day you turn it in - potentially nullifying millions of ballots.  

So how do we fight? 

We need volunteers to get trained in Voter Registration and phone-banking, to help other voters through the process and to reach as many voters as possible.

As always, we invite you to join our team. The Global Women’s Caucus (GWC) has many ambitious plans, and we want you to be a part of this urgent fight for Democracy. Please read on.

In solidarity,
Sally DeSipio
Chair, GWC

Nolite te bastardes carborundorum - Margaret Atwood

REQUEST YOUR BALLOT TODAY

Take it off your to-do list! In most situations, it will take you 15 minutes or less. Please request it TODAY from Votefromabroad.org, to ensure you’re ready to cast your vote and make sure it is counted. 

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

EVENTS - We have a lot of exciting events over the next few months. Please RSVP.

Amanda Litman is the founder of Run For Something, the nation’s premiere candidate recruitment organization which supports young, diverse progressives. Come hear her talk about the next generation of leaders. Jan 21st, 1pm ET / 7pm CET: RSVP HERE

January Cauldron: What’s Driving you in 2026? Our monthly women-only drop in conversation. Have strong opinions about what we need to do to win? Feeling apathetic and need a boost? Come to our monthly meeting to share, opine, or rant with fellow travelers. Jan 25th, 1pm ET / 7pm CET: RSVP HERE 

Books Abroad February: Please join the GWC in honoring Black History Month as we discuss the era-defining novel, The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy, about five black women over the course of their twenty-five year friendship. Feb 15th, 10am ET / 4pm CET:  RSVP HERE 

INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK LIVE COLLABORATIONS

The GWC is excited to announce a new initiative - live conversations with other important caucuses within Democrats Abroad via Instagram and Facebook. Don’t miss these opportunities to learn more about policy, impact and what support really looks like beyond the talking points. Please watch your social media feeds for information on how to tune in!!

Service doesn’t end at discharge. Join the GWC and the Veterans and Military Families (VMF) Caucus for a Facebook Live on what veterans and their families are fighting for in this new administration. Tune in to GWC’s or VMF’s Facebook accounts on Jan 28, 1pm ET / 7pm CET.

VOLUNTEERS:  Fill out this form

As always, we are looking for volunteers to help us manage the work. We are a very diverse group of many generations living all over the world. Specifically we are looking for:

• Graphic Designers - Join our robust comms team to help spread the word about events, voter registration, and more. Canva experience preferred.
• Event Organizers - Are you great with organizing others? Do you want to start a local hub where you live? We need you!
• Project Managers - Please help us keep on track. We’ve got lots of balls in the air and need smart people to help us make sure they land!!

BELGIUM WOMEN'S CAUCUS (BWD) is officially live!

If you’re a resident of Belgium and have an interest in promoting and protecting women’s rights, join us! Check our social media pages (links below) for fun events, networking, and outreach opportunities. This is a great chance to connect with a diverse group of women with similar interests and goals. 

The BWC has something for members of all ages, professions, and backgrounds, and welcomes any ideas to make engagement more relevant. We are headquartered in Brussels, but events will be held country-wide.

Keep an eye out for our first welcome event, to be held in early February! Event info will be posted on our social media pages, as well as Democrats Abroad Belgium' s BWC page.  

NEWS - We curate so you don't have to!

• Margaret Atwood: If you’re going to speak Truth to Power Make Sure It’s The Truth. This is a nine-year old article - but you can never get enough Margaret Atwood.
• Toby Buckle, The New Republic: The Americans Who Saw this Coming. Please take the 10 minutes to read. It’s some super smart framing and ultimately inspirational.
• Kara Swisher, ON: Sam Harris on Silicon Valley's Slide into Techno-Authoritarianism
• Two recommended books:
  • Amanda Litman: When We’re in Charge: The Next Generation’s Guide to Leadership 
  • Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman: The Double Tax: Why Women of Color are Overcharged and Underpaid

SOCIAL MEDIA

We are all addicted to something - put it to good use. Please follow us on your platform of choice - and feel free to comment, like and share. They can’t suppress us if we overwhelm the algorithm!