We hope everyone is healthy and staying safe as we increasingly engage in our online and digital work across the state. A big Thank You to all who participated in the events, trainings, and phonebanks during the first Digital Weekend of Action this weekend, and to everyone who is organizing in your counties, caucuses, and clubs everywhere in Florida. It’s terrific to see all the work going on and to be able to participate “virtually” with many of you.
There are now six months to Election Day — 183 days to “E-Day” on November 3rd to elect Joe Biden and Democrats up and down the ballot — 183 days to the culmination of everyone’s hard work across the state, doing everything needed to turn Florida Blue. There is NO path to the White House for Donald Trump without Florida’s 29 electoral votes, and when we stop him in Florida, it’s game over!
Nearly four months into this coronavirus crisis, Trump has not delivered on his promises, failing to institute mass testing and provide our frontline workers with the PPE they need to manage the crisis. He has been absolutely chaotic in his response to the pandemic and, sadly, has not learned from his mistakes. After months of ignoring experts, shirking responsibility, and failing to rapidly scale testing, Trump has continually shown us that we cannot trust him to lead. Yet Governor Ron DeSantis has been following his lead every step of the way. Just like Trump, DeSantis did not spend time during his press conference thanking frontline workers or consoling families who have lost loved ones, but deriding the media and ‘doom and gloom’ scientific models that showed a no-action scenario. He claimed Florida would ramp up to 30,000-40,00 tests by early this week, but failed to explain how Florida can double testing in less than a week.
Additionally, Governor Ron DeSantis continues to make a mess with our state’s unemployment system while hundreds of thousands of Floridians lose their livelihoods. Worse, after repeated calls, he continues to ignore the need to have the legislature convene to expand unemployment benefits and lift arcane restrictions. Unemployment insurance is one of the most important safeguards to prevent economic collapse. The longer DeSantis and his Republican allies ignore the needs of Florida’s unemployed, the greater chance our state may fall into an economic depression.
We must hold Trump and DeSantis accountable, as we continue to do the work to send Trump packing to permanent retirement at Mar-a-lago, and send more Democrats to Tallahassee to stop DeSantis and the Republicans from continuing to wreak havoc on Floridians.
As of Monday, May 4, there are exactly 183 days — 6 months and 2 days — to November 3, 2020.
Forward,
Terrie Rizzo Chair Florida Democratic Party
P.S. As always, I know the newsletter is very long, but we have so much important information to share. Please read to the end for essential information and updates.
Digital Weekend of Action
This weekend was our first Digital Weekend of Action! We conducted outreach to voters online and over the phones to kick off our general election push to #DefeatTrumpFL!
Our field organizers held virtual trainings throughout the weekend to teach new volunteers the ins and outs of effective phonebanking and got them set up to make calls from the comfort and safety of their homes. We made calls to check in on the well-being of voters across the state and learned what issues are important to them in the current political climate. Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who participated statewide! See next week’s newsletter for results of our first Digital Weekend of Action.
Please continue to share our digital sign up link widely with your friends and networks across the country.
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 13 HERE. 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.
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
Letters to the Editor
Our Communications Team is kicking off a new Letters to the Editor program this week with a special emphasis on Vote by Mail (VBM), and we need your help. Use talking points in the Communications Team’s Weekly Talkers to write a letter, up to 200 words, to your local newspaper editor and submit. If you are not already receiving the Weekly Talkers and would like to, email our Statewide Press Secretary Alex Morash at morash@floridadems.org. Our Letters to the Editor program is also in Spanish and Creole.
Florida Dems Live
Saturday’s FL Dems Live event included Chair Terrie Rizzo, State Representative Dan Daley and great Democrats from the Panhandle to South Florida, including many newcomers. The FL Dems Live events allow Democrats from across the state an opportunity to get to know other Democrats in an interactive social event that includes training, games, and so much more! Watch for upcoming event announcements.
Unemployment Action Items
Florida’s unemployment system is broken and not working for Florida’s families. Hundreds of thousands of Floridians have filed for unemployment benefits in the past month and many have heard nothing regarding their claim or have received no financial assistance from the State.
If you were delayed or denied unemployment benefits, we want to hear and amplify your story to urge lawmakers to fix the system. Share Your Story Here.
Everyone can call, email, text, or send letters to Republican leaders and demand they #FixFloridaNOW:- Governor Ron DeSantis 850-717-9337, GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.gov
– Senate President Bill Galvano 850-487-5229
– House Speaker Jose Oliva 850-717-5110
– Text FIX to 50409 and Resistbot will send letters to DeSantis and Republican legislators on your behalf
Virtual Rural Tour
On Thursday, Terrie spoke with Democrats in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa Counties 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.
Every vote matters and Panhandle Dems are fired up and doing the hard work in red counties to get out every vote! Thank you to Chairs Lil Eubanks, Tracey Tapp, and Matt Becker along with all the great Dems who Zoomed in.
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 535,713 auto-dialer VBM calls and patched through 8,801 voters to SOE offices to enroll! Our goal by August 1 is to enroll 210,000 low-turnout Democrats to vote by mail.
Share our fl.dems.vote/mail/ website with links to sign up for Vote by Mail in every county.
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. Our Digital Team is expanding and is the first state party to hire platform-specific organizers. Help us spread the word and direct talented individuals to apply for these positions:
- Graphic Design Associate (Ft. Lauderdale)
- Digital Organizer – Facebook
- Digital Organizer – Twitter
- Digital Organizer – Instagram/Pinterest
- Digital Organizer – Snapchat/TikTok
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.
Training Resources
There are now over 100 training materials in FDP University for FL Democrats. In addition to these training opportunities, FDP has the following live webinars for our volunteers, Party leaders, and candidates:
- Wednesday, May 6, 6 p.m. ET: Campaign Blueprint: Digital Ads Workshop – Learn how to spread your campaign’s message through digital ads.
The National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) has several virtual live trainings scheduled to help you increase your online success:
- Monday, May 4, 1 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.
- 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. This weekly Q&A will also be held on Thursday, May 14, 1 p.m. ET.
- 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.
- Monday, May 11, 1 p.m. ET: Deep Dive into Basics of Social Media – Receive an overview on themes with social media best practices and a deep dive on major platforms Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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
FDP Virtual Fundraisers
We were the first state party in the country to pivot and start hosting virtual fundraisers and have helped a number of other states develop fundraisers modeled after ours.
We invite you to join our upcoming fundraising events:
Monday, May 4, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. ET Guest Speakers: Congresswoman Val Demings and Congressman Ted Deutch Benefiting Voter Registration and Vote-by-Mail Contribution link: floridadems.org/demings-deutch
Tuesday, May 12, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. ET Guest Speaker: Former Presidential Candidate Congressman Eric Swalwell Benefiting Vote-by-Mail and Voter Protection Contribution link
Virtual Ramadan Celebration
Celebrate the month of Ramadan with Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez on Tuesday, May 5 at 2 p.m. ET. This is an opportunity for the Muslim American community to gather and reflect on current events, particularly this year’s crucial 2020 election. Sign up to join this event and discuss the importance of mobilizing the Muslim American vote across the country to create a more equitable and inclusive country for all Americans.
