MAY 2025 NEWSLETTER
“As Americans, we are united not by the circumstances of our birth or our station in life, but by our fidelity to a set of shared ideals and unalienable rights. The principles of freedom, justice, and equality for all are at the very core of who we are as a Nation. We believe firmly in the power of democracy and opportunity — but we know that these blessings are only what we make of them, and that our experiment in self-government gives work and purpose to each new generation. Today, we recommit to the profoundly patriotic work of doing all we can to better the country we love.” -Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, Proclamation
Greetings! There are quite a few opportunities to take charge of your future!
The 4th Annual Retiree Survival Workshop 30 April from 1300-1600 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Heaton Auditorium is the place to get all your questions answered! Along with the Frankfurt Consulate’s FBU (Federal Benefits Unit) representatives, you will be able to meet with the VA, Host Nation Liaison, VA Overseas Benefit Coordinators, Chaplain Corps, USAF Casualty, Kaiserslautern Legal Center, Army Community Services, LRMC Patient Advocate, Tricare, the new President of the KMC Retiree Council, German Notar (Dr. Bernd Gilcher), Kaiserslautern Military Resilience Center, Service Credit Union and others. Also jot down the upcoming Ramstein AB Passport Outreach Event at the KMCC Food Court on May 21st–appointments available. FBU may be there. More information from [email protected]
Commemorate Memorial Day by honoring the only member of the Ghost Army who is buried in Germany. Organize a visit to lay a wreath at the grave of Helmet Isenberg in the Jewish Cemetery at the Nordfriedhof, Platter Str. 83, 65193 Wiesbaden, Bus lines 3 and 6, bus stop "Nordfriedhof".
Looking for a way to participate in events to get our country back on track?
Join DA Resists! Everyone's help is needed.
HELP! The SAVE Act passed in the House (April 10, 2025) and is headed to the Senate! House Democrats who voted YES: Jared Golden–a Marine Veteran, Maine; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez-Texas, Henry Cuellar-Texas and Ed Case-Hawaii
Urge your Senators to VOTE NO on the SAVE Act.
Call your Senators at +1 (202) 224-3121 and urge them to filibuster the SAVE Act. –Democratic Senators: Demand they stand firm and initiate a filibuster. –Republican Senators: Tell them to reject this anti-democracy bill. The SAVE Act could force Americans abroad to return to the U.S. just to register to vote annually. It’s blatant voter suppression and must be stopped.
41 Democrats need to filibuster to block this bill. They must act—now. Make that call! If you can’t call, send an email. For a call script, click here.
VoteVets stated “It’s an effort to suppress Military votes. If it passes the Senate, it’s going to undermine our elections. And today, we need you to speak out against it.”
Make contacting your Representative and Senators part of your daily routine at Tea Time or during Aperitivo! Email them or call the Capitol Switchboard: +1(202)224-3121
H.R.2550 - PROTECT AMERICA'S WORKFORCE ACT Contact your Representative and Senators to support this bill. There are already 96 co-sponsors. Time to unite behind the federal workforce which includes many Veterans and retired DoD civilians overseas and stateside including the Department of Defense Education Activity educators who teach the children of the U.S. military overseas as well as in the schools on military bases stateside.
The bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act, introduced on Tuesday (April 8,2025), aims to bring back collective bargaining for all agencies impacted by President Donald Trump’s order. If enacted, the legislation would effectively reverse Trump’s actions, which terminated a majority of agencies’ collective bargaining agreements, citing national security concerns.
Don’t forget to register to vote! www.votefromabroad.org
Remember as a U S. Citizen, you (currently) have the right to vote in U.S. elections no matter where you are! This is guaranteed by the UOCAVA. Do not allow anyone to take this right away from you by instituting new demands that will make it very difficult to register to vote if you are outside the United States. (N.B. Since UOCAVA information may be difficult to find as many of the links have been scrubbed, you will find some pertinent information below for easy reference.)
We the People need to protect our voting rights!
DAG VMF Caucus Co-Chairs DA Germany
What would you like to organize this year? Contact us at [email protected]
Ready to join our caucus? Be part of the conversation and make your voice heard!
The Uniformed And Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) was enacted by Congress in 1986. UOCAVA requires that the states and territories allow certain groups of citizens to register and vote absentee in elections for Federal offices. In addition, most states and territories have their own laws allowing citizens covered by UOCAVA to register and vote absentee in state and local elections as well.
Provisions of UOCAVA
United States citizens covered by UOCAVA include: members of the United States Uniformed Services and merchant marine; their family members; and United States citizens residing outside the United States.
Among its key provisions, UOCAVA provides for an application called the Federal Post Card Application that qualified servicemembers and overseas citizens can use to register to vote and request an absentee ballot simultaneously. The law also allows for the use of a "back-up" ballot for federal offices, called the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot. This ballot may be cast by voters covered by the Act who have made timely application for, but have not received, their regular ballot from their state or territory, subject to certain conditions.
In 2009, a subtitle of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, titled the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act ("MOVE Act"), amended UOCAVA to establish new voter registration and absentee ballot procedures which states must follow in all federal elections. The amended UOCAVA is available here.
Most of these new procedures were implemented by the November 2010 general election. As amended by the MOVE Act, UOCAVA now requires state officials to: provide UOCAVA voters with an option to request and receive voter registration and absentee ballot applications by electronic transmissions and establish electronic transmission options for delivery of blank absentee ballots to UOCAVA voters; transmit validly-requested absentee ballots to UOCAVA voters no later than 45 days before an election for a federal office, when the request has been received by that date, except where an undue hardship waiver is approved by the Department of Defense for that election; take steps to ensure that electronic transmission procedures protect the security of the balloting process and the privacy of the identity and personal data of UOCAVA voters using the procedures; expand the acceptance of the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot to all elections for federal office beginning December 31, 2010; accept otherwise valid voter registration applications, absentee ballot applications, voted ballots, or Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots without regard to state notarization requirements, or restrictions on paper type, or envelope type; and allow UOCAVA voters to track the receipt of their absentee ballots through a free access system.
What rights does UOCAVA give me?
If you are a qualified voter protected by UOCAVA, in elections for federal office, the state in which you are qualified to vote must (1) permit you to register to vote and request an absentee ballot if a request is received by the 30th day before the election; (2) send you an absentee ballot early enough to receive it, vote it, and send it back, specifically by the 45th day before the election, if a request is received by that date; (3) permit you to request and receive your voter registration form, absentee ballot request, and blank absentee ballot electronically; (4) permit you to cast a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot under certain conditions; (5) provide you with free access to a tracking system that tells you whether your ballot has been received by the appropriate state election official; and (6) accept otherwise-valid voted ballots even if they are not notarized, and even if they are printed on a nonstandard paper size or sent in a nonstandard type envelope.
North Carolina Ballot Challenge Information
Over 60,000 ballots from the 2024 NC State Supreme Court election were at risk of being disqualified. Now this is down to 5500 UOCAVA voters–yes, U.S. votes from overseas are being questioned! If your ballot is one of them, you can fix it! - Check here to see if you're on the list - If you are on the list, contact your local election office to find out what you need to do to fix your ballot. If you need any help, contact [email protected]
World Press Freedom Day
(Source: United Nations)
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then,
May 3, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. After 30 years, the historic connection made between the freedom to seek, impart and receive information and the public good remains as relevant as it was at the time of its signing…This May 3 acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. It is an opportunity to: celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Federal benefits face possible cuts in House Republicans’ budget resolution
Whistleblower details how DOGE may have taken sensitive NLRB data
Students at Pentagon schools sue Hegseth over book bans on race and gender
Joining in upcoming walkouts will have repercussions,
Some DODEA schools issue detentions following walkout in support of diversity
Pro-DEI student protesters threatened by Defense Department schools
Parents at DODEA school say student walkout was stopped by snap lockdown drill
A student at Vilseck High School in Germany participates in a walkout Thursday to protest Trump administration book bans and other efforts to scrub diversity from military base schools. (Courtesy of DoDEA students)
Upcoming Elections 2025
Live Voter Help Sessions Register to vote at VoteFromAbroad.org
PENNSYLVANIA: Primary May 20, Registration Deadline May 5;
General November 4, Registration Deadline October 20
State Supreme Court
NEW JERSEY: Primary June 10, Registration Deadline May 12;
General November 4, Registration Deadline October 6
Governor and Lt. Governor
VIRGINIA: Primary June 17, Registration Deadline May 27;
General November 4, Registration Deadline October 14
Governor, Lt..Governor and Attorney General
MAY CALENDAR & EVENTS
National Military Appreciation Month, Month of the Military Caregiver
“Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces,
for without them, there will be no other rights to guard.” –President John F. Kennedy
Six national observances highlighting the contributions of those who have served.
Discover the National Military Appreciation Month military discounts.
May 1 – Silver Star Service Banner Day
May 1 – Loyalty Day “Today, we salute the Americans whose hard work and sacrifice have strengthened our Nation in common cause…” President Joseph R. Biden
May 1 – National Day of Prayer
May 3 – World Press Freedom Day - 30th Anniversary
“Freedom of expression in the face of the AI revolution”
May 3 – VFW National Day of Service
May 4-10 – National Correctional Officers Week
May 4-10 – Public Service Recognition Week
May 8 – VE Day
May 9 – Military Spouse Appreciation Day
May 12-17 – Armed Forces Week 2025
May 13 – Children of Fallen Patriots Day
May 15 – Peace Officers Memorial Day
May 17 – Armed Forces Day
May 17 – IamExpat Fair get your free ticket! 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Estrel Hotel, Sonnenallee 225 12057 Berlin, free tickets–Registration is required.
(A good opportunity to spread the word about Democrats Abroad and register voters!)
May 18 – International Museum Day
May 21 – Ramstein AB Passport Outreach Event 2025, KMCC Food Court- appointments available-FBU may be present [email protected]
May 22 – Maritime Day
May 24 – Luxembourg American Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony at 2:00 pm (CET)
May 26 – Memorial Day
Upcoming DA Activities
SUPPORT DA GERMANY’s GOTV EFFORTS
Your monetary donations to Democrats Abroad Germany stay here and are used exclusively to organize and get out the vote among Americans. Request your absentee ballot for 2025. All overseas U.S. citizens must do this every calendar year.
VMF Caucus Survey
Please help us by filling out the VMF Caucus member survey.