December 2019 Newsletter

December 2019

Welcome to the Democrats Abroad CanaDA Newsletter!

Before 2019 closes we’ve prepared a final update on a sampling of the activities happening globally, nationally, and locally in support of the interests of Americans living overseas by Democrats Abroad.

In Canada this work is carried out through the efforts of hundreds of passionate volunteers who donate thousands of hours towards a single effort…getting out the vote of Americans living in Canada. And there's never much of a "down-time". Even now chapters are working to finalize plans by year-end for their Global Presidential Primary Voting Centers March 3-10, 2020, which you'll learn more about in our next newsletter.

Top of the read are the “No One is Above the Law” rallies happening this Tuesday across the country on the eve of the impeachment vote. Now is the time to show our support of Congress as they take action to defend the Constitution and we invite you to join us.

Our chapter spotlight in this issue explores the challenges Canada’s Capital Region faces in connecting with members over a large geographical area, and we learn what motivates Stephanie Perry’s tireless efforts to get out the vote in our volunteer spotlight.

We invite you to take a moment to complete the Diversity Survey to help ensure the delegation to the 2020 Democratic Nominating Convention reflects the global membership of Democrats Abroad. Your voice is important on this issue!

You’ll also find resources for locating cross-border tax accountants and estate lawyers in your area, plus the dates for the first 4 Primary Debates in 2020.

We hope you find the stories informative and look forward to sharing future updates on the tremendous work being done by Democrats Abroad volunteers.

Wishing you the best of the holiday season!

Democratically yours,

Steve Nardi
Chair, Democrats Abroad Canada

Denise Roig
Editor, DemsAbroad CanaDA Newsletter

Join your fellow DemsAbroad members for this historic nationwide mobilization on the eve of Trump's impeachment vote. Events across Canada on Tuesday Dec. 17th will join the nearly 500 rallies planned in the U.S., plus the countless number being held globally, to demonstrate to our U.S. lawmakers that U.S. citizens living in Canada are behind them to defend the Constitution—and that Trump has left them no alternative to uphold their oath of office but to support impeachment and removal. 

To find out if your chapter is hosting a rally click here to access chapter pages, plus follow DemsAbroad Canada on Facebook and watch your Inbox for email announcements.

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With the Global Presidential Primary process in full gear, Democrats Abroad continues to offer members the chance to sign petitions for individual candidates. In order to be on the GPP ballot, a candidate requires at least 300 Dems Abroad members to sign his or her petition by January 6, 2020.

According to Julia Bryan, Global Chair of Democrats Abroad, “Candidate campaigns are focusing their attention on their ballot access next steps. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Yang have sent in all their paperwork and will be on our ballot.” Other candidates, Bryan reports, are “still working to access our ballot, too: Michael Bennet, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Cory Booker, Julian Castro, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Marianne Williamson. Many are still gathering signatures.” Bryan encourages DA members to reach out to the campaigns, “if you’d like more information on where they stand in their signature counts.”

As DA members we may sign as many candidate petitions as we wish. By signing, we help ensure that a candidate appears on the Democrats Abroad 2020 Global Presidential Primary ballot. Signing a petition isn’t considered either an endorsement or a vote. We will still be voting for our preferred candidate during DA’s presidential primary, state primary or in the general election next November.

We’ve made it easy to sign. Just click on this link and then click on the photo of the candidate petition(s) you’d like to see appear on the DemsAbroad ballot. Keep those signatures coming!

Not only did Democrats score historic victories in Kentucky and Virginia in country-wide elections on November 5^th, but also in legislative, municipal and ballot measures. DemList called it a “growing suburban revolt against Donald Trump,” attributing these wins to “higher-income, more educated and mostly female voters.”

Some of the highlights:

• Virginia: Democratic candidates achieved a takeover of both the State Senate and House, with many suburban seats picked up.
• Kentucky: In a 49.2 percent to 48.8 percent victory over Republican Governor Matt Bevin, Andy Beshar won two Cincinnati exurbs for the first time since 2011.
• Arizona: Regina Romero became the first Latina to be elected mayor of Tucson.
• Indiana: In Hamilton County, one of the state’s most staunch Republican strongholds, Democrats Nelson, Vare and DeLong won upset victories in city council races.
• Missouri: Democrat Trish Gunby won an open Republican seat in the State House.
• Pennsylvania: In Delaware County, Democrats won control of the city council for the first time since the Civil War. And in Philadelphia, Working Families Party candidate Kendra Brooks won an at-large City Council seat that has been held by Republicans for 70 years.

The issues matter. Getting out the VOTE matters. It all matters because we can’t afford to lose. So much has already been lost, trashed and discredited. The Toronto and Canada Women’s Caucus Groups have an opportunity to have a big impact in 2020. It is also a big job. Sometimes the news and noise from across the border is deafening, but we intend to power on. Our goal is to break some records with the numbers of women registered and voting in the upcoming election.

Most important, we are going to vote our issues and those that impact every American. We know from our Women’s Marches, potluck dinners, actions like #WeBelieveWomen in support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, debate-watch events, and fun nights like the Second City all-women show we attended together in Toronto that we have women voters who care. We have to continue to engage them.

Click here to read more about Toronto's Women's Caucus and the issues they're fighting for.

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DemsAbroad members looking for a safe place to discuss candidates and issues, rant, rave, celebrate, and more, can find all this on the Facebook State Group Abroad, according to Lori Hakulinen, administrator for Americans Abroad Facebook Groups. "We also send reminders for overseas voter registration, ballot request and voting deadlines for each state, as well as promote Democrats Abroad events and membership."

Click here to access the list of individual State Group Abroad Facebook pages.

Brooke Scott always wanted the creation of a new logo and slogan for the Global Women’s Caucus to be collaborative. As a member-at-large for DA Canada, member-at-large for DA Toronto and member of Toronto’s Women’s Caucus, Scott knows a lot about working with people’s talents and strengths. “Toronto’s WC is such a good group for sharing everything,” she says.

A Toronto member and graphic artist, Sayeh Beheshti donated not one but three logo designs for the group’s consideration. The chosen one is on the left, with the slogan, “Nevertheless, she voted.” Again the effort was collaborative, with 15-20 slogans submitted. Scott hopes the new logo – recently approved and adopted as well by DA’s Global Women’s Caucus – will be emblazoned on bags, T-shirts and signs for next May’s global DA meeting in Toronto. “Women have so much to lose with another Trump presidency,” says Scott. “We have to be out front and centre.”..

Democrats Abroad Affirmative Action Committee encourages all DA members to take part in a short, anonymous online survey aimed to gain perspective on the current diversity of our global membership. The goal: to ensure that DA’s delegation to the 2020 Democratic National Convention reflects who we are. The hope: that those interested in being a delegate candidate and belonging to a historically-disadvantaged group – African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Native American, those with disabilities, those identifying as LGBT, as well as youth – will feel encouraged to consider running.

Click here to access the survey

Questions/comments can be sent to: diversity@democratsabroad.org

David Schellenberg, chair for Canada’s Capital Region chapter, and Rachel Eugster, vice-chair, share a passion for finding and registering American voters.

The geography covered by Canada’s Capital Region chapter is best marked by the rivers: the Gatineau, St. Lawrence and the Ottawa. “It’s a huge territory,” explains Rachel Eugster, the chapter’s vice-chair, “reaching all the way east to southwestern Quebec, then stretching west to Kingston. We’re trying to hold debate watches in these different areas.” At the hub, of course, is Ottawa and environs, where nearly 80 percent of the chapter’s 860 members live. It’s a challenge, admits David Schellenberg, chapter chair, to organize over such a large area. “We have endless discussions about how much we need to find and bring in more Americans. They’re out there.”

While Eugster was a member of an earlier incarnation of the CCR chapter – organizing events such as inauguration balls after Obama was elected and re-elected – Schellenberg was spurred to join Dems Abroad as Trump’s candidacy was heating up. “I remember sitting on the couch watching TV and realizing he might just win. I knew I had to do something.” Five people, including Lissette Wright, treasury chair for DA Canada, as well as treasurer for DA Global, came together in 2015. “We were all thinking the same thing,” says Schellenberg.

Click here to read more about how Canada's Capital Region chapter plans to connect with Americans

Toronto phonebanker Stephanie Perry often brings her dog, Shiloh, to voter registration events. “She’s a showstopper,” says Perry.

Stephanie Perry has one piece of advice for Dems Abroad members lying awake at night stressing about U.S. politics: Get up and make some phone calls. Perry, member-at-large for DA’s Toronto chapter, should know. She was second in phonebanking calls from Canada in the lead-up to the 2018 mid-terms and number one for the Toronto call centre. “When I get up in the middle of the night to phonebank, it gives me hope and resolve. That’s a good use of my time.”

Perry, a former tax attorney in the U.S. Treasury Department, who moved to Canada 25 years ago, has been using her time to speak out since she was an eleven-year-old Pennsylvanian protesting the war in Viet Nam. She became active in the women’s movement and served as president of the gay alliance in university, even though “I’m a flaming heterosexual,” she laughs. In Toronto, her five-year term leading the Cabbagetown Tour of Homes raised money for many local charities, including women’s and Canadian newcomers’ literacy initiatives, Casey House (HIV care), art therapy for at-risk children, and a shelter for homeless LGBTQ teens.

Click here to read the rest of Stephanie's story and how she puts her passion to work in getting out the vote. 

Recently DemsAbroad Canada presented two sold-out webinars on Estate Planning, which educated members on estate planning as an American living in Canada. Common questions received are for referrals to Cross-border tax accountants and Estate Planning lawyers.

While DemsAbroad does not endorse any individual firm/preparer at this link you can search for Tax Preparers in your area.

To locate cross-border attorneys in your area use this format for a Google search:
estate lawyers in XXXXXXXX "cross border" -real

[XXXXXXXX = your city name and by adding -real you eliminate real estate agents being returned in the results.]

Watch your Inbox for emails announcing more webinars in the first quarter.

Dates for the first four primary debates in 2020 have just been announced:

January 14, 2020 -- Iowa; hosted by CNN

February 7, 2020 -- New Hampshire, hosted by ABC

February 19, 2020 -- Nevada; hosted by NBC & MSNBC

February 25, 2020 -- South Carolina; hosted by CBS

Check your local chapter's website and FaceBook page for news of debate-watch gatherings in your area.

Global Strike – The Toronto chapter was out in full force with signs and flags in late September for the Global Strike for Future Climate Crisis.

Signs up – November’s Climate Strike in Vancouver brought out long-time DA volunteer Camille Mitchell, along with Ryan and Riley, part of UBC’s core group of Dems Abroad.

Ken Sherman, Marnelle Dragila, Stephanie Perry and Steve Nardi, left to right, got up to speed on GOTV, phonebanking and social media at the Americas Regional workshop in Costa Rica on October 25-26. Their job: to get the rest of us up to speed!

Members of DA Victoria got together to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Executive function – After a year of groundwork, David Mivasair, chair of the Hamilton/Burlington chapter, met with McMaster University’s new 10-member-strong Democrats Abroad club. Kareem Khalid (California), standing in back, is chair, with Jude Gal, Iqra Bhatti and Saad Ahmed (front row), brother and sister from Alabama, eager new members of the club’s executive.

DA Edmonton members celebrating Thanksgiving.

We can’t win in 2020 without you. It takes a village to do all the things we need to do. We have many opportunities for volunteers available:

- Phone banking
- Progressive, Women's or LGBTQ+ Caucuses
- Local Get Out the Vote activities
- IT or Communications

Please send an email to DemsAbroad Canada Volunteer Manager Jamey Shick and indicate which area you'd like more information on.

Democrats Abroad Canada

Telephone
(877) 336-2008

E-mail
Info-canada@democratsabroad.ca

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www.democratsabroad.org/ca

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