Dear --
I hope you all had a little time to refresh and recharge over the April holidays. There has been a lot going on and its impossible to cover it all here - the good or the bad - but we'll focus on the momentum that's been building, some positive developments with the Democratic Party and actions we can take!
A warm welcome to our new members! We hope Democrats Abroad South Africa (DASA) can serve as a resource for members as we navigate this time and fight for our country. We encourage you to get involved - this is a 100% volunteer-led organisation so we need your help, but the community spirit is strong and can keep us going through this time.
Whether you are a new member or just interested in getting more involved now, please send me a note at [email protected] so we can talk further - there's something for everyone!
Special thanks to Tiffany Jackson-Zunker, Thabo Kornegay, Keshia Bedard and Gail Snetro for volunteering to organise our April HandsOff, Stand Up, Take Action and theatre events!
One of our priorities is to develop our membership and find new voters well in advance of the 2026 midterms. We encourage each of you to please reach out to US Citizens you know or meet in South Africa and invite them to become a member at www.democratsabroad.org/join. We'll be planning upcoming membership campaigns and hope you'll help us find potential voters!
Thank you,
Liz O'Leary - DASA Chair
MOMENTUM IS BUILDING!
There is definitely positive momentum building at DNC level. They’ve announced new funding initiatives, strategies, organizing programmes, investments in technology and increased media presence. "We" are "The Democrats” - let’s step forward and play our part!
We've also seen many more leaders speaking out!
If you missed the Democrats Abroad People's Town Hall event with the Chair of the DNC, Ken Martin, Representative Joyce Beatty of OH03, and Reyna Walters-Morgan, Vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation at the DNC, you can watch it on our YouTube channel.
Read about the new state funding which includes Democrats Abroad
Take a look at their Press Releases
TAKE ACTION: They have also launched a May Fight to Save Medicaid Month of Action campaign aimed at pressuring Republicans, particulaly four vulnerable Republicans, to vote NO on Trump’s budget bill and protect Medicaid for 80 million Americans. Act now HERE
Be part of The Network Strategy – join an upcoming training 14, 17, or 19 May to find how you can be an effective communicator for the party within your network.
Follow & share the DNC on social media to help amplify the messaging.
A LITTLE GOOD NEWS
Good news! Democracy prevails in NC Supreme Court race and the SAVE Act is Stopped in the Senate (for now!)
Congratulations to Allison Riggs, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina! The Republican challenger in the 2024 NC Supreme Court election, who was trying to win by throwing out overseas votes, has finally conceded the race.This hard won victory is thanks to the voters of North Carolina (especially those from abroad:)) who kept fighting to make sure their votes were heard, counted, and not tossed out. The Global Democrats Abroad team worked closely with the NC State Dem Party and others in defending democracy! A big win for small-d democracy.
THE "SAVE" ACT HITS A DEMOCRATIC WALL OF NOPE IN THE SENATE
The SAVE ACT is currently on hold in the Senate after Senate Dems made it clear they would fight the bill and would filibuster its passage. 60 votes are needed in the Senate to overcome the filibuster (to invoke cloture) and Dems aligned to deny the GOP this. Congrats to the Democrats Abroad Resists Team for their stupendous efforts fighting this bill in House and Senate and thanks to all members who have been contacting their Members of Congress and raising the alarm. This isn't over, but our efforts have helped deny progress in the Senate.
VOTING CONTINUES IN 2025!
EVERY OFFICE ACROSS THE STATES IS CRITICAL
DEFEND THESE CONGRESSIONAL SEATS IN 2025!
Congressional Election Arizona-7: this Democratic congressional district covers parts of Marciopa, Pima, and Yuma counties along the border will go to a primary election July 15, and a general election September 23.
Congressional Election Texas-18: this Democratic district covers much of the Houston inner city and surrounding area. The general election will take place November 4, 2025.
Additional Special Elections may be scheduled! There are also state and local elections which some may be qualified to vote in if you select "Intend to Return" on your FPCA.
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Have a teenager who will be turning 18? They may be able to pre-register to vote. Check your state HERE
Help Find Voters in SA!
TAKE ACTION: Know other US Citizens in SA? Lead them to Vote From Abroad and encourage them to become a DASA member at www.democratsabroad.org/join so they can get involved and we can keep them up to date.
DEMOCRATS ABROAD RESISTS
Democrats Abroad's Resistance Advocacy programme has been rolling out!
Click the box below to read more, sign up for Take Action alerts, and find ideas to implement in your community.
SPEAK UP: Write to your State Leaders
Keep these contacts handy and please keep up the pressure on all of our elected officials - pressuring them to do more and of course thanking those who are standing up!
The SAVE Act is currently on hold in the Senate with all Democratic Senators saying they would vote NO - thanks to the collective action of citizens, including those of us abroad! However, it remains a risk and we need to keep raising awareness of how it would impact us: making it nearly impossible for millions of Americans including overseas voters to register, update our registration details and ultimately vote.
Implore friends and family in the States to as well!
HIGHLIGHT: SENIORS CAUCUS
We've been receiving more emails from members experiencing challenges with Social Security so we're also looking at developing mechanisms to enable greater sharing and mutual aid between members as access to information and services is likely to get more challenging in the months ahead. If you'd like to get involved, let us know at [email protected]
Check out & Join the Global Seniors Caucus HERE
Take a look at the 30 April Seniors Caucus Newsletter
Check out previous newsletters
Protect Social Security!
TAKE ACTION: Social Security is under attack, and it is time for us to defend it before it’s too late. Contact your representative and demand they protect Social Security! Info and scripts are provided HERE.
Watch - Martin O'Malley: Musk wants to break Social Security so he can loot it
#MomSky
VOLUNTEER
THANK YOU!
Thank you to all who have been volunteering with DASA! There's a lot of work to do in the coming weeks and months. We have an energetic, committed and fun team of people involved in SA. Join us!
Volunteers make it all possible! Click on the red button above for the DASA volunteer interest form or email [email protected]
EVENTS
We’d love your input!
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Have ideas for DASA events or venues to use? Please take a minute to share ideas CLICK HERE
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Interested in hosting an event or have an idea on finding American voters in SA? Let us know [email protected]
Watch the recording of the recent Democrats Abroad discussion with former Attorney General Eric Holder.
21 May - 7pm SA Time
Tired of paying someone else to file the FBAR for you? Save money, file yourself!
Join The Taxation Task Force for a step-by-step Zoom webinar on how to file your own FBAR.
$12.50 General Admission / $7.50 Retired/Student/Unemployed. Recording will be available. Ticket proceeds go to Democrats Abroad, feel free to get a $20.25 boost ticket to bump up your donation!
Join us in Taking Action!
DASA is currently running weekly 30 minute action-focused sessions on Zoom where we share critical actions and provide members with a weekly timeslot to follow through on these or other actions of interest. Once a month we'll hold an hour-long session to make time for sharing ideas and resources as well as planning other action-focused activities.
Thanks to DASA Member Thabo Kornegay for co-hosting this initiative!
Tuesday 13 May 5-6 pm
Info & RSVP HERE
At this 60 min session we'll also brainstorm ideas and start planing toward activities for the 14 June mass mobilisation.
Tuesday 20 May 5-5:30 pm
Info & RSVP HERE
Tuesday 27 May 5-5:30 pm
Info & RSVP HERE
PLEASE CONNECT TO STAY UPDATED & SHARE!
Americans in South Africa are invited to get in touch and get involved, contact us at [email protected]
**Join our WhatsApp group**
**This is the quickest way for us to keep in touch regularly as a group!
Please email us to join the group.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DemocratsAbroadSouthAfrica
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/democratsabroadsouthafrica/
It's time to build and prepare!
Please consider Donating Directly to DA South Africa
Can you contribute $25, $250 or $2500 toward our voter mobilisation work in South Africa? We're a volunteer led organisation but still have expenses in getting out the vote. We'll greatly appreciate your support. Thank you!
Thank you - "We" are democracy! Let's do all we can.
Democrats Abroad South Africa