Here's what's happening in DA Austria in November —
Message from the Chair
Upcoming Events:
- Young Democrats Board Game Night
- Veterans and Military Families Caucus Meetup
- Solidarity Sundays: Hold the Line—Planning for a Critical Year
- Salzburg Monthly Meetup
- Thanksgiving Celebration
Event Highlights:
- Solidarity Sundays Planning: Fighting Smart in 2026
- Veterans and Military Families Caucus Meetup
- Annual Thanksgiving Dinner
Inside DA Austria:
- VOTE
- Vienna made an Indivisible reel!
Issues and Actions:
- Peer-to-Peer Direct Messaging Campaign
Review:
- Wienerwald Wine Walk & Tasting
- Veterans and Military Caucus (VMF) Inaugural Meetup
- No Tyrants Protest: We Auctioned Off Democracy
- Greetings from Vienna! A Portland Frog's European Adventure
- Solidarity Sundays: Why 102-101 Changes Everything
- Young Democrats October Board Game Night
- Young Democrats Phonebanking Party
Our next Executive Committee meeting will be on Thursday, November 13, at 7:00 p.m. Members are welcome to join us at the meetings. Please contact Brett Carnito at [email protected] for the address and/or meeting link.
DAA is committed to keeping you up to date while respecting your inbox. Our monthly newsletter brings together all the important information you need in one place, so you can stay informed without the extra emails. We appreciate you reading and staying connected!
Message from the Chair:
The final months of 2025 remain a busy time for Democrats Abroad in Austria. Our volunteers have been helping voters to register for the 2025 election. On October 18 our members gathered to protest abuses of power at home. Our leaders from the EMEA region came together in Brussels to prepare for the road ahead.
The upcoming month too is full of activity. We continue to build and train our team to be ready for what is sure to be a tumultuous 2026. Our Bylaws Committee has started the work of preparing draft bylaws that reflect the charter amendments adopted at this year’s DPCA global meeting for adoption at next year’s AGM. And of course we all look forward to seeing each other at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner!
We also bid farewell to Lisa Savitt, who has resigned from her role as Chair and stepped down from the Executive Committee. Thank you, Lisa, for your hard work and dedication to this organization in what has been a very challenging year!
— Brett Carnito, DA-Austria Chair
Upcoming Events:
Young Democrats November Board Game Night
When: Sunday, November 2, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: SpielBar, Lederergasse 26, 1080 Vienna
This is our monthly fun get-together for any American in Austria who considers themselves young! Every first Sunday of the month we hang out and play board games.
RSVP
Solidarity Sundays Planning: Fighting Smart in 2026
When: Sunday, November 16, 2025
Time: 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Where: Amerlinghaus, Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Vienna
Read more under Event Highlights below.
RSVP
Veterans and Military Families Caucus Meetup
When: Thursday, November 20, 2025
Time: 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Where: 1010 Vienna. Exact location: TBD
Read more under Event Highlights below.
RSVP
Salzburg Monthly Meetup
When: Friday, November 14, 2025
Time: 5:00–8:00 p.m.
Where: Krimplestätter Restaurant, Müllner Hauptstrasse 31, Salzburg 5020
RSVP
Thanksgiving Celebration
When: Thursday, November 27, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Zoku Vienna. Perspectivstrasse 6, 1020 Vienna
Limited tickets still available! Read more under Event Highlights below.
RSVP
Event Highlights:
Solidarity Sundays Planning: Fighting Smart in 2026
Sunday, November 16, 2025
2026 could be the year we push back—or the year authoritarianism locks in for a decade.
Pennsylvania’s State House is currently 102 Dems to 101 Republicans. Lose one seat, and Republicans control redistricting through 2041.
Join us to plan a postcard campaign targeting swing voters in races decided by hundreds of votes. Postcards increase turnout by 1-2% — the margin that tips these districts. Then we build SolSun’s 2026 calendar: which fights are winnable from Vienna, where small groups like ours can shift outcomes.
RSVP if you need to be part of holding the line, not just watching it collapse.
Veterans and Military Families Caucus Meetup
Thursday, November 20, 2025
Are you motivated after the No Tyrants / No Kings rallies that happen not only in America but around the world? Well, we are having another get together to organize Get Out The Vote (GOTV) or phone banking. In the VMF caucus “we have that can-do attitude”. So come along, bring some friends and help get this party started. RSVP
DA Austria's Annual Thanksgiving Dinner!
We'll meet again this year on the rooftop of the Zoku Hotel for a delicious meal and good company to celebrate community in 2025.
Please join us for our annual Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and bring your family and friends.
This year, we will celebrate on Thanksgiving Day — Thursday, November 27.
The restaurant manager, Jared, and the chef preparing our traditional dinner, Liz, are fellow Americans—both from California! We love Zoku for its modern and homey atmosphere, a delicious spread and, of course, Liz's experience hosting Thanksgiving dinners for large groups.
Price: €57 per adult, €22 for children 12 and under, plus a minimum donation of $5 per adult to reserve your spot and receive raffle tickets.
🦃 Thanksgiving Dinner Directions 🦃
Why this is different this year:
We’re using a new payment process to avoid high exchange rate costs. Dinner last year was $63; this year it is €57 plus a raffle ticket purchase. With this process, you pay less and we cover our costs.
Limited tickets still available! RSVP today!
Only U.S. citizens may make a donation for dinner and raffle tickets!
— - — - — - —
Menu: locally sourced turkey, wild mushroom stuffing, mashed potatoes with herbs, gravy, brussels sprouts, kale salad, green beans, Joseph Brot, homemade cranberry sauce, as well as butternut squash risotto for vegetarians.
Potluck desserts: As in past years, please bake or bring a favorite dessert or pie. Send an email in advance so we know what you are bringing. ([email protected])
Drinks: Everyone pays for their own drinks.
When: 6:00 p.m., Thursday, November 27, 2025. Dinner service begins around 6:30 p.m.
Where: Zoku Vienna rooftop, Perspektivestrasse 6, 1020 Vienna (U2 to Messe-Prater).
As with all DA events, only US citizens may make a donation, although they can invite anyone to join the fun. We ask our Austrian friends not to purchase tickets, but let your American partner/friend pay the tab.
This event sells out every year. Don't wait to get your tickets.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Inside DA Austria:
VOTE
If you’re a voter in one of the below states, please follow the corresponding hyperlink for info on your important race.
California - Prop 50 - Will give Governor Newsom the ability to redraw the maps five years early. This is a critical play in combatting the Republicans’ play to hold onto the House.
Pennsylvania - Critical race to hold onto four Democratic seats in the State Supreme Court.
Virginia - Governor and State House seats. We need to elect Abigail Spanberger. It’s too late to vote as an overseas voter, but make sure your friends and family in VA vote! The race is close.
New Jersey - There’s still time to vote for Mikie Sherrill from abroad.
Maine - is a referendum around voter suppression.
New York - The Zohran Mamdani mayoral election. Lucky you.
Vienna is in an Indivisible reel!
Ribbit ribbit, hooray for frogs!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP9V2PYEdP-/?igsh=eXNlYXQ2bzI0M20z
Issues and Actions:
Peer-to-Peer Direct Messaging Campaign
This is a relational organizing “get out the vote” push for the period of Oct 26 to Nov 4. We want our leaders, activists, and members to use your voices as Democrats Abroad and Voters Abroad to reach out to your wider network of voters and Americans at home and abroad.
- For your contacts abroad, we want voters abroad in key states to confirm they have their ballots, to vote for Democrats, to complete and return their ballots, to track whether it was counted for their state, and to get in touch with Democrats Abroad if they need help.
- For your contacts back home, we want voters in key states to know how critical their voice and their vote is in electing Democrats and stopping Trump, to make a plan to vote, to make sure they are registered, and to know how to get to the polls.
Please share these messages to help others vote from abroad and to encourage people back home to vote in critical elections taking place November 4, 2025 — because remember, for us living abroad, November is NOW.
Feel free to edit the draft messages below, and then paste these messages into SMS text messages, emails, or direct messages via WhatsApp, Signal, Viber, etc to any of your friends, family or even community groups in the state/city/county in question. Don’t worry about arguing with people who still support Trump—right now, our job is to make sure all our friends and family and wider community are encouraged to show up and VOTE BLUE. Courage is contagious and democracy itself is on the line this November.
For questions from overseas Democrats needing assistance, send them to [email protected] – this is the email address used below in the scripts. But if you think an overseas voter would prefer non-partisan voter help, send them to Votefromabroad.org to use the chat bubble or email at [email protected].
For questions about this campaign, or if you need help responding to voter questions about "why vote for Democrats," please contact me.
(With thanks to Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood Carry Water substack for the inspiration.)
— EMEA GOTV Coordinator and Deputy Global GOTV Officer Ada Shen, [email protected]
Review:
Wienerwald Wine Walk & Tasting
October 4, 2025
Despite initial cloudy skies and sporadic raindrops, our group of walking and wine enthusiasts set off from the Kahlenberg for a scenic descent into Grinzing. Brett Carnito and Harold Otto shared historical anecdotes about the region, and Ariana Pullano delighted us with her renditions of “der guate, alte Franz” and “es wird a Wein sein” on the way to the Buschenschank in Residence to taste Jutta Ambrositch’s wines. Many thanks to everyone who made this event a success!
Veterans and Military Families Caucus (VMF) Inaugural Meetup
October 16, 2025
We had a small gathering but we’re putting together our next steps as a caucus.
No Tyrants
We Auctioned Off Democracy at Karlskirche
A top-hat-wearing auctioneer named Dollar Bill stood in front of Karlskirche Saturday, October 18, gavel in hand, selling off American democracy piece by piece. “Free speech—who’ll start me at a million dollars? Voting rights? Do I hear 500 million?”
The crowd erupted: “Democracy is not for sale! Democracy is not for sale!”
This was No Tyrants Austria. Defiant. Joyful. Confident.
It started with an emcee in boxing gloves taking the stage to the Rocky theme. Then Danny Chicago got the crowd singing protest songs. There was an interview with a stand-in for the Portland Frog—yes, that dancing frog who went viral confronting ICE officers. A woman in a full banana costume held a sign: “Democracy Goes Bananas.”
A family drove from Graz. Someone came from Linz. A couple from CA got off their Danube cruise ship mid-excursion to join. Tourists stopped to film Dollar Bill’s absurd auction. Austrians asked questions. Americans who’d never been to a Democrats Abroad event showed up.
Robert Misik, one of Austria’s most prominent journalists, told the crowd: “The best way to defend democracy is while it still exists. The best way to defend freedom is while it has not yet been completely crushed.”
Bryan Quandt, a young American from Seattle, reminded everyone why we were standing there: because silence is complicity, and showing up matters.
The energy was real. People are hungry for this—not another Zoom meeting, not another doom-scroll session. Actual human beings standing together, doing something visible and joyful and defiant.
We were one of 2,700 No Tyrants events worldwide that day. But we weren’t just adding our names to a list. People interrupt river cruises for something memorable. They drive from Graz for something real.
The boxing gloves entrance to “Rocky” happened. Now imagine what we do next.
Greetings from Vienna! A Portland Frog's European Adventure
Well, hello and ribbit to all my fellow amphibians and concerned citizens! Your favorite inflatable correspondent here, reporting from my whirlwind European tour of the October 18th No Tyrants protests.
After becoming accidentally famous for getting pepper-sprayed outside Portland's ICE facility (which, well, is not good for the gills when blown into your air valve, if you know what I mean), I decided it was time to hop across the pond and bring a little Pacific Northwest know-how to our friends in Europe.
First stop: Vienna! I bounced my way to the stunning Karlsplatz where what looked like a few hundred Americans and supporters gathered to boo down the evil Dollar Bill’s attempt to auction off democracy, enjoy the musical stylings of Danny Chicago (where I hopped along to the dulcet tones of Dylan, Guthrie and his very own “Lets all go to Washington!”), inspiring speeches from a young American and a valiant writer fighting authoritarians – and many others, including an intrepid team of voter registerers! And, I was joined by no less than two fellow frogs and not one, but two strutting bananas!
We frogs made quite the splash, starring in multiple selfies and riling up the crowd to cheer on democracy’s defense. Not to be outdone, my fellow frogs made appearances in Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, Helsinki, and Madrid. Not everyone got it about the frog, but those Europeans quickly took to us inflatable frogs as a harbinger of joy, celebration, and protector of clean ponds, abundant flies, and freedom to crock across our beautiful American ponds – ruled by us frogs and our fellow Americans – and not by tyrants and kings!
The biggest challenge of international protest travel? European doorways, airport security, and economy seating that are NOT designed for your inflatable friends! But what I came away with was the clear-eyed understanding that whether you’re in Vienna, Paris, Portland, Des Moines, Atlanta, or points in between, frogs and people do not need kings, tyrants, or authoritarians. We just need democracy, defended by citizens (and the occasional inflated amphibian)!
Stay inflated, stay defiant! Your pal, The Portland Frog
Solidarity Sundays
October Meetup: Power-Mapping PA State House
We learned why state legislative races matter more than national spectacles: PA’s State House (102-101 Dem control) will decide redistricting through 2041—and Pennsylvania is a key swing state for 2028 general elections. SolSun is small, so we focus where that matters: state house races decided by hundreds of votes, where targeted postcards can decisively shift turnout.
We identified three target districts and committed to a postcard campaign for fall 2026. Next up: finalizing strategy and building our calendar. RSVP to our November event.
Young Democrats October Board Game Night
With everything going on in the world, it’s nice to have some time to unwind and relax with fellow Americans. That’s why we have our monthly social get-together for any American who considers themselves young (and their plus-ones) at SpielBar, a board game cafe in Vienna’s 8th district. October brought a big and boisterous crowd - we had to shove multiple tables together just to fit everyone! Like last time, we played a big game of Cards Against Humanity. RSVP to our November event.
Young Democrats Phonebanking Party
With the 2025 elections coming up, it’s important to do what we can. That's why for Young Democrats, in addition to our monthly social event, we had a phonebanking party. Three new phonebankers got trained, one phonebanker made their first ever calls, and dozens of voters were reached and assisted. Phonebanking is our calling!