19. January 2023 · Comments Off on Ag and Rural Caucus Reorganization, January 2023 · Categories: Committee News, Recent Events
ARC Reorganization
6:30 pm Thursday 19 Jauary
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84093446627?pwd=VFJ3N2p3RUhRRUNFRDhYKzlTa01sQT09 
Meeting ID: 840 9344 6627 
Passcode: 148588

Gun Control Bills

The table is set. At least four “gun control” bills have been introduced in the Legislature.
HB 1143: (18 co-sponsors); requires permit and training
HB 1144: (17 co-sponsors); requires training certificate
HB 1178: (15 co-sponsors); repeal state preemption to allow local governments adopt more restrictive regulation of firearms
HB 1240: (26 co-sponsors); prohibit manufacture or sale of “assault rifles”

House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee held its first public hearing yesterday, 17 January. I very much encourage you to view the hearing.

HB 1143 and 1144 are similar except that the latter does not require a permit in advance of purchase.

Opposition centers on the registry of permit holders (“unconstitutional”) created by 1143, and the purchaser’s expense for the required firearm training required by both.

Representative Walsh (LD 19) in the hearing makes much of the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision from June, 2022. 

Since Heller and McDonald, the Courts of Appeals have developed a “two-step” framework for analyzing Second Amendment challenges that combines history with means-end scrutiny. The Court rejects that two-part approach as having one step too many (emphasis added).

“Means-end scrutiny” here means questioning a permit applicant’s reasons for carrying a firearm. The overturned New York law required the applicant to have a good reason over and above his/her right to a firearm: An individual who wants to carry a firearm outside his home may obtain an unrestricted license to “have and carry” a concealed “pistol or revolver” if he can prove that “proper cause exists” for doing so.

The Bruen decision is written by Justice Thomas. It is an example of “original intent” thinking. Take a look.

A more familiar theme is that advocates are “weak on crime”. The solution is, instead, to tighten the penal system. 

HB 1178 repeals Washington’s state preemption of gun regulation. Local governments can make more restrictive regulation. My reading, however, is that local governments are still required to observe minimum state requirements (see below).

HB 1240 bans assault rifles. Its language preempts the usual complaint that the category of “assault” rifle is fiction, by providing detailed language about the targeted firearms.
 Status Quo Ante
Washington bans “bump stocks” (which enables semi-automatic weapons to fire automatically), ghost weapons, and high-capacity magazines, and imposes exceptional regulations on purchase:

No dealer may deliver a semiautomatic assault rifle to the purchaser until: (1) the purchaser provides proof they have completed a recognized firearm safety training program within the last five years; (2) the dealer is notified by the chief of police or sheriff that the purchaser is eligible to possess a firearm and the purchase is approved; and (3) 10 business days have elapsed since the purchase application or, in the case of a transfer, 10 business days have elapsed from the date a background check was initiated. • The purchaser of a semiautomatic assault rifle must be personally known to the dealer or present clear evidence of his or her identity. • Subject to various exceptions, a person under 21 years of age may not purchase a semiautomatic assault rifle, and no person may sell or transfer a semiautomatic assault rifle to a person under 21 years of age

Assault weapons in Washington are regulated by prohibiting the sale of magazines holding more than 10 cartridges. The ammunition is similar to that used in hunting rifles like the 30-06 for hunting. The distinctive feature of assault weapons is that they are semi-automatic.

Assault rifles get our attention because they are disproportionately used in “mass murders” where six or more people are killed. Assault weapons make up about five percent of private firearms in this country (20,000,000 out of 400,000,000 total). They account for about four percent of gun deaths, but about two-thirds of deaths from “mass murder”.

Opponents claim banning assault weapons is glory seeking by urban liberals. They correctly point out that handguns – not assault rifles – account for sixty percent of gun deaths (with nearly forty percent not identified). Opponents claim that it is hypocritical to ban assault rifles when handguns kill more people.: Regardless of the definition being used, fatalities in mass shooting incidents in the U.S. account for a small fraction of all gun murders that occur nationwide each year.

Opponents also note, again correctly, that banning assault rifles does not address suicide deaths by firearm, more than half (54%) of all deaths by firearm and about half (53%) of all suicides. The recurring theme is that people are the problem, not the gun.

Finally, Steve Starr alerted me to gun homicides in rural communities: From 2016 to 2020, 13 of the 20 U.S. counties with the most gun homicides per capita were rural: 80 percent of these 20 counties are in states that received an “F” grade for their weak gun laws, according to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence 
Join us tomorrow evening to talk about firearms, deaths by firearms, and gun control.

Don
18 January 2023


Potpourri: Elections, State Meeting, Guns

Thursday we will do a mix of things.

First, we will do reorganization. I will turn the meeting over to a neutral party who will then announce that no one other than the current office holders were nominated to run for 2023-2025 office. This means that I will return as chair, Teresa Purcell as Vice Chair – West, Robert Schutte as Vice-Chair East, Claus Joens as Secretary, and Marty Gilmore as Treasurer. (Robert and I wrote candidate statements. Follow the links.)

We have good geographic spread: Walla Walla County, Cowlitz County, Pend O’Reille, Whatcom, and Jefferson. We have the corners covered. We are short on the middle but we have really strong CD 4 participation in the Policy Committee.

I encourage everyone to participate in our various meetings and programs. ARC proceedings thrive because they are open.

Second, we will anticipate State Party reorganization with announcements and field questions from new state committee people about what to expect. I will share plans for ARC in Olympia (ARC caucus meeting; social event).

Third, we will return to talking about fire arm regulation – gun control. We will talk about guns but not act. We need to address this third-rail of rural politics because it is on the state’s agenda. We did not put it on the state’s agenda but there is no better place than ARC to talk about guns.

We owe it our rural candidates to make sense of the facts about guns in Washington and about proposals coming from our urban colleagues.

I received a handful of excellent responses to my December invitation to comment. Thank you. Our ARC members cover the range of positions, including the middle of not knowing quite what we should do.

To set the stage boundaries, I direct you to the Alliance for Gun Responsibility for the new agenda, and to Senator Phil Fortunato’s (LD 31-Auburn) GOP response.

See you Thursday.

Don
16 January 2023


Housekeeping…Reorg and Meet up

Our reorganization meeting will be virtual at 6:30 pm Thursday 19 January.

Who can vote? Virtually anyone. A member is:

Any resident of Washington who supports the purpose of the ARC and agrees to be publicly identified as a Democrat. Members must identify themselves to the Secretary to ensure that they receive correspondence from the ARC and can be confirmed as eligible voters.

You are a member and voter if you have received this mailing.

Who can run for office? Again, virtually anyone. We do separate our vice-chairs between east and west and by gender. Current officer holders, and ARC Bylaws, are on the website: arcwashdems.wordpress.com.

County chairs do have a little privilege as members of the Policy Committee. As you complete your county reorg’s please forward me your chair’s name and email, even if there has not been a change. Chairs, of course, can delegate their ARC participation.

Please, too, forward this email to anyone you may think interested in ARC and urge them to send their contact information to Claus Joens, joenscabin@gmail.com, ARC Secretary, and copy me.

We will elect chair, two vice chairs, secretary, and treasurer. Officers are not required to hold local county office. Ronn Wright (w7eryron@gmail.com will act as elections coordinator. Please indicate your interest in running to him by 31 December, and include a persuasive statement to be circulated to the membership.

Other business:

We will meet socially in person at the State Central Committee Meeting in Olympia. Tentatively, we will meet Friday evening 27 January at 5 pm in the hotel restaurant. At least a handful of us will be in town and we would like to meet up. More later.

Don
8 December 2022


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

Add us to your address book

19. January 2023 · Comments Off on Franklin County Call-to-Meeting January 2023 · Categories: Committee News, Recent Events

Call to Regular Meeting Jan. 19

January Regular Meeting Details

5:30 p.m. social, 6 p.m. start
Thursday, January 19
Downtown Pasco library
1320 W Hopkins St.

Fellow Democrats, good afternoon.

This month’s meeting features an election for State Committee Member Position 2 and an overview of some of our strategic plan and budget for the next two years. We will present on upcoming races, recruitment of candidates and volunteers, and the other nuts and bolts of successful campaigns (including money!).

We need you here to give us feedback! We’re also looking for people to join committees for recruitment, training and communication.

The meeting is open to the public, and fellow Tri-City Democrats are encouraged to attend.

As always, please consider setting up a monthly dues payment through our ActBlue donation account.

This is a potluck meeting, so feel free to bring whatever dish you wish to share.

We’ll see you there!

— Your FCDCC Executive Board

Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 2621 Pasco WA 99302
19. January 2023 · Comments Off on Benton County Exec Board Call-to-Meeting January 2023 · Categories: Announcements, Committee News, Recent Events

Benton County Democratic Central Committee

Executive Board Meeting

January 19, 2023

Azteca Mexican Restaurant, 6505 West Canal Dr, Kennewick.

6:30 PM



Agenda

  • Call to Order
  • Adopt Agenda
  • Approval of November Minutes
  • Secretary’s Report (Amy)
  • Treasurer’s Report & Communications ( Liz )
  • Chair’s Report (Jason)    
  • 1st VC Report (Misty)
  • 2nd VC Report (Allison)
  • Organizing Committee (Galen)
  • Elections Committee (Justin)
  • State Committee Member 1 (Justin)
  • State Committee Member 2 (Sabastian)
  • Resolutions (Kitty)
  • Labor (Open)
  • Events & Tri-City Dems (Carl)
  • 8th LD (Jake)
  • 15th LD
  • 16th LD (Jeffrey)
  • Unfinished Business
  • New Business
    • Ensure we have positions filled
    • Ensure PCO’s receive communication and training
    • Open positions:
      • Labor & Commerce Committee
      • Communications Committee
    • Horse Heaven Hills Clean Energy Center statement – shall we share it with our support?
    • Empower Allison to speak with Shasti Conrad and during State meeting on our behalf, concerns to be identified.
    • Hardcopy communication for those in our community who aren’t served well by electronic communication
  • Good of the Order
  • Adjourn

And whatever comes up in the meantime.

14. January 2023 · Comments Off on Yakima County 2023 Reorganization · Categories: Committee News, Recent Events

Greetings Democrats,

Happy New Year! I hope that you and your loved ones had a bright and happy holiday season!

This Saturday is our biennual Reorganization meeting, where we elect officers for the next 2 years. Yakima County will meet at 1:00pm and the 14th LD will meet at 2:30pm. The meetings will be held via Zoom to ensure greater accessibility across our geographically large districts.

All are welcome to attend, but only Precinct Committee Officers elected in 2022 will be able to vote at the meeting.

If you would like to receive the Rules and Agenda and the Zoom link for the meeting, please fill out the following form to register for the meeting:

https://forms.gle/tovNNV7kHDqNAdZSA

(The Zoom link will also be sent out to this list prior to the meeting – you do not have to register to attend.)

The most important thing to note about the rules is that nominations are required in advance. This means we will not be accepting nominations from the floor during the meeting. If you wish to nominate yourself for an elected position – Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, or State Committee Member (2 positions), please send a declaration of your candidacy to Yakima County Chair Naomi Whitmore (naomijwhitmore@gmail.com) by January 5th

Declared candidates for Yakima County are:

  • Lindsey Keesling for Chair
  • AJ Cooper for State Committee Member Pos. 1
  • Doug White for State Committee Member Pos. 2
  • Naomi Whitmore for Treasurer (this office is appointed)

Declared candidates for the 14th LD are:

  • Naomi Whitmore for Chair
  • Betsy Shedd for Vice Chair 
  • Patricia Whitefoot for State Committee Member Pos. 1
  • Naomi Whitmore for Treasurer

Throughout the year, there will also be plenty of opportunities to work on Committees either at the local or state level to accomplish specific goals. There will also be local elections to work on, including City Council and School Board races.

What do you think the Democrats should be doing? Join us and help make it happen in 2023! 

Upcoming Events

January 9 – First day of Legislative Session
 
January 22 – Women’s March
 
January 27 will be our return to Lobby Days, hosted by the WSDCC Advocacy Committee. More information to come on this exciting event!
 
January 28 – State Party Reorganization, Olympia

The Yakima County Democrats and the 14th LD Democrats are 100% volunteer (no paid staff), and entirely funded by donations. We need your support more than ever to keep our office open and to expand our outreach and programs in 2023. We have exciting plans and we can’t wait to get to work on them!

Thank you to all our supporters who make our work possible!

Donate here

We look forward to seeing you soon,

Naomi Whitmore
Chair, Yakima County Democrats
Aileen Kane
Chair, 14th LD Democrats

Our mailing address is:
Yakima County Democrats
402 S 3rd St
Yakima, WA 98901-2834

Add us to your address book

12. January 2023 · Comments Off on Benton County Elections Observer Training February 2023 details · Categories: Committee News, Elections, Recent Events

Good Morning,

Well…..we will have almost a county wide February Election coming up so I wanted to reach out to each of you coordinators (please let me know if you are no longer the coordinator for your party) and give you first few dates for training and our Official L&A test.

Mandatory Observer Training – January 12th 3:00pm (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)

UPDATE! Official Logic and Accuracy Test – Wednesday January 26th at 11:00am.  Due to this election only being School District’s the State will not be involved.  It will just be our internal Logic and Accuracy test.

I am currently working on updating observer materials for 2023 and creating a guide for all observers.  I have attached the coordinator guidelines if you are still going to be the coordinator for your group.  If so, please complete and return back to me at your earliest convenience.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Link to Observer Guidelines

If you wish to volunteer to be an observer for the February Special Election, please contact our Communications Chair, Durga Victorine

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
10. January 2023 · Comments Off on Benton County Elections Observer Training February 2023 · Categories: Announcements, Committee News, Elections

Greetings,

The Benton County Canvassing Board will be meeting at various times during the February 14, 2023 Special Election cycle.  This is to advise you of the current ballot processing schedule and canvassing board meetings for this election. 

Commencing Monday, January 30, 2023 the following processes may occur daily, depending on the level of ballots returned on a day-to-day basis. 

  • Drop boxes emptied
  • Signature verification
  • Prepping ballots for scanning
  • Scanning of ballots
  • Ballot adjudication/resolution
  • February 23– Pre-Certification processes begin for the February Special Election @ 9 am
  • February 24 – Certification of the February Special Election @ 9am

The processing schedule may be modified from time to time depending on the number of ballots received on a daily basis.


All election processes will take place at our new location. The Benton County Voting Center is now located at 2618 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Richland. 

During the course of processing, no persons except those employed and authorized by the county auditor may touch any ballot, ballot container, or vote tallying system.  We also ask that no photos be taken without the approval of the Election Manager.

To determine which processes are being conducted on a given day, we advise that observers contact our office directly.

Please let me know if you should have any questions.

If you wish to volunteer to be an observer for the February Special Election, please contact our Communications Chair, Durga Victorine

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
08. January 2023 · Comments Off on Benton County Reorganization January 2023 · Categories: Announcements, Committee News, Recent Events

Benton County Democratic Central Committee

and 8th LD Democratic Central Committee

Reorganization Meetings

January 8, 2023

1:00 PM at the Richland Public Library


Call to Meeting

The 8th LD Democratic Central Committee and the Benton County Democratic Central Committee are having their biennial reorganization meetings at the Richland Public Library on January 8 at 1:00 PM.

At these meetings, both bodies will be electing officers for the 2023-2024 term. All positions are open to any Democrat who resides in the respective jurisdictions, 8th Legislative District and Benton County. The voting body consists of the Precinct Committee Officers who were either elected in the August 2022 Primary or who ran for that office but were unopposed.

If you volunteered for any of the local campaigns last year and want to continue the work of building the bench and staff resources for the next round of elections, please consider serving in your local party organization. We are looking for Chairs, Vice-chairs, State Committee representatives, Secretaries, and Treasurers.

Do you feel like you’re a blue dot in a red sea? Do you wish to have influence in how your local party organization is run? Do you want to influence what the Washington State Democratic party does? Please consider serving.

The 8th LD meeting will be first and will start at 1:00 PM. Most of the Benton County Democratic elected Precinct Committee Officers reside in the 8th Legislative District and will be the voting body in this meeting. The PCOs residing in the 16th LD will not participate until the Benton County meeting convenes after the 8th LD concludes. (We will also have 8th LD PCOs present who reside in Franklin County. These folks will be free to leave when the 8th LD meeting is done.)

Since this is an in-person meeting, it would be good thing to use one of your home COVID tests in the morning before the meeting.

The rules and agendas for both meetings are similar.

The first election in each meeting will be the new Chair. When the new Chair is elected, that person will preside over the rest of the respective meeting.  

See the Benton County Agenda below.



Benton County Democratic Central Committee

Reorganization Meeting

January 8, 2023

1:00 PM at the Richland Public Library

2023-2024 BCDCC Reorganization Meeting Proposed Agenda

 Call to order (after 8th LD reorg meeting, or 2PM, whichever is later)

Each Precinct Committee Officer (PCO) elected in the August 2022 Washington State Primary election for the 2023-2024 term shall have signed in and provided their First Name, Last Name, and Precinct Number.

Call to Order by Temporary Chair

Flag Salute and Ancestral Land recognition (Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla)

Appointment of Temporary Secretary

Roll Call of Voting Members

Adoption of the Agenda†

Overview of Election Process

    Review of the Rules

    Adoption of the Rules

Election of Initial Officers†

    Chair

    Vice Chair

    State Committee Members

Election of Additional Officers†

    Treasurer

    Secretary

    Second Vice Chair

Affirmation of Organizational Governance Documents†

    Bylaws

    Policy Guide

    Rules

Optional Appointment of Additional PCOs

    Appointed PCOs (PCOs appointed in the precinct in which they reside)

    Acting PCOs (PCO appointed in a precinct in which they do not reside)

Announcement of next meeting date

Good of the Order

Adjournment

†Only elected PCOs may vote

06. January 2023 · Comments Off on WSDCC Wrap-up January 6, 2023 · Categories: Announcements, Committee News

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Hello Democrats and Happy New Year! 

We’re so excited to get to work and make sure terrific Democrats can win up and down the ticket throughout the 2023/24 campaign cycle! Thank you for standing with us and working hard every step of the way. 

I want to start today’s letter with a message of sincere congratulations for several of our terrific WA State Democratic leaders!

First, please join me in congratulating Senator Patty Murray on her well-deserved appointment as the first female Senate President Pro Tempore! The president pro tempore ranks second under the president of the Senate — the vice president — and presides over the floor in the vice president’s absence. Notably, this puts her third in the line of presidential succession. We are so proud of Sen. Murray’s continued leadership both here at home and in the other Washington! 

Second, let’s wish Congresswoman Suzan DelBene a hearty congratulations on her election as Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair for the 2023/24 election cycle! In the last decade, Rep. DelBene won a tough seat as a Red-to-Blue candidate, held a tough seat as a Frontline candidate and then put that tough seat out of reach for the GOP. Suzan has also recently served in key DCCC leadership roles, including as Finance Co-Chair in 2018 when we successfully reclaimed the House Majority and Frontline Co-Chair in 2020 when we successfully defended it. There’s no one else more deserving of this role and we’re thrilled to see what she’ll accomplish!

I also want to give shoutouts to Congressman Rick Larsen – who was elected as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland – who was elected Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus! 

I’m confident I speak for all of us when I say we have the best Democratic elected officials in the country here in WA State. Their leadership stands in such stark contrast to a GOP that can’t even seem to elect a House Speaker and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a member of a Party that is unified, effective, and working to build a better Washington and a better America. Thank you for all you do to help our leaders win election cycle after election cycle! 

WORKING FOR WASHINGTON

Gearing up for 2023:

The 2023 legislative session begins on Monday and we are so thrilled to see just how much our terrific incoming class of Democratic legislators can accomplish this year!

Here’s what we know they will be focused on based on a recent Seattle Times editorial from Majority Leader Andy Billig and some inside scoop from our friends at the House Democratic Campaign Caucus:

  • Expanding the supply of affordable housing and investments made through the Housing Trust Fund
  • Focusing on workforce development to provide opportunities for building skills and experiences and reducing barriers for people entering the workforce
  • Increasing the number of behavioral health professionals so people can get the care they need
  • Continuing to help Washington’s small businesses recover and thrive
  • Crafting fiscally responsible budgets that fund the services people count on, like a great K-12 education for every student and high quality health care, while also maintaining the strongest credit rating in state history, earned under Democratic leadership
  • Building on progress made on early learning and child care, with the continued implementation of the Fair Start Act
  • Working to get things right on public safety, gun violence prevention and helping folks through the drug addiction challenges faced by too many Washingtonians

In the words of Majority Leader Billig: 

When voters expanded our Democratic majorities this year, validating the progress we’ve made and the path we’re on for the future, they voiced trust in our values and policies that put people first. We will honor that trust, and together, continue to make progress for all.

Please join me in wishing the best of luck to our Democratic representatives down in Olympia. We’ve had a terrific track record of passing historic policy year after year since we reclaimed our Senate majority in 2017, and I know this year will be no exception!

DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS

Voters sent clear message to WA leaders for 2023 Legislative session

By returning every single Democratic incumbent and even growing the majorities in both state legislative chambers, voters sent a clear message on a range of issues.

Sen. Patty Murray becomes first female president pro tempore

The president pro tempore ranks second under the president of the Senate — the vice president — and presides over the floor in the vice president’s absence.

WA Rep. Suzan DelBene picked as campaign leader for House Democrats

Suzan DelBene has been picked to lead Democratic efforts to win back the House of Representatives in 2024.

Marilyn Strickland Elected Whip of The Congressional Black Caucus

Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland was recently elected as the Congressional Black Caucus’ (CBC) Whip for the upcoming Congressional session.

Larsen elected party leader of Transportation Committee

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, who represents Edmonds 2nd Congressional District, has been elected by his colleagues to serve as ranking member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee in the 118th Congress.

A PERSONAL ANNOUNCEMENT

It has been a pleasure to work with you over the past six years and I’m proud of all we have achieved and will continue to achieve together. 

When I first ran for State Party Chair in 2017, I didn’t come for the title or to build a resume – I promised to work hard and make transformational change, born of over thirty years’ experience as an activist, elected official, organizational, and community leader. The unofficial job description is just two words: “Elect Democrats.” I believe I have delivered on that promise for these past six years – and it has been an honor to serve in this position.

I want to announce that upon consultation with my family over the Holiday break, I’ve decided to not run for re-election as State Party Chair this January. This was not an easy decision, but I feel strongly that I have accomplished what I set out to do and it is now time to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders ready to light the fires of democracy, teamwork, and community around our state.

I will be serving out my term until a new Chair is elected on Saturday, January 28th at our State Committee Meeting in Olympia. Do stay tuned for more news on the meeting as well.

Thank you again for your partnership and work for our Party. I look forward to seeing many of you in Olympia later this month and am excited for all that is to come for our terrific Democratic Party! 

Keep in touch, stay engaged, and as always, thank you for all you do!

With gratitude,

Washington State Democratic Party

The work we do today wins elections this November. If you’re ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now. 


Want to support our work year round? Join Blue Washington, our monthly giving program! It is the most effective way to help candidates, volunteers, organizers, activists, and staff because it gives us the certainty we need to scale up our program with confidence. Your monthly investment ensures we can defend our strong legislative majorities, flip key congressional seats from red to blue, and fight for progressive values. Help us lead the way to victories at all levels of government today!

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States
06. January 2023 · Comments Off on DNC BPI Newsletter January 2023 · Categories: Announcements, Committee News

****If you have not yet subscribed to the BPI Newsletter, sign up HERE****


Hello Democrats,  

Happy New Year! We hope you were able to rest and unwind over the holidays, and are refreshed for the year ahead. 
 
This month’s newsletter includes an Activist Challenge with great New Year’s Resolutions to guide our 2023 organizing goals. We have also included a Spotlight training, meant to highlight skills key to this moment in the campaign cycle to give you a leg up in making sure your on the ground infrastructure is strong. 
 
We are looking forward to all we will achieve together in training this year!

Onward,  
Best Practices Institute Team


TRAINING AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

January Activist Challenge

Happy New Year! We’ve celebrated victories, reflected on challenges, and joined together to ring in 2023. Now, it’s time to look at what we can accomplish as we launch into the year ahead. Have you set your 2023 New Year’s resolutions?

Our monthly Activist Challenge is designed to build infrastructure for Democratic campaigns and organizations through grassroots engagement. Are you ready to accept the challenge, and help elect Democrats up and down the ballot? For January’s Activist Challenge, we are challenging our #BPItraining family to set (and stick to!) Democratic New Year’s resolutions. 

Check out the list below for inspiration or let us know what resolution you’ve set for yourself: 

  • Register 25 new voters before the year ends
  • Join at least one Day of Action per quarter
  • Practice relational organizing; invite 5 friends to a volunteering event
  • Identify all the seats up for election in your county in 2023
  • Partner with a local organization or plan a Democrats Care service event 
  • Sign-up for the BPI Victory Vault for on-demand training resources, tailored towards activists, volunteers, entry-level staff, and candidates! 

Once you’ve chosen your resolution and completed the challenge, create a post on social media that includes the following information:

  • Your name
  • Your state or territory 
  • What is your 2023 Democratic New Year’s resolution?
  • The hashtag “#BPItraining” and “#ChallengeAccepted”
  • And don’t forget to tag “@TheDemocrats

January Spotlight Training

Our dedicated Spotlight Training portion of the BPI Newsletter highlights specific trainings that cover skills and concepts that are core to our work and we hope that you to revisit those trainings in our BPI Victory Vault throughout the year. The trainings spotlighted in each month’s challenge will correlate to skill building that we believe is most relevant to the timeframe in which it is recommended, allowing participants to put their new knowledge to work right away. 


After reviewing these “spotlight” trainings, we will encourage you to share and implement what you have learned within your local Democratic organizations and groups.

Spotlight Training: Telling Your Personal Story
Review our “Telling Your Personal Story” worksheet to hone your personal story telling, which is one of the most foundational of organizing skills, that will get you ready for volunteer recruitment, voter contact, and so much more

  • To access this training, sign up for our BPI Victory Vault (new members added each Wednesday). If you are already a member and need a refresher on how to access the BPI Victory Vault, review our instructions.
  • Once in the Victory Vault, find the slide deck by searching for the title, “OTW Personal Story
  • After reviewing the slide deck, use the corresponding Telling Your Personal Story worksheet to practice.
    • Print the Telling Your Personal Story Worksheet
    • Practice with the following scenarios:
      • VOTING: tell a potential voter why you are supporting a specific issues or candidate.
      • VOLUNTEERING: ask a fellow Democrat to join you in volunteering at the next canvass and tell them why you’re participating.
    • You’re ready to get out in the field and start using your personal story!

BPI Victory Vault

The BPI Victory Vault contains on-demand training resources, tailored toward volunteers, community organizers, activists, and campaigns, which cover a variety of grassroots organizing skills. The BPI Victory Vault continues to grow, with new additions added periodically as resources become available. New members are added each Wednesday, and you must use a gmail account to register in order to access the BPI Victory Vault Google Drive folder. Check out our BPI Victory Vault instructions if you have trouble accessing the BPI Victory Vault once you receive your email invitation.

The BPI Victory Vault resources are meant for educational purposes only. BPI Victory Vault materials are not downloadable or shareable. Any individual interested in viewing the BPI Victory Vault resources must complete the application in order to request access. We reserve the right to remove individuals from any and all BPI resources in the event of inappropriate use.


JOB OPPORTUNITIES

We are hiring!

We are hiring here at the Best Practices Institute! If you know someone who would be a great candidate to join the team as the Best Practices Institute’s Associate, have them apply with their resume HERE.


ABOUT THE BPI

Best Practices Institute

The Best Practices Institute (BPI) is the shared training department of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC). The BPI delivers training to activists and volunteers, party leaders and staff, students and youth organizers, candidates and campaign staff, constituency caucus members and community leaders, and so many more! 

BPI training topics range from field organizing to digital mobilization, data to finance, communications to compliance, and leadership development to movement building, just to name a few.

Through this vast expansion of training programs, the new BPI is building and strengthening the Democratic Party infrastructure to ensure success for years to come!


CONNECT WITH US 

  • Text “Training” to 43367 to stay updated on BPI training opportunities, and other insider DNC news! (By texting 43367, you are consenting to receive recurring and/or automated text messages and calls from the DNC. Text STOP to stop, HELP for Help. For SMS, msg & data rates may apply. Democrats.org/privacy-policy)
  • Check us out on social media by searching #BPItraining– and don’t forget to tag us in all of your training and volunteer activities! 
  • Want to be part of an online community of Democrats, get involved at the local level, and stay up to date on events happening in your state? Click HERE to join one of our many DNC Facebook groups!

Happy Training! 

****If you have not yet subscribed to the BPI Newsletter, sign up HERE****

15. December 2022 · Comments Off on Franklin County Call-to-Meeting December 2022 · Categories: Committee News, Recent Events

Call to Special Meeting Dec. 15

Masks urged for Dec. 15 Meeting

December Reorganization Special Meeting Details
5:30 p.m. social, 6 p.m. start
Thursday, December 15
Downtown Pasco library
1320 W Hopkins St.
November minutes available here.

Fellow Democrats,

Good morning to everyone on this snowy Monday.

This month’s special meeting has only one topic to address — reorganization. This includes electing new officers and modifying our organization’s bylaws as desired.

Health hospital officials in Washington are urging indoor masking amid high numbers of influenza and RSV, as well as creeping COVID rates.In light of this recommendation, we encourage our members to come to Thursday’s meeting wearing a mask. We’ll have extras, in case someone forgets and would like one.

Thank you for your understanding, as we all try to get through reorg and into the holiday season without snagging an illness!

The meeting is open to the public, and fellow Democrats are encouraged to attend. Any Franklin County resident can run for an officer position, which includes chair, vice chair and state committee representatives 1 and 2. Any change to the bylaws can be suggested, but must conform with state party rules and requires a vote.

Only precinct committee officers elected in the 2022 election cycle are able to vote for officers and bylaws changes. We have eight such PCOs; you can find a list of them by going here and typing “Democratic” in the Race field.

As always, please consider setting up a monthly dues payment through our ActBlue donation account.

This is a potluck meeting, so feel free to bring whatever dish you wish to share.

We’ll see you there!

— Your FCDCC Executive Board

Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 2621 Pasco WA 99302