--

2021 Early October Newsletter contents:

1. Message from your national officers
   1. New Jersey Voting Rights Expansion
   2. Stimulus Payments Webinar
2. A small action you can take today!
   1. ERA
3. Voters Alert!
   1. VA, NJ
4. Upcoming DA Japan Events
   1. Monthly SPEAKEASY
   2. Tokai Regional Meeting
   3. Action Meeting - Climate Action
5. Upcoming DA Global Events
   1. Stimulus Webinar
   2. New Jersey Voting Rights Rally
   3. Feminist Literary Festival
6. Past DA Japan Events
   1. Sept 25 Phone banking training
   2. Sept 30 Action meeting
   3. Oct 2 Reproductive health workshop
7. Community Interest
   1. Yokohama tour

🌟Message from your national officers

Democrats Abroad and Democrats Abroad Japan are focusing on issues critical to our members at all levels of our political system. 2021 is important as our engagement now is a preview to what we can or cannot accomplish in 2022! We are as powerful as our members are active - make your voices heard by joining our events and teams.

Want to get more overseas votes counted in state elections? Our last DAJ chair, John Baumlin, has been the central driving force pushing for the expansion of voting rights for overseas New Jerseyans. Join our online rally on Tuesday Oct 12th at 9:30pm - details below.

Did you get all 3 of your stimulus payments?

Join the webinar on Monday, Oct 11th, at 4pm to find out more - details below.

Are you in Central Japan? The Tokai Chapter will have an online gathering on Oct 26 at 6:30pm - details below.

Are you interested in environmental policy? Join Da Japan’s Action meeting on Oct 28 at 8:00pm which features a guest speaker from the Climate Reality project - details below.

Want to make a difference in 2022? DA Japan is looking for volunteers to join the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) and communications teams now. Please scroll down to find out more!

You are Democrats Abroad Japan. DAJapan is the US Democratic Party here in Japan. We make every US citizen’s voice heard through electing democrats, influencing policy, and connect

ing with each other. We are as powerful as our members are active - make your voices heard!

❤️ From your DA Japan Executive Committee

Sarajean (Chair), Elliott (Vice Chair), Dave (Secretary), Ruth (Treasurer)

🌟 A small action you can take today!

1️⃣ Sign Petition to your US senators to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment

Enough states have ratified the ERA to amend the U.S. Constitution, but the U.S. Senate must pass SJ Res. 1 to extend the time limit.

It is very easy once you sign up to use Resist.bot. You can text for free using Telegram.

Text "SIGN PUKLOC" (without the quotes) to Resist.bot (addressee)on your smartphone using Telegram. You can also use Messenger on Facebook to sign the petition.

Instructions on how to set up Telegram and Resist.bot on your smartphone and PC: Presentation HERE: video walk-through HERE:

🌟 Voters Alert

1️⃣ Virginia and New Jersey VOTERS:

Hey, Virginia and New Jersey Voters, if you have been putting off registering, October 12th is the deadline!

Virginia election information can be found HERE: and New Jersey information HERE:

🌟Upcoming DA Japan Events

1️⃣ October SPEAKEASY on the 14th at 7pm.
Join friends new and old to discuss the matters of the day, or whatever interests you. Bring your favorite beverage and join us on webex. RSVP HERE

2️⃣ Democrats Abroad Japan Tokai Chapter Online Get-Together

Welcome all Tokai members and supporters. We will meet on Google Meets When: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021 AT 6:30 PM

Follow the link HERE: to RSVP.

3️⃣ Action Meeting Thursday, October 28th, 8 to 9:30PM

7:45-8:00 sign in

8:00-9:30 Open discussion

Speaker:

Chris Kozak, Climate Reality Leader

Moderator: Sarajean

Join Chris and Sarajean for an informative and energizing discussion about climate action! We will talk about living a more sustainable lifestyle, the Green New Deal, the Citizens Climate Lobby and actions we can take right now at the local, community, and federal levels.

Actions will include

1) simple things you can do every day

2) using your consumer power to support greener businesses and

3) contacting govt officials on a specific bill and

4) voting.

*If you are interested in being a green leader for the future this is for you!

NOTE: We will share a pre-event email just before the event to get you prepared for the talk!

RSVP HERE:

🌟 Volunteer Opportunities :

1️⃣ Call for GoTV committee members!

GOTV: Did you know that only 8% of the 92,000 eligible U.S. voters in Japan voted in 2020??? Would you like to help increase that number in 2022 so we can control congress? Then join us in Getting Out the Vote of the other 92%!

We need active volunteers to join the GOTV Committee! What we will do: plan voter outreach events, research and gather info on upcoming elections, create and support online and (in the future) in-person voter registration and information events.

If you're interested in volunteering for the GOTV Committee, please send an email to [email protected]

2️⃣ Call for Communications committee members!

We need to spread the word about DAJ to more people throughout Japan. What we will do: collaborative outreach, contact other organizations about DA Japan, contact the media, create short videos, and spread the word about events using traditional and social media. If you're interested, please send an email to [email protected]

🌟 Save the Date! Upcoming DA Global Events

1️⃣ Calling all New Jerseyans and voting rights allies!

October 12, 2021 9:30pm JST

New Jersey Voting Rights Rally

What we will do:

• Meet the legislators sponsoring inclusive legislation for voters abroad
• Learn how you can help bring the bill across the finish line
• Participate in a virtual group door knock
• Getting voting assistance for the November 2 election

RSVP HERE:

The November 2nd state election in New Jersey will set the tone heading into 2022, and Democrats need to pull out all the stops in this election! New Jersey voters abroad who intend to return to New Jersey at some point should request their ballot today at www.votefromabroad.org and return it ASAP!

Some states - like New Jersey - deny state and local voting rights to those who indicate that their "return is uncertain" on their ballot request. So, Democrats Abroad is strategizing to expand and protect voting rights one state at a time, starting with New Jersey. NJ Assembly and Senate bills: NJ A5306/S3761, would change the law back and enfranchise all overseas voters once again. The bill passed the NJ Assembly! Now we need your help to pass S3761 in the NJ Senate and elect officials to protect overseas voting rights, so such an injustice never happens again.

Here's a link to more information about A5306/S3761. To support Democrats Abroad's important work to restore NJ voting rights, please DONATE HERE.

2️⃣ HOW TO GET ALL YOUR STIMULUS PAYMENTS THIS YEAR WEBINAR

Join Democrats Abroad as tax expert Nathalie Goldstein MsC, EA and CEO of MyExpatTaxes discusses how to receive your Economic Impact Payments as an American living abroad, plus discusses 101 tax basics.

RECORDING HERE:

3️⃣ Friday, October 01, 2021 at 12:01 AM through October 25, 2021 at 12:01am Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Feminist Literature Festival October 2021

RSVP for Zoom link HERE:

What better way to celebrate the written word than joining the Feminist Literature Book Club of the Global Women's Caucus for a month-long literary festival!

For more information and to RSVP HERE:

🌟Past DA Japan Events

Thanks to Tokai chair, Eric Gondree, for organizing the Sept 25 phone banking training for DAJ members! We will plan another this winter to gear up for the 2022 elections.

The Sept 30 Action meeting: Why Vote in Local Elections? Brought in people from all over DA to talk about the issues that matter locally and globally.

Before the panel discussion, DAJ GOTV Chair, Rebecca Thompkins, held a voter registration clinic to answer voter questions and remind us of the upcoming deadlines.

Electing people locally to influence issues that matter to us all such as voting rights, healthcare, housing, abortion, and gun control, is of the utmost importance! Our panelists shared ideas and experiences working at the local and state levels. We also shared information on the women’s health protection act and how to influence your own state’s voting laws. Thanks to both John’s for their time and efforts!

The Oct 2 Let’s talk about Sex Reproductive rights workshop brought together members from DA Japan and DA Korea with students from Sophia University. Main discussion topics included the need to dispel myths about sex, and talk more openly about consent and GBV. We also shared information on the ERA and the need to elect the right leaders.

Thanks to all who joined!

🌟 COMMUNITY INTEREST

Yokohama Historical Walking Tour

w/ Temple University Japan professor Dr. Kyle Cleveland

October 23 at 1:00-6:00pm

Information HERE:

Friend --

2021 mid-Sept Newsletter contents: 

1. Message from your national officers 
2. A small action you can take today!
   1. Women's Health Protection Act
3. Voters Alert!
4. Upcoming DA Japan Events 
   1. Monthly SPEAKEASY
   2. Action Meeting
5. Volunteer Opportunities
   1. Phonebanking
   2. GoTV - Get Out the Vote
6. Upcoming DA Global Events

🌟Message from your national officers

With the decisions made in Texas on sexual and reproductive rights, 18 states enacting 30 laws limiting voting rights, and new limits on gun control, it has become increasingly clear that we need to make our voices heard in elections every year.  Many of the issues dear to Democrats, environmental policy, reforming and restructuring policing, equitable fair access to a fair justice system, racial justice, gender and sexual equity, housing policy and quality healthcare for all are impacted by decisions made at the state and local levels. We cannot  wait until the next presidential election to vote.

Democrats Abroad is deep in the thick of Get Out the
Vote activities and we need your support! While limited to online activities due to COVID-19, DA members globally have already called and texted more than 9000 people in California and are now contacting voters in Virginia and New Jersey by phone, email, social media and text.

Da Japan is looking for volunteers to join the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) and communications  teams now. Please scroll down to find out more about how you can join us!

You are Democrats Abroad Japan. DAJapan is the US Democratic Party  here in Japan. We make every US citizen’s voice heard through electing democrats, influencing policy, and connecting with each other. We are as powerful as our members are active  - make your voices heard!

❤️ From your DA Japan Executive Committee

Sarajean (Chair), Elliott (Vice Chair), Dave (Secretary), Ruth (Treasurer)

🌟 A small action you can take today!

1️⃣ Tell your Representative to Vote YES on the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA)!

We ask all DAJ members to contact their 
Representatives before 9/23. WHPA is federal legislation that will protect the right to access abortion care throughout the United States. Equal access to abortion care—everywhere—is essential for social and economic equality, reproductive autonomy, and the right to determine our own lives. WHPA is federal legislation that works toward a future where all of us are free to make the personal decisions that shape our lives, our futures, and our families, without political interference.

Vote "Yes" to Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA).

Send this petition to your representatives in Congress by doing the following:

Text "SIGN PLQGZD" (without the quotes) to Resist.bot (addressee)on your smartphone using Telegram. You can also use Messenger on Facebook to sign the petition. Just follow the same instructions.

🌟 Voters Alert

1️⃣ Virginia and New Jersey VOTERS:  Register Today!

Keep VA and NJ Blue 

Virginia election information can be found HERE: and New Jersey information HERE:

🌟Upcoming DA Japan Events

1️⃣ Action Meeting

September and October will feature guest speakers from outside Democrats Abroad Japan and we hope you can join us on Sept 30 and Oct 28 

Note: The September action meeting will be on September 30 because September 23 is a national holiday.

September Action Meeting Sept 30, 8 to 10 PM

Theme: Why Vote in Local Elections? 

8 to 845 GOTV Voter clinic - have your 2021 election questions answered

Fall 2021 Elections are upon us! Bring your questions to Rebecca, DA Japan GOTV Team leader, who will review some of the basics for upcoming elections as well as important deadlines. Especially important for NJ, VA and Ohio voters!

845-9:00 Open discussion time

9:00-10:00 Panel discussion: Why Vote in Local Elections? 

Speakers 

John Choe, Queens-based Community Activist and former New York City Council Candidate 

John Baumlin, past-chair DAJ, and current DPCA Representative.  

Moderator: Sarajean 

Join us for an interactive discussion on the importance of DA members' participation in State and Local Elections. Our panelists will share specific examples of how decisions made at the local and state government level impact people’s lives in communities and even those of us living overseas.  We will conclude the evening with a few specific actions you can take! 

Actions will include 1) contacting govt officials on a specific bill 2) enhancing our voice by bringing in new people and 3) voting

The DAJ Action Meeting is held every 4th Thursday, but bec 23rd is a holiday, it will be on Sept. 30th. Doors open at 7:45pm.  RSVP HERE:

2️⃣ October SPEAKEASY on the 14th at 7pm. 
Join friends new and old to discuss the matters of the day, or whatever interests you.  Bring your favorite beverage and join us on webex.   RSVP HERE

3️⃣ Women’s March Online: Defend our Reproductive Rights: Oct 2

A virtual gathering for community action to defend
sexual health and reproductive rights. Two panels featuring young women and Democrats Abroad Japan members will present key issues facing our daily lives and actions you can take.

More details available later in September.

🌟 Volunteer Opportunities :

1️⃣

DAJ Phone Banking training!

9/25 11-1pm online!!

Even before the 2022 elections, there are plenty of phonebankiing opportunities starting now: Democrats Abroad is making a push into state races! Volunteer to do phonebanking a flexible and very effective outreach that you can do from home, at whatever times are best for you! If you care about winning elections, DA's phonebankiing campaigns are a great chance to make a contribution which really makes a difference.

DA Global is organizing phone banking campaigns throughout September and early Oct but you need to learn how to use the app!  RSVP HERE:

2️⃣ Call for GoTV committee members!

GOTV: Are you interested in getting more involved
with DAJ's Get Out the Vote efforts? We need active members to volunteer to join the GOTV Committee! Duties include: helping to plan voter outreach strategy and events, researching information about upcoming elections, helping out with online and (in the future) in-person voter registration and information events.

If you're interested in volunteering for the GOTV Committee, please send an email to

[email protected]

🌟Save the Date! Upcoming DA Global Events

1️⃣ Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 03:00 PM Singapore Time 

Virtual - Please RSVP for Zoom info HERE: 

DALCC Youth Caucus presents INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN THE DIGITAL LANDSCAPE

As the world grapples with a pandemic, intercultural communication is all the more pressing. Why is cross-cultural dialogue so important? How can we ensure that our communication is held to the highest standard? Our global panel of youth hopes to give insight into this topic.

2️⃣Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 04:00 PM JST

Texans Abroad Planning Meeting – AP Friendly time

Info and RSVP HERE:

Join us to map out our outreach for 2021 heading into the 2022 Midterms and crucial State and Local elections. Everyone is welcome! It's all hands on deck as we gear up for the coming months.

.

.

.

.

3️⃣ Friday, October 01, 2021 at 12:01 AM through October 25, 2021 at 12:01am Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Feminist Literature Festival October 2021

RSVP for Zoom link HERE:

What better way to celebrate the written word than joining the Feminist Literature Book Club of the Global Women's Caucus for a month-long literary festival!

Literature has always been the hallmark of how people communicate across cultures, beliefs, and generations. In fact, many social movements were initiated by pen and paper, and passed along in meeting halls, carried over oceans, and grown in academic soils. We invite you to celebrate with us: read a book, write a story, and bring your friends and family to join our month-long fest that is sure to inspire and inform! 

For more information and to RSVP HERE:

The 2021 Tokai Nomination and Election Committee (NEC) is pleased to announce the provisional results of the 2021 Tokai Chapter Election. Votes were counted on June 27th, and recorded by the NEC as follows:

Table of contents: 

1. Online Town hall event on June 24th at 8pm
2. Online Action Meeting - MONTHLY ON 4TH THURSDAY 8:00-9:30
3. Online Speakeasy - MONTHLY ON 2nd THURSDAY 7:00~9:30
4. Call for volunteers to join DA Japan’s slack
5. Vision for DAJ & Greetings from Chair Sarajean Rossitto

Fellow citizens and friends of democracy,

Thank you so much for your hard work in maintaining American democracy these last two years. As we know in Asia Pacific, this is not something to be taken for granted.

Moving forward, I ask you to do something I feel very passionately about, but did not spend nearly enough time articulating during my term - and that is to support the tools of democracy. I encourage you to explore decentralized solutions for communication. I encourage you to embrace encryption and your civil liberties wherever possible. The success of democracy is not a particular platform or data point, the success of democracy is when we can have conversations and listen to each other in ways that have not been manipulated by other actors seeking money or power.

In our increasingly digital world, we must always be conscious of where and how we choose to organize. Is the platform we're organizing on harvesting data? Is it sorting our conversations? Is it open source? Where is its funding coming from? How does it manipulate our messaging? These are all important questions we must always consider and our Executive Committee considered often. I encourage all future political volunteers of any sort to do the same. Words are strong, but where, how, and when you say them will all have a great impact on their meaning.

Most importantly, never forget to cultivate the most important tool you have - your political imagination. Without the ability to dream and imagine a future we want to live in, we will never be able to articulate the societal goals and what good government can be to our constituents, fellow citizens, family, and friends. Without the ability to colorfully present that future, we will always fail to draw the interest of any particular person or group. Few will be motivated to save the world from Climate Change. Almost everyone will be motivated to breathe cleaner air every morning.  

For our lives to improve, we must keep our minds open to what is possible. Today, the words of any single person can be more influential than a news network, and money is being minted and valued by people. Let us look towards expanding the power we have as people. Let us let go of pragmatic assumptions, and cultivate groups around messages of change that we want to see.

I truly thank you all for your support and friendship. Please continue to support democracy, support democratic movements, and the tools of democracy that make those happen. I look forward to seeing what we, the people, can all create together.

Democracy Lives in Transparency,
John Andrew Baumlin Jr.
National Chair & Asia Pacific 2020 Delegate for Bernie Sanders
Democrats Abroad Japan

Voting for the 2021 DAJ Tokai Chapter Election is now open! Send in your ballot by June 26th!

Please download the following document for everything you need in order to vote, including instructions for casting your ballot, the statements from the candidates, and your empty ballot: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X1GM92E2EnA5zReClXbS10FQ6Rh2BUQq/view?usp=sharing

Information will also be listed below:

Voting Instructions

Please fill out the attached ballot and vote your preference for each of the officer positions. Indicate your choice by marking the box before the name of your chosen candidate for office. Each candidate listed has confirmed their interest in each position. Voting for a write-in candidate is allowed, but that candidate must meet the eligibility requirements for that position and accept said position within 30 days of receiving a plurality of votes after the election. You must both print your name and sign the bottom of the ballot. Unsigned ballots are considered to be invalid under the Democratic National Committee (DNC) bylaws.

You can submit your ballot in one of two ways in this election:

• Fill out the ballot electronically and attach it in an e-mail to [email protected]
• Print the ballot, fill it out, scan or take a photo, and attach it in an e-mail to [email protected]

Voting closes on June 26^th at 11:59pm JST. All ballots must be received by this time. As a reminder, in order to vote in this election, you must be an American citizen, 18 years of age or older, a member of Democrats Abroad Japan, and a resident of the Tokai region (Aichi, Gifu, and Mie Prefectures) of Japan.

Ballot Tallying

After being received, the NEC will count the ballots and make a full report to the DAJ Tokai membership by June 30^th, 2021. The ballots will be tallied by the NEC on Sunday June 27^th at 3pm JST online via WebEx. Anyone in our membership may attend as a neutral observer to the process.

WebEx Link: https://democratsabroad.webex.com/webappng/sites/democratsabroad/meeting/info/cdd2a927472108181f47b00fea3c76d2
Password: dems

If you have any questions concerning the ballot process or procedures, please contact the NEC at [email protected]

Sincerely,
Paul Smith, Jason Morgan, and Anna Costello
DAJ 2021 Tokai Nomination and Election Committee

The 2021 Nomination and Election Committee (NEC) is pleased to announce the results of the 2021 National Election. Votes were counted on May 29th, and recorded by the NEC as follows:

Announcement of 2021 Democrats Abroad Japan Tokai Election

The 2021 Nomination and Election Committee (NEC) of Democrats Abroad Japan (DAJ) Tokai Chapter is proud to call upon our membership to submit their nominations for the 2021 DAJ Tokai Chapter Election. The call for nominations is for the following positions:

• Tokai Chapter Officer positions
  • Chair (Volunteer Lead, Raises New Leaders)
  • Vice-Chair (Serves as Chair in their absence; Supports the Team)
  • Secretary (Manages/maintains membership database; Technical and Precise)
  • Treasurer (Manages the Tokai finances, maintains transparency and records) 

The Nomination and Election Committee (NEC) of Democrats Abroad Japan (DAJ) would like to open voting for the 2021 National Election from now (April 18th) until May 28th at 11:59pm!

Please download the following document for everything you need in order to vote, including instructions for casting your ballot, the statements from the candidates, and your empty ballot: http://drive.google.com/file/d/1AktdH-H6RkSxFiIJS-0Db6pMn0PM7a90/view?usp=sharing

PLEASE NOTE: Only vote for the Member-at-Large in the region of Japan you reside in. (e.g. If you reside in Tokyo, please only vote for "Member-at-Large for Eastern/Northern Honshu", leave the other Member-at-Large positions blank)

Democrats Abroad Japan’s Annual General Meeting is taking place this Sunday April 18th at 2pm via WebEx! 

Please attend to learn about what the party does for you, and how you can advance and change it! While we usually have enough in person, this will be our first completely online Annual General Meeting (AGM). If you attend any meeting for Democrats Abroad Japan, this is the one! It is imperative to have at least twenty members in attendance for quorum to stay in compliance, so please attend this Sunday even if you can’t stay the whole time!