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April Newsletter |
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Did you sign a petition to get a Democrat on the ballot? Don’t worry if you didn’t, there is still time for you to make some election magic.
What is election magic? Election magic is when a whole lot of people work together, in big and small ways, to get a person on the ballot and (perhaps) into office. It is the great feeling that you get when you see people voting for someone whose campaign you contributed to, when you are proud of the person you are working for, and when you are striving with others to get our people into office. It is the knowledge that, even if we lose, we gave it our all. Let me explain.
To run for a congressional office on the Democratic line, a candidate has to collect at least 1250 signatures from registered Dems. As those signatures might be challenged, candidates collect hundreds more. This collection process is called “petitioning” and the forms used are called “Designating Petitions.” We have two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for NY District 21, Matt Putorti and Matt Castelli. They each collected the required signatures, and turned them into the Board of Elections this week. Usually, the campaigns request copies of their oppositions' petitions, and look for mistakes. If they can eliminate enough signatures, they can get their opponent knocked out of the race before the ballots are even printed. It is not pretty, but it is how the game is played. It is likely that Elyse Stefanik’s campaign is also studying our petitions, with the same intention.
Have you ever noticed how some candidates are listed under multiple parties? Getting on multiple lines dramatically increases a candidate's chances of success. To get on the “Independent” line, the candidates have to collect another 1250 signatures, from people who did not sign the first round of petitions. There are similar processes to get on the Green line, Working Families, and other third party lines.
Getting a candidate on the Democratic line is not too difficult. County committee members are practiced petition carriers, and our candidates make it onto the ballot. Getting our candidates on the Independent line would be a feat of teamwork and dedication. It will require petitioning parties, grandmas with clipboards and a few long crazy drives. But, imagine if the Democrat challenging Elyse Stefanik was listed on both the Democratic and the Independent ballot lines? We would be in a much stronger position. That is election magic.
The petitioning period to get on the independent line begins on April 19, and lasts 4 weeks. Can you help? We can get you a list of the registered Dems in your town. You might also want to host a potluck or another event. If we can get a few people together, we can tell them what the Schoharie Dems are up to, and have them all sign a petition. Easy!
In the meantime, we are continuing to build the party infrastructure throughout Schoharie. Every time we reach out and connect people, we get stronger. Whether you are interested in getting more involved, or if you are happy being an engaged observer, your contribution to the Schoharie Democrats is welcome. If you have not helped yet, maybe you will consider carrying a petition for one of the Democratic candidates for NY 21 so one of our candidates can appear on the Independent line on the November ballot.
In Solidarity,
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Broadband in New York |
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Take part in the New York State broadband assessment program by filling out the survey here. Let them know how important this is to our rural community for business, education and quality of life. If you prefer, they will mail you a survey. Just call 1-855-692-2627 and follow the instruction to have a paper copy mailed to your home. |
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Absentee Ballots
Be prepared for the upcoming election by finding out how to request an absentee ballot. Requests for the June 28 primary election must be received no later than June 13. You can even do this online at the absentee request portal. Also, the New York State Board of Elections has released an absentee ballot tracker whereby any voter in New York can track their ballot and make sure that their vote is counted. The tracker is integrated with the Voter Registration and Poll Site tool. There is a change, however, to the previous practice of allowing voters to vote in person on a machine, even if an absentee ballot had been issued. Under the new rule, voters will no longer be able to vote in person on a machine if there had been an absentee ballot issued to them. They would need to use an affidavit ballot in that situation. |
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The SCDC Committees Have Been Busy!
The various committees of the SCDC have been meeting and making plans. These committees are open to non-SCDC members to join in the fun and volunteer. If you are interested in helping them reach their goals, please click on the committee chair's email below to contact them directly.
The Bylaws Committee: The Bylaws Committee had a couple meetings to discuss and propose new bylaw amendments including allowing virtual meetings, permitting the Executive Committee to vote by text, defining a process to remove chronically absent members and appointing a parliamentarian. These changes will be proposed at the next SCDC meeting and have been sent to all committee members for their review.
The Membership & Organizing Committee: The Membership and Organizing Committee is working to update contacts and activate local voters. We are currently organizing efforts in several towns and hoping to assist volunteers in additional towns to get started on this endeavor. A draft "canvasser packet" will be finalized soon, with materials that canvassers can use to help individuals in their community register to vote or update their voter registration. Regular meetings are scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month so we can share progress made and ideas for improvement. All are welcome to join in.
The Fundraising Committee: Joe Bozicevich, who recently ran a chicken barbecue to benefit Ukraine, has volunteered to chair the banquet and fundraising subcommittee. This year, we are taking fundraising to a new level. We are going to have a silent online auction and a banquet.
A silent online auction is a virtual event where we collect a smorgasbord of donations and auction them off online. Do you have anything that you might be able to donate? Possibilities include weekends at Airbnbs, apartments or lake houses, restaurant gift certificates, artisan goods, etc. These auctions can make thousands of dollars, which would be so helpful as we work to spread our message in Schoharie County. Please reach out to the committee via email if you would like to volunteer or donate an item.
We are looking for speakers for our FDR Banquet, in June. We will let you know as details unfold.
The Social Committee: The Social Committee met to discuss ideas for community engagement. Some of the ideas include preparing welcome kits for new Schoharie County residents using SCDC graphics and logos and a long term plan to possibly hold a summer concert/gathering in 2023. Also discussed was having an SCDC presence at the yearly summer events in the various towns, such as the “Richmondville Days” planned in Richmondville.
The Communications Committee: The SCDC Communication Committee hosts working meetings twice a month on the 2nd Tuesday and 4th Monday. Suppose you are excited to help with social media strategy, graphic design, or other communications topics? Email Jerrine at cjerrine@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link. While we whole-heartedly welcome fellow Democrats to join our working committees, they participate as non-voting volunteers, at least until they may decide to petition and become a member of the SCDC themselves.
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Chairwoman: Theresa Heary- info@schohariedemocrats.org SCDC Committees: |
