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PEG 6th Congressional District Newsletter 371
Monday, June 3, 2024
Saturday, June 1. Democratic Candidates for Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners in Districts 5 and 6
Join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86235579707. 10:15 am – Noon
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Virtual Training to Spread the Good Word
Become a Social Ambassador with the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Fun and easy, share prepared content on so many topics on social media. Whether you are a Social Media Pro or a casual user, learn how you can share content and the latest messaging from the Biden-Harris campaign with your online networks. Register here. Mondays 8:00–8:45 pm, Thursdays 6:00–6:45 pm, Saturdays 12:00–12:45 pm (ET)
Support the Washtenaw Dems and enjoy our local festivals! Tabling and Parade Calendar:Saturdays, NOW thru October. Ann Arbor Farmers Kerrytown MarketSign Up Here. 9 am – 1 pm
Saturday, June 15. Ann Arbor Juneteenth Celebration. Sign up Here. 2–4 pm
Thursday, July 4. Ann Arbor July 4th Parade. Sign up Here. 10 am
Poll Workers Are Needed to Defend Democracy
Experienced poll workers are leaving their positions in droves because of death threats and harassment. Some of the accusations that have sparked this intimidation came from the top. Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman famously were awarded $148 million in damages after suing Rudy Giuliani for circulating conspiracy theories against them.
Other harassment is local. Sheryl Guy, a Republican in charge of the election in Antrim, Michigan, made a simple mistake which caused her to become the subject of “threatening calls telling us how ignorant and dumb we are, how we should be put in front of a firing squad” — this despite the fact that Trump won the county with 60% of the vote.
All this harassment is having the predictable result: a shortage of election officials around the nation. In Michigan, their turnover rate between 2020-2022 was 26.5%, erasing their mountain of experience. The turnover for lower-level poll workers is estimated to be much higher.
On a positive note, Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says the publicity surrounding these threats have made more people interested in defending the election process by helping to run them. If interested, please check out the state’s poll worker webpage.
Tuesday, June 11. Vote Forward Letter-Writing Party
Join Swing Left/Ann Arbor inDivisible for Democracy (A2D2) for a party, a letter-writing party to be exact. Letters and addresses provided by Vote Forward will be used to send letters to Michigan residents who are likely Democrats but do not vote consistently. To make the process as stress-free as possible, the hosts will provide letters, voter addresses, pens, envelopes, and stamps. Attendees are welcome to bring their own business-size envelopes, pens, and stamps if they wish.
For those who prefer to write letters from home, detailed instructions are available here. Writing letters to voters is a fun, easy, and highly effective way to strengthen democracy by encouraging Michigan citizens from underrepresented communities to vote. Friends are welcome to join the event, and participants are encouraged to spread the word. The organizers look forward to seeing everyone there. Register here. 3–5 pm
More Things to read, watch, and view
ICYMI: Here’s What Happened at the Michigan Healthy Climate Conference Last Week
Both Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist and Governor Whitmer addressed the conference, noting how under their administration, Michigan has gone from being a laggard to a leader in addressing climate change. However, there’s much left to do. Authorities on disease and the job market explained the consequences of our warming earth, and advocates for environmental justice described the inequality of it all.
