In This Issue of DA Austria —
Message from the Chair
Events:
- Post-DNC Global Town Hall
- Women’s Day Business Walk in Graz
- Youth Caucus – Reactivated!
- Solidarity Sundays in Vienna & Graz
- Annual General Meeting & Elections
- Post AGM Dinner
Inside Democrats Abroad:
- Run for Office!
- Call For Nominations
Issues and Actions:
- Solidarity Sundays Vienna
- Solidarity Sundays Graz
- We Choose to Fight
Review:
- DA Austria Retreat
- Dems in Graz
Our Executive Committee meetings are usually held on the second Thursday of the month. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m. Members are welcome to join us at the meetings. Please contact Rich at [email protected] for the address and meeting link.
DA Austria is making a concerted 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 –
If you're feeling frustrated, appalled, even angry, by what’s happening in Washington, consider channeling that energy into action with Democrats Abroad Austria. We're already gearing up for the 2026 midterms through grassroots activism via our Solidarity Sundays group (see details below). At our recent DA Austria retreat in Vienna, we welcomed new members with fresh ideas on how to better connect with the 12,000 Americans living in Austria.
The choice is clear: we can watch on in disbelief from the sidelines, shocked and frustrated, or step up and take meaningful action. Get involved by running for an elected position with DA Austria or attending our Annual General Meeting on March 16 to explore the many ways you can help us reclaim Congress in 2026.
– Richard Miller, DA Austria Chair
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Events Coming Up –
Post-DNC Global Town Hall
When: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Time: 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Where: Online
Solidarity Sundays II – Picking Our Battles: Decide on The Issues We‘ll Focus On
When: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Where: Amerlinghaus, 1070 Vienna
For more information see Issues and Actions below
Solidarity Sundays in Graz – Valentines for Valiant Representatives
When: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Where: Alpoke, Brockmanngasse 89, 8010 Graz
Questions? Contact [email protected]
For more information see Issues and Actions below
Youth Caucus: Young Americans Board Game Night
When: Sunday, March 9, 2025
Time: 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Where: SpielBar
Save the Date! Women’s Day Business Walk in Graz
When: Saturday, March 8, 2025
Time: 10:00-12:00 p.m., followed by optional lunch
Where: Graz Innenstadt. Meeting location and lunch location TBA!
Annual General Meeting & Austria ExCom Elections
When: Sunday, March 16, 2025
Time: 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Where: SPÖ Neubau, Lindengasse 64, 1070
Post-AGM Dinner
When: Sunday, March 16, 2025
Time: 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Where: Le Burger, Mariahilfer Straße 114, 1070
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Inside Democrats Abroad –
Run for Office!
You can nominate yourself or another member of DA Austria to run for a two-year leadership position on DA Austria’s Executive Committee. An election notice email will go out by mid-February with all the details.
You can read a brief description of the committee roles here: DA Austria’s Elected Officer Role Descriptions.
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. In the meantime, you can email the Nominations and Election Committee at [email protected] if you’re interested in putting your name into the hat or finding out more.
Interested members are also welcome to join the next monthly meeting of the Executive Committee to be held online at 7:00 pm CET on Thursday, February 13. Contact Richard at [email protected] for details.
Join DA Austria members and guests at our Annual General Meeting on March 16 from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. at SPÖ Neubau, Lindengasse 64, 1070 Vienna.
This is a great opportunity for all our members to participate in the running and planning of our country committee. All are welcome! Please RSVP so we have enough refreshments and join us afterwards for dinner at Le Burger.
– Jen Rakow-Stepper, Member-at-Large-Newsletter
Call For Nominations: Democrats Abroad Austria Executive Committee Elections 2025
The 2025-27 Executive Committee will be elected at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 16, 2025. Voting will be conducted electronically or in person at the AGM.
The 2025 Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) is seeking qualified candidates for the following positions:
- Chair
- Vice-Chair
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Counsel
- Up to two DPCA (Democratic Party Committee Abroad or “DA global”) Voting Representatives
- Up to three DPCA Non-Voting Representatives
- Up to six Members-at-Large -- In the past, Member-at-Large responsibilities have included: Province Coordinators, Database Manager, Media Contact, Social Media and Communication, and Membership Engagement.
A description of these offices’ responsibilities can be found here: DA Austria’s Elected Officer Role Descriptions
If you are interested in running for any of these positions or would like to nominate someone, please send your name or that of the nominee to us, the NEC, at [email protected] as soon as possible. Candidates must be seconded (which the NEC can do for you) via email, and provide a short bio/candidate statement no later than February 28, 2025. Information about candidates and their platforms will be published in the March issue of the DAA Newsletter. In addition, candidates are encouraged to attend the upcoming meeting/s of the Executive Committee to learn more about the work of the group. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
Key Dates
- February 10: Call for nominations email to membership
- February 28: Nominations close
- No later than March 2: Ballots will be sent electronically to all DA Austria members and will be available on the DAA website
- March 15: Early voting ends at 23:59
- March 16: Elections held at the Annual General Meeting in Vienna. Early votes and those cast during the AGM will be tallied, and the NEC will announce the results.
You can read the full DAA Bylaws (Article 8 covers Elections and Nominations) here and the DAA 2025 Election Rules here.
Our setbacks in 2024 make it clearer than ever—now is the time to stand up, organize and lead the fight for democracy from abroad. Please consider how you can contribute to the Party to drive success as part of the dedicated DAA leadership team. If you have any questions, please contact the NEC at [email protected].
— Ashley Arreola-Rogez (Chair), Pamela Small, Gregory Miles James, 2025 Nominations and Elections Committee
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Issues and Actions –
Solidarity Sundays Vienna: Picking Our Battles – Decide on The Issues We‘ll Focus On
Navigating Chaos with Strategy
On the day before Trump‘s second inauguration, 20 Americans gathered in Vienna to discuss what an effective opposition could look like in the future.
Solidarity Sundays co-coordinators Tanya and Jacqueline conducted an exercise in which the group discussed and identified the issues most important to us.
On February 16, we will choose the two to three areas we care most about and where we think we can have an impact. Future meetings will be devoted to learning, thinking, and acting on these issues.
Do you have two hours for fun and meaningful work to make democracy safe back home? Join us on Sunday, February 16, from 4 to 6 pm. We meet at Amerlinghaus, Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Vienna. RSVP
Questions? Comments? Email Tanya at [email protected]
— Tanya Lolonis, SolSun Vienna
Solidarity Sundays in Graz
Valentines for Valiant Representatives - and planning our resources for 2025
Join us in Graz to send thank-you postcards to our senators and representatives, thanking them for standing up for what is right, and showing them that their constituents all over the world are paying attention. Laptop optional if you prefer email, but we will provide postcards and stamps.
We will also plan out future activities for the coming year (such as the March 8th Women’s Day Business Walk, where we will tour women- and minority-owned businesses that offer better alternatives for our shopping than certain Trump administration funders). Bring your thinking caps! RSVP
— Caitlin Ahern, SolSun Graz
We Choose to Fight
Indivisible co-hosted a call this week called We Choose to Fight and 50,000 people joined. The barrage of attacks on our democracy over the first two weeks of Trump’s presidency – reaching a crescendo over the weekend – was a wake up call from our post election stupor.
It’s time for action.
Democrats Abroad has created a new Defending Democracy team to lead our efforts and keep members informed about what they can do. Take a look at the website and be sure to click to receive the Take Action Newsletter.
Timothy Snyder, friend of DA Austria, posted an essay on substack about the logic of destruction. It’s well worth a read. It’s a persuasive reason to become penpals with your Senators and Congressperson to maintain pressure and appréciation where earned.
If that’s not enough to convince you to write your representatives, read a bill that’s currently before Congress that will require Americans to prove their citizenship in person in order to register to vote.
And finally, here’s an action item from Indivisible you can do from abroad today – Call your Republican senators and demand they vote NO on Russell Vought’s confirmation.* Trump’s funding freeze wasn’t his idea. It wasn’t even Elon Musk’s idea. It was the brainchild of Russell Vought, who wrote an entire chapter of Project 2025 on how the OMB can bypass Congress (and ignore the Constitution) in order to implement MAGA’s extreme agenda. If confirmed to lead the OMB, Vought would control federal spending and abuse his power to choke off government programs and agencies that don’t align with MAGA ideology. The Senate will vote on his confirmation this week, so make sure they hear from you right away (calls are better than emails, but if you find your senators’ voicemail is full, you can also send them an email using this tool).
Keep abreast of the latest. Sign up for DA’s Take Action Newsletter!
– Jen Rakow-Stepper, Member-at-Large-Newsletter
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Review –
DA Austria Retreat
On Saturday, January 25, the members of DA Austria’s Executive Committee (ExComm) gathered at the well-appointed offices of the Impact Hub on Lindengasse in Vienna’s vibrant 7th district for the annual ExComm retreat. The purpose of the retreat was to
- Review and document our DA Austria activities and initiatives in 2024,
- Assess key successes and challenges as well as identify lessons learned from our DA Austria activities and work as an ExComm, and
- Develop a list of priority issues and lessons to share with the new, incoming ExComm once elected at this year’s AGM (more on this in this newsletter!).
To accomplish this, Diego Heatherman, our treasurer, led us through a series of reflections and creative exercises to encourage discussion, brainstorm new ideas, and exchange views and good practices on our work. Through these discussions, the ExComm generated and documented a set of learnings aimed at (1) strengthening Democrats Abroad Austria, (2) increasing focus on key issues important to us as Democrats and in the wake of the 2024 presidential election defeat, and (3) generating the foundation for a meaningful agenda for DA Austria 2025.
We were then joined by several dynamic and engaged members from the broader DA Austria community, who shared their innovative ideas, insights, and priorities for DA Austria to consider and employ in 2025. The ExComm is now reviewing our 2024 successes, challenges, and lessons learned – and are excited to share these resources with the incoming ExComm. Elections for the ExComm are coming up at the Annual General Meeting on March 16th! Run for something! If you’re interested in running for an office, please see the critical information about this process in this newsletter!
— Jacqueline Berman, Secretary
Dems in Graz Celebrate the Final Day of the Biden-Harris Administration
On January 19th, 6 Democrats from Graz and the surrounding area met at Operncafe in Graz to toast the many achievements of the Biden-Harris administration on its last day. It felt great to take a break from brooding and focus on how much Democrats did to better our society in the last 4 years. Then we discussed which issues were most worrisome for us, and finally, how we could take action. Our meetup was covered in the Kronen Zeitung!
We are planning to meet monthly and join efforts to stay motivated and make a difference where we can - including here in Styria. We welcome all interested Dems near Graz to get in touch and come to our future meetups! Contact [email protected] for more info.
— Caitlin Ahern, SolSun Graz
Thank you for reading the February newsletter, providing you all the information you need to stay up to date!