Gather Round to hear and learn about bodily freedom in red and blue States in 2023.

Dobbs killed Roe but the midterms taught us never to give up.

We must remain active, constructive and work together to forge new strategies to protect our rights.

Join us and find out how we can continue this fight on January 20, 2023 at 17h CET (11h EST) to listen to Ms. Magazine writer and Reproductive Rights expert Carrie Baker, who will update us as to the state of the union on these essential issues: medication abortion, lawsuits in progress, red state prohibitions, the Women's Health Protection Act and other ways to assure reproductive health in the United States.

Democrats Abroad Vancouver will be electing a new Executive Committee of the Board of DA Vancouver at our January 28, 2023 Annual General Meeting which will be held on Zoom this year.

Nominations should be sent to [email protected] and received by midnight, December 19, 2022. Note that nominations may be made from the floor at the AGM in the event there is no nomination for a position.

To nominate yourself or others, please include an accompanying letter of no more than 500 words stating the nominee's qualifications, experience, and reason for seeking the office. In addition, the letter must include a confirmation from the nominee that they are: (1) a bona fide US citizen residing in Canada; (2) a member of Democrats Abroad and of the DA-Van chapter; and (3) that they will adhere to the principles of the Democratic Party of the United States and Democrats Abroad.

Here are brief descriptions of the positions as laid out in the DA-Van bylaws.

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Chair

The Chair shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the association, shall call and preside at all general meetings of members as well as of the Executive Committee and shall have responsibility for all activities approved by the organization. The Chair represents and is the spokesperson for DA-Van. The Chair may designate and remove additional spokesperson or spokespersons at their discretion. The Chair has full access to necessary documentation, including but not limited to minutes of all meetings, and all files and administrative records of the organization, including financial statements.

Vice Chair

In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall call and preside at general meetings of members and of the Executive Committee, with a vote on the Executive Committee. The Vice Chair shall work with the Chair to ensure that all responsibilities approved by and on behalf of the organization are supervised and executed appropriately. The Vice Chair shall have the same powers as the Chair insofar as meetings are concerned and where the Chair is not present. Where designated by the Chair, the Vice Chair may act in the Chair’s stead in other matters. The Vice Chair automatically becomes Chair in the event of the loss of the Chair.

The Vice Chair shall be opposite in gender to the Chair.

General Secretary

The General Secretary shall record and file minutes of all meetings and shall keep all such files and administrative records of the organization. Minutes of all meetings shall be sent to the Executive Committee once forwarded to the Chair and / or Vice Chair (in instances of absence by the Chair). At the next regular meeting of the Executive Committee, Executive members will accept the Minutes either as presented or amended, subject to quorum requirements.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall manage the finances of the chapter, create and maintain financial reports, manage the DA-Van bank account, and maintain such financial reports as may be required by law. The Treasurer and Chair have signing authority for the DAC-V bank account. The Treasurer shall prepare and present to the Annual General Meeting of DA-Van a yearly Statement of Income and Expenses.

Community Outreach Secretary

The Development and Community Outreach Secretary plans and hosts the three DA-Van standing social events - Thanksgiving (fall), AGM (winter) and Fourth of July (summer), and any other social events of DA-Van. The Development and Community Outreach Secretary also develops relationships in the wider community beyond Democrats Abroad Vancouver, such as developing service projects in the local community. The Development and Community Outreach Secretary may form and head a committee of members interested in volunteering for social and outreach events pertaining to Democrats Abroad.

Policy Secretary

The Policy Secretary advises the general membership, through the Executive Committee, on US policy matters from our unique perspective as Americans abroad. The Policy Secretary also recommends opportunities for general membership to participate in U.S. policy-related discussions and activities. The Policy Secretary may form and head a committee of members interested in volunteering for policy pertaining to Democrats Abroad.

Communications Secretary

The Communications Secretary holds full responsibility for strategy and execution of all media contact, plus advertising, and reporting through its Committee Chair to the Executive Committee, who must ratify any strategies executed. The Communications Secretary may form and head a committee of members interested in volunteering for communications pertaining to Democrats Abroad.

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Any questions regarding these elections should be directed to the Chair of DA Vancouver. All nominations should be directed to the nominations committee. 

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Zoom Details for the DAV Annual General Meeting
Time: Jan 28, 2023 11:00 AM PST

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84497601139?pwd=V3pjTSsyUlJIL3Q0QWFMcEc4SnJYdz09

Meeting ID: 844 9760 1139
Passcode: 961404
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Passcode: 961404
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kO46W5lwm

Are you passionate about American abroad tax issues and have the skills or time to help?
The DA Taxation Task Force is hosting this volunteer information session to explain what's involved in being a volunteer and to answer any questions you might have about volunteering. Click here for an outline of volunteering opportunities for the TTF.

The DA TTF is a group of dedicated volunteers working towards fixing the tax code for Americans living abroad. We are under new leadership for 2022 and in preparation, we are currently looking to restructure the team as well as inviting new volunteers to join us.

We have a number of volunteer positions available, from people with no experience who want to help out with social media, to subject matter experts that can help us lobby Congress - everyone and anyone is welcome to contribute!

Once you attend the info session, we encourage you to complete this application to the best of your ability. You will then be invited to a follow-up one-to-one 30 minute Zoom call to figure out which teams you fit into and to get you started.

Note: Attending an info session is optional, you do not need to attend to express interest in volunteering. Feel free to go ahead and fill in the application form here.

You can also express interest in volunteering by emailing [email protected] and including as much information as possible about your background and how you think you can help.

Please feel free to forward this event page to friends or family that you think might be interested in getting involved!

Add event to calendar

Democrats Abroad Global Seniors and Disability Caucuses invite you to join us for our monthly Social -- a time for Seniors and members of the Disability Caucus to connect with one another and discuss topics of concern and information. We will reflect, discuss, plan, and strategize together from the comfort of our own homes and with no duties or assignments! This will be fun as we can discuss freely any topic we would like.

RSVP BELOW TO JOIN US ON ZOOM!

The night after election day, as Chair of DemsAbroad Canada, I spoke with Marella Fernandez of CTV News on the variety of creative and legacy-type initiatives DemsAbroad Canada undertook to reach the est. 625k Americans living across Canada eligible to vote in the 2020 election to cast their ballot.

Through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers contributing thousands of hours of their time, resulting in a greater than 250% increase in DemsAbroad Canada members' ballot requests, my prediction is that the 2020 vote from Americans in Canada will double the 2016 results. I am immensely proud of every person who contributed to this success!

I also talk to the need to count every vote, to let the process work the way it's supposed to. Each person has a right to have their vote counted. It was well known in advance that it was improbable to have an outcome on election night due to the historic millions of mail-in ballots to be counted. Neither candidate nor the media declares the election winner. The winner is determined by the declared results from each of the 50 states.

We wrap up the conversation with concerns for what the next two months could be like should Joe Biden be declared the winner as expected and any comparison between the 2000 election and 2020. For reference, the Ex is Ontario's "state fair" held in Toronto for the last two weeks of August.

Scroll down and click on the dates below to RSVP and get connection details and reminders.

Did you know every eligible American living abroad can vote in U.S. elections? 

Was the last place you or your parent lived in the US the state of Georgia?

If you are 18 on or before January 5th you are allowed to vote in the runoff election. 

Do you have questions about how to vote? Click the chat bubble at the bottom of this screen and we can help you find the answers. 

But we get it. Sometimes you just want to speak to live person. 

Join us Tuesday & Thursday (noon-4pm January 5th & 7th. All time are listed as U.S. Eastern time. Our volunteers and standing by LIVE on Zoom to help answers questions you have about voting from abroad and curing your ballot.

How is it done on Zoom? You'll come into the main room and be paired 1:1 with a volunteer into a breakout room to ensure privacy and that you can get all your questions answered. It couldn't be easier. 

More information: The easiest way to request your ballot is at VoteFromAbroad.org. It takes just a few minutes to complete and send in your form to the US state where you last lived. The website will guide you step by step. In most cases it’s pretty simple. But if you’re new to voting abroad, or if you haven’t done it in a while, you may have additional questions. That’s why we’ll be here every Sunday until election day to help.

If you can’t make the 'office hours', you can always email us at [email protected] or send in your question through our online help bubble, and a volunteer will get back to you.

Here is a handy website to convert the time zone to yours wherever you are in the world.

Zoom Connection Details:

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/91090344003
Meeting number: 910 9034 4003
PassWord: Vote2020

Tuesday & Thursday: Noon-4pm (U.S. Eastern)
January 5th and 7th