Protecting Election Integrity in Washtenaw County
Join us for our monthly general membership meeting at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday, March 5, to be immediately followed by by our program on election protection. Our panel of front-line elections experts and defenders will discuss:
- Efforts to limit access to the ballot for qualified voters, both with respect to the right to request absentee ballots and voting in person
- How poll watchers have attempted to disrupt voting in the past and how to respond to such attempts in the future
- Processes that ensure the honest tabulation and transmission of votes to county clerks and to the state Board of Canvassers
- How these processes might be made even more secure, and
- How to respond to efforts to disrupt the process of certification of election results by county and state boards of canvassers, such as those that took place following the November 2020 election.
Panelists include:
- Mark Brewer, Election Lawyer, Former Chair, Michigan Democratic Party
- Barb Byrum, Ingham County Clerk
- Ed Golembiewski, Washtenaw County Director of Elections
- Mary Hall-Thiam, Vice Chair, Washtenaw County Board of Canvassers; Vice Chair and Executive Board member, WCDP
- Larry Kestenbaum, Washtenaw County Clerk
- Doug Scott, former Chair (2020), Washtenaw County Board of Canvassers; Treasurer WCDP
- More information at our website.
- Join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84899685068
Check out WCDP’s new ActionHub!
Find partners, resources, calls to action and more!
Washtenaw Dems are excited to announce our development of a unique community resource, ActionHub, connecting residents to over 100 local allied civic organizations and highlighting their news, events, and opportunities for action. ActionHub’s tagline is “local • progressive • action” and that says it all.
As a Democratic Party, our task is to ensure we have representation that will uphold and defend our democratic values. To do that we depend on and support the work of the many civic organizations that Washtenaw County is so lucky to have.
We’ve identified eight broad topics important to all Democrats, where other organizations are actively working and advocating. These include, among others, fighting for economic justice, advancing human rights, protecting democracy, and sustaining the environment. Many WCDP members are active in these groups, and our interactions and connections are crucial to our work toward building the society we believe in.
Whatever your areas of concern and activism, ActionHub is a central resource connecting you to partners, events, information, and actions. We are especially excited about a unique feature that enables our wonderful new team of ActionHub Updaters to quickly publish events and announcements from a variety of local newsletters and communications. We are very grateful to a talented team of volunteers who have brought ActionHub to life.
What next? To give this amazing new resource its greatest reach and effect, it’s up to you to spread the word! Let people know, share with your friends, post the link on Facebook or wherever you like to reach out. And talk to us if you want to be part of this terrific team!
7th CD Call to Convention
The Washtenaw County Convention for members of the 7th Congressional District will convene via Zoom on Saturday, March 19th at 1 p.m. Registration is required and will be done at this link and will continue until 9 a.m. the morning of the convention.
The purpose of this Convention shall be to elect 1 male member to the Credentialing Committee and 1 female alternate to the Platform & Resolutions Committee and to consider resolutions to be forwarded to the State Party for the State Endorsement Convention taking place on April 9th
- More information at our website.
- Mark your calendar and register to attend today!
12th CD Call to Convention
The Washtenaw County Convention for members of the 12th Congressional District will convene via Zoom on Saturday, March 19th at 1 p.m. Registration is required and will be done at this link and will continue until 9 a.m. the morning of the convention.
The purpose of this Convention shall be to elect 1 male member to the Credentialing Committee and 1 female alternate to the Platform & Resolutions Committee and to consider resolutions to be forwarded to the State Party for the State Endorsement Convention taking place on April 9th
- More information at our website.
- Mark your calendar and register to attend today!
WCDP Comms Team Needs You
Our dreams are big and we need a team to match. See yourself below?
ActionHub Coordinator
Do you have good communication and people management skills and would like to be a part of an exciting new initiative? We are looking for a special person to join our Communications Team as the ActionHub Coordinator.
In this role, you would manage a team of ~6 ActionHub Publishers who will be actively monitoring the email newsletters of allied organizations, e.g., Protectors of Equality in Government (PEG), and publishing updates on the ActionHub site. The coordinator will assist in training new ActionHub Publishers, regularly monitor the ActionHub site to ensure it is functioning as expected, and support the team in other ways, such as scheduling when team members go on vacation. The coordinator must be reliable, organized and detail oriented. Moderate computer skills are a plus.
The time commitment, to start, will be around one hour/day. Some days, this work will take as little as 10 minutes, so each day will vary depending on the team needs. Training and mentoring will be provided throughout your time in this role.
Website/IT Lead
We need a leader who can guide our Communications Team from a technical standpoint, thinking about what is useful in terms of data work and other IT/website improvements. Skills needed include content management experience, data management/reporting experience, and good communication skills.
The time commitment will vary, depending on project work and other factors, but we generally will need someone who can dedicate between 2-3 hours to this work per week.
Social Media Team Lead
We are also looking for a team leader who is comfortable with executing social media campaigns. We want to expand our party’s reach through a more coordinated social media plan.
Exctied about creating WCDP messaging through TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and other outlets? Do you have a special interest in the use of social media in political messaging (or know someone who does)?
The time commitment for this role will vary, however we have more than 20 members on our Communication Team so far, and we are aiming to keep each volunteers’ workload to between 2-3 hours per week. This leader will also have ongoing support from the Communication Team Co-Chairs.
How do I volunteer for these Communication Team roles?
Join our dynamic team of communication specialists, researchers, writers, artists and other specialists as we gear up for a great 2022 Election Year. While we will be focused on accomplishing our primary goal to get voters out for another Blue Wave, our team is also planning some fun social activities and community-building events!
If you are interested in any of these roles, please email Melissa Cunningham and Tom Knox, communication team co-chairs, at communications@infowashtenawdems-org
One way to elect politicians / enact legislation that reflect our values is through supporting petition drives and ally organizations. Ball’s in your court!
Debbie Dingell, U.S. Congresswoman for the old 12th District (which covered the most populous part of Washtenaw), will be running in the new 6th District, which will cover ALL of Washtenaw. She needs nominating petition circulators. Sign up here.
Felicia Brabec, State Representative for the old 55th District in SE Washtenaw, will be running in the new 33rd District, which includes the south side of Ann Arbor, Saline, and adjacent townships.She also needs nominating petition circulators.
Sign up here.
Reproductive Freedom for All is an organization dedicated to overturning the 1931 Michigan law banning abortion that will go back into effect if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. You can sign up for updates and to volunteer at this link.
Washtenaw County has updated COVID testing information, including testing sites in the county.
The U.S. Government has now opened a website where you can order free at-home tests.
Washtenaw County COVID Testing website
U.S. Government Free At-Home Tests
Sierra Club of MI Internship
In this internship, you will directly assist candidates running for public office that the Sierra Club of Michigan has endorsed. The Sierra Club has an extremely rigorous endorsement process and focuses on the most competitive races with the best environmentally-minded candidates. Potential responsibilities include helping organize fundraisers for a candidate, coordinating voter contact, organizing phone banks, recruiting Sierra Club members to volunteer for a candidate, canvassing, coordinating press conferences and press releases for a candidate, helping with a candidate’s earned media strategy, running social media accounts for a candidate, policy or campaign research, performing data entry and office work.
Read more about this opportunity. To apply, send your resume to Tim Minotas at tim.minotas@sierraclub.org, with a brief (one-two paragraphs) statement describing your interest in this internship.
The Final Word
STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR MICHIGAN REPS
State Senator Jeff Irwin has a regular Virtual Coffee Hour — To receive the Zoom access code and the next date, please fill out this form:
State Rep. Yousef Rabhi, 53rd House district: yousefrabhi@house.mi.gov, Phone: (517) 373-2577. https://housedems.com/yousef-rabhi/. Currently virtual coffee hours with Yousef are at 10 am on the 4th Saturday of the month.
State Rep. Ronnie Peterson, 54th House district: ronniepeterson@house.mi.gov Phone: (517) 373-1771 | Toll-Free: (855) 347-8054, https://housedems.com/ronnie-peterson/
State Rep. Donna Lasinski, 52nd House district: donnalasinski@house.mi.gov, Phone: (517) 373-0828 | Toll-Free: (855) 627-5052, https://housedems.com/donna-lasinski/ (sign up for emails here).
State Rep. Felicia Brabec, 55th House district: FeliciaBrabec@house.mi.gov, Phone: (517) 373-1792, https://housedems.com/felicia-brabec/.
