"If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools." - Plato
BAM Zoom Meeting @ 7 pm - Fall Action Kickoff & Meet Tracye Polson
If you are not yet paying attention to the special election scheduled for December 7, it's time you did. As progressives in Duval continue to mourn the loss of Tommy Hazouri, the race to fill out his At-Large term has attracted 4 candidates. Progressives in Duval have relied on Hazouri's leadership on many important issues over the years. There is not much time for anyone to campaign - or for voters to learn about this election. Take advantage of this chance to meet the Democratic candidate Hazouri himself endorsed.
We'll also be previewing several opportunities for direct action. Our postcard crew is already at work. Come learn about chances to lobby Tallahassee, register voters, write Letters to the Editor & more. Click here to RSVP.
Tell Florida Lawmakers To Protect Women's Health & Abortion Rights
If you've been meaning to write or call Senator Bean & Rep. Byrd to express your concerns about HB 167 and other matters affecting women's health, a coalition of progressive groups have created a handy online form that makes it easy to do. Click the button marked "Start Writing" and you'll see a letter already written which you can use as is, or edit to more clearly express your views. Please let them hear from you today.
Help Spread the Word About BAM
If you didn't see our ad in the Beaches Leader or visit the BAM website lately, you might have missed the ad above (go ahead & click to see more.) It's one of 3 we'll be running in the Leader and on social media over the next 6 weeks to educate people on issues BAM cares about and encourage them to join our efforts to create change. Let us know what you think, and please share with interested friends.
Wednesday, October 13 - Boundaries Matter: How Redistricting Impacts Our Vote
DWIN, the Democratic Women's Information Network & the Jax Young Democrats are sponsoring a valuable Zoom meeting this week at 6 pm. The speaker will be Andrew Pantazi, Founding Editor of Changing Florida-Tributary Newsletter. He will describe his reporting on redistricting in Duval County and at the state level, and suggest strategies we can use to get more involved in the redistricting process. Click here to RSVP and get the zoom link.
Speak Out for Fair Redistricting in Florida!
Take what you learn Wednesday night & tell the Florida Legislature what you expect from this year's redistricting process. As this critical article describes, the process so far is slow and lacks transparency. Let's remind our legislators Florida's Constitution requires fair, equal districts that do NOT increase partisan advantage. Here's how:
From now through December the Legislature will be convening Committee Weeks in Tallahassee. Floridians can give public comment at the end of any House Redistricting Committee or Subcommittee, or any Senate Reapportionment Committee or Subcommittee meeting. If you can't make it in person, use the links below to submit written testimony.
Find exact dates of the meetings here.(Meeting notices are usually issued a week before each committee week.)
Get detailed directions on How to Give Public Testimony.
Can't make it in-person? Submit your written testimony to the Florida Redistricting website here! Click the Get Involved Tab.
More helpful tools: Helpful tools: Redistricting in Florida 101 Public Comment Toolkit.
(Many thanks to Mandarin Indivisible and All on the Line for creating this useful guide to the process.)
Friday, 10/15 - Voter Registration Training
Beginning this Friday night at 7 pm, the Duval Dems will be holding virtual training sessions weekly for those of us who want to start registering voters here in Duval. These sessions will review the basic rules of the process and the changes created by recent legislation, plus best practices to make our registration activities as effective as possible. Click here to sign up.