Dear Florida Democrats,
As we continue through such an unprecedented time, this past week marked the beginning of Ramadan, a month of spiritual devotion, reflection, and charity. Ramadan Mubarak to all those observing!
I hope everyone in our Democratic family is healthy and staying safe. Even while we observe guidelines, Democrats across the state are still working hard to build toward November, and it has been amazing to see all the online meetings and town halls, digital work, and stay-at-home organizing everyone is doing. Thank you all for pivoting quickly and keeping up the work needed to register voters, sign up VBMs, make wellness checks, conduct meetings, organize precincts, and take care of the business of turning Florida Blue!
While we all are hoping for a safe re-opening and gradual return based on science and medical recommendations, the so-called leaders in our Governor’s Mansion and White House are making this crisis worse.
So many Floridians are affected by the employment crisis, but Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t doing nearly enough to help our state’s struggling workers and, in fact, has failed the hundreds of thousands of Floridians who have lost their jobs from the pandemic. The horrible unemployment system that then-Governor Rick Scott and the GOP Legislature rammed though in 2011 was deliberately designed to make it difficult for workers who lost jobs to qualify or even apply. As a result, claims are being processed far too slowly, and far too many claims are being rejected. Floridians urgently need a more robust system, fewer restrictions on applicants, and stronger benefits. Florida’s government must act to expand benefits and expand access to unemployment assistance. If DeSantis was serious about this crisis, he and his Republican allies would get to work on a legislative fix for Florida’s broken unemployment system. Until then, Floridians will tragically continue to suffer needless economic hardship.
And it goes without saying that Donald Trump is a threat to our health, our environment, and our country. His reckless leadership continues to worsen the coronavirus pandemic, and his administration’s latest attacks on clean air, not to mention his unscientific recommendations such as hydroxychloroquine and bleach(!) are quite literally putting more lives at risk. Trump has not taken the steps necessary to safely reopen the economy and still does not have a strategy to implement mass COVID-19 testing. Public health experts have been crystal clear: we need mass national testing before we can relax social distancing. We truly cannot afford another four years of his destructive policies. Our country needs a proven leader like Joe Biden!
As of Sunday, April 26, there are exactly 191 days — 6 months and 10 days — to November 3, 2020.
Forward,
Chair
Florida Democratic Party
Democratic National Convention
In consultation with the DNC, we have modified our Delegate Selection Plan in order to protect the health and safety of voters. We have engaged a professional online voting company, YesElections, to provide electronic voting for district-level delegate elections. To vote for district-level delegates in your congressional district, you must request an electronic ballot by Wednesday, May 13HERE. On Thursday, May 14 at 2 p.m. ET you will be emailed a link and unique code to vote. Voting will be open until Saturday, May 16 at 2 p.m. ET. Those without internet or smart phone access need to call FDP at 954-893-2355 by Friday, May 1.
Applications for our 81 Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO), At-Large, and At-Large Alternate delegate spots remain available on our website through 12 p.m. ET Tuesday, May 5.Helpful links regarding our Delegate Selection Process:
- List of district-level delegate candidates
- Delegate Allocations for Biden and Sanders per Congressional District
- District-level delegate electronic ballot request form
- Video Tutorial for Requesting an Electronic Ballot
- Delegate Elections FAQ
- PLEO and At-Large Delegate Filing Form
- FDP National Convention Website
Please note that while we will not hold Leadership Blue weekend in May, our 2020 National Convention Delegate Selection Plan does require actions on May 30 and 31. We are reviewing options to abide by our plan while protecting the health and safety of our delegation.
Florida Dems Live
Get to know Florida Democrats from across the state by joining our interactive social event that includes training, games, and so much more! Don’t miss the fun and our special guests!
Your log-in credentials will be emailed to you once you register.
Digital Weekend of Action
We are excited to announce our first Digital Weekend of Action! We will be conducting outreach to voters online and over the phones on the weekend of May 2 and 3 to kick off our general election push to #DefeatTrumpFL!
Our field organizers will be conducting virtual trainings throughout the weekend to teach new volunteers the ins and outs of effective phonebanking and getting them set up to make calls from the comfort and safety of their homes. Then we’ll be making calls to check in on the well-being of voters across the state and learning what issues are important to them in the current political climate.
Virtual training events and phonebanks will be added to Mobilize America over the coming days. We encourage DECs, clubs and caucuses to create their own Mobilize Events to join in the Day of Action!
Voter Protection Call
On Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at3:30 PM ET, Chair Terrie Rizzo will host the rescheduled Voter Protection Call on Zoom. Please invite your county’s entire voter protection team to attend, along with any Democrats who are considering volunteering for your county’s voter protection team.
The purpose of this call is to thank our many wonderful volunteers for their hard work during Florida’s recent Presidential Preference Primary. Despite the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, many dedicated Democrats went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure every eligible voter could cast a ballot that counted.
To register for the call, click this link. Here are a few tips to improve the quality of your internet connection during Wednesday’s call:
- Directly connect your computer to your modem or router with a patch cable (such as an ethernet cable).
- Close all open browser pages or tabs except for the meeting window.
- Minimize the number of devices connected to the modem or router while the meeting is being conducted (especially streaming services like Netflix).
- Sit closer to your WiFi connection.
Virtual Rural Tour
On Thursday, April 30 at 6 p.m. CT Terrie will chat with Democrats in Escambia County, Santa Rosa County, and Okaloosa County via video conference as part of a statewide tour that focuses on connecting with people in smaller counties and rural areas and having honest conversations about issues affecting our communities.
Vote by Mail
Voting by mail is safe, secure, and accessible. It allows more voters to participate in our democracy, and it’s a commonsense way to run an election, especially during a public health crisis. Since April 1, we’ve made 406,129 auto-dialer VBM calls and patched through 7,689 voters to SOE offices to enroll!
Be sure to complete and share our Digital Organizing Sign-Up form to help us continue to expand our vote by mail enrollments.
FDP Is Hiring!
During this time when so many organizations are closing and talented people are out of work, we are fortunate to be able to continue to expand our team. We need your assistance filling several positions. These include:
- Field Organizers (in 26 counties)
- Voter Protection Organizer (Tampa, Orlando, or Ft. Lauderdale)
- Graphic Design Associate (Ft. Lauderdale)
- Digital Organizers
Job descriptions are available here. Please have applicants send their resumes and references to jobs@floridadems.org with their name and the position they are applying for in the subject line.
Issue ID Phonebanks
With a focus on digital outreach to voters, it’s more important than ever that our messaging is deployed effectively. Our Issue ID virtual phone banks will allow us to better target persuadable NPA voters online with county-specific messaging.
CLICK HERE TO START MAKING CALLS
We need to make at least 40,000 calls to collect enough data to create content and scripts that will persuade NPA voters to vote for Democrats. We’ve made 20,955 Issue ID calls this month and held 2,139 conversations! Importantly, each of our phone scripts start with a wellness check and resources for those in need.
Training Resources
In addition to our FDP University training opportunities, FDP has the following live webinars for our volunteers, Party leaders, and candidates:
- Monday, April 27 at 6 p.m. ET – Cybersecurity Workshop: Protecting Your Devices and Working Remotely: During this webinar the FDP tech team will walk you through how to protect your digital assets and personal information. We will also cover tips for working remotely, from video conferencing tools to maintaining your internet connection. This training will also be offered on Thursday, April 30 at 3 p.m. ET
The National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) has several virtual live trainings scheduled to help you increase your online success:
- Tuesday, April 28, 8 p.m. ET: How to Connect with Voters Through Personal Stories – It’s important to share your “why” and create a personal connection with voters. Learn the story of self framework and how to tailor your story to a particular issue.
- Wednesday, April 29, 8 p.m. ET: Local Leaders: How to Create Organizational Leaders from Volunteers – Learn best practices for engaging, connecting, and growing your work during this time of COVID-19.
- Thursday, April 30, 1 p.m. ET: NDTC Weekly Q&A with NDTC CEO Kelly Dietrich and ActBlue Executive Director Erin Hill: NDTC CEO and Founder Kelly Dietrich will ask Erin Hill questions on navigating digital fundraising during COVID-19 with regard to calls to action, email strategy, and making the ask for donations. Audience participants will have opportunities to ask questions as well.
- Thursday, April 30, 2 p.m. ET: Digital Organizing How to Engage and Activate Your Audience – Whether you’re running for office, working on a campaign, or building your local party’s or organization’s infrastructure, having a strong digital strategy is integral to meeting your campaign’s needs from fundraising to field strategy to communications. Learn how to build, engage, and activate your audience online, including writing calls to action. This training will also be held on Monday, May 4, 1 p.m. ET: Digital Organizing: How to Engage and Activate your Audience
- Wednesday, May 6, 8 p.m. ET: Local Leaders: How To Hold Your Team Accountable To Reach Your Goals – learn about the importance of lateral management across a team while also building accountability structures.
- Thursday, May 7, 1 p.m. ET: NDTC Weekly Virtual Q&A with NDTC CEO Kelly Dietrich – NDTC CEO and Founder Kelly Dietrich will answer questions regarding running for office, working on a campaign, or building your local Democratic party’s infrastructure during this time of navigating COVID-19.
- Friday, May 8, 1 p.m. ET: Fundraising When You Can’t Meet in Person – effective best practices to raise money when you can’t meet in person
The DNC is hosting the following trainings:
- Wednesday, April 29, 4 p.m. ET: Faith Communities and the 2020 Census – The Impact that Faith Communities Can Have on Census 2020 Data Input During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Wednesday, April 29, 6 p.m. ET: Storytelling Training: Design and Video 101 – Learn about the power of design and video to tell your personal story online! We’ll walk you through the basics and give you some best practices — so no previous experience needed!
DNC and Best Practices Institute have launched a webinar series dedicated to building organizational stability during this time of social distancing. The next webinar is Wednesday, May 6, 4 p.m. ET: TBPP: Organizational Stability-Expanding Outreach
Zoom hosts free and interactive live training webinars daily to assist you with using their platform for meetings and webinars. Recorded training sessions are also available in multiple languages, including Spanish.
Additional training opportunities are listed here.
FDP Virtual Fundraiser for VBM & Voter Registration
We invite you to join our upcoming virtual fundraiser in support of our expanded VBM and Voter Registration efforts.
Monday, April 27, 6:00 – 7:30 PM ETSpecial guests: Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried, former Senator Bill Nelson, and Chair Terrie RizzoContribution link: floridadems.org/4-27
