In This Issue —
Events:
- Return of the Progressive Pizza!
- St Patrick’s Day Irish Music & Dance
- Annual General Meeting & Elections @AGM on March 19
- Post AGM Dinner
Message from the Chair
Annual General Meeting and Elections:
- 2023 Annual General Meeting
- ByLaws Amendments
- Nominations and Elections Committee Candidate Announcement
Inside DA Austria:
- Apply to Open Caucus Positions
Issues & Actions:
- The 2024 DA Delegate Selection Plan
- The WarRoom
- 2023 Election Watch
Our Executive Committee meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month. Our next meeting will be held in person and online on: Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. Members are welcome to join us at the meetings. Please contact Richard at [email protected] to join.
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!
Message from the Chair
It is time for you to elect the leadership of DA Austria for the next two years. In this newsletter, you will find the candidate statements and bios of people running for our Executive Committee. Please read them and cast your vote, either online or in person at our Annual General Meeting in Vienna on Sunday, March 19. Even if there are not multiple candidates running for a single office, it is important for you to vote to show your support. Every one of these candidates is willing to volunteer their free time - on top of their busy lives - to keep DA Austria active, growing and contributing to getting out the vote for Democratic candidates. My heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to everyone running to keep up our vital work. Please vote with the online form below or see you at the AGM!
-Richard Chair, DA Austria
Events:
Monthly Executive Committee Meeting
When: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Online. Contact Richard ([email protected]) for the link.
St Patrick’s Day Irish Music & Dance
When: Friday, March 17, 2023
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Contact Richard ([email protected]) for ticket availability
Annual General Meeting and Elections
When: Sunday March 19, 2023
Time: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Where: SPÖ Neubau, Lindengasse 64, 1070 Vienna
After-AGM Dinner & Get Together
When: Sunday March 19, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Le Burger, Mariahilferstrasse 114, 1070 Vienna.
Where: Contact Richard ([email protected]) to RSVP
Return of the Progressive Pizza!
When: Thursday, March 30, 2023 NEW DATE
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: L’Osteria 1080 Vienna
AGM & Elections Agenda:
2023 Annual General Meeting and Officer Elections
DA Austria’s Annual General Meeting will be held in-person and online on Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 2 p.m. All DAA members are welcome to participate in the elections and join the meeting. We especially hope to see many of our members who live outside of Vienna and may not normally attend the AGM! Any American 18 or older by the next federal election and residing in Austria may also join the meeting and vote.
We are lucky to have a very special guest speaker: Ken Martin, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee! Ken is also currently Chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party and President of the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC). We’ll get his insights on the state of the Democratic party and how we can best position ourselves for 2024. DA Global Executive Director Jarryd Rauch, will also join our meeting. DA Austria is honored to have these two special guests join us online.
At the meeting we'll present brief reports on 2022, discuss plans for the upcoming year, and conduct a vote on amendments to the DAA Bylaws (see changes below). Most importantly, there will also be an Elections Meeting to elect an Executive Committee for the 2023-2025 term (see 2023 Election of Officers above).
DA Austria is required by our By-Laws to hold an Annual General Meeting prior to March 31 of each year. We also have a quorum requirement to make the meeting valid. Please help us meet these challenges by joining the AGM in-person or online!
Your participation, activism, and donations have made Democrats Abroad Austria a strong and vital organization for more than eighteen years. In 2023, we’ll continue working to strengthen the voice and vote of all our members.
Please RSVP for the meeting on our events page at democratsabroad.org/at_events. You will receive a confirmation email with the meeting link in case you want to join online.
Thank you for your support,
– DA Austria Executive Committee
After-AGM Dinner Get-Together
Join fellow DA Austria members after our Annual General Meeting for a relaxed no-host dinner at Le Burger, Mariahilferstrasse 114, 1070 Vienna. Please RSVP to [email protected] so we can let the restaurant know how many we’ll be.
2023 Election of Officers & DPCA Voting Representatives
Elections for the 2023-25 DAA Executive Committee will be both online and in person. Members voting online may cast their electronic ballots in advance of the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Please note, you may vote electronically in advance of the AGM, as well as during the AGM until the time scheduled for voting concludes. Please take care to sign your ballot with correct information on the Signature portion of the ballot.
During the AGM you will also have an opportunity to meet your representatives and tell them what you would like to see DA Austria do over the next two years. You can meet other DAA members from around Austria and hear about their activities, and you'll find out about plans for the 2024 general elections.
Read the Candidate Statements here
Cast your ballot here: https://forms.gle/k1AZbmwXhzYa7GAG7
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]
— 2023 Nominations and Elections Committee, Democrats Abroad Austria
Amendments to the Bylaws
At the Annual General Meeting, the DA Austria Bylaws Committee will submit amendments to DA Austria’s Bylaws for a vote by the membership. Recent changes in the DPCA Charter and enhanced clarity motivated the committee’s proposed amendments. As required by the Bylaws, the proposed amendments were distributed by email 30 days before the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The proposed amendments intend to accomplish the following:
- Revise and update the gender balance requirements (sec. 4.2)
- Revise the rules around DPCA Voting and Non-Voting Representatives (sec. 4.9, 4.10, 9.2, and 9.5)
- Clarify the authority to purchase items (sec. 5.4)
- Explain and streamline the Auditor function (sec. 6.1 and 6.2)
- Flesh out the working of the Arbitration Board provision (sec. 11.1)
- Make a variety of minor clarifications or corrections
Proposed changes to the document can be seen here.
Any questions regarding the proposed amendments can be directed to Josh Friedman, DAA Counsel and Chair of the Bylaws Committee, at [email protected].
— Josh Friedman, Brett Carnito, Bruce Murray, and Jennifer Rakow-Stepper, DAA ByLaws Committee
Inside DA Austria:
Apply to Open Caucus Positions
Democrats Abroad is an entirely volunteer organization and, as such, we rely on members like you to support our projects with your skills, energy, and passion. We’re looking for people who have anywhere from 10 minutes a week to 10 hours a month to help engage overseas Americans to vote. Take a look at the Caucus and Committee Volunteer Description List and make a pledge to help win important races up and down the ballot in 2024.
You don’t see a good fit? Drop us a line at [email protected] and let us know what you want to do to secure ‘24.
—Jennifer Rakow-Stepper, Member-at-Large
Issues and Actions:
The 2024 Delegate Selection Plan – Public Comment Period
The 30-day public comment period for the 2023 Democrat Abroad Delegate Selection Plan (DSP) will run through April 4, 2023. All state parties (including Democrats Abroad) need to submit a plan to the Democratic National Committee outlining the schedule and rules for voting in the Presidential primary and how state party delegates will be elected.
You can find a copy of DA's DSP here:https://wiki.democratsabroad.org/DSP2024
The schedule for approval is:
March 6–April 4: Delegate Selection Plan (DSP) public comment period
March 15: Virtual Town Hall (EMEA) to discuss and comment on the DSP
April 5-12: DSP revisions (Office of the International Counsel)
April 15: DSP final draft distributed
April 22: DSP vote for approval at the online Global Meeting (DPCA Voting Reps)
May 3: Submission to Democratic National Committee (DNC) (International Chair)
The WarRoom
Get the inside scoop directly from the DNC. Last month they published The Real Florida Blueprint about Ron DeSantis and his MAGA agenda.
2023 Election Watch
Wisconsin Primary
Are you a Wisconsin Voter? There is a critical State Supreme Court election on April 4, 2023 with the primary on February 21. Wisconsin voters need to request their ballots each year and only voters who mark "intend to return" may vote in these judicial elections. Find out more at https://www.votefromabroad.org/states/WI.
Ballotopedia writes about the Wisconsin State Supreme Court election, “While supreme court elections are officially nonpartisan, the court is considered to have a 4-3 conservative majority.[2][3][4][5] With Roggensack—a member of the court's conservative majority—retiring, this election will determine the ideological control of the court. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Corrinne Hess, "[Mitchell and Protasiewicz] are running as liberal candidates. Kelly and Dorow are running as conservative candidates.” (https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_Supreme_Court_elections,_2023)
Take a look at the Wisconsin State Team page to find out what DA’s Wisconsinites are up to! https://www.democratsabroad.org/wi-usa