Happy Labor Day! Your Basel leadership team hopes that you're able to enjoy some of this weekend's beautiful weather! In fact, you can join us for Basel Family Fun Day on Sunday, May 3rd, to grab a coffee and let your kiddos run around in a park! We also have Yin Yoga at The Looking Glass tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 PM, which is the second event in our DACH Wellness Series.
If you're otherwise occupied this weekend, please check out all of our upcoming events! We have a ton of events coming up in May and June, and are already planning ahead to September.
Do you have ideas for how we could reach potential voters? Are you looking to become more involved this year? If so, please answer our Basel Engagement Survey or fill out our Volunteer Sign-Up form!
If you're interested in how our first DACH Wellness Series event went, I have exciting news:
- We recorded the event; you can watch it on YouTube here.
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Author Adrianne Lind has been kind enough to offer the members of the Basel chapter a free download of her book, Mindful & Mobilized: The Digital Wellness Guide for Political Activists.
The free download is only available until May 3rd, so act fast!
Finally, I want to remind you that your Democrats Abroad leaders (from Basel all the way up to our international Executive Committee) are working on political actions that we can either organize or join. Keeping an eye on our Facebook, Instagram, and/or chapter Signal chat will be the best way to get our most up-to-date information.
Democratically yours,
Liz Voss
[email protected]
Chair, Basel Chapter
DPCA Voting Representative, Switzerland
- Why use VoteFromAbroad.org?
- Event Assessments
- Upcoming Events
- Save the Date
- Bonus Content that was Left Out of the Newsletter
If you are a U.S. citizen living abroad, using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) is the absolute best way to request your ballot. While you can technically use your specific state’s standard absentee ballot form, the FPCA grants you specific, powerful legal protections under federal law that state forms do not.
Over the next few newsletters, we will highlight these benefits. The second benefit: The 45-Day Rule
Under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, if you request your ballot using the FPCA, states are federally mandated to transmit your blank ballot to you at least 45 days before a federal election. This buffer is critical when dealing with the unpredictability of international mail.
The absolute best way to complete and submit an FPCA is via VoteFromAbroad.org. If you haven't requested your ballot yet this year, please do so now! And check with your US citizen friends and family to make sure they have as well.
Have more questions about How to Vote from Switzerland? We've got a page for that!
We want to know what you think about the events we've had so that we can make future events better!
2026 Online Event Assessment Form
2026 In-Person Event Assessment Form
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DACH Wellness Series: Yin Yoga |
May 2 at 2:30 PM CEST Kristen Watson Geering has lived in Basel since 2012 and opened The Looking Glass in 2016. |
| Live Voter Help on Zoom |
May 3 at 9:30 AM CEST RSVP for details |
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Family Fun Day |
May 3 at 11 AM CEST |
| Live Voter Help on Zoom |
May 3 at 6 PM CEST RSVP for details |
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Basel Chapter Meeting |
May 4 at 7:30 PM CEST Zoom; RSVP for details |
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Geneva Book Club |
May 5 at 6:30 PM CEST For May, the group is reading Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution by Amy Coney Barrett. Feel free to join via Zoom even if you haven't read the book! |
| Live Voter Help on Zoom |
May 17 at 9:30 AM CEST RSVP for details |
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DACH Wellness Series: Finding Clarity & Stillness in your Mind |
May 17 at 10 AM CEST Zoom |
| Live Voter Help on Zoom |
May 17 at 6 PM CEST RSVP for details |
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Basel Drinks with Dems |
May 22 at 6 PM CEST Let's grab drinks somewhere outdoors! Have a suggestion? Email me at [email protected]. |
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Basel Chapter Meeting |
June 1 at 7:30 PM CEST Zoom; RSVP for details |
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Geneva Book Club |
June 2 at 6:30 PM CEST For June, the group is reading What Went Wrong with Capitalism by Ruchir Sharma. Feel free to join via Zoom even if you haven't read the book! |
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DACH Wellness Series: Pampering & Self-Care |
June 5 at 7:30 PM CEST Private Residence in Klein Basel Space is limited! |
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Downtown Basel Tour |
June 6 at 10:30 AM CEST Suggested donation: $20 |
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DACH Wellness Series: Releasing Negative Emotions |
June 14 at 10 AM CEST Zoom |
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Basel's Hidden Stories Tour |
June 20 at 10:30 AM CEST Suggested donation: $25 per family |
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Father's Day Outing to La Famiglia Fluhberg Winery |
June 21 at 11:30 AM CEST Basel SBB Treffpunkt or La Famiglia Fluhberg |
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Late Summer - Artist event at Fondation Fernet-Branca
This museum will be launching their Tempesta exhibition in May. It will feature seven international artists, including US artist Josh Kline. We are currently working with the museum to set up fundraising events that could allow our members to meet the artist.
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Save the Date: September 5th - Wine tasting fundraiser at La Cave de Cheyres
Details are being finalized now!
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Late August & September - Voter Registration Events
We will be holding voter registration events at international schools and other businesses in/around Basel. Ballot Day is September 19!
Please go to our website for more information on upcoming events, how to become a volunteer, and how to become a sustaining donor.
After sending this month's newsletter, I remembered some additional information that I wanted to share with our members:
- Amsterdam is hosting World Pride 2026, so Democrats Abroad Netherlands is extending an invitation to all of us to join them at the party! You can read all about it and buy your tickets here:
- The Global Women's Caucus is developing a Global Feminist Cookbook and they are inviting submissions - it's a fundraiser that will drop sometime next fall. Please share a recipe that is meaningful; passed down from your ancestors, best friend, or mom; inspired by your host country; or comfort food.
You can submit a recipe here; the deadline is June 30th.
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Right On! Write On!
Words Matter. Stories Matter. You Matter.
Writing is not only expression—it is excavation.
It is a way to understand what we believe, what we fear, what we resist, and what we hope to build. This month’s themes invite us to examine frustration, power, voice, identity, resistance, and joy. Pick one of the topics or bring your own, but come! May 28th from 7 - 8:30 PM CEST, hosted by the Global Women's Caucus.
You can join this meeting from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.-
The Weight of Silence
What happens when you don’t say what needs to be said?
Write about silence as protection, suppression, fear, or strategy.
Prompt:
What did silence cost you? -
Disappointment and Devotion
What do we do when the things we believe in fail us?
A party. A person. A movement. A dream.
Prompt:
How do you stay committed after disappointment? -
The Argument I Refused to Have
Not every fight deserves your energy.
Prompt:
Write about restraint, disengagement, boundaries, or choosing peace over proving a point. -
The New Feminism: What Are We Fighting for Now?
Feminism evolves.
What does modern feminism look like now?
What should it protect, challenge, or redefine?
Prompt:
What does feminism need to become next? -
Who Taught Us to Fear the Word “Feminist”?
The word has been distorted—dismissed as angry, extreme, anti-men, or now “woke.”
Who benefits from that?
Prompt:
Write about reclaiming feminism from the labels placed on it. -
Joy as Resistance
In hard times, joy is not trivial. It is political. It is survival.
Inspired by Audre Lorde and many feminist traditions of self-preservation.
Prompt:
What does joy protect in you? or When was joy your rebellion?
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