Regional Chapter Meeting: Jarrys Meets with Democrats Abroad Japan Members 

“The global organization is only as strong as the people on the ground” - Jarryd Rauch

Democrats Abroad New Executive Director was joined virtually on March 8th in a DAJ regional meeting alongside 13 members, from Akita to Kyushu. 

Jarryd Rauch joins DA after a four year run with the Democratic National Convention as the State Party Operations Director.  Since taking on this role around Christmas of 2022, they have been working to ensure that the organization is equipped with the necessary resources to help Americans abroad vote in state and local elections. Jarry’s role in the organization allows them to be accessible for anything and everything. Additionally, while they oversee the day to day of the organization, they are currently working on where overseas voters had an impact on races in the most recent elections, information that will soon be accessible to all members. 

With everything going on it’s important for DAJ members to keep in mind a few things. 

1. Remember to re-register to vote.
2. Join us for all or any events that we have coming up. See the calendar for more details!
3. We are currently in our nominations process for elections. 

Discussion points brought up by fellow members allowed the new Executive Director to address various topics regarding the party’s effort to engage with new and old members. 

Some of the issues discussed include 

• The current role of the executive director
• DA’s future prospects 
• State voting data that can be made public for us to corroborate the information we present 
• It’s dismaying to read about politics in the U.S from a distance but overseas votes can be the margin of error in tight races and do make a difference
• The current political landscape is rife with GOP attacks
• The DNC, and DA are able to more effectively organize voters when we take a strong stance which only works when we all are aware and public about the issues we care about
• Part of the process in the acquisition and retention of volunteers, and voters, is levering the work that DA is doing to increase the salience of issues they care about while also highlighting what’s going on
• Outside of Tokyo, DA can run ad and phone banking with other forms of media to drum up interest, especially if we turn to Americans who avoid English press
• When people are living abroad, the American political system is out of sight out of mind for many people but we can change this.

DAJ sponsored “Personal Storytelling” Communication Workshop with Democrats Abroad Members from all over the world.

Democrats Abroad New Executive Director was joined virtually on March 10th in a Global Communications workshop meeting alongside 12 members, from Switzerland to India. Since the new Executive Director took up his position almost 3 months ago, one of his new interactive workshops focuses on “Telling our Story”, which emphasized the importance of personal stories in sharing the message of why we are involved in Democrats Abroad. 

The workshop was broken up into two parts. First, asking ourselves what is a message and how can we incorporate our stories into that message. A message is not just a list of points or a slogan, it is part of an ongoing conversation that is collaborative and executed with a vision. Our stories inform our why and translate our values into the actions we participate in. The second part of the presentation brought up the importance of taking those stories and turning them into a hard ask. Making a hard ask encourages members to communicate intention and expectations clearly, while also being transparent with people about what they are committing too. For example, making a hard ask might mean directly asking a new volunteer if they can commit 3 hours to phone banking on an upcoming date, while remaining both specific and clear about your expectations. 

Overall the discussion concluded with the consensus that personal investments are essential when working on a campaign. The key is controlling the narrative you are sharing to help you frame your ask in a way that encourages continuous, positive engagement with Democrats Abroad. Toward the end participants were given a chance to share their stories of why they joined Democrats Abroad, why they stay, and were able to participate in a mock roleplay using the new strategies they learned. 

While living abroad can be challenging, being part of the Democratic Party Abroad helps bridge the gap between Americans living abroad and the political landscape in the United States.

DA Japan Voter Outreach Volunteer Opportunities

Get Out the Vote - voter outreach volunteer opportunities: Hang out with some cool Democrats Abroad Japan members, meet new people and make a difference! sign up for an event - select a 2-3 hours shifts and lets make it happen! Sign up here - Check any events or shifts you can join.

Yes - even in 2023 there are important elections are coming up and we need Kanto area volunteers to help spread the word about voting at all of the following events this Spring -- other events may be added

Mar 18: Golden Dragon Dance https://tokyocheapo.com/events/golden-dragon-dance/

• Mar 19: Shibuya–Omotesandō Women’s Run 2023 (9:00-10:30am) https://tokyocheapo.com/events/shibuya-omotesando-womens-run-2023/
• Mar 19: The Oedo Antique Market  https://tokyocheapo.com/events/oedo-antique-market/20230319/
• Mar 25: Mottainai Flea Market Nakano Park http://www.mottainai.info/jp/event/fleama/
• Mar 25: Anime Japan https://tokyocheapo.com/events/anime-japan/
• Mar 25: Tokyo Outside Festival Shinjuku  https://outside-festa.com/
• Mar 26: Mottainai Flea Market Nakano Park  http://www.mottainai.info/jp/event/fleama/
• Mar 26: Anime Japan https://tokyocheapo.com/events/anime-japan/
• Mar 26: Tokyo Outside Festival Shinjuku https://outside-festa.com/