Chair’s Message
Dear Friends,
It’s an election year which means its time to role up our sleeves and get to work on getting out the vote for the 2010 midterm elections.
We started the year by renewing our commitment to community service with a project in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day where Kalyani Etheart, Joanne Rowley and Bruce Morris painted a room in Stadsmission’s Bostället. Check out our website for more about the project at Bostället and future volunteer projects.
What is more, the dedicated and hard-working members of the Voter Registration Committee have already held two voter registration events in 2010 with dozens more planned. So if you haven’t registered, please stop by one of these events. Led by Sandy Mansson, our Voter Registration Chair, the Committee consists of: Kalyani Etheart, James Glaspie, Tom Howland, Cynthia Palm, Susanna Jensen, Fran Lesser, Anastasia Pharris-Ciurej, Joan Wohlner, Christina Zampas, Rob Scheonbaum, and Melanie Allen. These committed and reliable volunteers do the core work of Democrats Abroad Sweden and we are extremely grateful for their hard work and enthusiasm.
Going forward, we have a lot more to do to get out the vote for Democrats. On February 27, the Kalmar/Öland chapter of Democrats Abroad Sweden is hosting our First Annual Country-wide Chapter Meeting and Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner. The meeting of Chapter Committees and the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Sweden will give us an opportunity to discuss how we can reach out to more Americans in Sweden, raise money and ultimately register more voters. What is more, it’s a chance to get to know one another and strengthen our network leading up to the November elections. Following the meeting, we’ll hold our First Annual Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner. The dinner is open to all DASweden members as well as Americans who are interested in learning more about us. Details are available here, but seating is limited, so first come first served.
There is much more to do and we must continue to show members of Congress and the Obama Administration that Democrats Abroad can deliver victories on Election day. Only twice since Lincoln has the party in control of the White House maintained a majority after the first off-year election in a new president’s term. In 2006 and 2008, Democrats won most of the close races and as a result Democrats have many more vulnerable seats to defend than usual. In 2010, every member of the Democratic Congressional caucus is up for reelection and there are several Democratic Senators who face tough reelections as well. Add to this a historic economic crisis and high unemployment and you have a recipe for tight races all across the US. On November 2, many races will be decided by just a few thousand votes if not fewer. And we can make the difference in these races.
We can leave no stone unturned though, from believing in the power of grass-roots volunteers and voter registration, to using technology innovatively, to raising money — especially now that the Supreme Court has freed up powerful corporations to spend unlimited amounts of funds to elect the candidates they believe will support their positions.
To make the difference and deliver votes in 2010, Democrats Abroad will run ads and target voter registration activities around the globe, promote our online membership and registration tool VoteFromAbroad.org, use the list we purchased of over 1 million Americans living abroad to reach new members, register voters, and continue to support legislation to standardize the overseas voting process for all Americans.
We need your help to spread the word about DAsweden and to advocate effectively for you. So tell people about Democrats Abroad and let us know what impacts you as an American living abroad.
There’s a lot going on so stay up to date — follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook page. And if you’re interested in getting involved or have suggestions about how we can reach more Americans in Sweden, please drop me a line.
All the best,
Peter R. Dahlen
Chair, Democrats Abroad Sweden
chair@democratsabroad.se
