In This Issue —
- Message from the Chair
Events:
- RATIFIED – Film Screening
- Welt Museum Tour
- Punsching for Democracy
- Rembrandt KHM Director’s Tour
- Solidarity Sundays II
- Carnival in Nice, France
- Annual General Meeting & Elections
Inside Democrats Abroad:
- Run for Something!
Issues and Actions:
- 2024 Voter Survey
- Put Women in the Constitution
- Repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision
Review:
- Thanksgiving Celebration
Our Executive Committee meetings are usually held on the second Thursday of the month. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m. Members are welcome to join us at the meetings. Please contact Rich at [email protected] for the address and meeting link.
DAA is making a strong effort to include in our monthly newsletter all the information you need to stay up to date. By sending you fewer emails, we hope you will read those you receive. Thanks for reading!
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Message from the Chair:
I am immensely proud of and grateful to all the volunteers at Democrats Abroad Austria who worked so hard to get out the vote this election year. Thanks to you we achieved some impressive numbers.
Our phone bankers in Austria—a core team of about eight people—made 6,793 calls in 2024. Our outreach to U.S. voters in Austria—whether through newsletters, phone calls, mailers, social media, digital ads, or voter registration efforts on the streets or in schools—resulted in 1,921 people in Austria requesting their ballots at VoteFromAbroad.org.
Thanks to the generosity of our one-time and sustaining donors, we raised thousands of dollars to support the global work of Democrats Abroad and fund our local get-out-the-vote initiatives. And much of this was done at a number of super events, like Fourth of July, an American Comedy Night and our Night at the Palais!
What I am most proud of, however, is the community we have built over this past year, which culminated in more than 100 of us gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving. It is a community of friends we can rely on for support as we continue our much-needed work into the future.
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Events Coming Up –
Virtual Film Screening – RATIFIED
When: Saturday, December 7
Time: 4:00 p.m. (CEST)
Where: Online. RSVP for the link. Spaces are limited.
Weltmuseum Tour for DA Members
When: Tuesday, December 10
Time: Tour starts at 6:30 p.m. Arrive 15 minutes before.
Where: Weltmuseum Wien, Heldenplatz, 1010 Wien
Punsching for Democracy
When: Friday, December 13
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Manifaktur Punschstand, Karlsplatz Christmas Market (stand is on the left side of Karlskirche, when facing church) Karlsplatz 10, 1040 Wien
Rembrandt Exhibit Director’s Tour for DA members
When: Thursday, January 9
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Burgring 5, 1010 Wien
MLK Day 2025
When: Monday, January 20
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Online
Save the Date!
Solidarity Sundays II
When: Sunday, January 26, 2025
Time: TBA
Where: TBA Vienna
RSVP (See January’s Newsletter)
Carnaval de Nice
When: Friday, February 14 to Sunday, February 16, 2025
Time: Varies
Where: Nice, France
Save the Date!
Annual General Meeting & Austria ExCom Elections
When: Sunday, March 16, 2025
Time: TBA
Where: TBA (See January’s Newsletter)
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Inside Democrats Abroad:
Run for Something!
Fresh voices, energy, and ideas — save the date! On March 16, 2025, DA Austria members will meet in person and online for our Annual General Meeting and to elect a new Executive Committee. More information about the meeting and how you can run will be coming, but we wanted to make sure you add this important date to your calendar!
You are strongly encouraged to attend our monthly executive committee meetings (see details above) if you are interested in running for an elected position. You can read a brief role description here: DA Austria’s Elected Officer Role Descriptions and an overview of all our volunteer positions here: DA Austria’s Unelected Volunteer Role Descriptions.
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Issues and Actions:
2024 Voter Survey
Every general election, the Democrats Abroad Voter Protection team circulates a short voter survey designed to identify the issues and challenges voters abroad experienced during the year. The survey results have been instrumental in the past in aiding our voter assistance work and in legal challenges in the States, and we know they will again be very useful as we move forward into the new year and next election cycle.
Your participation is super appreciated!
This short survey will help us:
- Identify barriers in the voting process, from registration to ballot submission.
- Collect critical data about states and counties where voters faced challenges.
- Understand what worked well and where improvements are needed.
- Strengthen our voter registration and support efforts for future elections.
Your feedback will shape our work as we advocate for smoother and more reliable voting for U.S. citizens abroad. Whether you encountered issues or everything went without a hitch, we want to hear from you!
Complete the Survey Today
Thank you for sharing your experience and helping us protect every vote.
Put Women in the Constitution
President Biden has the power to tell the Archivist to add the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the constitution.
80% of Americans think our Constitution already guarantees gender equality and an even larger number (97%) support equal rights. ACTIVATE YOUR NETWORK to call on President Biden to publish NOW, before it is too late! Spread the word that President Biden MUST PUBLISH the 28th Amendment (Equal Rights). He is nearly out of time. Key talking points and ideas for activating are HERE and the social media toolkit is HERE.
Repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision
The House of Representatives passed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) repeal bill on November 12, 2024. Now it's up to the Senate to pass the bill to finally repeal WEP! Please call, email, AND message your two Senators in 3 easy steps! If you are short on time, do as many as you're comfortable or able to do. The more they hear from you, the better!
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Review:
Thanksgiving Celebration
More than 100 of us gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving at Zoku Vienna, marking our second year at the rooftop restaurant and hotel. Many thanks to Zoku’s chef, Liz—a California native—and her team for preparing another amazing meal for us. Special thanks also to Zoku’s manager, Jared, another Californian, for his support in organizing the event.
In addition to the delicious food and engaging conversation, we held a raffle with prizes generously donated by individual supporters and local American-run businesses. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to making this one of our best and largest Thanksgiving events.
If you’d like to share any feedback, feel free to email me at [email protected].