FROM OUR CHAIR SEAN PARSONS
Hope you’re staying cool in these ridiculously hot summer days! Last I heard the Athens County Board of Elections has AC, so, if you need to cool off and haven’t already VOTED NO on ISSUE 1, head on over! It has been heartening to see all of the signs against the issue throughout the county and recently all over the Nelsonville Music Fest campground. I even made a new friend who parked their RV next to us. She asked if we’d be ok with her sign which read, “Issue 1 is Bullxxxxx. Vote No on Issue 1.” I laughed and gave her a hug.
Thanks to all of our volunteers who have tirelessly been writing postcards, canvassing, and speaking out on this issue. Let’s continue to do our part and have 100% of our team voting by August 8 to shut this thing down! Join together at the Pigskin on August 8 to watch the election results come in and celebrate our victory defeating Issue 1!
Sean
AUGUST ELECTION UPDATE – VOTE NO ON ISSUE 1
This special election on August 8 is an effort to silence the voices of the vast majority of Ohioans who support reproductive rights and abortion access. However, the ramifications of Issue 1 would impact other future amendments to the Ohio Constitution including redistricting and labor rights. Encourage friends and family to vote early at the Board of Elections. Information on voting in this special election can be found at Register and Vote (athensdems.org).
10 Days, 10 Ways to Fight Back on Issue 1 from Common Cause Ohio
- If you haven’t already, go vote! Grab a friend and stop by your county Board of Elections for Early Vote or make sure you mail in your absentee ballot ASAP.
- Mine + 9: share why you are opposed to Issue 1 with 9 friends and encourage them to oppose Issue 1 of the August Special Election and make a plan to vote.
- Check out what your neighbors are saying and tell two new people about Issue 1.
- Join us at the last rally August 3 in Columbus .
Post a quick selfie to Facebook or Instagram with a “Vote NO” yard sign or “I voted” sticker. - Search for volunteer opportunities at Get Involved to Defeat Issue 1 (votenoinaugust.org).
Honk every time you see a “Vote NO” sign in your community. - Distribute any “Vote NO” materials you still have. They are no good unless they are in the hands of voters (check your car!).
- Did we say “Vote”? If you’re waiting for Election Day, confirm your polling place.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
- August 1 – The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 8:30 p.m.
- August 6 – Early in-person voting at the Board of Elections ends at 5:00 p.m.
- August 7 – Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by this date.
- August 8 – Election Day! The polls are open 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Confirm your Athens County polling place. There have been a number of changes. Street Address Search – Athens (ohio.gov).
- August 8 – Absentee ballots that are personally delivered (not mailed) to your County Board of Elections must be received by 7:30 p.m.
- August 17 – OU College Democrats Fundraiser at the Pigskin at 5:30
REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM AMENDMENT
Breaking News – On July 25 the Ohio Secretary of State’s office certified the Reproductive Freedom Amendment to be placed on the ballot in the general election in November! Pro-Choice Ohio met the requirement with 495,938 valid signatures and qualified in 55 counties. Next step is for the Secretary of State to forward the amendment to the Ohio Ballot Board which must draft the language describing the amendment that will appear on the ballot in November. More to come on our Athens County Democratic Party efforts to support the passage of this amendment.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
- We have a booth at The Athens County Fair from August 7-12. We need volunteers from 5-8pm each day to register voters and help get the word out about the August election, the November election and the Reproductive Freedom Amendment.
- August 19 is the Parade of the Hills. Line up is 3:00-5:30. Parade starts at 6:00. Wear your Dems shirt or blue and/or white shirts. Let’s show up!
Contact Patrice Contact Patrice Beard if you can attend any of these events. Spread the word and get folks excited to Vote No On Issue 1.
FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER
OFFICE UPDATES
On July 4 a glass window with messaging, “Vote No on Issue 1,” lay broken in thousands of tiny shards, strews across the Dem Office, sidewalk and street. It was a disheartening sight to behold. By dusk that same day the graffiti wall was painted. A big shout out to volunteers Sooz Palsa and Roberta Donnewirth for braving the heat on a sweltering 4th of July. The message is loud and clear. We won’t be silenced; not now, not on August 8!
And then we made more lemonade out of lemons with a painted plywood message at the Dem HQ to VOTE NO!
The office will be open Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 1:00-4:00. We will be open 8/7 from 1:00-4:00 and will be here on Election Day. We are out of postcards, yard signs, and pins. After the election hours will be cut back as we take a break and gear up for the November election.
COMMITTEE UPDATES
Neighborhood Campaign Committee – Chair Andrea Reik
Through the Athens Dems Office we have distributed 300 Vote NO yard signs. We shared yard signs with voters in other rural counties including Vinton, Morgan, Gallia, and Jackson. We are close to completing our goal of canvassing 70 packets. We have written personal messages on 2,000 postcards to friendly voters in Athens County and also sent postcards to about 3,000 Union Workers throughout the State. We have manned tables at local events and marched in local parades passing out Vote NO buttons, yard signs, and information on Vote No as well as registering new voters. About 20 local store fronts have placed Vote NO placards in their front windows.
You can still help. You can phonebank with friendly voters in your neighborhood. We provide numbers and scripts. Also there are a few door knock packets left.
We have a great party! Thanks to the Communication Team, the Community Service Team, the Neighborhood Campaign Team and the Office Coverage Team. Contact Andrea Reik to get involved.
Community Service Committee – Chair Janalee Stock
While we didn’t think we would take on any new projects before election day, a too perfect opportunity arose! A team of ten of us will be helping out with Bounty on the Bricks this year. Along with packing food boxes at the SE Ohio Food Bank in Logan, this is a wonderful way to help our food insecure neighbors. It’s a lovely event and a significant amount of money is raised through ticket sales and sponsorship. Photos of our team will follow next month.
September will bring another litter pick up on State Route 550. We need volunteers! We only had 3 volunteers in June, so we can use a few more people. Dates and details will be in the August newsletter. Contact Janalee.
Communication Committee – Chair Ashley Sarver
We met in early July to formalize our processes and to refine how best to coordinate posting to social media across platforms on behalf of any ACDP committees We’ve expanded our newsletter and are refining processes around its publication. We are set to launch a new public-facing website!
If anyone would like to suggest a social media post, pictures of Dems at work, or newsletter entry, please let us know at info@athensdems.org. We are also growing our newsletter — you too can recruit new ACDP volunteers and add newsletter sign-ups, using our handy website line: https://athensdems.org/stay-connected/.
In other news the committee is seeking anyone interested in reviving the Athens Young Democrats group — please be in touch if you’re interested in getting involved. It can be anything we make of it! Lastly, our committee looked beyond the August 8 election push and set a broad calendar for future public communication initiatives for the upcoming year.
Finance Committee – Chair Kate McGuckin
The Finance Committee is closely tracking local donors and out of area donations. It has also secured an anonymous $500 donation to fund our booth at the Athens County Fair. Our booth is next to the Republican booth and the Fair occurs just before the August 8 election. This is a great opportunity to get the word out to
Athens County Voters!
OU College Democrats – Chair Julianna Rittenberg
We are working hard this year to build a strong foundation ahead of the 2024 election. We are working to recruit new members, build a strong coalition of volunteers and politically active students, and bring back some of our pre-COVID events such as the Summer Dinner. Additionally, we are introducing a speaker series to help students see what jobs are available in Democratic politics. Our final goal for the year is to fundraise for our annual Washington, D.C. trip over spring break. We’re excited to see what this year brings!
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR LOCAL PARTY
We thank everyone who has financially supported the ACDP in the past. The fight to defend democracy and turn Ohio blue is far from over. If you have not donated recently to the ACDP, and have the means to do so, please donate today.