At our Annual General Meeting on April 16, 2023. In addition to electing the next board of DA NL we will vote on proposed changes to our by laws. They are available here for the review of the membership before the meeting.

Calling All DPCA Officers... to Vote On 2024 Delegate Selection Plan

Connection details will be emailed to all Democrats Abroad member RSVP's closer to the meeting date.

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Every four years, the Democratic Party begins designing the Delegate Selection Rules and a resulting nominating process for the next presidential election.

While the Rules drafting process begins anew after each Presidential election, many norms and traditions carry over, including a rule that lets some states hold their nominating contest early, which in 2024 will be South Carolina, Nevada & New Hampshire, Michigan, and Georgia.

Democrats Abroad has worked hard at crafting our Delegate Selection Plan, which is the guiding document as we play our part in nominating our Party's 2024 nominees for President and Vice President of the United States.

You can review a copy of our draft 2024 Delegate Selction Plan which was posted for public comment on our website on March 6, 2023, and submit your by writing to [email protected] through April 5, 2023.

(Please include the page and line number your feedback refers to in your email. Thank you!)

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NOTICE: This meeting will be recorded, including audio, video, and any materials exchanged or viewed during the session.

Every 2 years, we elect leaders to keep Democrats Abroad NL going strong. Our
incoming leaders will face a challenging time as we look forward to the 2024 elections. Do you want to help lead our vibrant organization? Or do you know someone with
energy and commitment, who you’d like to nominate? Email: [email protected]

Click 'read more' for more details!

We're pleased to announce the formation of a Nominations & Election Committee comprised of Audrey Cajfinger, Eve Lewis, Don Seidenberg, and Mical Sikkema. They will issue a formal call for nominations shortly. In the meantime, you can learn about the roles and responsibilities of our Democrats Abroad officers here. 

Please save the date if you would like to attend. We look forward to seeing you — virtually or in person! RSVP here.

If you'd like to run for the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Netherlands here are some handy overviews of what each positions entails. 

Click 'read more' for the full descriptions.

Our bylaws state that we must inform the membership 2 months in advance of our AGM. We are pleased to announce the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in-person and via Zoom on Sunday, April 16th at 3:00 PM. The AGM is a great opportunity to come together, re-set, elect the new board, and learn about the work of the past year and going forward. Following the event we will hold a borrel. RSVP here.

We are pleased to announce the 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in-person and via Zoom on Sunday, April 16th at 3:00 PM. The AGM is a great opportunity to come together, re-set, elect the new board, and learn about the work of the past year and going forward. Following the event we will hold a borrel. 

The AGM will last about 90 minutes with the following proposed agenda:

• 2022 Year In Review
• Financial Report
• Bylaws Revisions
• GOTV Update
• Taxation Task Force Update
• Elections of new Executive Committee
• Borrel

All members in good standing will be able to elect the next Executive Committee for a two year term. Additionally, we will vote on proposed bylaw amendments. A draft of these bylaws will be posted for all members to see ahead of the meeting.

More Information on our Elections:

• A Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) will be formed. This is a group of DA members who are not running for election who will conduct our elections in a free,open and transparent manner.
• The NEC will post position descriptions and a nation wide call for Executive Committee candidates.
• Candidates will be vetted for being a member in good standing, candidate statements will be collected and posted ahead of the meeting.
• During the AGM the elections will be held, voting will be allowed in person or electronically. Participation is available in-person or on Zoom.

This is a midterm election year — all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 Senate seats, and 39 gubernatorial seats are up for grabs in November. U.S. citizens have the right to vote in primary and general elections, no matter where in the world they live! If you're a U.S. citizen, dual-national, or will be 18 on November 8, 2022, you have the right to vote from abroad in US elections — including in the November 2022 midterms!

As a U.S. citizen, you can register to vote from abroad while living, working, or traveling overseas by submitting one form — the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). It doesn't matter if you were registered to vote before you left the U.S., how long you’ve lived outside the U.S., or if you've never resided in the U.S. at all. You have the right to vote!

The U.S. State Department recommends, “all U.S. citizens living abroad complete and submit a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) annually, to ensure you remain on your state’s voter rolls and to ensure your local election office has your up-to-date contact information.” Vote From Abroad provides all the information, forms, and support help in one place to make voting easy!

📌  Please note that there is NO IN-PERSON VOTING in The Netherlands for the November election! 📌

✭ ✭ ✭ In 2022, these States must mail in the ballot. Vote as soon as you get your ballot! Don't wait to return your ballot! ✭ ✭ ✭

 Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Go to www.votefromabroad.org/states for specific details

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What's covered on this page: 

1. Registering to vote and requesting your ballot

2. Confirming your request has been accepted

3. Receiving your ballot

4. Oct 1 and the ballot hasn’t arrived? 

5. Voting your ballot

6. Returning your ballot

7. Checking twice to prevent mistakes

8. Confirming your ballot's arrival

9. What to do if you encounter difficulties

10. Getting your "I Voted from Netherlands" Stickers 

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1. Registering to vote and requesting your ballot for the 2022 midterm elections

The first step is to request your ballot, and if need be, register to vote from abroad. You should do this every election year to ensure you remain on your state’s overseas voter rolls and to ensure your local election office has your up-to-date contact information. It’s important to register as an absentee voter from abroad because the ballots of US citizens voting from abroad have special protections and are different from the standard absentee ballot. 

Go to votefromabroad.org to fill out your Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) absentee ballot request — it takes 5-10 minutes! If you're not registered to vote, the FPCA also serves as a voter registration form. Choose the option to receive ballots by email.

The second step is to submit the FPCA absentee ballot request form to your local election office in the United States. Most states allow you to submit your FPCA directly from votefromabroad.org without the need to print it out. But some states require that you submit your completed form by email attachment, fax, or postal mail. State deadlines and submission methods can be found here.

If you have any questions while filling out your request form, go to the Vote from Abroad FAQ section or type your question in the website's chatbox (red circle in the bottom right-hand corner of each screen). Or you can email us at [email protected] 

2. Confirming your request has been accepted  ✅

After submitting your FPCA absentee ballot request form, call or email your Local Election Official (LEO) to confirm they have received it and will be sending your ballot. Your LEO's contact information is listed in the instructions generated when you fill out your FPCA form at Vote from Abroad. You can also look up their contact info here. 

Most states provide a website where you can verify your voter status. To find your state's website, click here and scroll down to “Where Is My Ballot?"

3. Receiving your ballot 📬

Your overseas absentee ballot is not your standard absentee ballot back home! Thanks to the MOVE Act, all states must send FPCA-requested  absentee ballots to overseas voters no later than 45 days before a federal election — this year that’s September 24, 2022. 

And, if requested, all states must send overseas voters their ballot by email.

You don't need to wait for ballots to arrive on September 24. If you're worried your ballot won't arrive on time, send in a Backup Ballot NOW. The Backup Ballot (Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot or FWAB) is specifically for overseas voters who are concerned they won't receive their official ballot in time to return it by the deadline. All details about the Backup Ballot can be found here.

4. Your ballot hasn’t arrived? 📭

Check your spam folder. Still no ballot? Contact your local election official here and confirm they’ve sent your ballot to you. Go to votefromabroad.org if you need to send in a new FPCA absentee ballot request form.

If you haven’t received your ballot by October 1 and your state requires postal mail return, we recommend you send in a Backup Ballot to make sure your vote gets to your state in time. All details about the Backup Ballot can be found here.

5. Voting your ballot 🗳️

It’s easy to get informed about candidates, ballot initiatives, and judicial candidates and important to vote your ballot completely. State and local races are critical in 2022! 

The simplest way is to vote for Democrats straight down the ballot. Some elected positions do not list a party affiliation, like school boards, judges, and others. To determine who to vote for in those cases, you can do the following: 

• Google your county's local Democratic Party
• Go to the League of Women Voters personalized ballot service 
• Go to Ballotpedia - Example: google “Ballotpedia Arizona elections 2022”
• Google the candidate's name to find their campaign website

6. There are lots of ways to return your ballot! 

📌 Remember! Only use a mail service if you cannot return your ballot electronically 📌

Ballot return methods – by email, online, postal mail, fax – vary by state. Always return your ballot as quickly as possible, but especially if your state only allows postal mail return. Find your state's exact ballot return methods here.

If your state allows email, online upload or fax  for ballot return, please use these options as they’re not subject to delay! Here is more information on fax submission.

If your state requires postal mail return, see info below on options from Netherlands.

New Jersey Voters: Please note that New Jersey allows for email or fax returns, but requires that the ballot ALSO be sent by postal mail.

New York Voters: Here are instructions on How to fold the New York State General Election ballot.

➡ International Postal Service:  

If your state requires postal mail ballot return, one option is to use express international mail from PostNL. Please remember mail service can be slow and send your ballot as soon as possible!

You should – and some states require you – to ask for a postmark or date stamp to be placed on the outer envelope. Find out your state’s requirements here. 

➡ The U.S. Embassy/Consulate diplomatic pouch: The U.S. Consulate in Amsterdam & The U.S. Embassy in The Hague requests that ballots sent by the diplomatic post be dropped off to security no later than four weeks before the ballot due date. You will need to place your ballots in a U.S. postage paid return envelopes (usually provided with your ballot) or in envelopes bearing sufficient U.S. postage. You can download a free U.S. postage-paid return envelope template at FVAP.gov.

Please be aware that using the diplomatic pouch does not mean your ballot will arrive faster. It can take up to four weeks for the mail to reach its final destination. Use a Back-up Ballot to make the diplomatic pouch deadline if your regular ballot hasn’t arrived. Find out more here.

The U.S. Consulate address in Amsterdam is: 

U.S. Consulate Amsterdam
Museumplein 19
1071 DJ Amsterdam
Hours: Weekdays between 8am and 4pm. (Closed U.S. and Dutch holidays)

The U.S. Embassy address in Wassenaar is: 

U.S. Consulate Amsterdam
John Adams Park 1
2244 BZ Wassenaar
Hours: Weekdays between 8am and 4pm. (Closed U.S. and Dutch holidays)

More information is on the website  

➡ Courier Service:

If your state requires postal mail ballot return, the quickest option is to use a courier service.

DA Netherlandsis working to arrange with DHL a discount for ballots to be returned to the U.S. We'll share the specific details here as soon as they've been set. Stay tuned!

Even with expedited courier services though, ballots still take several days to get to the United States. Please send your ballot as soon as possible! Do not wait! You should – and some states require you – ask for a postmark or date stamp (Zeitstempel) to be placed on the outer envelope. Find out your state’s requirements here. We do not recommend booking or paying online with any courier service. You will not receive a postmark if you book or pay online.

📌 Remember! Only use a mail service if you cannot return your ballot electronically 📌

7. Checking twice to prevent mistakes 👀

When filling out and packaging your ballot, don't forget to review the instructions carefully. Don't let human error spoil your ballot!

Regardless of how you send in your ballot, remember that you – the voter – must be the one who places it “in the mail.” In some states, it is unlawful for any other person to handle your voted ballot, even if it is sealed. Unsure? Find out your state’s requirements here. 

8. Confirming your ballot's arrival at your local election office in the United States ✓✓

Once you've sent your ballot, follow up with your local election official to make sure that it arrived and will be counted. Please do not just assume that your ballot has made it! 

The easiest way to ensure your ballot has arrived is to go to "Track Your Ballot" on your state’s website. You can also look up your local election office's contact details here and contact them directly. They may be experiencing a high volume of calls, so you may need to be persistent to get through to someone.

9. Having trouble? Need help? 😕

We understand that the voting process to some states can be confusing — that's why we're here to help! Send us an email at  [email protected] or contact [email protected]

Or, a one-on-one live voter help is just a Zoom away! Click in to ZoomTheVote, hosted and staffed by experienced VoteFromAbroad voter helpers, from anywhere in the world. Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon-4pm EDT and Sundays from 11am-3pm EDT. Link to join is here: https://qrco.de/bbh0zg Please share widely!

10. Get your "I Voted from The Netherlands" sticker

Thank you for voting!  If you would like to print an “I Voted from The Netherlands” sticker go here.

Welcome to the DANL Youth Caucus
Posted by Tre'Shawn Griffin-Noordermeer · · 1 reaction

In honor of Wednesday's Inauguration, today is the Day of Service! (Don't know what this is? Look below.) We're doing our part by highlighting three of the many LGBTQ+ organizations doing important work for the community. We're highlighting Immigration Equality, Lambda Legal, and True Colors United. Learn more about these organizations below the image, go to their websites to explore more. From January 18th - 20th, we're asking our members to make a donation large or small to help this important work continue. The links to donate are below.

Donate
Donate to Immigration Equality
Donate to Lambda Legal
Donate to True Colors United 

What is the Day of Service?
The Biden Inaugural Committee has a week long Inauguration Celebration to bring us together. Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Committee has a Day of Service. Socially Distanced or virtual events are taking part around the world for Americans to give back. Interested in getting involved more in your home state or in generally? Find more events by clicking here. 

Click below to receive periodic updates from the Taxation Task Force on our tax advocacy work.  We will message you when there are important updates and developments to report.

• Become a member of your local country committee. 
• Volunteer for Democrats Abroad, either globally or locally. 
• Attend an event.
• Participate in our weekly Tiny Actions.
• Contact Congress about issues that matter to you and other overseas voters.
• Host a meet up.
• Register to vote. 
• Share information about Democrats Abroad.
• Phonebank to Americans abroad.

Join our tiny actions team and receive regular emails outlining actions you can take to support issues that matter to Democrats and our allies. 

Democrats Abroad's country committees need local volunteers. Volunteer by clicking on the "Countries" tab above, find your country, and contact your leaders directly.

Do you want to help at a global level? We have more than a dozen global teams that work to keep our organization running. 

Our global teams provide get out the vote help, communications, technology support and more to the all the grass roots volunteers working at the local level in Democrats Abroad. Regardless of where you live there is a team that needs your talent and dedication. Now is the time to join fellow Democrats and help fight for what's right. Any questions, write us at [email protected]

Please check out our global team opportunities.