WCDP News: Listening to Gen Z, Voter Guides, and More

September 24, 2022 – 45 days to go!

Voices of Gen Z lineup for Oct. 1 Program

Mark your calendars for WCDP’s Oct. 1st “Voices of Gen Z” speaking panel featuring six Washtenaw County activists doing some awesome work for our community, state and nation! Learn more here.

Meet Our Speakers

Taramus Darby Jr., a senior at Washtenaw International High School, will be moderating the program and speaking on his activism centered on school board elections. “Since 2020, I’ve been working with Michigan Votes and Ann Arbor State Reps Yousef Rabhi and Jeff Irwin to pass a bill to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote for school board members, while they are still serving us,” he said. “We are also working on a bill mandating that you have a civic ed course in high school.”

Celine Cetinel will speak on environmental laws and policies. “I became interested in the environment when I took a class called Weeds and Wastelands at UM-Dearborn. We volunteered weekly at different organizations around Detroit. One of the activities we did was help a woman who picked up trash around her neighborhood and turned it into art pieces. Seeing people and organizations like Weeds and Wastelands, that are passionate about the environment, inspired me to become an activist.”

Shruti Lakshmanan says she has always felt a strong call to serve. “Despite this, I never envisioned myself working in public policy or aspiring to become a lawyer,” she added. “As a young South Asian girl, I saw very few people who looked like me represented in government or public service. In high school, I joined the Model UN team and immediately fell in love with it. I discovered that policy was a powerful tool to accomplish the change I wanted to see in the world.”

Amy Belfar will talk about her work in reproductive justice education and outreach. “Activism has been a part of my life since the cradle. As I grew older and learned more about inequity, it fueled my passion and led me to become a social worker with a focus in community change.”

Arda Cetinel said, “My passion for the medical marijuana community started off as a medical marijuana patient after I was in a car accident. I was already having back pain, but the accident accelerated it. I immediately fell in love with the cannabis community and one of the big things I saw was how much the community wanted to help others. This amazing community as well as the health and fiscal benefits are the reasons why federally legalizing cannabis should be a political priority.”

Maurice Imhoff, a Policy Associate for Michigan AFL-CIO Advocates, is the youngest person in the state running for the House of Representatives. “I plan to fight for policies in Lansing that will promote quality public education, improve our local infrastructure, expand worker’s rights, and protect healthcare rights. As the first person in my family to graduate high school, I know the value of hard work, overcoming adversity and perseverance.” Maurice was named a City Commissioner for the City of Jackson at the age of 18.

Take Action At Mobilize

The Big Lie MIGOP has told us who they are, and we should believe them.

You know what to do:

Pick a candidate, a proposal, or a cause.

You’d be amazed what an hour or two can mean to people fighting the good fight.

From the statehouse to the school board, every race is going to matter. Together, we can do this.

I’m ready to take action!

WCDP’s most ambitious GOTV effort

More than 117,000 households are awaiting the delivery of the Democratic Voter Guide, the Washtenaw Dems’ most ambitious get-out-the-vote election tool.

Delivered by you. And your friends, family and compatriots. In just 10 days.

Starting September 20, volunteers have begun covering one- to two-hour “turf” shifts for no-knock drop-offs. The goal is for every Democratic voter to receive the guide by the time the absentee ballots have been delivered at the end of September.

“There’s a very tight turnaround,’’ said Brian Greminger, co-chair of the Western Washtenaw Dems.

Some 78,000 copies of the eight-page guide will be hand-delivered on walkable routes in Washtenaw County. Another roughly 40,000 guides are being mailed to less walkable areas with busy roads or more spread out homes.

Mailings also will reach Dems in parts of Wayne, Livingston and Jackson counties, where voting districts overlap with Washtenaw County. A digital version is available at mivoter.org. This interactive guide will allow voters to see a copy of their ballot with local endorsements from the WCDP, and call it up on their phones at the voting booth.

The guide contains detailed information about candidates, ballot proposals, local and state school board and nonpartisan candidates such as judges and trustee positions endorsed by the WCDP. It, too, can be brought into the voting booth.

“We need to educate Democratic voters and get them to vote the entire ticket,” said Jennifer Fairfield, chair of the Western Washtenaw Dems and co-creator of the guide.

“Just look at the Michigan Supreme Court,” added Greminger. “If we hadn’t had success with the current Supreme Court elections, we probably wouldn’t have reproductive rights and voter protection proposals on the ballot.”

• No-knock drop offs • Everythingprovided • About 1 to 2 hours

Don’t forget to sign up to circulate our all-important Voter Guides, and circulate the Mobilize link far and wide. We need 400 volunteers for 2-hour shifts between now and about October 5. Thanks for helping us get this indispensable tool into the hands of voters!

2022 Online Democratic Voter Guide

AARP tells the tale, misses the point!

40 Million AARP members got the bulletin pictured here in their mailboxes last week. HISTORIC! SWEEPING! DRUG PRICES TO FALL! AARP members comprise the demographic that always votes—people over 50. Good news for our side, right?

Well, no. Because in the three stories in the bulletin about the legislation, credit was given to AARP lobbying and “both chambers of Congress.”

President Biden was not mentioned. And neither was the fact that only Democrats in Congress voted for it. Not one Republican did.

Not. One. Republican.

If you know someone who is thrilled about this legislation—and you probably do—make sure they know who made it happen. Democrats. Democrats!

Nobody but Democrats.

Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra Must Go!

He was one of two justices who supported the attempt by Republicans on the Board of Canvassers to invalidate the petitions on Props 2 and 3 in favor of a partisan agenda.
He’s a member of the ultra-right Federalist Society.
He has strong financial backing from the extremist DeVos family, insurance industry, and NRA—and his votes on the court reflect his loyalties.
He voted against putting the anti-gerrymandering act that allowed citizens to determine how political lines are drawn on the ballot.
He voted against a 2018 decision upholding the right of school districts to ban guns from their schools .

Tell your friends and family: Brian Zahra does not deserve to remain on the Court!

Vote for Kyra Harris Bolden and Justice Richard Bernstein. They’re committed to democracy!

Donate to Bolden For Justice

Donate to Justice Richard Bernstein

Yard signs and more

At the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market Saturday mornings.

Whitmer Gilchrist Nessel Benson: suggested $10 donation
Black Lives Matter: $5
Whitmer Gilchrist on white: only $5

Eastside – WCDP Ypsilanti office sidewalk sale! Check (preferred) or cash only. Call to check stock: 734-879-0556. Open Wed and Fri 4-6pm & Sat and Sun 1-3pm

Westside – Savage home 2367 Baker Road, Dexter, MI. Self-serve kiosk to right of garage. Put your check to “WCDP” (preferred) or cash in box & please fill out FEC form. Also, watch out for cats!

We need them both to win!

Bernstein and Bolden yard signs at the WCDP Ypsilanti office. As always, it’s good to call ahead: 734-879-0556.

More things you can do!

> Request an absentee ballot online or submit a paper application TODAY! Already done it? Help out a friend or family member. We’re gonna need every vote.

> Join Team Imhoff in knocking doors and talking with voters about the 46th district (Chelsea) and flipping the house blue!