Monroe County Democratic Party

We are thrilled to announce that our Fall Dinner has been renamed in honor of  Viola Taliaferro!

Join MCDP for the Viola Taliaferro Dinner--in a virtual setting. 

Event information is at https://www.facebook.com/events/682582249276615 a link to the event will be sent out closer to the date once an RSVP is received. 

Please RSVP and make sponsorship pledges to [email protected]

TICKETS:
Pay for your ticket at secure.actblue.com/donate/monroedemocrats
General Admission: $50/each
***We will not let cost be a barrier to any MCDP event. Just let us know if you'd like a free or reduced-price ticket***

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS:
Event Host: $1000 (includes 8 tickets)
Gold Sponsor: $750 (includes 6 tickets)
Silver Sponsor: $500 (includes 4 tickets)
Bronze Sponsor: $250 (includes 2 tickets)
***All sponsors will be recognized at the event, on social media, on our website, and in The Dispatch***

---

VOTING INFORMATION

---

***If you requested an absentee, mail in ballot but have decided to instead vote in person you MUST bring your absentee ballot with you.

If you experience issues at the polls you can call the State at 1-866-IN-1-VOTE (1-866-461-8683) or INDEMS at 317-261-3820. 

Early, in person voting has begun! Hours are listed below: 

 

---

BE A POLL WATCHER

---

SERVE AS A DEMOCRATIC POLL WATCHER ON ELECTION DAY - The Monroe County Democratic Party is seeking volunteers to serve as poll watchers on Election Day. We hope to have a poll watcher at every precinct site. Shifts will be for 4 hours and run from 6am to 10am, 10am to 2pm and 2pm to 6pm. Poll watchers must be credentialed by the Election Office and training will be provided. If you are interested in serving as a poll watcher please send your name, preferred shift and, if you have one, preferred polling site to Carolyn VandeWiele at [email protected]. 

---

The General Election is swiftly approaching so check your voter registration @ https://indianavoters.in.gov/ and make a voting plan!
Here are the important dates to keep in mind as you plan.

---

LOCAL CAMPAIGN EVENTS & INFORMATION

---

Paula Staley Phone Banking & Sign Holding for Election Day
Paula Staley's campaign is looking for volunteers to help her phone bank and for help with holding signs for Election Day.  If people would like to help, please email her at [email protected]

Kara Krothe Yard Signs
Do you live at an intersection or other prominent location?
Kara Krothe's campaign is looking for folks to host signs for her. If interested reach out at the campaign website at https://karakrotheforjudge.com/contact-us 

Trent Deckard Yard Signs
The Trent Deckard for Monroe County Council has yard signs that need great homes and apartments! If you can take one, please write to [email protected]. In this unusual campaign year, this is just one way we get our word out. Please help our friend, Trent!

Andy Ruff Yard Signs
We have signs for Andy Ruff's campaign.
Please contact [email protected] if interested.

Geoff Bradley Yard Signs
We will be receiving signs for Geoff Bradley's campaign.
Please contact [email protected] if interested. 

Host a Yard Sign for Cheryl Munson
Cheryl Munson needs your help! Cheryl has brand new yards signs that need homes! If you live within Monroe County and would be interested in hosting a yard sign, please reach out to Olivia Reed at [email protected].

---

YARD SIGNS

---

Due to high demand and availability constraints, anyone seeking yard signs should reach out to the respective campaigns. Thank you for your understanding.  

---

VIRTUAL EVENTS

---

Wind Up! with United Way “Democracy 2020: Understanding Voting Rights and Access”
Thursday, October 8th
5 - 6 pm 
This is a free event, but please RSVP by Wednesday, October 7 at 4 p.m. via the Eventbrite link found at www.monroeunitedway.org/WakeUp

Monroe County Young Dems Day of Action for Cinde Wirth
Monday, October 12th
5-8 pm 

Democracy Lab Presents: A Moderated Conversation with Congressman Eric Swalwell about his New Book "Endgame"


Tuesday, October 20th
6-7 PM
On Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83579046142

Join Democracy Lab for a very special event with Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-15) about his new book Endgame: Inside the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump and what it's like to be in Congress during the Trump administration. We will begin with a moderated conversation between Congressman Swalwell and Vicki Veenker, attorney and public policy mediator, and then will take questions from the audience.

For More Information Visit: http://www.monroedems.org/conversation_with_congressman_swalwell
To Purchase The Book Visit: http://endgame.abrams.link/ 

---

---

MONROE COUNTY YOUNG DEMS

---

Please support our Young Dem friends in the Monroe County Young Democrats by liking them on social media! @youngdemsmonroe on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Days of Action are opportunities for Young Dems and all Dems alike to help out with our candidates in contested elections. 

     Monday, October 12th from 5-8 pm - Cinde Wirth

Our first general meeting as a newly-revamped caucus will be on Thursday, October 15th from 7-8PM. 
This is open to all community members. 

Please check their Facebook for links and information: Facebook

---

ACTION ITEM
PETITION TO EXPAND VOTE BY MAIL
Demand Accessible, Efficient Elections for All Hoosiers

---

      Indiana Senate Democrats have made a petition in efforts to expand vote by mail ahead of the November general elections. Read their comments below and please follow the link to sign the petition! 

---

     "State officials are already indicating their plans to limit mail-in voting for the general election in November. With the coronavirus pandemic still affecting our state, this would be an irresponsible and dangerous decision to make. Voters all across Indiana have expressed their concerns about not being able to vote this year. By limiting mail-in voting, many Hoosiers who are concerned about their health and safety will be disenfranchised this November.
      We have already seen that mail-in voting can be extremely secure and efficient when it’s given the necessary resources and flexibility. In places like Colorado, Washington or Montana, a complete vote-by-mail system helps higher voter participation and allows voters to navigate the challenges of this pandemic with ease. If our state invests the time and resources into giving Hoosiers access to voting by mail, we can see the same success.
Many Hoosiers are more susceptible to COVID-19 due to age, compromised immune systems or pre-existing conditions. No one in our state should have to make a choice between exercising their constitutional right to vote and staying safe from contracting COVID-19."

SIGN THE PETITION AT 
https://www.indianasenatedemocrats.org/vbm-petition//

---

COVID-19 INFORMATION

---

---

OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

---

City of Bloomington Commission Vacancies

The City of Bloomington Office of the City Clerk is accepting applications to fill vacated positions on several of the city’s commissions. Some of these vacancies, and the date the City Clerk’s office sent out press releases soliciting applicants, are listed below:

*UPDATED: 10/1/20*

Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Commission 
Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association
Environmental Commission
Bloomington Transportation Corporation Board of Directors

These are great opportunities for city residents to be more involved in local government! To learn more about these commissions, including the mission statements, membership requirements, current membership listing and term lengths, or for online applications, go to the online City system for board and commission information known as “OnBoard” at bloomington.in.gov/onboard 

Monroe County Governmental Boards and Commissions

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners invites you to apply to serve on a Board or Commission! There are immediate openings on a number of these bodies, including: Animal Management, Environmental Commission, and the Human Rights Commission. For information on each of them, see https://www.co.monroe.in.us/boards/.

The application is available here. 

If you have any questions, please contact Julie Thomas at [email protected]

*All event information is based on currently available information and may be subject to change. 

---

RESOURCES

---

The Indiana Democratic Party has a Municipal Monday Webinar series, and recordings of each of these webinars can be found here: https://www.indems.org/webinar-trainings-recordings/

Programs they have covered include:

How to File For Office (Matthew Kochevar)
Campaign Finance (Anna Foster)
Social Media 101 (Trina Thomas)
Pre-Filing Questions / Campaign Goals (Katie Doyle)
Creating A Field Plan (Adi Ben-Yehoshua)
Fundraising 101 (Katie Doyle)
Creating A Campaign Message (Phil Johnson)
Communicating with Press and Media (Phil Johnson)
Municipal Finance (Oscar Gutierrez and Trish Whitcomb)
Building an Absentee Chase Program (Adi Ben-Yehoshua)
Filing Your Pre-Primary Finance Report (Anna Foster)
How To Use Early Vote/Election Day Data In VAN (Adi Ben-Yehoshua)
City Government Offices (Portia Bailey-Bernard).

---

MCDP “Four Freedoms Circle” Recurring Donors

---

Thank you to our Four Freedoms Circle donors who contribute monthly to MCDP! To make a donation and sign up for a recurring contribution, click here. 

“For the Millions” donors ($25/month)
Ruth Aydt
Dion Baker
Richard Bauman & Beverly Stoeltje
Nicole Browne
Jean Capler
Susan & Doug Davis
Trent Deckard & Kyla Cox Deckard
Penny Githens
Kaisa Goodman & Nico Sigler
David G. Henry
Don & Carol-Anne Hossler
Peter Iversen & Leah Sinn Iversen
Randy Jacobs
Jeff & Kim Kehr
Connie & Guy Loftman
Jessica McClellan
Tom Miller & Beth McManus
Ashley Pirani
Eric Schmitz
Fred Schultz
Sue Sgambelluri
Jacob Simpson
William Smith
Brad & Amy Swain
Christine Talley Haseman
Julie Thomas
Denise Valkyrie
Sue Wanzer & Melanie Payne
Carol Wilson
John Zody

“New Deal” donors ($50/month)
Lorraine Merriman Farrell
John Hamilton & Dawn Johnsen
Lee Jones
Judy Sharp
Jim & Doris Sims
Catherine & Larry Smith
Catherine Stafford
Mark Stoops
Shelli Yoder & Josh Perry

“Franklin and Eleanor” donors ($75/month)
Betsy Greene
Geoff McKim

“Safeguard of Democracy” donors ($100/month)
This GOP administration’s trampling of the tenets of our democracy makes this the ideal time to become a Safeguard of Democracy donor.