Upcoming Events
Our Dinner is Sold Out!
The Norm and Shirley Miller Democratic Leadership Dinner has sold out. Thank your for your support.
Please join us on Thursday evening June 1 for the Norm and Shirley Miller Democratic Leadership Banquet being held at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick! This is the signature event for the Benton County Democrats and is an annual opportunity to spend time with a room full of people who share your views. We are thrilled to announce that we have confirmed Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson as our keynote speaker!
The evening also serves as our most critical fundraising event of the year for our organization which has not been able to produce this event since 2019.
Tickets are no longer on sale. Please note that this year’s event is 21+ due to regulations around auctioning and selling alcohol.
This event is named in honor of two legendary local Democrats, the late Norm and Shirley Miller. At the banquet we celebrate their legacy and commitment to the Democratic party and to their leadership and vision for inclusiveness and justice.
A highlight of the event is announcing the seventh Outstanding Leadership Award recipient to an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to working on behalf of our local party, its issues, and our candidates.
Washington 4th District Public Calendar
How to Help Ukrainians
New on the Website
Updates from Franklin County Democrats
Updates from the Democratic National Committee
News from the Ag and Rural Caucus
Updates from the State Committee
Updates from Columbia Basin Badger Club
Updates from the Election Committee
Updates from National Democratic Training Center
Updates in League of Women Voters News
Updates from the Faith Action Network
Updates in Fix Democracy First News
Updates from the Benton County Chair
Link to Candidates filed for Benton County Races
Updates from Tri-City Democrats
Update from the Resolutions Committee
Updates from Walla Walla Democrats
Updates from the 8th LD Committee
BE FR Special Election ballot tracking
Visit our News and Views Google Doc
You can suggest additional riffs by contributing them to our Google Doc, You Might Be A Democrat
Upcoming Local Party Meetings
Franklin County Call to Regular Meeting May 18
Benton County Democrats E-Board May Call to Meeting May 7 3:30 PM
Here are some ways you can take action.
- Thu, Jun 1 @ 1pm
So You Want to Run for Office: Pride Edition for LGBTQIA+ Candidates › - Sat, Jun 3 @ 12pm
NDTC National Candidate Bootcamp: Field Deep Dive › - Mon, Jun 5 @ 1pm
Running in a Red District › - Tue, Jun 6 @ 1pm
Calculating Your Vote Goal › - Thu, Jun 8 @ 1pm
How to Build a Political Campaign Field Plan › - Mon, Jun 12 @ 1pm
Maximize Your Field Strategy Through Precinct Prioritization ›
All times Eastern
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Paid for by the National Democratic Training Committee, TrainDemocrats.org, not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
ARC June Events
Our Better Practices conversation is already this Thursday. (The first Thursday always sneaks up.) This month is a little different. We will share what we know about the Rural Committee of the State Central Committee. The mission of the Rural Committee does not compete with the Ag and Rural Caucus but it is helpful that we know the direction of the State Party and the Rural Committee..
The series title is Better Practices, not Best Practices. We each have our own experience with what works well. Join us to learn from your colleagues and to share your own experience.
Don
June Schedule
6:30 pm Thursday 1 June
Better Practices roundtable
Rural Committee: Work Plan
Steve Verhey and You
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81582823697?pwd=V1FaVlV3Ly8xTHFBTTZZM1VxblVjQT09
6:30 pm Thursday 15 June
Policy Series
The Farm Bill: What is it, actually
Andy Juris, President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83419676203?pwd=NUo0NVVYOHU4Ky91RTYxa1Q0cjdXQT09
Better Practices
Rural Committee:
Steve Verhey and You
6:30 pm Thursday 1 June
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81582823697?pwd=V1FaVlV3Ly8xTHFBTTZZM1VxblVjQT09
Join us this Thursday evening to learn about the Rural Committee of the State Party.
Not the Ag and Rural Caucus, which is us, but the Rural Committee created by the State Party Chair.
Years ago, there was an Eastern Washington Committee. By custom, the State Vice-Chair chaired the committee. Valerie Rongey chaired the committee when I first attended the state meetings. As CD-5 representative to the state board, I stepped in for Valerie from time to time. It was very much an eastern Washington gathering. Recognizing that rural Washington was more than just LPO’s east of the mountains, the Eastern Washington Committee was re-constituted as the Rural Committee and co-chaired by Ron Wright from Wahkiakum County and Nancy Monacelli from Walla Walla. After a short existence the committee was again re-imagined. The last cycle and currently the committee has been chaired by Danielle Garbe Reser and Bennett Massey Helber, from CD-5 and CD-2, respectively.
Danielle and Bennett are both otherwise engaged Thursday evening and so cannot join us. Steve Verhey, who is on the committee, has graciously stepped up. He participated in the last central committee meeting and can share his impressions of the Rural Committee’s work plan.
Several of you also are members of the Rural Committee and can help Steve. Please consider yourselves part of the team.
The Farm Bill: What is actually?
6:30 pm Thursday 15 June
Andy Juris, President, Washington Association of Wheat Growers
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83419676203?pwd=NUo0NVVYOHU4Ky91RTYxa1Q0cjdXQT09
You have all heard about “The Farm Bill”. Some of you know that it is hot right now. It is renewed every five years and this is the year.
You may also vaguely know that “The Farm Bill” is more about food stamps than crop insurance. For this you can thank Tom Foley, D-Wash CD5, and Bob Dole, R-Kansas, a generation ago. Foley and Dole lead the ag committees in the house and senate, and realized that farmers needed strong urban support for a farm bill to pass. They bought this support by rolling food stamps and food policy into the farm bill. You sometimes will hear farmers complaining that the farm bill seems to be more for the city folk than farmers and that we should have a clean farm bill. The linkage, though, of ag interests and urban food policy is what keeps farmers in business.
Times change and agriculture is again in the cross-hairs of conflicting interests. A question for us is whether the farm bill can be a useful instrument for financial security for farmers and also deal with a changing climate and suspicion of farm practices on the ground. Do we still have family farms? Are our soils being depleted by commercial ag practices? Can farmers save the world? Are farmers CO2 and CH4 villains? Or do we enjoy a residual of nostalgia and good will?
We will take up some of these issues with Andy. Andy helped us on our Solar Siting in Klickitat County session two years ago and has agreed to help us understand what is at stake with the Farm Bill.
Don
29 May 2023
Our Better Practices roundtable is on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm.. Use the link above for 2023.
Our Policy Series is on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. Use the link above for 2023.
Copyright © 2022 Ag and Rural Caucus, All rights reserved. Ag and Rural Caucus of State Democratic Central Committee
Our mailing address is: Ag and Rural Caucus 2921 Mud Creek Rd Waitsburg, WA 99361
In our upcoming webinar, we’ll be showing you how to find and mobilize your support base with Mobilize, the industry’s #1 volunteer recruitment and event management application used by thousands of campaigns and causes.
Mobilize allows you to tap into a network of 5+ million volunteers, create and promote events quickly, and so much more. Join us for this live event to learn how to get started on accomplishing your organizational goals.
We hope to see you there!
Date & Time
Tuesday, June 6th
12:00 PM ET | 9:00 AM PT
I’m excited to announce a new event — our first Tri-Cities Dinner to support my Exploratory Campaign for Governor!
Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 22nd for dinner at Three Rivers Convention Center — CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY.
As Attorney General, I look for opportunities to make the biggest impact for Washingtonians – and the results aren’t too bad! Here are just a few highlights:
- Secured over $1.1 billion from our lawsuits against large corporations that illegally fueled the opioid epidemic in pursuit of profits.
- Banned the sale of assault weapons. I proposed this legislation seven years in a row until it passed. This is a life saving policy that makes our communities safer.
- Led a national coalition to successfully defend reproductive rights and access to mifepristone, the safe abortion pill.
- Defeated Donald Trump in court over 50 times.
I am exploring running for Governor because I want to build on these successes on behalf of the people of Washington state.
Bob Ferguson for Governor Exploratory Campaign
Tri-Cities Fundraising Dinner
Thursday, June 22nd
Doors Open: 5:00pm
Dinner: 6:00pm
Three Rivers Convention Center
7016 W Grandridge Blvd, Kennewick
Confirm your attendance with a donation ONLINE HERE. Questions about the event? Contact bridget@bobferguson.com.
Unlike most politicians, I refuse contributions from large corporations. Consequently, I depend on the financial support of individuals like you. We have an ambitious goal for the Exploratory Campaign of 5,000 Washington donors and financial support from all 39 counties.
This will be a fun evening with some interesting speakers! I hope you can join us.
Bob
Good Morning,
Below are our dates for our mandatory observer training and our Official Logic & Accuracy test for the Primary Election. This is for the paid observer program.
Mandatory Observer Training – July 7th 2:00pm (please keep in mind that any observers you have for your group must come to the training in order to be part of the program)
Official Logic and Accuracy Test – Wednesday July 5th at 2:00 pm. Due to this election only being local items the State will not be involved. It will just be our internal Logic and Accuracy test.
I have attached the coordinator guidelines if you are still going to be the coordinator for your group as well as the observer manual. If so, please complete and return back to me at your earliest convenience.
We may also be having a test run of our evacuation drill at the time of the training. If it is scheduled I’ll send out more information as time gets closer.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Link to Observer Coordinator Guidelines
Amanda Hatfield Elections Manager Benton County Auditor | Elections Division 2618 N. Columbia Center Blvd. | Richland, WA 99352 (509) 736-3085 ext. 5639 Email: amanda.hatfield@co.benton.wa.us www.bentonauditor.com
This is just a reminder that the Washington State organization of the League of Women Voters has some excellent resources on becoming involved in your democracy.