The 2023 EMEA Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) is pleased to announce candidates for the EMEA RVC election to be held at 9:00 AM US Eastern time on June 11, 2023, at the EMEA Regional Meeting during the Democrats Abroad Annual Global Meeting (June 9-11). Please be reminded that two votes are allocated to each DA country committee in EMEA and will each be cast by country committee chairs and vice chairs.

In random order, the candidates are:

• Montassar Adouni (Tunisia)
• Kiersten Byrd (Spain)
• Wende S. Elliott-Rose (United Kingdom) - Wende has withdrawn her candidacy effective June 9, 2023.
• Jennifer Rakow-Stepper (Austria)
• Marshall Dix (Switzerland)
• Rhea Leman (Denmark) - Rhea has withdrawn her candidacy effective May 31, 2023.
• Duncan E. Lawrence (United Kingdom) - Duncan has withdrawn his candidacy effective June 6, 2023.
• Robert E. Jones (Netherlands)
• Benjamin Hunter (Spain)

Candidate Endorsements are available to read here.

Note: Candidate profiles are available to read here. 

Important links:

• Call for Nominations Page (link repository)
• Recording from the 2023 EMEA RVC Candidate Forum
• Election Event (June 11, 2023 at 9 AM EDT)

We are pleased to call for nominations of candidates for the position of 2023-2025 Regional Vice Chair (RVC) for Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) region. The election for this position will take place online as part of the Democrats Abroad (DA) Annual Global Meeting - currently scheduled for June 11, 2023 at 9 AM EDT (Washington, D.C. time). Two votes are allocated to each DA country committee in EMEA and will be cast by country committee chairs and vice chairs.

Link repository:

• The list of 2023-2025 EMEA RVC candidates can be found on this page.
• 2023-2025 EMEA RVC Candidate Statements can be found on this page.
• Candidate Endorsements can be found on this page.
• The Candidate Forum was held on May 31, 2023; you may watch the video on this page.
• You may RSVP for the Election event here; it will take place on June 11, 2023 at 9 AM EDT.
   
• Responsibilities of RVCs
• Requirements to Serve as the EMEA RVC
• Submission of Nominations
• UPDATED: Important Dates to Know

Democrats Abroad has 3 RVCs, one for each of its 3 regions.

As defined in the Democrats Abroad Charter:

Section 6.3 (Duties of Regional Vice Chairs)
The Regional Vice Chairs shall, under the direction of the International Chair, promote cooperation among the Country Committees in the respective Regions and implement any Regional programs or plans adopted by the Regional Committees, provided such programs or plans have been approved by the International Chair in consultation with the Executive Committee.

Section 6.4 (Regional Meetings and Communication)
Members of Democrats Abroad residing in a Region may meet by appropriate means of communication to consider matters relating to that Region. The Regional Vice Chair shall preside over such Regional meetings. [...]

Each RVC has the following responsibilities:

• • Serve as one of eight members of the International Executive Committee of the Democrats Abroad (ExCom), with meetings held by conference call nearly every week (up to 2 hours). The schedule for these calls is rotated so that all 3 global regions can participate.
  • Serve a two-year term, but not more than two consecutive terms.
  • Organize and lead monthly regional calls (avg 1.5 hours) to encourage, inform, and create community amongst regional Country Committee leaders. These calls are generally held in the evening of the first Wednesday of each month.
  • Organize and lead in-person 2-3 day regional meeting, every year or two. RVC responsibilities for this event include, but are not limited to: creating an agenda; organizing leaders to fulfill it; working with the local country leaders who host the gathering to organize accommodation, conference space, entertainment, etc.; and leading the event. Please note that travel costs are the responsibility of the RVC.
  • Assist in organizing the yearly DA International Meeting.
  • Work with existing Country Committees (CCs) to mediate and resolve issues within their committees, including election issues, membership queries, etc.
  • Track compliance status of CCs with Charter requirements and work with emerging and out-of-compliance committees to help bring them into compliance.
  • Communicate ExCom decisions, policies, and DA best practices to regional CC leaders.
  • Bring regional issues to the International ExCom for discussion and resolution.
  • Help groups of DA members in countries without a CC to contribute to DA's mission, ranging from short-term GOTV efforts to long-term precincts for areas without a population or resources sufficient to sustain a CC.
  • Represent the views of DA members without CCs in the EMEA region at various levels of decision-making.
  • Recruit and manage volunteers -- typically called Deputy RVCs -- sufficient to fulfill all these duties and serve the needs of the region.
    
    

The requirements to serve as EMEA RVC are:

• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Be a member of Democrats Abroad for at least 6 months prior to the election, i.e., joined before December 11, 2022.
• Be a resident in the EMEA region.
• Adhere to the principles of the Democratic Party of the United States.

Additionally, experience serving on a country committee, global caucus committee, or other equivalent leadership experience within DA is encouraged but not required. We particularly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds to stand for office.

Both self nominations and nominations of others are welcome. 

Submission of Nominations:

Please submit nominations via the nomination form at this link no later than Tuesday, April 25th at 11:59:59 PM (Central European Summer Time).  Each candidate will also be asked to complete a questionnaire and provide a candidate statement which will be posted on the DA website.

Nominations from the floor are also possible at the election meeting to be held on June 11th. All candidates will be given time to make a short speech.

Important Dates to Know:

• April 25th: Candidate Nominations Deadline
• May 8th: Posting of candidate list on the DA website
• May 15th: Posting of candidate profiles on the DA website
• May 31st: EMEA RVC Candidate Forum
• June 11th: EMEA RVC Election

Please direct any questions to [email protected].

On behalf of the 2023 EMEA RVC Nominations & Elections Committee (NEC),

Liz Voss (Switzerland) - Chair
Beverle Lax (Kenya) - Compliance
Courtney Jeanpierre (South Africa) - Candidate Liaison

Congratulations to Becca Young, the newly elected Non-CC DPCA Voting Representative for the EMEA Region!

Becca Young lives in Morocco and votes in Virginia. She has been an active member of DA since 2008, including two years as chair of DA-Indonesia, and has participated in several DA committees at the regional and global level, first with DA-Asia Pacific and now DA-EMEA since her move to Morocco in 2015. She currently serves as co-vice chair of DA Africa Committee.

“It’s an honor to be elected to this role as DA-EMEA Non-CC Representative. I highly value the significance of DA efforts for GOTV as well as advocacy and activism throughout the political cycle, working to keep politicians back home accountable and responsive to their constituents overseas. My goal is to help DA members in non-CC countries have their voices heard and their participation enhanced.”

As Non-CC DPCA Voting Representative, Becca and her three Non-CC colleagues from AP and Americas will join the 265 other voting representatives who over the next months will vote on amendments to the DA Charter, proposed DA resolutions, the 2024 Delegate Selection Plan, and, finally, to elect the DA International Executive Committee. Thank you for your service Becca!

Respect, awareness and good will can make a world of difference when speaking to someone with a disability or with a disability different from our own. Even the most “woke” person gets tripped up occasionally: Do I say dwarf or little person? Hearing impaired, hard-of-hearing, or “person with a hearing disability”? If a person with cerebral palsy welcomes the term “crip,” does this apply to most people with a motor disability? Should I use person-first language or disability-first language? (For more on this difference, see below.)

The times and language are changing rapidly, as are the ways people with disabilities are choosing to identify themselves. Disability represents a form of diversity – similar to gender, race, religion, ethnicity and social class – and requires the same sensitivity when it comes to the way we address and refer to one another.

Below is a quick guide (adapted from paraquad.org) for respectful, mindful disability language. These suggestions aren’t meant to make anyone feel policed, self-conscious or shamed. Educate yourself on current, accepted terms. Still unsure how to address or refer to someone with a disability? Don’t guess! Ask the person directly, remembering most of us would still rather be referred to by our name than a label.

Words to avoid:
Cripple, handicapped, invalid, victim, afflicted with, confined to a wheelchair, normal (when referring to a non-disabled person), deaf-mute, birth defect, crazy/insane/mental patient, slow, mentally retarded, underachiever, deformed, handicapable, differently abled, disfigured, abnormal, palsied, spastic, physically challenged, manic, maimed, incapacitated, high-functioning/low-functioning, “special” and special needs.

Words to use:
Person with a disability, disabled, uses a wheelchair, non-disabled or able-bodied, deaf, hard of hearing, psychiatric history, emotional disorder, consumer of mental health services, epilepsy/seizures, learning disability, ADD/ADHD, developmental disability, cognitive disability, born with.

Many of the “words to avoid” are obvious. But language is not only ever-changing, it possesses layers of meaning, history and nuance. Inherent in words like invalid or victim is the belief that disabled people are “less than” able-bodied people. Ableism itself isn’t a new phenomenon, of course, though the term itself might be for some. And it has a way of slipping into our everyday language. We call people “crazy.” We say someone made a “dumb” choice or a “lame” excuse.

Andrew Pulrang, who writes a regular column for Forbes magazine on disability practices, policy, politics and culture, (link below), explains that “the harm of terms and uses like this is indirect, but no less real. They all reinforce the idea that a good way to describe bad things is to compare them to disabilities, or to disabled people.”

The good news, according to Pulrang, however, is that ableist language is also “unnecessary,” given a reasonable amount of awareness, creativity and, above all, care.

To learn more about respectful disability language, please check out these sources:

“It’s Time to Stop Even Casually Misusing Disability Words,” Andrew Pulrang in Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2021/02/20/its-time-to-stop-even-casually-misusing-disability-words/?sh=43d3bcfe7d4e

“The harmful ableist language you unknowingly use” – BBC’s Equality Matters
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210330-the-harmful-ableist-language-you-unknowingly-use

“Respectful Disability Language: Here’s What’s Up!” – NYLN (National Youth Leadership Network)
https://www.templateroller.com/template/2075600/respectful-disability-language-here-s-what-s-up-nyln-kasa.html

“Choosing Words for Talking About Disability” – American Psychological Association
https://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/choosing-words

“Disability Language Style Guide’ - National Center on Disability and Journalism
https://ncdj.org/style-guide/

“Disability-Inclusive-Language-Guidelines” - Prepared by the United Nations Office at Geneva as part of efforts to implement the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, launched in 2019.
https://www.ungeneva.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/Disability-Inclusive-Language-Guidelines.pdf 

WHAT COMES FIRST: The choice is personal and both are appropriate

Person-first language places the “person” before the “disability” and is intended to emphasize personhood over impairment. Person with a disability …

Disability-first language (or identity-first language) places “disabled” before the person, emphasizing that disability is an important part of one's identity. Disabled person …

As we move towards 2022 and 2024, Democrats Abroad’s International Executive Committee is determined to make our systems and structures even more diverse, professional, and sustainable––and ultimately more effective for our work ahead. 

In order to do so, we continue building robust global teams and invite you to become a part of them through this call for applications! Our goal is to have an inclusive, transparent, and fair appointment process. We need you to be a part of our work!

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. All members of Democrats Abroad are encouraged to apply and to share the call for applications with other U.S. citizens who might be interested.

If you are not interested in acting as the team lead but rather in a supporting role, we still encourage you to contact us at [email protected] and share a bit about yourself. Thank you!

Available Positions

Deputy International Secretary (3 positions, one for each of DA's regions)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer

Events Coordinator

Get-Out-The-Vote Coordinator (Applicants from Americas Region only)

Membership Engagement Coordinator

Press Coordinator

Democrats Abroad is committed to the values and practices of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, with opportunities to provide and the ability to take feedback and learn. It is our policy to recruit, train, promote, and administer any and all personnel actions without regard to sex, race, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, pregnancy, economic status, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity or expression, ethnic identity, disability, or any other legally protected basis.

Fellow Democrats Abroad, did you know that in the United States if you have a disability, you have a right to accommodations when using App-based rides services like Uber and Lyft? If you are being charged fees because it takes you longer to get to your ride, then that may be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act or other applicable laws or regulations. The US Department of Justice has sued Uber for this kind of practice. Uber has denied any wrongdoing. However, if you have a disability and think that you were charged unfairly as a result, then make sure to let your driver know that you took longer to get to the vehicle because of your disability and ask them to let Uber know and to waive the fee. Remember though that Uber makes the policies, not the drivers.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) / Office of Public Affairs (OPA) / JUSTICE NEWS

• Justice Department Sues Uber for Overcharging People with Disabilities https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-uber-overcharging-people-disabilities

The Justice Department today filed an ADA lawsuit against Uber for charging “wait time” fees to passengers who, because of disability, take longer than two minutes to get in their Uber car.  Individuals who believe they have been victims of disability discrimination by Uber because they, or someone they were traveling with, were charged wait time fees should contact the Justice Department at 833-591-0425 (toll-free), 202-305-6786, or send an email to [email protected].  For more information about the ADA, call the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or access the ADA website at ada.gov.

~The United States Department of Justice

The EMEA Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) announces candidates for the EMEA RVC election to be held on May 16, 2021 at the EMEA regional meeting during the global annual meeting (May 14-16, 2021). Please be reminded that one vote is allocated to each DA country committee in EMEA and will be cast by country committee chairs and vice chairs.

The following are the verified and confirmed candidates listed in alphabetical order.