“The end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience." Martin Luther King
Monday, 3/6 - Early Voting Starts Today!
Early Voting Dates/Times: Mon., March 6th - Sun., March 19th, 2023
Don't miss this chance to help elect new leadership for Jacksonvillle! If you've not voted already, now is a great time! And check with friends & family to be sure they vote as well. The beauty of early voting is that any Duval voter can use any polling place in the city from 10 AM - 6 PM daily. One exception for people who need to vote before 10: the Supervisor of Elections office opens at 8 AM weekdays. You can also deliver Vote-by-Mail ballots to the boxes at all these polling locations.
Use BAM's City Election Guide to get up to speed on the races, candidates, and debates. Candidates who receive 50% + 1 vote will win in this election; for races where no one receives a majority, the top 2 candidates will face a run-off in May. Turnout is the key to victory. Please be a voter!
Phenomenal Women VOTE!
BAM was proud to be one of many cosponsors of a DWIN event last Saturday designed to educate Jacksonville women on what's at stake in the JAX Unitary Election and the state this year - and the importance of voting. Speakers included local author Nikesha Williams; Council Rep and candidate for Property Appraiser, Joyce Morgan; Christina Kittle of Florida Rising; House Rep Angie Nixon; and BAM's own Dr. Nancy Staats. The message from all was clear: Whether we vote as a form of revenge, resistance or simple patriotism - our vote is our voice & we must use it!
Florida Legislative Session Opens 3/7 Brace Yourselves
This year's Florida Legislative session promises to be a challenging time for supporters of old-fashioned rather than Florida-style freedom. With a GOP supermajority in both houses, and a Governor bent on grabbing headlines to support his presidential aspirations, we can count on seeing a host of bills we oppose become law. Among them:
HB543 & SB150 - To allow permitless concealed carry of guns.
HB1 & SB202 - "School Choice" - To drain funding from public schools into vouchers for private, religious & homeschools.
"Tort reform" bills that will make it harder to sue insurance companies & easier to sue journalists & bloggers for libel.
We can also expect measures to ban puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, to limit or eliminate abortion rights. Even a bill with bipartisan support like the proposed affordable housing measure contains elements like a developer's ability to preempt height and density restrictions on projects that promise 40% affordable housing. So what can we do?
Resistance is essential. Our representatives in Tallahassee need to hear from us regularly - both those who agree with us, like Angie Nixon & Tracie Davis - and those who do not. For a start, come to the BAM meeting this week (see below) to postcard our reps on Permitless Carry & School Choice together.
Talk to friends & neighbors. People reading this newsletter are passionate followers of politics. You'll be surprised how many of your friends and neighbors don't pay attention - and need to know what's happening.
Speak out. Reach beyond your personal circle with a Letter to the Editor - like this fabulous LTE from BAM member Julie LaGoy in last week's Beaches Leader. If you want advice & encouragement, join our LTE group by emailing us.
Join the ACLU - which has its hands full challenging the host of unconstitutional measures on the state's horizon.
Getting Out the Vote for the JAX Election
There are lots of ways to help this week beyond nagging to make sure all your friends & family are voting:
Beaches Democratic Club is targeting likely voters in our Beaches District 13 with the literature on candidates & early voting information. Help reach out to voters in our area. Contact Hanna Moore (text 904-999-8515) to pick up a turf and deliver information at your convenience.
Canvass with Duval Dems in San Marco - Sunday, March 12 - 3:30-5 PM. Click here to sign up.
Thursday, March 9 - BAM Evening of Action
Join us for an evening of action at Adele Grage. We'll be postcarding our School Board about book banning & protection of LGBTQ students, and writing State Legislators about School Choice & Permitless Carry.
We'll also be joined by Christina Kittle of Florida Rising, telling how we can help with their canvassing outreach to voters in some of the city's most critical districts next weekend. We plan to take several cars of BAM volunteers.
In addition, Jessica Ransome, president of DWIN, will detail DWIN's ambitious GOTV effort for the city election & how we can help text and postcard voters who need a nudge. Bring a friend for a fun & productive evening of action.
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