From the Chair's Desk

Democrats,

What a week. Last Monday, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the 15-week abortion ban, triggering an extreme 6-week abortion ban – one of the strictest in the country – to go into effect in less than 30 days. At the same time, the State Supreme Court allowed Amendments 3 and 4, constitutional amendments to legalize marijuana and codify abortion respectively, to appear on the November general election ballot. This is a huge victory for Florida voters, who now get the opportunity to make this decision at the ballot box. The constitutional amendments need 60% of the vote in order for it to be successful, so it’s going to be all hands on deck. Make sure to sign up for the Yes On 4 campaign kick off on April 13th at Lake Eola! We also saw the Biden-Harris campaign declare that Florida is in play and announced the hiring of the Florida leadership team, and released a memo that detailed how the campaign saw a path to victory in Florida this cycle. Florida Democrats, we are not naive about the challenges we have ahead of us, but we know that if we do the work to register voters and talk to people about the issues that matter to them the most, we can make a difference this cycle. We have 8 months until the November election. It’s time for us to dig in and leave no stone unturned – because Florida is worth fighting for. Thank you.

Nikki FriedChair

Florida Democratic Party

Leadership Blue

You can learn more about the exciting weekend HERE and book your hotel for your trip HERE. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please email finance@floridadems.org.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Volunteer at Leadership Blue

Sign up to volunteer with the Florida Democratic Party at Leadership Blue! We will be needing volunteers to work with our Voter Registration Director on all sorts of tasks from event registration, event space coordination & management, and more.

Thank you so much for joining our volunteer crew for Leadership Blue 2024 and helping us make this yearly event a success!

Annual DEC Compliance

In order to maintain compliance with Florida Statutes and FDP Bylaws, your DEC needs to submit documents to both your county Supervisor of Elections (SOE) office and the Florida Democratic Party. Please review all of the below information for next year’s compliance process. You can also see a breakdown of requirements and due dates here:

Annual DEC Compliance

If your DEC failed to submit the compliance requirements below you must have them submitted to the Office of Party Affairs ASAP or risk being found out of compliance.

February 28, 2024: Current DEC bylaws showing the date they were approved or amended.*Note: Counties should also be working on updating their bylaws to reflect the new way we will elect State Committee Members. View FDP Bylaws Here.April 1, 2024: DEC Audit for 2023

Voter Registration

NEW Unregistered Voter Targets in VAN

We have new unregistered voter targets in VAN. The Voter Registration team has started a guidance document on what these targets are, how to use these targets, and ways to pull them. It includes Unregistered Households and Unregistered Abortion Petition Signers so far. Click here to access

Additional Unregistered Voter Data

Our team is happy to connect your organization with CiviTech and MovementLabs for additional unregistered voter data and programming. CiviTech has data for unregistered college students across the state that is refreshed every two months. Email Kris for more information on how to purchase and how to use this data: kris@floridadems.org.

Voter Registration Phone Banks

Unregistered Voters Phone Banks COMING SOON

In partnership with Field Team 6, the FDP will be rolling out phone banks for left-leaning unregistered voters in every county. These will be rolled out beginning in April!

Inactive Democrats

You can access the Inactive Dems phone bank any day of the week from 10am to 8pm EST. We meet every Tuesday evening at 6pm EST for a brief training, should you need it, and to make calls together. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far!

START MAKING CALLS TO INACTIVE DEMS

Organize with us! Join the Reach App!

Step 1: Click here to access your county link and download the Reach App

Step 2: Watch Training Video Series: Click Here

Step 3: Sign up for training: Sign Up Here

(Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6pm EST)

Host a Voter Registration Event

If you are hosting a voter registration event, please use our FDP VR Event Template on Mobilize.

Movement Labs

The FDP is thrilled to announce that our Democratic partners can now enroll with Movement Labs to secure a ~50% texting discount and access to a customized distributed texting portal!

This portal includes pre-built voter targets and scripts to make it simple and effective for campaigns to leverage the platform. Through Movement Labs, our partners can also access full-service and self-service texting. Texting through our portal begins at 1.25 cents/SMS segment & 3.375 cents/MMS message. Please note the sign-up process is 2 steps & you must complete a total of two forms:

If you are an organization, candidate, or DEC using your own 10DLC registration, you must submit Movement Labs’ 10DLC form. If you are a DEC who is approved to use Hey Florida’s 10DLC registration, you must submit Hey Florida’s 10DLC form.

Data/VAN Updates

The latest voter file update went live in VAN on March 25th. VAN is now current with the voter file through 2/29/24.
Check out our 2024 Data Hub here.
Check out our VBM Update Schedule for the 2024 cycle for a breakdown of what data is being tracked via our statewide VBM activist code & the Early Voting bucket/module in VAN.
Please make sure you are submitting any questions, inquiries, and requests to the data team using our Data Support Ticket.
Sign up for our monthly VAN Basics/New User Training here.
Sign up for our weekly Data Team Office Hours here if you have questions or screensharing needs!

Run for Office

We are looking for a Congressional Candidate to run in CD-5, covering parts of Duval and St. Johns County. Qualifying deadline is Friday, April 26 so please reach out to danielle@floridadems.org ASAP!

We are also looking for state legislature candidates in uncontested districts that cover parts of or all of the following counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Walton, Washington, Dixie, Franklin, Gulf, Hamilton, Lafayette, Liberty, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla, Jefferson, Leon, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Union, Alachua, Duval, Putnam, Clay, St. Johns, Marion, Lake, Indian River, Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Martin, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Volusia, Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee, St. Lucie

If you (or someone you know) is interested, please fill out our Run for Office form: https://www.floridadems.org/run-for-office/.

You can send any questions about running for office to our Director of Candidates and Campaigns at danielle@floridadems.org.

NDTC + Florida Democratic Party

The National Democratic Training Committee is excited to partner with the Florida Democratic Party to provide FREE training to Democratic candidates, campaign staff, and local leaders.

As the largest Democratic campaign training organization in the nation, we have trained more Democrats on how to win elections and build long-term power than any other organization.

START TRAINING

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Weekly Talking Points – April 8, 2024

Every week, talking points are provided to party leaders and membership. Messaging should be used for press interviews, conversations with voters, and social media posts.

For questions or feedback about talking points, please contact Eden Giagnorio, Communications Director, at eden@floridadems.org.

To request for someone to be added to the mailing list, direct them to press@floridadems.org.

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Abortion Amendment Update

Last week, the Florida Supreme Court put Amendments 3 and 4 on the ballot, paving the way for citizens to legalize recreational cannabis and enshrine reproductive rights in the Florida Constitution this November. At the same time, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the state’s 15-week abortion ban, triggering Ron DeSantis’s extreme 6-week abortion ban with virtually no exceptions, which will take effect on May 1.

TOPLINE: Floridians deserve the freedom to make personal medical decisions without interference from the government.

Florida is now home to one of the strictest abortion bans in the country — a ban so extreme that most women won’t even know they’re pregnant before they pass the cutoff date.
This November, it’s not just access to safe, legal abortion that’s on the line — it’s access to emergency medical care, medication abortion and contraception for the millions of women who depend on it each year.
Reproductive rights initiatives have won on every ballot since Donald Trump paved the way for the fall of Roe v. Wade, because the majority of Americans agree that doctors should decide what’s best for their patients — not the government.
Over one million Floridians signed the petition to get Amendment 4 on the ballot, and that same politically diverse coalition will ensure Florida remains a beacon of freedom in the South.
Florida voters understand that voting yes on Amendment 4 in November is our last line of defense in the fight against government interference in medical decisions.

Biden Campaign Florida Memo

Last week, the Biden-Harris campaign published a memo outlining their strategy for contesting Florida — a state they deem “winnable.” The campaign is staffing up in Florida with the hires of State Director Jasmine Burney Clark and Senior Advisors Jackie Lee and Phillip Jerez, the latter of whom will continue in his role as Executive Director of the Florida Democratic Party.

TOPLINE: The Biden-Harris Campaign is contesting Florida, because Florida is winnable and worth fighting for.

In 2024, Florida is leading the fight to defend reproductive rights and protect democracy.
In elections across the country, voters are overwhelmingly rejecting the extreme policies pushed by Republicans like Donald Trump and Rick Scott.
The Biden-Harris Campaign in Florida will mobilize a coalition of seniors, young voters, Black and Hispanic voters, and disaffected moderates to fight back against Trump in his “home” state.
Donald Trump’s platform is uniquely unpopular with Florida voters:
Trump paved the way for Ron DeSantis’s extreme 6-week abortion ban, which is less than 30 days from becoming the law of the land in Florida.
Trump tried and failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and has promised to try again. Both Florida and Miami-Dade County lead the nation in ACA enrollment.
Trump has promised to make cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare that are overwhelmingly popular with Florida’s seniors.
The Biden-Harris Campaign is uniquely positioned to take advantage of Trump’s weaknesses in Florida:
President Biden will emphasize reproductive freedom in Florida, forcing Trump and Florida Republicans to defend their support of Ron’s extreme near-total abortion ban.
President Biden has vowed to protect Social Security and Medicare from Republicans like Donald Trump and Rick Scott who have long promised to eliminate them.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has funded 581 projects in Florida, from investments in roads and bridges to expansion of rural broadband and everglades restoration.
The Biden-Harris Campaign is already running ads in Florida — a digital ad called “Trust”, which highlights Donald Trump’s role in overturning Roe v. Wade, went live last week.
Florida is not an easy state to win, but President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to investing resources and doing the work on the ground to take back Florida.

RICK SCOTT

Rick Scott is refusing to answer for his support for Florida’s extreme six-week abortion ban with virtually no exceptions. That’s because Scott knows his endorsement of Florida’s ban, support for a national abortion ban, and attacks on safe and effective medication abortion are deeply unpopular, and could cost him his seat in the Senate.

TOPLINE: Rick Scott is running from his support for the extreme six-week abortion ban because he knows it could cost him his Senate seat.

Florida is ground zero in the fight for control of the Senate and the fight for reproductive freedom.
The fight against Florida’s dangerous abortion ban is shining a light on Scott’s extreme anti-abortion record.
Rick Scott is going to run from his support for the ban, but take his own word for it — he would’ve signed the bill into law himself if he was governor.
Rick Scott is hiding because his extreme anti-abortion agenda is at odds with Floridians — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike — who support reproductive freedom.
This November, Floridians will reject this extreme abortion ban and send Rick Scott into retirement.

Leadership Blue: Room Block Deadline in 2 Days

Democrats,

Leadership Blue is just a few short weeks away! We’re looking forward to seeing you at Disney’s Contemporary Resort on May 3-5. If you haven’t booked your room yet, act quickly as the room block deadline is 2 days away! We have been hard at work to bring you a weekend with exciting events, engaging trainings, and incredible speakers, please continue reading for more details on the schedule!

Book your room by April 10 at leadershipblue.com!

Reserve Your Room Today

Weekend Schedule