This is to confirm that your membership will be deleted from Democrats Abroad within the next 48 hours.

Should you ever wish to re-join, you can always find us on www.democratsabroad.org.

Could 2021 be the year that women finally have equal rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution? I keep asking myself that question.   I am cautiously optimistic that this could finally be the year.   Women should have been in the Constitution since 1776.  The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in 1923.  Last January, Virginia became the 38^th state to ratify the amendment meaning that we had finally achieved the requirement for 2/3’s of the states to ratify it.  It should have been added immediately, but once again, it didn’t happen due mainly to politics in DC.

So why do I think there may be a chance it could now be added?  It is all based on Biden/Harris being elected, along with Georgia electing two Democrats, thus lending Democrats a majority to enact legislation near and dear to democratic values.

As I wrote in our October newsletter, the chances for ERA were dependent on electing pro-ERA candidates. Sadly, women’s rights have become a partisan issue with just a few Republicans supporting it. Luckily, we were successful in electing pro-ERA Democrats for the both Executive and Legislative branches.

So, what happens now? The best-case scenario is that once we have the new Attorney General confirmed, that he or one of his deputies (all three women) tell the U.S. Archivist that the guidance given last January from the Department of Justice was wrong, and that he should immediately add the ERA as the 28^th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. There are some that believe this will happen within the first 100 days of Biden’s presidency; notwithstanding, the reluctance, based on the preamble to the amendment having a deadline in the past, is mainly disagreement among legal authorities whether the deadline is constitutional or not.

The next best scenario is that the House and Senate quickly submit bills, like in prior sessions, that remove the deadline from the amendment. This passed in the House last year, but was never scheduled for a vote in the Senate. Now that we will be rid of Mitch McConnell as the Senate majority leader, it should pass with no problem by both houses. The only question is how quickly; both Biden and Harris have pledged to help.

Both of these scenarios seem possible for 2021. There are court cases already in the works but once it gets added to the Constitution, that makes the cases seem less likely to be successful.

In addition to adding the ERA to the U.S. Constitution, there are also activities taking place in several states to add rights for women to their state constitutions.

How can you help? You can already start writing and calling your U.S. representatives about supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. Once legislature is introduced, I’ll be updating Democrats Abroad’s ERA page with the details and how to help. You can also always find info about this and other women’s issues on our Global Women’s Caucus page.

This year we plan to expand our work to help not only at the national level but also at the state level.

To become actively involved with our ERA team, fill out this form, or contact Shari Temple, DA ERA Team Lead:ERA@democratsabroad.org. For more information visit our blog.

Wiesbaden-Mainz will be holding our chapter elections on Saturday March 6 at 15:00.

The chapter will be electing officers for the following positions - Chair, Vice-Chair, GOTV Coordinator, Press Coordinator, and Comms Coordinator.    Click here for more details on the election.

We will be using Zoom and you must be on the call to vote.   Hope to see you there.

As part of our March meeting, we will be holding our chapter elections.   Click here for details.   Please note that you must be present online to vote.

You will receive a Zoom link with your RSVP confirmation.    If you do not receive a confirmation after RSVPing, please contact stuttgart@democratsabroad.de.

We will be holding elections for the Frankfurt Chapter on Friday February 26.   Click here for details.

We will be holding our chapter elections on Friday, February 26th.

The meeting will start at 19:00 with elections starting at 19:30. 

You must attend (via Zoom) the meeting to be able to vote.

Questions

For more information on the election rules and information sessions - click here.

If you have any questions, please send to the 2021 Chapter Nominations and Elections Committee at chapter-candidates@democratsabroad.de.

The Muenster-Osnabrueck 2021 chapter elections will be held on March 6.   Click here for details.

We will be holding our chapter elections on Saturday, March 6th to elect our new Chapter Chair.

The meeting will start at 13:00 with elections starting at 13:30. Elections will be followed by our usual discussion on a topic of the day. 

You must attend (via Zoom) the meeting to be able to vote.

Questions

For more information on the election rules and information sessions - click here.

If you have any questions, please send to the 2021 Chapter Nominations and Elections Committee at chapter-candidates@democratsabroad.de.

We will be electing officers for Cologne Bonn on March 2.  Click here for details.

Hamburg will be election chapter officers on February 28.  Click here for details.

Democrats Abroad Hamburg will elect its next local leadership team! This team will lead our chapter through the 2022 midterms.

Date: Sunday, February 28, 2021
Meeting Start Time: 14:00
Election Start Time: 14:30

The following positions will be elected:

• Chair
• Treasurer

In order to facilitate neutral elections, DA Germany has initiated a Chapter Nominations and Election Committee (CNEC). Any interested persons who would like to run for either of these positions, should contact this committee at chapter-candidates@democratsabroad.de.

Voting is open to all members of the Hamburg Chapter. You must be present at the meeting to vote.

RSVP TO PARTICIPATE

Please RSVP below to participate in this online election meeting. After RSVPing you will receive the participation link (Zoom).

If you do not immediately receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link, contact hamburg@democratsabroad.de ASAP.

INTERESTED IN RUNNING?

Find out more about the positions, how the election works, and all the other details.

Learn more about being a candidate at one of the upcoming Information Sessions for Potential Candidates (not required):

• January 16, 2021 at 11am - 1pm
• January 25, 2021 at 3pm - 5pm
• February 05, 2021 at 6pm - 8pm

DAG Munich Chapter will be holding local elections on Saturday February 20 at 19:00.   Click here for details.

With the arrival of COVID, our election by-laws have had to be rewritten so we may have a virtual election. On February 20, 2021 we are holding the Munich Chapter Officer elections. We vote every two years for new officers, naturally in the odd years, so our elections do not coincide with our American elections. We will be voting on a Chair, Vice Chair, GOTV Coordinator, Press Coordinator and Secretary. This is a commitment of two years. If you are interested, please contact Emily Froemel standing Munich Chapter Chair HERE. Per COVID regulations, we are still meeting on Zoom. This election is open to all members. Please RSVP and come. Let’s see if we can have a 70% vote in Munich as well…

The German Chairmanship will send out an email that explains the voting process with all the new by-laws and people you can contact.

Berlin will be holding chapter elections on February 17.   Click here for details.

Democrats Abroad Berlin is electing its next local leadership team! This team will lead one of Democrats Abroad's largest chapters through the 2022 midterms.

Democrats Abroad is the official representation of the Democratic Party outside of the United States and is equivalent to a state party within the Democratic National Committee.

The election will take place on Wednesday, February 17th, 2021. Five board members will be elected:

• Chair,
• Vice Chair,
• GOTV (Get Out The Vote) Coordinator,
• Membership and Volunteer Coordinator,
• and Communications and Press Officer.

All candidates will give a speech before voting commences. Be part of the largest American political community in Berlin and have a say in the direction that Democrats Abroad Berlin takes for the next two years!

RSVP to Participate

Please RSVP below to participate in this online election meeting. After RSVPing you will receive the participation link (Zoom).

Interested in Running?

Find out more about the positions, how the election works, and all the other details.

Learn more about being a candidate at one of the upcoming Information Sessions for Potential Candidates (not required)

• January 16, 2021 at 11am - 1pm
• January 25, 2021 at 3pm - 5pm
• February 05, 2021 at 6pm - 8pm

The 2021 chapter office elections will be on Saturday February 27.   Click here for details.

Düsseldorf-Ruhr Chapter Elections

We will be holding our chapter elections on Saturday February 27 to elect our Chapter Chair and Vice-Chair for the next two years.

The meeting will start at 15:00 with elections starting at 15:30

You must attend the meeting to be able to vote.

Questions

For more information on the election rules and information sessions - click here.

If you have any questions, please send to the 2021 Chapter Nominations and Elections Committee at chapter-candidates@democratsabroad.de.

Saxony will be holding chapter officer elections on February 7.  Click here for details.

The Goettingen-Hannover chapter will be holding officer elections on February 7.   Click here for details.