In This Issue —
Events:
- Experienced Dems Meet-Up – TOMORROW!
- Annual Global Meeting
- Youth Caucus Pizza & Drinks
-
Get Trained!
Issues & Actions:
- Austria Calling Campaign
- Anyone Seen My Constitutional Right to Privacy?
Midterm Election News:
- Battleground State Calling Campaign
- Your Vote is Your Voice
Reviews:
- Immigration Law with Dr. Alexander Raidl
Our Executive Committee meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month. Our next meeting will be held online on: Thursday, May 19, 2021, at 7:30 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 International Chair and Global Women's Caucus Chair –
The Supreme Court’s draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, leaked by Politico, makes unmistakably clear what the Republican agenda is: an unprecedented assault on women and families in the United States.
For more than a generation, the right to reproductive freedom has been the law of the land. When a far-right administration took office in 2016, we knew that this right was in grave danger. Fast forward to 2022, and we now have three more ultra-conservative, anti-choice justices on the Supreme Court. The looming fate of Roe is the direct consequence of the 2016 election.
That many of us saw this coming does not make the blow less painful or severe. But we can fight back. 2022 is also a decisive election year. Together we must put in place both federal and state legislatures that fairly represent the will of the majority. This cannot wait.
Let us not forget in this dark moment that we have the power to elect legislators who will respect the law of the land and the will of the people this November. We must wield it. 34 US Senate seats, all 435 U.S. Representative seats, 46 state legislatures, and 36 state governorships are on the ballot. These are the offices that will determine access to abortion and reproductive health care in the absence of Roe.
REQUEST YOUR BALLOT FOR 2022
What you feel right now—do not forget it. Instead, resolve to turn this moment into collective action. Ways to fight back can be found in this statement from DA's Global Women's Caucus.
Raise your voice. Vote. And bring other people with you.
In Solidarity,
Ann Hesse, DA Global Women's Caucus Chair
Candice Kerestan, DA International Chair
Events:
Experienced Dems Meet-Up
When: May 19, 2022
Time: 6:00pm CEST
Where: Café Museum, Operngasse 7, Vienna 1010, Austria
Democrats Abroad Annual Global Meeting
When: May 21–22, 2022
Time: 10:00am CEST
Where: Online
Austria Youth Caucus Pizza and Drinks
When: June 7
Time: 6:00pm CEST
Where: Pizza Bussi Ciao, Piaristengasse 15, Vienna 1080, Austria
Get in Shape for the Midterms — Get Training!
When: Multiple dates through 2022
Where: Online RSVP for Zoom link
Issues & Actions:
Austria Calling Campaign
Be prepared for a short phone call from us to check if you have requested your 2022 ballot and if you need any support! Our top-notch phone banking team is starting our Austria-focused calling campaign now with the hope that many of you will happily tell us that you have already gone to VoteFromAbroad.org and requested your ballot! Thanks for either taking our call, listening to our voice message, and/or responding to our text message! Our goal is that at least 90% of our nearly 1,900 members in Austria vote in the midterms. Take a few minutes and request your ballot today!
Anyone Seen My Constitutional Right to Privacy?
We're all well versed in the leaked US Supreme Court opinion gutting Roe vs. Wade and the imminent threat to reproductive and other civil rights. The Court has wiped out "super precedent" before — but it was to add civil rights, not to take them back.
There are no easy answers, no quick fixes. Some expect the decision to galvanize voters ahead of the midterm elections. They hope that traditional midterm dynamics — swing voters moving away from the party in power and higher enthusiasm of the out-party's base — will be upended. That Republicans are focusing on the ruling's leak and not its substance suggests they are worried about this.
It's too early to say how the politics will play out. So let's cut to the chase: the politics are up to us. Where can we be most effective in the next six months?
The Senate: Majority Leader Schumer wants to codify abortion protections into law. Unfortunately, the legislation will be subject to filibuster, and there are only 49 Democratic co-sponsors of the bill — Senator Manchin is a holdout. So what can we do? Double down on expanding our majority in November — reelect our incumbents, and for those voting in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere — you need to elect Democratic senators.
The States: since we can no longer count on the federal government or courts to protect abortion, this fall's most meaningful races will be down-ballot races. Reproductive and voting rights will be decided state-by-state, along the lines of state legislative control. And it takes only a few hundred votes to flip a state chamber.
Think about that. A few hundred votes. We can do that.
The day the actual decision is released, abortion will be illegal across 22 states where Republicans hold governing majorities.
But in Arizona, the GOP holds a single vote majority; in Michigan, they have only three-seat majorities in both state Senate and House. These, and several other state legislatures, are flippable. Without Manchin, without changing the filibuster, we can protect access to abortion for millions of people.
Ways to make an impact in down-ballot campaigns:
- Join a DA State Team to call battleground voters, meet state candidates, and share voting information: [email protected]
- Contact phone-bank coordinator Yvonne Richard to remind and educate DA members about registering to vote from abroad: [email protected]
- Contribute to NARAL or Planned Parenthood, the Democratic Governors Association, and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
- Donate to Run for Something
-Tanya Lolonis, DA Austria Member-at-Large
Thank you for reading the June Newsletter!
Midterm Election News:
Battleground State Calling Campaigns
The overseas vote was the margin of victory in Georgia and Arizona in 2020 and we’re going to make sure to do it again in the upcoming midterms. Democrats Abroad phone bank volunteers are continuing to call members in battleground states.
We need your help to reach our members! It’s easy and satisfying. We call DA members who are happy to get the reminder and DA covers the call costs. Also, you can make as many or as few as you like and when it fits your schedule. There are regular trainings to get you started and our DA Austria’s Phonebank Coordinator, Yvonne Richard, will answer your questions. Be part of the effort to fight for our democracy! Find out more here.
Your Vote is Your Voice
One of the DA’s core activities is to help Americans to register and return their ballots. The non-partisan Vote from Abroad website has up to date information so voters are best informed about their State’s regulations and deadlines. There is also a voter protection team that works with Local Election Officers and State Secretarys to solve issues that disenfranchise overseas voters.
Every election cycle we hear from overseas Americans and dual citizens who say they didn’t know they had the right to vote in Federal and even State elections. Help us to spread the word amongst your family, friends, and colleagues. And if there are Americans in your sport’s team, club, school, or place of worship, we’re happy to come by and help get them registered – regardless of their party affiliation. Contact the Vote from Abroad Coordinator at [email protected]
Reviews:
Everything You Need to Know about Immigration Law with Dr. Alexander Raidl
Members gathered at Amerlinghaus and online to give and seek the advice and information provided by Dr. Alexander Raidl. Dr. Raidl has extensive experience helping third-party nationals address legal issues related to living and working in Vienna. Using the example of a fictional couple moving to Austria, Dr. Raidl took the audience through the entire process of Austrian immigration, job, and language requirements. Attendees shared their experiences and asked a wide variety of questions that were fully and expertly answered by Dr. Raidl. If you have any new or additional questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Raidl at [email protected] and check out his website and blog at: https://www.rechtsanwalt-raidl.at/
Please let us know if you would like another event with experts from other related areas/topics!
Thank you for reading the May Newsletter!