Dear Democrats Abroad Japan Members,

The biggest thing we need to do this year is Vote! in November and make sure all our 4000 DAJ members, their friends and families vote, too. One of the most effective ways we can do that is by calling/messaging them through a 📞phone banking campaign.

We need to act fast⏰.  The recommended date for yearly voter registration to get a ballot this year is August 1st. Only 600 of our roughly 4000 members in Japan have completed their www.votefromabroad.org ballot requests so far.😱   

 Ways you can help:

1.     Phone banking📞- help call our DAJ members

     We are launching an online phone banking campaign, and need volunteers. It's easy. The campaign software does automatic dialing, and then you just follow the script on the screen.

Sign up at https://www.democratsabroad.org/voter_support_team (more details at # 3.)

1.   Register Yourself!

         If you have not filled out your votefromabroad.org ballot request, go do it NOW, so we don’t need to call you. If you have already requested your ballot this year, forward the link to your US citizen friends and colleagues. 🙏

Go to https://www.votefromabroad.org/

1.     Join a Phone banking online party📞🎉

DA Australia is sponsoring online phone bank parties several nights a week.  All Democrats Abroad members living in Asia Pacific countries 🌏 are welcome to join. They provide training on how to join the call campaign, then everyone goes off to make phone calls for an hour, and finally everyone returns to have a quick online postmortem discussion.  We can do our own team-Japan campaign “2020-07 JP CC-BallotReq Japan-ALL #057B (0000-0800EDT)”

RSVP for the Australia events at https://www.democratsabroad.org/au_events

For information on the campaign, please contact JP-treasurer@democratsabroad.org

There will be a peaceful march for Black Lives Matter in Fukuoka on Sunday, June 21st. The organizers aim to spread awareness of the movement and expect the event to be well-attended. Previous Black Lives Matter marches in Osaka and Tokyo attracted over 4500 attendees combined. 

Democrats Abroad Japan fully supports this event and encourages members to attend if possible. It would be wonderful to see Fukuoka bring the combined attendance up to 5000 attendees! Please follow any precautions for coronavirus as set by the organizers and follow all local ordinance for a peaceful march.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: Sunday, June 21st, 13:00 JST (1:00pm)

Location: Tenjin Central Park

Address: 1 Chome-1 Tenjin, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0001

For more information, check Black Lives Matter Fukuoka’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

You voted in the primary & did the work for the platform! Now it's time to get out there and do some grassroots work! Time to go meet people, learn about issues, and get on the phone with members! 

There's a number of events happening in Tokyo this month we thought we'd let you know about! 

Here's 3 events for you to look at for June!  

• Black Lives Matter Peaceful March, Yoyogi Event Plaza
• Nerd Nite Watchwords - Tools for Democracy, Online
• Phonebanking Training, Online

See below for details about each of these events!

Read more

Keep our DNC Members accountable to their members! Even now, every vote matters!

UPCOMING 2020 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTIONS

See the full list of upcoming primary elections, including for federal and state-level positions.

Read more

Coronavirus Aid for Americans Abroad

Thanks to the Corona Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, relief is being distributed for working people amongst the current pandemic crisis. We have done the research, and Democrats Abroad wanted to let you know that Americans living abroad who filed their taxes and made a gross income of less than $99,000 are eligible for the relief under the package! You can receive up to $1,200 (plus $500 for each child) to help with everything going on right now. Furthermore, Americans with federal student loans automatically have their interest rate set to 0% for 60 days and can request a 60-day payment suspension.

Click here for more details on the act. 

 

Delegates for Democratic National Convention

Democrats Abroad will send 21 delegates to the National Convention in Milwaukee on August 17th. The deadline to apply for a delegate position is April 17th. This is a great honor and among the most important civic roles for U.S. citizens living abroad. Any DA member is eligible to run, and the Affirmative Action Committee strongly emphasizes the importance of DA members from historically-underrepresented backgrounds to run as delegate candidates in showing the world the diversity of our Party and our members around the world.

Forms to declare delegates’ candidacy are now available online. 

Japan Voting Center Provisional Results

Global Presidential Primary 2020 

John A. Baumlin Jr, National Chair of Democrats Abroad Japan

Yesterday, on March 8th, 2020, voters gathered in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya to cast their ballots. No challenges were reported to the voting centers, indicating a successful and fluid operation for the Voting Centers in Japan. The provisional results from each Voting Center in Japan and totals are below: 

Provisional Results Breakdown

Total Voting Center Provisional Results

Joseph R. Biden	24 Votes
☑ Bernie Sanders	176 Votes
Elizabeth Warren	11 Votes
Andrew Yang	1 Vote

Kanto Voting Center (Tokyo) Provisional Results

Joseph R. Biden	16 Votes
☑ Bernie Sanders	94 Votes
Elizabeth Warren	6 Votes
Andrew Yang	1 Vote

Kansai Voting Center (Osaka) Provisional Results

Joseph R. Biden	7 Votes
☑ Bernie Sanders	54 Votes
Elizabeth Warren	4 Votes

Tokai Voting Center (Nagoya) Provisional Results

Joseph R. Biden	1 Votes
☑ Bernie Sanders	28 Votes
Elizabeth Warren	1 Votes

Special Thanks

Special thanks to our voting center volunteers and observers, who took great precautions in our voting centers for the safety of our membership. 

Vote Remotely!

A note that if you could not attend yesterday - you can still cast your ballot remotely by March 10th at midnight Pacific Time (GMT -7). Many people will vote remotely due to safety concerns regarding COVID-19, and they will be counted when the official Democrats Abroad global results are announced later this month.

To vote remotely, please visit and follow the instructions at: https://www.democratsabroad.org/primary 

 

Corona Virus Advisory for Voting Centers

The safety of all our members is very important to us at Democrats Abroad Japan. In order to combat the threat of rising infection of COVID-19, effective immediately, we are implementing the following safety precautions for all of our upcoming in-person voting events in coordination with local ordinance for the month of March, 2020.

• Each volunteer at our Ballot Assistance Events and Voting Centers is to wear proper preventative supplies (such as masks, gloves, etc) to reduce direct contact with others. Please coordinate with your voting center manager about reimbursements for these supplies.

• All volunteers and venue assistants are asked to be vigilant about spreading out lines and keeping people within a reasonable distance of one another if any centers reach a high volume.

• We ask all members in the Hokkaido region to suspend all in-person activities for the next 3 weeks in accordance with the State of Emergency for that region.

• All members, if you are sick with cold or flu-like symptoms, have children, are elderly, or otherwise at high risk, we recommend that you please follow the instructions below regarding remote voting.

Remote Voting

Remote voting for the 2020 Global Presidential Primary is now open. You can follow the steps here to download your ballot and submit it via e-mail. If you'll be spending some extra time at home this week, it's the perfect time to cast your ballot right at home from your PC! You can find a full guide about all the ways you can vote in the primary and voting center information here.

We are working closely with our global leadership throughout this period. Please contact jp-chair@democratsabroad.org for any further information.

 

Primary Voting is finally here!

That means we can all choose a presidential candidate to vote for in the Global Presidential Primary for Democrats Abroad!

First make sure you are a member of Democrats Abroad and have an account, and here’s all the ways you can do it!

Cast a Primary Ballot Online!

The fastest method!

The fastest way to cast your ballot is to do it remotely from your PC and e-mail it in! It’s quick and easy to get a ballot filled out and sent over to Democrats Abroad Global, and you don’t even need to be a resident of Japan - any member of Democrats Abroad can cast their ballot this way! Voting is open until March 10th, but don’t wait!

Follow the steps here to download your ballot and submit it via e-mail!

Cast a Primary Ballot at a Voting Center on Sunday, March 8th, 2020!

The easiest method!

If you live near a population center, you can come to a voting center! A voting center can help you with all your options for the 2020 election!

When you go to a voting center you can get help with the following options!
- Voting in the Global Presidential Primary!
- Requesting a Ballot from your State for the 2020 General Election!
- Verifying your Democrats Abroad Membership!
- & Joining Democrats Abroad if you’re a new voter and it’s your first time reading anything like this! We will be there to help!

We will have three voting centers open on Sunday, March 8th, 2020! Here’s the location with a Google Maps pin to each!

Kanto Voting Center (Tokyo)
Tokyo GS Heim Satō Bldg
GS Heim Satō Bldg #302, Yoyogi, 2-7-6, Shibuya-Ward, Tokyo
(JP): 東京都渋谷区代々木2-7-6 GSハイム佐藤ビル302
Voting Center Google Maps Pin: http://goo.gl/maps/ttkpwrWxCdZgCwaw7
Time: 12:00PM to 7:00PM

Kansai Voting Center (Osaka)
Sauce Boss Osaka
1-chōme-5-13 Kitahorie, Nishi-ku, Osaka, 550-0014
(JP): 大阪府 大阪市西区 北堀江 1-5-13 550-0014
Voting Center Google Maps Pin: http://g.page/saucebossosaka
Time: 12:00PM to 9:00PM

Tokai Voting Center (Nagoya)
Shooters Sports Bar & Grill
Nagoya-shi, Naka-ku, Sakae 2-9-26 Pola Building 2F 460-0008
(JP): 〒460-0008 Aichi, Nagoya, Naka Ward, Sakae, 2 Chome−9−26
ポーラ名古屋ビル
Voting Center Google Maps Pin: http://goo.gl/maps/ByxvJrffXZMM8tNRA
Time: 12:00PM to 7:00PM

Send a Primary Ballot via Snail Mail!

The Traditional Method!

If you don’t have reliable computer access or just want to mail it out, our Remote Ballot Warden, Dave, is here to help out! You can mail a remote ballot directly to him and as long as it’s received by 9:00PM JST on Wednesday, March 11th, 2019. That means you should mail it right away!

Mail your filled out ballot to:
Dave Brauer
6-40-4 Todoroki
Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan 158-0082

or, Fax it to:
+1 (202) 217-4277 by 11:59PM Tuesday, March 10th, 2019

That’s everything!

Remember that casting a primary ballot is internal to the party, and you can still request you 2020 General Election Ballot by visiting VoteFromAbroad.org! Do that first if you’ve never voted overseas before!

Happy voting!

The 2020 Democratic primary elections are already here – and the general election is fast approaching! Update your voter registration and submit your ballot request now to make sure you receive a ballot for every election you’re eligible for in 2020!

 

Register and Request Your Ballot Now!

Even if you are already registered to vote, you must submit a ballot request to your local election officials in order to receive your overseas ballot for each calendar year in which you intend to vote. You only need to submit it once to receive all ballots for all eligible elections in 2020, so send it in as soon as possible!

 

Make a NEW ballot request for 2020 — send your form as early as Jan. 2, 2020.

1. Go to www.votefromabroad.org to register to vote and complete the Ballot Request form (FPCA).
   We recommend that you choose to receive your ballot by EMAIL or ONLINE to get it fastest.
2. Follow the instructions to attach your signature online, or print out the completed form to sign it.
3. Send the signed FPCA to your election official.
   To request an absentee ballot, registered voters can EMAIL, FAX or MAIL the FPCA.

• After you send in your form, be sure to email or call your Local Election Official to verify they received it and will be sending a ballot to you. You can find contact information for your election official using the State Voting Guide on VoteFromAbroad.org or on the instructions printed with your completed form.
• If you use the FPCA to request a ballot, only one form submission is needed to cover all 2020 elections, including the November 3 general election.
• You can expect to receive your ballot 45 days before the election. Send your FPCA as early as January 2, 2020 to get all your ballots as soon as they are available. Mark your calendar: the November ballot will be sent to you by September 19.

 If you have any questions while filling out the form on VoteFromAbroad.org, click the orange chat box button on the lower right corner of the screen to send a question to the Voter Help Desk.

 

2020 Democratic Presidential Primaries

• To vote in your state’s Democratic Party presidential primary election, go to www.votefromabroad.org and submit your Ballot Request form as soon as possible. If your state’s registration deadline for the primary has not already passed, you will receive your primary ballot as soon as it is available. Make sure to submit it well in advance of the “Received by” deadline.
• State-By-State 2020 Primary Elections Calendar: https://www.democratsabroad.org/2020_primaries
• If it is too late to receive a ballot for your state’s Democratic presidential primary, you can still vote in the Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary on March 8, 2020.

 

Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary

 We will host our primaries in Japan on March 8th, 2020, with voting center locations in Kanto, Tokai, and Kansai. 

• Same-day in-person voter registration
• Voting by email or postal mail also available from February 18, 2020
• Even if you vote in the Global Presidential primary, you can still vote in your state’s downballot primary elections! If all positions are listed on the same ballot in your state’s primary, just leave the President field blank and vote only for the downballot positions.

 

Get Out the Vote!

 Looking to get involved this year? Join our Get Out the Vote (GOTV) team and help register voters in Japan and around the world!

• Attend our Annual General Meeting on February 8th, 2020 for GOTV training and more information about the primaries.
• If you can’t attend on February 8th or want to start volunteering as soon as possible, email our GOTV Chair Rebecca at rebecca.democratsabroadjapan@gmail.com to sign up!

2019 may be winding down, but your Executive Committee (ExCom) is getting fired up! 2020 is a critical election year, with the Global Presidential Primary (GPP) in March and the Presidential Election in November. It is imperative to get Americans living abroad registered and ready to vote for the sake of our democracy. Get Out The Vote efforts are crucial, and we call on our membership to help make this happen.

1. The Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary will be held from March 3rd until March 10th for Americans living abroad to vote for their Democratic candidate. This is essential in giving Americans abroad the opportunity to make their voices heard. In Japan, we will set up voting centers for the GPP in Kanto, Kansai, and Tokai. Running these voting centers successfully requires the support of volunteers, such as greeters, voter registration assistants, and Democrats Abroad registration assistants. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact DAJ Secretary Anna Costello at anna.democratsabroadjapan@gmail.com.

2. As of December 10th, we have achieved 45% of our fundraising goal! Our matching campaign closes on December 27th, so there’s time to double your money and reach our goal of funding a campaign the size of 2008 at 1 million yen! Donations to DAJ will be used to fund the GPP, Get Out the Vote activities, and anything else required to help achieve victory in 2020! Information on how to donate can be accessed here: https://www.democratsabroad.org/daj_fundraising_2019

3. Thank you for attending our Thanksgiving events in Kanto and Tokai! Traditionally, the DAJ Thanksgivings events have been our largest social and fundraising gatherings. This year was no exception, with both events having close to 70 attendees combined and raising over 135,000 yen. We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

4. Women’s March: We need people to set up and manage the DAJ participation on January 18th. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact DAJ Secretary Anna Costello at anna.democratsabroadjapan@gmail.com.

5. The Democrats Abroad Affirmative Action Committee is conducting a diversity and inclusion survey, open to all members of Democrats Abroad. The survey is approximately 3-5 minutes long and can be accessed here: https://demsabroad.typeform.com/to/VGYo1c

Have a happy holiday and get ready for 2020!

Sincerely,
Anna Costello
DAJ Secretary