23rd ld Democrats News

From: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org> 

Sent: Friday, November 12, 2021 3:00 PM
To: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>
Subject: Friday News & Action With Tina Podlodowski

Hello Democrats! This November is turning into quite a busy month - with election results, the big infrastructure bill passing Congress, a new Secretary of State, the deadline for redistricting next Monday (expect to hear from me about that as soon as we know the details), and so much more happening! I’m feeling full of excitement and ready for action as we go into 2022 and those hugely important midterm elections. I hope you do too!

Election Wrap-Up - Now that pretty much all the votes are counted in our 2021 local elections, I wanted to update you on how our Rooted To Win candidates fared. Spoiler alert: two-thirds of our Rooted to Win candidates around the state WON their races and that’s just awesome. Electing more Democrats, in more races and places, is how we will win up and down the ballot moving forward.

We had three candidates who were behind on election night come back to win now - Kim Harless for Vancouver City Council, Hugo Garcia for Burien City Council, and Kristina Michele Martens for Bellingham City Council. Congratulations to all three of these candidates for sticking with it and making the strong GOTV push needed to get them over the finish line! 

I want to specifically congratulate some of our candidates who overcame massive special interest spending from conservative PACs in their races. Kim Harless in Vancouver was outspent 10-1 by her opponent and the PAC supporting him, and Zack Zappone was outspent 3-1, and both went on to win. We’re never going to have the kind of money that the conservative side does, but this shows that we can win even when we’re outspent. When Republicans spend so much money on mailers full of lies and distortions, we can come back with smart, effective organizing and messaging campaigns that turn out our base, win over persuadable voters, and overcome the barrage of GOP money. We’ve done it time and again, and I bet we’ll have to do it again in a lot of our legislative races next year. 

It’s interesting - folks have said “Terry McAuliffe lost the Virginia gubernatorial in a close one, what a bad omen for Democrats.” Folks in Seattle have said “a Republican won Seattle city attorney in a weird race between two candidates on the far extremes of the spectrum, what a bad omen for Democrats.” But that’s not what I saw happen in Washington state. I saw a whole lot of Democratic wins. I saw Democrats beat QAnon city councilmembers in Sequim and SeaTac, and keep cities like Burien under progressive control, plus make gains in Renton, Vancouver, College Place, and in school boards all around the state. I saw Democrat Sarah Perry beat the established incumbent Republican Kathy Lambert by a huge margin in East King County. I saw Kim Harless and Zack Zappone beat opponents who massively outspent them. I saw Democrats in every corner of the state win big, tough races against fierce conservative opposition - Whatcom, Walla Walla, Cowlitz, all over. There’s no doubt that 2022 will be a tough midterm, they always are for the party holding the presidency. But there’s a lot to be optimistic about in these Washington 2021 election results. 

Our New Secretary of State - You may have seen the news this week that Governor Jay Inslee announced his appointment for who would replace Republican Kim Wyman in the Secretary of State’s office - our Democratic legislator from the 44th LD, Senator Steve Hobbs! 

I want to congratulate Senator Hobbs on this historic appointment - the first person of color and member of the AAPI community to serve as our Secretary of State. He’s worked to help pass so many of the major voting reforms we have here in Washington including the Voting Rights Act and same-day and automatic voter registration. He’s respected on both sides of the aisle in the legislature and has worked to solve big, complex problems - a skill that’s so important in the Secretary of State’s office.

I look forward to Sen. Hobbs taking over the Secretary of State’s office and making sure that we’re running the best, fairest, most open elections of any state in the country, where we all have the chance for our voices to be heard. It’s so important that we Democrats fight hard to hold this position in next year’s special election, and I’m looking forward to working with all of you to make that happen. I think you all know how important to me it is to have a Democrat in this seat - let’s keep it that way in 2022. 

Weekend Reading - If you’re inside hiding from the rain, here are some stories I’d recommend checking out from this week. We saw a lot of news come out about the January 6th insurrection attempt by Trump and the Republicans to try to overturn the presidential election results. It’s so important that we continue to remember what Republicans tried to do that day and make sure they can never succeed. We can't only talk about what happened in the past - voters expect our party’s messaging to focus on the future, and how Democrats are helping working families succeed - but we also can’t let these guys off the hook and forget about their attack on our democracy.

• Trump Defends Trying to Hang Mike Pence as 'Common Sense' - NY Mag (this one is particularly shocking!)
• Why White Racists Vote for Black Republicans - NY Mag
• The Man Who Made January 6 Possible - The Atlantic
• Gov. Inslee announces pick for Washington's new Secretary of State - Crosscut
• Donors threatened to shun the GOP after Jan. 6. Now, Republicans are outraising Democrats - Washington Post

And while I have NEVER been a Tom Brady fan, I do admire his work ethic and discipline as does our staff - every day, every little bit, every time we “lose by less” in the Republican areas and grow our share in the Democratic areas, we are making gains for the future. Check this story out: Tom Brady's secret is self-discipline 

We will need to do a little bit, every day in 2022, to come out with wins in November. 

Save The Date, December 9th - In order to celebrate our 2021 victories and get 2022 started on the right foot, the Washington State Democrats will be hosting a virtual celebration on Thursday, December 9th! We hope you will join folks from all over Washington State to hear from key Democratic leaders and plot the course for an even more successful 2022. 

 
Stay tuned for a complete announcement of event details next week, but for now, please save the date for this virtual 2022 Coordinated Campaign kickoff on the evening of December 9th. We hope you will join us to celebrate this exciting moment and support our efforts!

More Infrastructure Bill Resources - HERE is an updated toolkit that the Democratic National Committee put together in English and Spanish to help you talk to your friends, neighbors, and community about President Biden delivering on his promise to the American people with the major Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that Congress just voted to send to his desk, in addition to his bold and historic Build Back Better Framework, with resources such as message guidance, social media content, graphics, and more. We want to be as loud as possible about this win for the American people, so please continue to share this with your networks, along with the Washington-specific content that we have here:

Child Tax Credit Signup Window - One of the fantastic policies in the American Rescue Plan was the expanded Child Tax Credit, which is sending $200-300 per kid to families all across the country. This is a huge investment in helping people pay their bills and getting our economy back on track after COVID, and we appreciate the work that our Washington Democrats in Congress have done to pass it and are doing now to make it permanent (and no thanks to all three Republicans who voted against it!)

Families of over 60 million children are already receiving the Child Tax Credit - $3,600 annually for children under 6 and $3,000 for kids between 6 and 17 – but families who haven’t signed up and earn too little to have to file taxes are missing out. Folks who don’t file taxes must actively sign up by November 15 to get their payments this year. Between now and November 15, those families can go to GetCTC.org, an easy to use tool to sign-up for the Child Tax Credit. This tool, created by Code for America, in collaboration with the White House and Treasury, is in English and Spanish and is mobile friendly, and most families can complete it within about 15 minutes.

Build Back Better Info - With the passage of the big infrastructure bill, our next priority in Congress is the Build Back Better investment in essential programs like combating climate change, funding preschool, and more. 

This Build Back Better framework will level the playing field and make corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share, so that middle-class families can finally get a shot at getting ahead. It is a transformative investment in climate, care, and kids that will lower the costs of programs families depend on, help people get back to work, and strengthen the economy.

This bill will be the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations – transforming the lives of millions of families , saving parents thousands of dollars, and adding two years of free, universal schooling to our public education system for the first time in over a century. It will be the largest effort to combat climate change in history. It will cut taxes for tens of millions of middle-class families. And It is the biggest expansion of affordable health care in a decade. Here are links with more information on how important this bill is - let’s keep this fight up and get this legislation passed!

·  Build Back Better Framework

·  How the Build Back Better Framework Helps Black Communities

·  How the Build Back Better Framework Helps Latinx Communities

·  How the Build Back Better Framework Helps Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities

·  How the Build Back Better Framework Helps Native American Communities

·  How the Build Back Better Framework Helps LGBTQI+ Communities

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your weekend! 

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski

P.S. - It’s been reported that GOP Sen. Doug Ericksen is in El Salvador right now, sick with a serious case of COVID, and asking folks to send an overnight shipment of Regeneron monoclonal antibodies to him, and I sincerely wish him the best for his health. 

He is up for re-election next year in LD 42 and I would like him to be in good enough health that we can run against him hard and hold him accountable for working as a lobbyist for the Cambodian dictatorship instead of on behalf of his constituents, skipping votes to work for Donald Trump, skipping votes (again) to go to El Salvador, and taking so many free meals from oil company lobbyists that they literally had to change the law to address his behavior. Be well, Senator!

Hello Democrats! As election week continues, I’ve been very encouraged by the ballot counts in later days where we’ve seen many progressive candidates gain ground. Hugo Garcia in Burien was losing on election night and he’s ahead now. Kim Harless in Vancouver is now just 41 votes behind her conservative opponent after having been outspent 10-1 by a huge special interest PAC expenditure. Hugo and Kim are both Rooted to Win candidates from our inaugural cohort. I’m really looking forward to seeing tonight’s drop of Clark County results for Kim’s race, and races all over our state!

While the Virginia governor’s race was a disappointment nationally, I think we saw some very good omens here in Washington state, like flipping the Sequim and SeaTac City Councils. Washington State Democrats had some big wins - more than two-thirds of our Rooted To Win candidates have won their elections, including some very tough and competitive races where we were up against major, conservative special interests! We know that next year’s midterm is going to be a tough political environment, but I think these local election results across Washington show that we still have a lot to be optimistic about. We can win, but it’s going to take a lot of work. 

That’s why I want to talk to you about our plans for the 2022 Coordinated Campaign!

Our Coordinated Campaign is the GOTV organizing and field program we run to turn out voters for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, all across the state. As I know you all know, last year we had to totally change our campaign strategy due to the COVID pandemic. We completely overhauled the program we had been planning and building for two years and quickly pivoted to a fully virtual program. We paved the way nationwide on a new type of campaigning -- one that prioritized the safety and health of Washingtonians here at home. 

Despite the massive shake-up early in the year, our team was able to successfully execute on a new, fully digital plan and the 2020 Coordinated was a success. Overall, Democratic share of the vote in 2020 increased by nearly 4 points compared to 2016. Democratic share increased in every county in the state, ranging from 4 to 14 points gained.

We know that our voter contact efforts work. In 2020, of the voters we were able to contact in our GOTV universe, 80.97% turned out to vote. Of the voters in our universe that we attempted to contact but weren’t able to, 65.91% turned out to vote. That’s an increase among the people we contacted of over 15 points. Our ability to reach people makes a real difference in the likelihood to vote among Democratic base voters. 

This year, we’re excited to plan a more “normal” Coordinated Campaign. We’re going to take the good lessons we learned in 2020 about digital organizing and constituency outreach, and join that with the proven Coordinated Campaign model of direct and in-person voter contact. A Coordinated Campaign will typically knock on 1.5 million doors over the course of the summer and fall, and we want to be able to do that -- and more -- in 2022! We’ve seen candidates and campaigns be able to door knock this year with the appropriate precautions and we expect to be able to safely campaign next year. 

We plan to hire at least 25 field organizers and 25 deputy field organizers so that we’re able to campaign all across the state. I say it all the time: every race and every place! And we’re also going to continue our award-winning and nationally-recognized voter protection program. 

We’re going to need a lot of help from you all to make this happen. It takes thousands of volunteers to help us get the door knocks and voter contact that we need to get out the vote. We are going to be counting on you to help be a part of that. 

This also costs a lot of money. We don’t get the national funding from the DNC that Wisconsin or Florida do; we have to run a lean and mean program and we can’t afford to waste resources. Nearly all of our Coordinated Campaign budget goes into staff (unionized!) salaries and benefits: the people on the ground doing the work to recruit and train volunteers and organize communities. 

We’re thankful for every donation that people like you make to support that work, but the most important ones are our recurring supporters in the Blue Washington program. The continued support that we can count on from our recurring donors means that we can reliably budget future expenditures with the confidence that your contributions will be there for us. Just as we need to make payroll for our organizing team every month, we need your support every month. You can sign up to be a recurring donor for us here. 

+++++++++++++++++

Upcoming Communications Training - I’ve emailed you before about communications training webinars done by our friends at Connections Lab, who also did the messaging training at our Rural Summit this summer and at our last state committee meeting. They’ve got an upcoming series of trainings about some of the science behind how our brains process information and how to use that information to more effectively persuade and message when we’re making our political arguments. The cost is “pay what you can” and I encourage interested folks to check them out and learn!

Science Trek:  The Liberal and Conservative Zoos

Monday, November 8 at 5:00 PM

We talk about Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, progressives and centrist Democrats -- but the reality goes much deeper.  We'll explore the taxonomy of both liberals and conservatives and see how identifying people correctly changes how we target our messaging. This webinar is FREE with an optional Pay What You Will to support the work of Connections Lab. Register for Science Trek:  The Liberal and Conservative Zoos

Science Trek:  Propaganda - A Look at its Purpose and Effectiveness

Monday, November 22 at 5:00 PM

Propaganda is everywhere and it's a surprisingly effective tool. Yet if we are to message with honesty and integrity, it is a tool we should not use. We'll explore what we are up against, how to expose it and what our alternatives are. This webinar is FREE with an optional Pay What You Will to support the work of Connections Lab. Register for Science Trek:  Propaganda

Science Trek: The Art and Science of Persuasion

Monday, December 13 at 5:00 PM

Brain science shows that human minds are easily fooled and that erroneous ideas and beliefs, once learned, are hard to shake. How do we get around that? We'll look at some of the unlearning we must do and we'll explore persuasion methods including some from sales (!) that will help you persuade with honesty and integrity. This webinar is FREE with an optional Pay What You Will to support the work of Connections Lab. Register for Science Trek:  The Art and Science of Persuasion

October Jobs Report - Thanks to the leadership of President Joe Biden and Senator Patty Murray and their work to pass the American Rescue Plan earlier this year, America continues to add jobs at a record pace – 620,000 a month, on average, and over 5.6 million total since President Biden took office. Because of the success of that bill, our economy has the resilience we need to weather the challenges posed by this virus, more Americans are going back to work, and more Americans feel safe going back to work. 

This week’s jobs report showed that America added 531,000 jobs in October and the unemployment rate fell to 4.6% -- the lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Before the Rescue Plan passed, the Congressional Budget Office projected we wouldn’t reach 4.6% unemployment until the fourth quarter of 2023. Today’s report shows that the economy reached that rate two full years earlier than projected, thanks to the Rescue Plan – a bill that not a single Republican supported – and the President’s vaccination strategy. 

Unemployment has decreased this year more than any other year in US history. That’s huge news, and we have our Democratic leaders to thank.

We’ve made tremendous progress in the last nine months, and our leaders have an opportunity to build on that in the coming days by passing President Biden’s economic agenda. The Build Back Better and infrastructure bills would do even more to create jobs and get America out of the pandemic. I’m excited to see action on this legislation soon!

Thank you as always for reading!

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski

With just a day left before election day, this is such an exciting time. Many folks get their ballots in during the last few critical days; if you haven’t made a plan to return your ballot yet, do so right away! A special plea to voters ages 18-35 - that demographic is lagging around the state and it’s time to stop procrastinating!

You can submit your ballot in a dropbox or via USPS as long as it is postmarked by Tuesday. You can check out the list of ballot dropboxes near you (and the other resources we have) at www.wa-democrats.org/iwillvote. Or call our voter protection hotline at 206-309-VOTE and our volunteers can provide assistance! 

If you have already voted, connect with a local candidate in your area and see if you can do some critical last-minute volunteer work with them. Some campaigns are doorbelling this weekend (weather looks great!) and others are running remote phone banks and text banks. Every candidate should have something for you to help get out the vote in your community! We anticipate that many races will be won or lost by just a handful of votes, so every voter we communicate with in the next few days will make the difference! 

Here are some graphics that I encourage folks to share on their personal social media and on their local party organization’s account to help spread the word!

Secretary of State - As you probably heard, Washington’s Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced this week that she’s resigning her position in mid-November to take a job with the Biden-Harris administration, working on protecting elections from foreign interference. While she and I haven’t always seen eye to eye, I have a lot of hope for her future work to defend our democracy against malicious overseas actors and keep our elections free and fair. 

This means that Governor Inslee will appoint a replacement and we’ll have a hugely important special election in 2022. It’s critical that we win this race in 2022 and elect a responsible, effective Democrat who will work to make our elections more equitable, so all Washingtonians can participate in our political process with an accessible voter registration program.

We’ve seen how Republican politicians have spent the last year calling into question the integrity of our elections and alleging nonexistent fraud. They’ve filed completely ungrounded lawsuits, including the ones that the State Democratic Party is now intervening in to dismiss in federal court. They’ve spread conspiracies and nonsense to try to undermine confidence in our elections, our democracy, and, ultimately, our government as a whole.

I worry about how the Republican primary for this seat is going to go next year, and what horrible candidate the state GOP will support (will Loren Culp jump in?). I’m not holding out hope for them to advance another Wyman-esque administrative candidate; I expect we’ll see one of the types who still claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and Culp and who will aggressively work to suppress the vote and disenfranchise Washingtonians. 

It almost feels like a cliche to always be talking about how high the stakes for 2022 are, but I can’t emphasize enough how much trouble our state will be in if someone like Doug Ericksen or Robert Sutherland manages to hold statewide office, including Secretary of State. You can be sure that the Washington State Democratic Party is committed to fighting hard to elect someone who will defend our democracy against the nonsense attacks of the Republican Party.

New Build Back Better Framework - It’s been so difficult to keep up with the news coming out of Washington D.C. about the busy negotiations around President Biden’s Build Back Better reconciliation bill. Washington’s representation has been a major part of this work, and I want to especially thank Senator Patty Murray for her critical leadership in the Senate working to persuade Senators Manchin and Sinema. I am also grateful for Representative Pramila Jayapal’s organizing in the House to ensure that we get a strong, progressive package that meets the needs of the moment and of the future. 

Yesterday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a package that they believe should pass both chambers of Congress. This Build Back Better framework will level the playing field and make corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share, so that middle-class families can finally get a shot at getting ahead. It is a transformative investment in climate, care, and kids that will lower the costs of expenses families depend on, help people get back to work, and strengthen the economy.

This framework will be the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations – transforming the lives of millions of children, saving parents thousands of dollars, and adding two years of free, universal schooling to our public education system for the first time in over a century. It will be the largest effort to combat climate change in history. It will cut taxes for tens of millions of middle-class families. It is the biggest expansion of affordable health care in a decade. As the President said, it’s a big darn deal.

Children & Caregiving: Preschool, child care and care for older loved ones is prohibitively expensive for middle-class families. Build Back Better will deliver two years of free preschool for more than 6 million children – which costs an average of $8,600 per year – and increase the quality of preschool for many more children already enrolled. Research shows that every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood care and education can yield $3 to $7 over the long-run, in the form of improved health and education outcomes, increased likelihood of being employed, and higher earnings in adulthood. 

The last time America added years of free schooling was more than 100 years ago. This is an investment in our kids and in our global competitiveness. Build Back Better will ensure that no middle-income family pays more than 7% of their income on child care and will help states expand access to high-quality, affordable child care to about 20 million children per year. The framework also delivers affordable, high-quality care for older Americans and people with disabilities in their homes, while supporting the workers who provide this care. And Build Back Better will give 35 million families a major tax cut by extending the expanded Child Tax Credit. This is a historic proposal that will save middle-class families and enable families to work and succeed in the economy.

Climate: Scientists have been warning us for years that extreme weather is going to get more extreme. We’re living it in real time now. Extreme weather cost America $99 billion in 2020, and this amount will only increase with inaction. Build Back Better will cut greenhouse gas emissions by well over one gigaton by 2030, reduce consumer energy costs, give our kids cleaner air and water, and create hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs. BBB advances environmental justice by investing in a 21^st century clean energy economy – from buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, and agriculture to climate smart practices in our lands and waters. 

The framework expands access to rooftop solar and home electrification, cutting the cost of installing solar for a home around 30% and shortening the payback period for a family by approximately five years. And BBB will create manufacturing credits for solar and onshore and offshore wind, creating millions of good-paying jobs building clean energy technology. These investments will ensure that we can meet our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions between 50 and 52 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.

Health Care: Before the American Rescue Plan, even people with health insurance struggled to pay their premiums. About 30 million people were uninsured in 2019, before President Biden took office, and coverage under the ACA (even with the premium subsidies) was too expensive for many families. The President believes no one should lie in bed wondering, “what will I do if she gets cancer?” or “will I go bankrupt paying for this procedure?” Build Back Better will reduce premiums for more than 9 million Americans by extending the expanded Premium Tax Credit, deliver health care coverage to up to 4 million uninsured people in states that have locked them out of Medicaid, and help older Americans access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare. 

Build Back Better will improve our immigration system, consistent with the Senate’s reconciliation rules. And the framework is paid for by rewarding work, not wealth – and ensuring that the super-wealthy and corporations pay their fair share and can’t cheat on their tax bills. No one making less than $400,000 will have their taxes raised

I’m looking forward to the next steps but between this package, the American Rescue Plan, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill, this Congress and the Biden Administration are in a position to pass some truly transformative legislation to help meet the needs of working families across America. We are finally making a transformative investment in climate, care, and kids that will lower the costs of things families depend on, help people get back to work, and grow the economy. 

You can read more about the details of the Build Back Better package here.

Emerge Candidate Training - Are you a Democratic female-identified individual who’s considering running for office in Washington? You should connect with the candidate training and recruitment organization Emerge Washington! Applications are open for Emerge WA's 2022 cohort. This is a great opportunity to learn more about being a candidate, participate in useful training, and get connected to a powerful network of other political women who are elected, past candidates, or running (and will win!) this year. 

Classes start in January and meet one weekend a month until May. Emerge provides you with the training you need to run for office and win, including access to the network of Emerge alumnae.  Read about the application process on Emerge's website and apply today. Applications close November 12th -- two weeks from today. To learn more about the Emerge WA signature training program, please visit their website and attend an upcoming information session via Zoom, some of which are regionally based. 

Upcoming virtual info sessions: RSVP to Emily@EmergeWA.org

November 4th at 7 PM: Northwest WA

November 7th at 7 PM: General statewide session

Blue Washington Baseball Hats - We know that party building and grassroots organizing has to be sustainable, year-round work. To support that, we need sustainable, year-round funding. Recurring donors are some of the most important donors we have - their long-term and ongoing investment makes our long-term organizing possible. 

Our Blue Washington program was specifically designed to recognize and reward our recurring donors! Blue Washington members get special news, access to member-only programming, and receive cool merchandise. To learn more about the perks and how to sign up, click here!

For a limited time, those who join with a minimum monthly donation of $10, through Election Day, will receive this limited edition baseball cap with a message that all Democrats know to be true: 

Sign up today (has to be before the end of the day on Election Day!) to receive your hat AND additional perks, all while supporting a truly grassroots movement! 

Please invest today so we can continue to pass policy that leads Washington to a more progressive future! Help us earn victories at every level of government by becoming a Blue Washington donor today.

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski

Hello Democrats! It’s an exciting time to be in politics, with ballots out now and folks voting every day! Turnout is on track to be ahead of 2017 or 2019 in many counties, so clearly there’s a lot of enthusiasm out there for these important local elections. Everyone - make a plan to get your ballot in ASAP if you haven’t already, and if you have, remind your friends, family, and neighbors to do so! It’s critical that we have every Democrats’ voice heard this year. Below you’ll find graphics to share to help get out that vote!

Vaccine Mandates Are Keeping Us Safe - This week, Gov. Inslee’s vaccine mandate for state employees went into effect, and it has been a huge success. Nearly every state employee has now gotten vaccinated or had a safe accommodation approved - a massive increase over the past couple months. We have a Washington state workforce now that’s a lot safer than it was this past summer, both for themselves and for the people who rely on and interact with state employees. 

It’s important to know that these vaccine mandates and measures like restaurants and bars asking for proof of vaccination are making a real difference in our COVID recovery. COVID cases in WA have dropped by 50% since early September, according to the Department of Health:

The report found that COVID-19 prevalence — the percent of residents with an active virus infection — has been declining significantly since early September. Last month, the state reported that virus prevalence was at a new high at 0.94%, or about 1 in every 106 people in the state. On Thursday, researchers reported prevalence around 0.41%, or 1 in every 244 Washingtonians.

he newest estimate reflects about a 50% drop in residents with an active COVID-19 infection since last month. 

We can’t let the Republicans and their allies in the conservative media distract us from the fact that WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WORKING! While we might have a long way to go before we beat COVID, we’re on the right track. Brandi Kruse’s podcast and now-former WSU football coach Nick Rolovich might be all fired up, but these public health measures are still the right thing to do for the health and safety of Washingtonians. 

And the public is on our side - poll after poll after poll all show broad public support for the measures being taken by the Biden and Inslee Administrations. I haven’t seen any poll results published yet of Washington or of the country that doesn’t have majority support for these public health measures. People want to be safe and healthy and they want their fellow Americans to do what it takes to make us so. 

We need to stand firm and continue these public health measures - they are working, they are making us safer, and the people are on our side. 

GOTV Tour Update - We’re halfway through our virtual GOTV tour, and I’ve been having a fantastic time hearing from many of ourRooted To Win candidates from across Washington state. I’m so proud of ALL of these folks for stepping up and taking the brave action to run for office this year. We all understand how important these 2021 local elections are to shaping the future of our communities and our party. Electing local progressive champions helps shape better policy and builds the bench for future Democratic candidates. We all have to do our part to help Democrats win across Washington state! That means all of us voting and making sure that our friends, family, and neighbors do so as well. 

We’ve got five more virtual GOTV tour stops left, starting with South Puget Sound tomorrow afternoon, and I hope you’ll join us.

The events will be broadcast on Facebook live, and the details and links to RSVP to the remaining events are:

South Puget Sound - Saturday, Oct 23, 1 PM -RSVP here

Whatcom County - Tuesday, Oct 26, 5:30 PM -RSVP here

SW Washington - Tuesday, Oct 26, 7:30 PM -RSVP here

Spokane - Thursday, Oct 28, 5:30 PM -RSVP here

South King County - Thursday, Oct 28, 7:30 PM -RSVP here

All the details are also up on our website here - this is a great, convenient link to share on social media or over email to get the word out!

Graphics to Share - We’ve got a bunch of graphics for the upcoming events and we encourage people and their local parties to share these for events in their area so more folks know about them. Help us spread the word and drive turnout!

Senate Republicans Vote to Filibuster the Freedom to Vote Act - This week, Senate Republicans struck another blow to American democracy. They channeled the spirit of Senator Strom Thurmond and harkened back to some of the Senate’s darkest days by filibustering a crucial voting rights bill.  

The right to vote is at the core of our democracy. It is the great equalizer. For many Americans,  this right is personal -- almost sacred. We know the stories of hooded mobs and literacy tests. We know our vote was fought for with the blood, sweat, tears, and lives of generations of activists. We know how far we’ve come and we never want to go back. But Republicans have made it abundantly clear that they are willing to prioritize political games and their own power over our fundamental rights. They’ve chosen to serve the Big Lie over the American people.

The right to vote is just that: a right. We should be working to make it easier, not more difficult, for every eligible American to participate in free and fair elections. And yet, Republican leaders across the country have engaged in a relentless, surgical campaign to restrict voting rights and make it harder for people, especially people of color, to make their voices heard. 

Republicans know they can’t win without cheating, and the anti-voter regulations put in place by Republican governors and legislatures nationwide are nothing more than a blatant attempt to silence voters in order to cling to power. 

Our democracy is at stake, and Senate Republicans didn’t even have the courage to allow debate on the issue. Their partisanship knows no bounds. They’ve chosen to be active participants in the undermining of our democracy. It is truly unconscionable.

The Democratic Party will never stop fighting to secure and protect the right to vote, and I’m proud that our Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell were part of the charge to get this bill moving in the Senate. We know, along with the majority of Americans, that a vote is an expression of hope — hope that change is possible, hope that our voices matter, hope that the elected officials we put our faith in will deliver for our communities. 

Communications Training Opportunity - I wanted to let everyone know about a great communications narrative coming up this Monday, October 25, at 5 PM. It’s run by the Connections Lab (who did amazing training work at our Rural Summit and our last State Committee Meeting) on how we can use the Race/Class Narrative to frame our political arguments. While the wealthy and powerful rely on race and class divisions to weaken democracy, separate communities can reclaim their power by joining together across race and class, and messages using this narrative and framing can be more effective than just talking about race or class alone.  

This event is FREE with an optional pay-what-you-will donation to support the work of Connections Lab. You will receive a Zoom link after registering. Register here for Zoom Link

Update on COVID-19 Vaccinations for Ages 5-11 - We expect the final FDA and CDC decisions on Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine authorization for kids ages 5 through 11 in the next couple of weeks. In anticipation, the Biden-Harris Administration is releasing its operational plan to ensure that vaccines for this age group are available, accessible, and convenient, should the FDA and CDC authorize the vaccine for this age group.

This plan will ensure that we have the supply, the sites, and the support needed to get our nation’s children vaccinated and protected against the virus: 

• The Biden Administration has secured ample vaccine supply for our nation’s children. As soon as the vaccine is authorized by the FDA, we will begin shipping millions of doses nationwide. States, Tribes, and territories are working to ensure that doses are distributed efficiently and equitably across their jurisdictions.

• Over the past month, the Biden Administration has been planning with governors, pediatricians, pharmacies, community health centers, and other vaccine providers. States, Tribes, and territories will continue to receive an unprecedented level of support, including full reimbursement from the federal government for vaccination operations and outreach programs.

• Parents will be able to get their kids vaccinated through providers and in settings that they and their kids know and trust. Vaccines for kids ages 5 through 11 will be available through a range of health care providers that parents rely on to meet their children’s needs, including pediatricians, family doctors, children’s hospitals, pharmacies, and community health centers.

• • More than 25,000 pediatricians and primary care providers have enrolled to administer vaccines, and we are working with states to enroll more.

  • Tens of thousands of local pharmacies across the country in the federal pharmacy program will offer vaccinations for kids ages 5 through 11.

  • Community health centers and rural health clinics across the country will provide vaccinations for kids. Hundreds of community health centers, which serve 3 million kids ages 5 through 11 nationwide in predominantly underserved communities, will be set to vaccinate kids.

  • Over 100 children’s hospitals and health systems across the country will partner with local community- and faith-based organizations to stand up vaccination sites – including ones that are open on nights and weekends so parents can vaccinate their kids at a time that works for them.

  • To make vaccinations even more convenient, the administration will work with state and local leaders to help bring vaccination clinics to hundreds of schools nationwide.

The start of this pediatric vaccination program will depend on the independent FDA and CDC processes and timelines. However, these planning efforts mean we are ready to begin vaccinations in a matter of days following a final CDC recommendation.

Our Voter Protection Hotline Is Live  - Just a reminder that with ballots out and drop boxes open, we’re working with our team of Grassroots Democrats to offer our voter protection services again to help ensure that Washingtonians have the support they need to cast their ballots and make their voices heard. We run one of the strongest and most effective voter protection programs in the country. We take extensive steps to ensure every voter’s right to vote is protected, that folks get the support they need to return their ballots, and their votes are counted. 

Our voter protection team assists hundreds of voters every year and makes a proven difference! We have volunteer attorneys staffing the hotline at (206) 309-VOTE from 9 AM to 8 PM daily, ready to answer any and all voter protection questions. If you happen to miss those hours, please leave a voicemail with a detailed explanation of the issue you're having, and one of our amazing volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible! We also maintain a database of Washington’s 400+ dropbox locations onwa-democrats.org/IWillVote and update this information daily to ensure every voter can easily cast their ballot!

This is an important resource for helping everyone access the ballot and we want all Democrats to know they can take advantage of this and share the information with their friends, family, and neighbors to ensure everyone can get their ballot in and their vote counted! Please share this information with everyone you can!

An Ask From Our Democratic Friends In Virginia - The important governor's race in Virginia is getting closer every day, with latest polls showing Gov. Terry McAuliffe within the margin of error to beat Trump-endorsed Glenn Youngkin.  We all worked so hard last year to defeat the Trump agenda and we can’t let this election turn back the tide in a crucial swing state. 200,000 voters have yet to mail back the vote-by-mail ballots they have in their hands, on their kitchen counters, and in their homes. The DNC is asking folks from other states (like us in here WA) to pitch in with phone banking help. You can sign up here to join if you're available to help make some phone calls to Virginia Democratic voters!

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski

Hello Democrats! What a big week of news it’s been, and I expect things will only get more exciting between now and November. 

We’re Suing to Stand Up For Voting Rights - I’ve made it clear that a commitment to defending voting rights and our democracy is my number one priority as your state party chair, and we had the chance to put that into action this week. After Republican activists filed lawsuits across the state demanding baseless Arizona-style “audits” of the 2020 election results, I knew we had to respond. I called up our attorneys and this week we filed motions to intervene in and dismiss these lawsuits in Clark, Franklin, King, Lincoln, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom counties. 

These lawsuits are little more than warmed-over versions of the meritless ‘fraud’ claims that the Trump campaign and its supporters have filed across the country since the 2020 election and continue to be uniformly rejected by every court to have considered them. It’s disappointing and frustrating that these allegations of voter fraud keep getting circulated by Republicans without evidence. They seem to think that their path to power is by discrediting our democracy and riling up a far-right base with conspiracy theories. They are using it all as an excuse to push voter suppression legislation and undermine confidence in the results of the 2022 and 2024 elections, well in advance of voting. Washington state voters deserve better than this and we expect that these lawsuits will be promptly thrown out by the courts.

You can read about our interventions on our state party website, or in the Seattle Times, the Everett Herald, or the Columbian newspapers. This work is very important and I’ll plan to keep you updated with developments. Legal work is expensive, however, and the fact of the matter is that this is putting a strain on many areas of our program. Any resources we spend doing this work are resources we can’t use to improve our GOTV infrastructure and get ready for successful elections in 2022. Please consider helping us with what will be tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/legalhelp 

Redistricting Testimony - This Tuesday was the public testimony hearing on the legislative maps proposed by Washington’s four Redistricting Commissioners. The meeting was five hours long and had more than one hundred testifiers; it’s great to see so many people active and engaged in this process. 

I was glad to see that in general, the testimony was strongly in favor of the Democratic maps. People across the state talked about the importance of centering their communities of interest - out of more than one hundred testifiers, I only heard one person use the GOP’s talking point that “competitiveness” and GOP-friendly political outcomes should be prioritized over keeping communities together and drawing maps that make sense for real communities. This is a major point in favor of the Democratic approach, especially when so many people supported our maps, specifically. Whether it was having a majority-Hispanic district in the Yakima Valley (Dem maps do, GOP maps don’t), keeping Bainbridge Island with Kitsap County (Dem maps do, GOP maps don’t), keeping Mount Vernon unified in one LD (Dem maps do, GOP maps don’t), or on many other issues, people denounced the GOP gerrymanders and supported the Democratic maps. 

Tomorrow morning at 10 AM, the Commission will be taking testimony again, this time on the Congressional maps. You can tune in and watch on TVW through www.redistricting.wa.gov 

Tuesday night went well, but we need to keep submitting written testimony. When submitting written testimony atwww.redistricting.wa.gov, we strongly encourage you to customize it to your local area and your specific concerns, but make sure to include a couple key points that matter everywhere:

• The Commission’s job should be to focus on maintaining communities of interest and keeping cities and counties together, not on electoral outcomes. 

• The Republican maps propose huge and irresponsible gerrymanders. 

• We support the Democratic proposals that will help make sure community voices are fairly heard. 

These are the key messages we need to get across! With just a few weeks until the November 15th deadline, it’s critical that we get in our written testimony sooner rather than later.

We’re putting together a folder of resources for local parties and activists to share about getting involved with redistricting -you can access it here. In the folder is a recording of the live testimony training that our Redistricting Committee put together, along with some graphics that the state party staff designed and is ready to share on social media. We’ll continue adding content to this folder for you to access and help support your advocacy efforts. 

Kathy Lambert’s Racist Ads - A lot of folks in King County might have heard about the racist ads sent out by GOP King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert this week. Lambert’s mailer portrays Democratic challenger Sarah Perry as a marionette and calls her a “socialist puppet.” Holding the puppet strings are King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay (the only Black member of the County Council) who’s joined by Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Sen. Bernie Sanders. The image is offensive and I won’t copy it here, but it’s in the Seattle Times story if you care to see it firsthand. 

The ads - and Lambert’s doubling down in support of them when questioned - were so offensive that even the conservative Seattle Times editorial board flipped their support to drop Lambert and endorse Sarah Perry! 

I joined our King County Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad in penning an open letter thanking Zahilay and the Democrats on the King County Council for standing up against these terrible ads, and Sarah Perry for her courage to take this race on and run hard. While we also thank the Times editorial board for taking the strong and unusual stance of flipping their endorsement, there are many other supporters of Lambert that should be called upon to do the same. 

Lambert got just 40% of the vote in the August primary, with Sarah Perry and another Democrat combining for just under 60% of the vote, so Lambert is seriously vulnerable and these desperate ads show how weak her position is. King County Council District 3 voters need to step up and get her out of office, and we encourage folks to go to www.electsarahperry.org to support and get involved in Sarah’s campaign. 

We also need to recognize that this problem is about more than just one candidate and one campaign. The Republicans use racist (and sexist, and xenophobic, and antisemitic) imagery all the time, in elections across this state and across the country. We have to make sure that our party and voters are holding them accountable when they do by fighting back as hard as we can. We should be prepared to see more ugly ads and bad behavior from the other side as ballots go out next week, and even worse next year in the 2022 midterms. We can’t tolerate this kind of racism in campaigning, and we stop it by fighting back and winning. That takes a whole lot of hard work from all of us and I’m glad you’re on our side. 

Voter Protection Hotline Update - With the general election approaching, we’re starting our voter protection program again to help ensure that Washingtonians have the support they need to cast their ballots and their voices are heard. We run one of the strongest and most effective voter protection programs in the country. We take extensive steps to make sure every voter’s right to vote is protected, that folks get the support they need to return their ballots, and their votes are counted. 

Our voter protection team assists hundreds of voters every year and makes a proven difference! We have volunteer attorneys staffing the hotline at (206) 309-VOTE from 9 AM to 8 PM daily, ready to answer any and all voter protection questions. If you happen to miss those hours, please leave a voicemail with a detailed explanation of the issue you're having, and one of our amazing volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible! We also maintain a database of Washington’s 400+ dropbox locations on IWillVote.com and update this information daily to ensure every voter can easily cast their ballot!

This is an important resource for helping everyone access the ballot and we want all Democrats to know they can take advantage of this and share the information with their friends, family, and neighbors to ensure everyone can get their ballot in and their vote counted!

Blue Washington! - I want to make sure everyone is familiar with our state party recurring donor program, Blue Washington. Organizing and party building is long-term work that takes sustained effort, and that means we need long-term and sustained funding to make it happen. While we deeply appreciate every contribution we get, having recurring donors means we can count on them as a sustained funding stream to support these longer-term organizing projects that look past just the next month or the next year.

By becoming a recurring donor, you will be investing in a blue future all while receiving exciting perks that’ll keep you engaged with our movement! This program specifically helps fund the resources that organizers need to keep fighting for our progressive values in communities across the state. To learn more about the perks and sign up, click here! 

Additionally, those who sign up with a minimum donation of $10 through Election Day will receive this limited edition baseball cap with a message that all Democrats know to be true:

Sign up today to receive your hat AND additional perks, all while supporting a truly grassroots movement!

Legislative Retirements - We’ve had big news from the Democrats in two of our senate seats recently - our wonderful Sen. Jeannie Darneille of the 27th LD, who announced that she’ll be stepping down next month to take a new job leading the new Women’s Division at the Department of Corrections, and Sen. David Frockt of the 46th LD, who announced that he won’t be running for re-election next year. 

Sen. Darneille has been a champion for folks in need for a long time. I first got to know her back when she was Executive Director of the Pierce County AIDS Foundation in the 1990s. In the legislature, she has a well-earned reputation as a determined fighter for social justice issues. As chair of the Senate Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation Committee, she has sponsored and/or facilitated the passage of landmark bills to expand our social safety net, improve the child welfare system, reform the juvenile justice and criminal legal systems, reduce racial disproportionality in those systems, and expand services and opportunities for people who are returning to their communities after experiencing incarceration. We know she’ll bring this same commitment to helping folks in her work at her new job to reform and improve our criminal justice system.

Sen. Frockt has been one of the longest-running advocates for tax reform in the legislature. He was one of the key players in the legal and political strategy to get Eyman’s 2/3rds initiatives ruled unconstitutional and was one of the major advocates for making our tax system fairer with a capital gains tax on the profits of the sale of investments. He’s taken on many other issues as well, though, from getting us on the path to public universal health care, reforming our education funding models, expanding access to higher education, and stopping tuition increases at our colleges and universities. All Washingtonians owe both senators an enthusiastic thanks for their committed service.

The 27th LD Democrats will be holding their meeting to nominate appointees to replace Sen. Darneille on Saturday, October 16th. In advance of that meeting, the 27th LD Democrats will host an open virtual forum for prospective candidates for the Senate appointment tomorrow, on Saturday, October 9th at 10 AM. Candidates will be allowed 5 minutes to introduce themselves and discuss their platform and vision. There will be up to 3 questions from voting 27th LD PCOs and the event will be recorded, open to the public, and made available on social media. If you’re interested, you can register for their event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkcu-hpj0oE9XMgHGUhhTNHRhON5ExIZpH

Thanks for reading as always!

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski

The Washington State Democratic Party yesterday filed motions to intervene in and to dismiss lawsuits filed by Republican activists demanding unlawful Arizona-style “audits” of the 2020 election results in counties across the state

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 7, 2021

The Washington State Democratic Party yesterday filed motions to intervene in and dismiss lawsuits filed by Republican activists demanding baseless Arizona-style “audits” of the 2020 election results in counties across the state.

The lawsuits were filed in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Whatcom, Lincoln, Franklin, and Clark counties, all by a group called the Washington Election Integrity Coalition United, nearly a year after the November 2020 elections. The plaintiffs assert, without explaining the factual basis for their claims, that the county auditors engaged in widespread “election fraud” and that 400,000 votes were added, 6,000 votes were flipped, and “thousands of voters were removed” in “one or more statewide races before, during, and/or after the election”.  They offer no evidence to support any of these allegations.

The Democratic Party’s motion to dismiss clearly lays out how these lawsuits are baseless, without evidence, and contrary to Washington law. The motion argues that no basis exists to challenge the long-certified results of the 2020 election.

“These lawsuits are little more than warmed-over versions of the meritless ‘fraud’ claims that the Trump campaign and its supporters filed across the country after the 2020 election and that were uniformly rejected by every court to have considered them. The Washington State Democratic Party is proud to stand up and fight back against these despicable attempts and false narratives to undermine our democracy,” said Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski. “It’s disappointing and frustrating that these allegations of voter fraud continue to be circulated by Republicans without evidence. They seem to think that their path to power is by discrediting our democracy and riling up a far-right base with conspiracy theories. They are using it all as an excuse to push voter suppression legislation and undermine confidence in the results of the 2022 and 2024 elections well in advance of voting. Washington state voters deserve better than this and we expect that these lawsuits will be promptly thrown out by the courts.”

These are not the only election lawsuits filed in Washington state. Republican gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp, now running for Congress, sued Secretary of State Kim Wyman in December 2020 claiming that there were “intolerable voting anomalies” and that the election was “at all times fraudulent.” Culp and his attorney Stephen Pidgeon withdrew that lawsuit in January 2021 after the Attorney General’s office warned Pidgeon that the state intended to file a motion to dismiss the case and to ask the judge to impose sanctions for making meritless claims in a court of law. Pidgeon is currently under investigation by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel at the Washington State Bar Association for unprofessional conduct relating to this lawsuit, based on a complaint filed by the Washington State Democratic Party earlier this year.

Besides the lawsuits, the Washington State Republican Party has formed an official “Election Integrity Committee” chaired by former GOP legislative candidate Bill Bruch. Republican legislators, led by Rep. Robert Sutherland of the 39th legislative district, Rep. Vicki Kraft of the 17the legislative district, and Rep. Brad Klippert of the 8th legislative district, have also supported these baseless claims of fraud and hosted an “Audit WA” event in August, at which Republican legislators and activists alleged election fraud without proof.

Outside of Washington, the Republican Party has worked tirelessly to undermine the results of the 2020 election across the country, from the attempted insurrection to overturn the electoral college results on January 6, 2021, to Donald Trump’s lawyers seeking a legal argument under which the Vice President could throw out the electoral college results, to the “audit” of the Maricopa County election results in Arizona, and more. These latest lawsuits in Washington appear to be part of a larger national strategy by the Republican Party to undermine public confidence in our electoral system.

“These attacks on our democracy should outrage every American, regardless of their political affiliation,” said Podlodowski.

###

For reference, the lawsuits in question are:

Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Kimsey, No. 21-2-01775-06 (Sept. 16, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Wise, No. 21-2-12603-7-KNT (Sept. 22, 2021), DKT 1;  Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Anderson, No. 21-2-07551-9 (Sept. 21, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Fell, No. 21-2-04302-31 (Sept. 16, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Bradrick, No. 21-2-00949-37 (Sept. 10, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Hall, No. 21-2-01641-34 (Sept. 21, 2021), DKT 1, Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Beaton, No. 21-2-50572-11 (Oct. 5, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Schumacher, No. 21-2-00042-22 (Oct. 4, 2021), DKT 1.

The motion filed by the state party can be read here.

Hi all,

There’s lots of good stuff here. Please share as appropriate. Please encourage as many people as you know to send in comments – we need to make sure our views are heard!! Remember our Redistricting Info Meeting is this coming Wed, Oct 6, Zoom, 7 pm. Hope to see you all there!

Val

From: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org> 
Sent: Friday, October 1, 2021 3:00 PM
To: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>
Subject: Friday News & Action with Tina Podlodowski

Hello fellow Democrats! Another big week of news on the redistricting front, as Congressional maps came out on Tuesday and testimony meetings start next week! 

If you do only ONE thing for democracy over the next five days, we simply MUST have you submit testimony to the Redistricting Commission!

Congressional Map Proposals Out - Congressional district map proposals were presented this week from the four members of the bipartisan Redistricting Commission. You can see the four Congressional maps from the two Democratic and two Republican commissioners here, along with the legislative map proposals from last week here. 

The Seattle Times framed the contrast between the Democratic and Republican maps quite accurately: 

As they did with legislative maps proposed last week, the Republican commissioners, Joe Fain and Paul Graves, are aggressively pushing for more favorable competitive boundaries for the GOP, which now holds three of the state’s 10 House seats.

The Democratic commissioners, April Sims and Brady Piñero Walkinshaw, proposed maps that would more likely maintain the status quo partisan split, and said they’re hewing to legal requirements including fair representation and uniting communities of interest.

This is what it comes down to - Republicans are proposing maps that help their party win. Democrats are proposing maps that follow the law, have fair representation, and make sense for real communities. Do the people of Washington want GOP gerrymanders or do they want maps that represent the voices of voters? That’s what this process will come down to, but expect the Republicans to hold on, kicking and screaming. 

Don’t just take my word for it - the nonpartisan and independent Campaign Legal Center examined all eight proposed redistricting maps under four distinct measures of partisan gerrymandering: the efficiency gap, partisan bias, the mean-median difference, and declination. The four Republican maps scored a perfect 16-0 in favoring Republicans, while the four Democratic maps were split evenly 8-8. The CLC report includes clear descriptions of the bias measures and the reasoning behind their calculations. This is independent and mathematical proof of the GOP’s bias. 

When you look at it, GOP Commissioner Fain’s map is just silly, and has no basis in reality (or law). Exactly, why does his map split the city of Shoreline between the 7th and the 1st Congressional districts? Why does he have that “peninsula” of the 10th CD reaching up into King County? Is it because that's where rumored GOP candidate David Vander Pol lives? You know - the same David Vander Pol who is president of the company that employs GOP commissioner Paul Graves for his day job? Also, Fain’s proposal splits Whidbey Island and almost every county in Western Washington -- why? Any guesses?

Meanwhile, GOP Commissioner Graves talks about “majority minority” districts in an effort to support his Congressional gerrymandering. Well, he surely didn't show the same “care” with his legislative maps, where he broke the Washington State Voting Rights Act in failing to draw a majority Latinx district in the Yakima Valley.  It’s clear that Graves leaves the districts of his Republican friends alone - on average, the three current GOP Congressional districts retain 96% of their voters in the Graves maps. In contrast, the Democratic districts are torn apart for political gain; these seven districts would keep an average of only 63.7% of their Democratic voters under his proposal.

We get that Republicans want to draw maps that help them win elections, but it shouldn't be done by disenfranchising communities of interest or by breaking the laws governing this process that were passed by the state legislature. You just can't draw lines down the middle of every county you don't like because it suits your desire to make GOP districts. It’s disappointing, but it comes as no surprise that the GOP Commissioners are pursuing this marginalizing and harmful agenda.

At the same time, we Democrats need to work hard to make sure our voices are heard in this process. The deadline for the Commission to finalize the next decade’s maps is November 15th - not far away - and I’m told that they’ll begin negotiations in earnest on Monday. That means that NOW is the time to get crucial testimony submitted. 

Redistricting Testimony Needs To Happen Now - Since the Commission has to finalize their maps by November 15th, it’s important that us Democrats speak up and are heard as early as possible to maximize our impact. We don’t have a lot of time to get our input submitted! 

Live meetings to submit testimony are next Tuesday and Saturday, but submitting written testimony is just as important. 

When submitting written testimony at www.redistricting.wa.gov, we encourage you to customize it to your local area and your specific concerns, but make sure to include a couple key points that matter everywhere:

• The Commission’s job should be to focus on maintaining communities of interest and keeping cities and counties together, not on electoral outcomes. 
• The Republican maps propose huge and irresponsible gerrymanders. 
• We support the Democratic proposals that will help make sure community voices are fairly heard. 

These are the key messages we need to get across! Please don’t delay!

Redistricting Resources - We’re putting together a folder of resources for local parties and activists to share about getting involved with redistricting - you can access it here. In the folder is a recording of the live testimony training that our Redistricting Committee put together, along with some graphics that the state party staff designed and ready to share on social media. We’ll continue adding content to this folder for you to access and help support your advocacy efforts. 

GOP and “Biblical Citizenship” - I just wanted to share with you what my GOP counterpart, state party Chair Caleb Heimlich, is up to these days. 

He’s doing an event on “Biblical Citizenship In Washington State” with the hateful former state Senator Mark Miloscia, who argues that the Democratic Party is literally in league with Satan and that another civil war is imminent. The Biblical Citizenship Movement is truly frightening - advocating for a theocracy that would overthrow our American democracy, and rooted in misogyny, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia.

The teachings of Christ preach that we should love each other, take care of the poor and the hungry, and embrace peace instead of war. Miloscia and his ilk have perverted Christianity to a gospel of hate and exclusion. I think it’s shameful that Caleb Heimlich is espousing the same and participating in this training and outreach. This is wildly out of touch with the voters of Washington state and I won’t stop reminding folks about all of this taking place, right in our backyards.

This is EXACTLY what you get when someone signs up as a member of the WA GOP.

And by the way, there is still a pandemic going on! I hope that everyone at this indoor event is vaccinated, but I’m not holding out much hope that they’ll be requiring proof of vaccination,  wearing masks, or implementing any measures to keep people safe. Irresponsibility is clearly what we should expect from Republicans at this point. 

GOP Votes To Cut Off Help For Afghan Refugees - Remember how concerned some Republicans were about helping Afghan refugees just a few months ago when the Biden Administration was ending the war in Afghanistan? Didn’t take long for Republicans in the U.S. Senate to show their true colors, in this Washington Post story:

The evenly divided Senate narrowly turned back a Republican amendment Thursday that sought to curtail assistance to Afghan refugees who were rapidly evacuated to the United States and that would have made it more difficult for them to obtain Real IDs.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) sought to attach the amendment to legislation to fund the government into early December, which is expected to pass later Thursday with bipartisan support. Cotton’s amendment received 50 votes, one short of the number needed to succeed. The tally broke along partisan lines.

In addition to providing stopgap funding to keep the government open, the spending measure includes emergency funding for the resettlement of Afghan refugees who fled amid the takeover of the country by the Taliban and U.S. military exit.

Cotton’s amendment sought to cut off housing, food and medical aid, among other assistance, as of March 31, 2023, for Afghans who were granted parole to quickly enter the United States.

It’s disappointing that a small number of Republicans showed care and humanity towards people in need for once, then their party turned around to attack them for doing so immediately after. The cynicism and brutality of their party can be shocking. 

If you want to help Afghan refugees, I encourage you to support our local Refugee Women’s Alliance. Their website has more information about how to help. 

Ending on Something Fun - our hard-working state party staff might never forgive me if I didn’t share a link to the Katmai National Park’s “Fat Bear Week” competition, where people vote on pictures of big grizzly bears and declare which are the fattest. It’s a very silly thing, but bears having enough weight amassed to survive a winter of hibernation is a matter of survival (especially for mother bears supporting cubs) so this is serious business for them. Tracking the competition is a fun way to have a laugh for a few minutes - there’s voting on the bears every day through Tuesday October 5th, and you know I can never resist encouraging people to vote. 

Thanks as always for reading and have a great weekend!

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Chairs and Vice Chairs" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cvc+unsubscribe@wa-democrats.org.

Hello fellow Democrats! We’re busy getting ready for tomorrow’s big state committee meeting so I wanted to forward around the email I sent on Tuesday with the major news of the week - redistricting legislative maps and the fraud lawsuits being filed by Republicans against some of our county auditors, Arizona-style. Catch up below if you missed Tuesday’s email!

Next Tuesday, Commissioners will release their Congressional district map proposals, but I expect the Republicans will have gerrymandered theirs just the same as they did their legislative maps - we just need to wait and see. 

It’s absolutely critical that you engage with the redistricting process - it sets the “playing field” for all elections in our state for a decade.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone to tune into our state committee meeting tomorrow, starting at 9 AM! During my Chair’s Report early in the agenda, I will go into detail about how partisan and unconstitutional the Republican maps are... they do not follow the statutes and consequently they should NOT be considered in this process. State committee members will have votes to take and actions to consider, but PCOs and other folks in the party can watch along on our Youtube live stream here. 

Make sure you check out the info below about redistricting and getting involved in the advocacy process and about our party’s redistricting committee over the next crucial weeks.I’ll work to keep folks in the loop about developments with these lawsuits and the next steps we’re taking with legal counsel to help defend Washington from these conspiracy attacks. As always, thanks for reading!

With gratitude,Tina Podlodowski

FW: Big news day - maps and lawsuits!

Hello fellow Democrats! It’s been a huge news week here in Washington and I wanted to reach out to you with an update on the action. 

Legislative Redistricting Maps!

This week, the state’s bipartisan Redistricting Commission released their legislative district map proposals for each of the four caucuses - House and Senate Democrats and Republicans. You can see the four maps here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps 

These maps will define state politics for the next 10 years and have a major part to play in who controls power in the legislature, so they are hugely important. We’ll need to run an incredibly strong voter contact program next year to make sure we’re connecting with voters who are in a new district for the first time in a decade. We’ll need to communicate with them about their new district and new elected officials to make sure we can protect our Democrats and beat the Republicans. And for our local LD parties, we’ll have to reorganize all of our local parties to match the new boundaries (LDs only - counties stay the same of course) - it’s going to be a big deal and a lot of change. 

It’s clear from looking at the maps that the Republicans are pulling out all the stops to make this process as gerrymandered as possible. Both the House and Senate Republicans have drawn maps that put their political desire to elect as many Republicans as possible first. (what did you expect?)

They have ignored their legal obligations under the RCW to respect cities and counties, keep districts contiguous, and listen to public comment and testimony. It’s shameful what they’ve done and Washingtonians demand better. 

The process of negotiating these districts goes until November 15th, when they’re finalized. Next week, the commissioners will release their proposed congressional district maps, and in early October they’ll take public testimony on their proposals. Our state party Redistricting Committee will be working hard to equip folks with the skills and information they need to offer good, effective testimony and push the commission to draw the best districts possible! 

The committee held a training on the redistricting process and advocacy last Friday - you can watch that here. This is very important information for anyone who wants to give testimony on their districts. Testimony has to be short - under 90 seconds - so you have to be crisp, concise, and address your key issues quickly. If the commission can’t come to agreement and the Supreme Court has to draw these maps, then public testimony could be hugely important. It’s also important to be submitting written testimony in parallel with your verbal testimony, and this training provides some great examples of how to keep those written letters concise and impactful.

The schedule for future Redistricting Commission action is: 

• Tuesday, September 28 – Commissioners will each release their proposed congressional district map.

• Tuesday, October 5(7 p.m.) –Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on state legislative map proposals.

• Saturday, October 9(10 a.m.) -Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on congressional map proposals.

• Friday, October 22 – Deadline to ensure full consideration of third-party map submissions by the Commission.

• Monday, November 15 (11:59 p.m.) – Deadline for Commission to submit final maps to the Legislature.

Your LPO has representatives to the State Party Redistricting Committee - remember to connect with them FIRST. Additionally, please sign up to volunteer to provide testimony HERE and a member of the Redistricting Committee will reach out to you.

GOP’s New Voter Fraud Lawsuits In WA

We’ve all seen how Republicans across the country have spread the “Big Lie” that Trump supposedly won the 2020 election and it all got covered up by voter fraud. We’ve seen the people in states like Arizona who conduct “investigations” of this conspiracy and how they’ve always come up with nothing. Well guess what the GOP is pushing here in Washington now? 

In just the past few days, Republicans in Snohomish, Clark, and Whatcom Counties have filed lawsuits calling for Arizona-style “audits” to hunt for nonexistent voter fraud. 

Let’s remember the facts - election results in Washington state get audited and recounted every year. We had a hand recount in an incredibly close legislative election in King County last year, and the count showed that the recount barely changed from the initial results. Our elections are not filled with fraud, and the Republicans who claim that they are, well, are openly lying to us all. 

These Republicans never have proof and never find any actual fraud. Why are they doing it? Because they know that it gets their base riled up, it brings in the fundraising dollars, and it gives them momentum to pass the voter suppression legislation that they need to actually compete in elections. 

I don’t intend to let them get away with it here in Washington. After learning of these lawsuits, my first call was to our state party’s lawyers, asking how we can help stop these bogus efforts. Legal fees are very expensive but our party is not going to stand by while Republicans assault the very bedrock of our democracy, not while I’m chair. If you can make a donation to help cover the costs of our legal fund, I’d appreciate it. I’ll talk more about this at the state committee meeting this weekend, but I wanted to flag this for folks now. We can’t stand by while this happens. 

Tax Town Hall Reminder

Just a quick reminder - this week was the first of the Washington state legislature’s tax system town halls, for the East region - LDs 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 16.

Over the past two years, the Tax Structure Work Group, co-chaired by Rep. Noel Frame (LD 36), has conducted economic analyses and held initial listening sessions to find out how the Legislature can create a more equitable, transparent, and stable tax code for working families and small businesses. 

The Tax Structure Work Group is hosting seven virtual Tax Town Halls, one for each of seven regions in Washington. Each Town Hall will offer two identical sessions, one in the afternoon (2:30 - 4:00 p.m.) and one in the evening (6:30 - 8:00 p.m.).

These Tax Town Halls will be 90-minute, interactive listening and sharing sessions, so you’re invited to come prepared to share your thoughts with your neighbors, local businesses, elected officials, and extended community. All members of the public are welcome - you don't need to be an accountant or tax expert to participate! The sessions will be conducted remotely on Zoom – if you have any questions or accessibility concerns please contact info@taxworkgroup.org.

All residents and businesses of Washington state are welcome to join and provide feedback. Find your region and the date for your meeting and sign up today at taxworkgroup.org.

Lastly, this Saturday is our September state committee meeting! WSDCC members should be ready for a big day and other folks from around the state will have the opportunity to tune in to the proceedings over on Youtube. Thanks so much and keep up the good work!

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski

 From: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org> 

Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2021 4:45 PM

To: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>

Subject: Big news day - maps and lawsuits!

Hello fellow Democrats! It’s been a huge news day here in Washington and I wanted to reach out to you with an update on the action. Normally we do these emails every Friday, but there’s so much going on right now I just couldn’t wait!

Legislative Redistricting Maps!

Today, the state’s bipartisan Redistricting Commission released their legislative district map proposals for each of the four caucuses - House and Senate Democrats and Republicans. You can see the four maps here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps 

These maps will define state politics for the next 10 years and have a major part to play in who controls power in the legislature, so they are hugely important. We’ll need to run an incredibly strong voter contact program next year to make sure we’re connecting with voters who are in a new district for the first time in a decade. We’ll need to communicate with them about their new district and new elected officials to make sure we can protect our Democrats and beat the Republicans. And for our local LD parties, we’ll have to reorganize all of our local parties to match the new boundaries (LDs only - counties stay the same of course) - it’s going to be a big deal and a lot of change. 

It’s clear from looking at the maps that the Republicans are pulling out all the stops to make this process as gerrymandered as possible. Both the House and Senate Republicans have drawn maps that put their political desire to elect as many Republicans as possible first. (what did you expect?)

They have ignored their legal obligations under the RCW to respect cities and counties, keep districts contiguous, and listen to public comment and testimony. It’s shameful what they’ve done and Washingtonians demand better. 

The process of negotiating these districts goes until November 15th, when they’re finalized. Next week, the commissioners will release their proposed congressional district maps, and in early October they’ll take public testimony on their proposals. Our state party Redistricting Committee will be working hard to equip folks with the skills and information they need to offer good, effective testimony and push the commission to draw the best districts possible! 

The committee held a training on the redistricting process and advocacy last Friday - you can watch that here. This is very important information for anyone who wants to give testimony on their districts. Testimony has to be short - under 90 seconds - so you have to be crisp, concise, and address your key issues quickly. If the commission can’t come to agreement and the Supreme Court has to draw these maps, then public testimony could be hugely important. It’s also important to be submitting written testimony in parallel with your verbal testimony, and this training provides some great examples of how to keep those written letters concise and impactful.

The schedule for future Redistricting Commission action is: 

·  Tuesday, September 28 – Commissioners will each release their proposed congressional district map.

·  Tuesday, October 5 (7 p.m.) – Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on state legislative map proposals.

·  Saturday, October 9 (10 a.m.) - Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on congressional map proposals.

·  Friday, October 22 – Deadline to ensure full consideration of third-party map submissions by the Commission.

·  Monday, November 15 (11:59 p.m.) – Deadline for Commission to submit final maps to the Legislature.

Your LPO has representatives to the State Party Redistricting Committee - remember to connect with them FIRST. Additionally, please sign up to volunteer to provide testimony HERE and a member of the Redistricting Committee will reach out to you.

GOP’s New Voter Fraud Lawsuits In WA

We’ve all seen how Republicans across the country have spread the “Big Lie” that Trump supposedly won the 2020 election and it all got covered up by voter fraud. We’ve seen the people in states like Arizona who conduct “investigations” of this conspiracy and how they’ve always come up with nothing. Well guess what the GOP is pushing here in Washington now? 

In just the past few days, Republicans in Snohomish, Clark, and Whatcom Counties have filed lawsuits calling for Arizona-style “audits” to hunt for nonexistent voter fraud. 

Let’s remember the facts - election results in Washington state get audited and recounted every year. We had a hand recount in an incredibly close legislative election in King County last year, and the count showed that the recount barely changed from the initial results. Our elections are not filled with fraud, and the Republicans who claim that they are, well, are openly lying to us all. 

These Republicans never have proof and never find any actual fraud. Why are they doing it? Because they know that it gets their base riled up, it brings in the fundraising dollars, and it gives them momentum to pass the voter suppression legislation that they need to actually compete in elections. 

I don’t intend to let them get away with it here in Washington. After learning of these lawsuits, my first call was to our state party’s lawyers, asking how we can help stop these bogus efforts. Legal fees are very expensive but our party is not going to stand by while Republicans assault the very bedrock of our democracy, not while I’m chair. If you can make a donation to help cover the costs of our legal fund, I’d appreciate it. I’ll talk more about this at the state committee meeting this weekend, but I wanted to flag this for folks now. We can’t stand by while this happens. 

Tax Town Hall Reminder - Eastern WA Region This Evening

Just a quick reminder - afternoon and evening the first of the Washington state legislature’s tax system town halls, for the East region - LDs 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 16.

Over the past two years, the Tax Structure Work Group, co-chaired by Rep. Noel Frame (LD 36), has conducted economic analyses and held initial listening sessions to find out how the Legislature can create a more equitable, transparent, and stable tax code for working families and small businesses. 

The Tax Structure Work Group is hosting seven virtual Tax Town Halls, one for each of seven regions in Washington. Each Town Hall will offer two identical sessions, one in the afternoon (2:30 - 4:00 p.m.) and one in the evening (6:30 - 8:00 p.m.).

These Tax Town Halls will be 90-minute, interactive listening and sharing sessions, so you’re invited to come prepared to share your thoughts with your neighbors, local businesses, elected officials, and extended community. All members of the public are welcome - you don't need to be an accountant or tax expert to participate! The sessions will be conducted remotely on Zoom – if you have any questions or accessibility concerns please contact info@taxworkgroup.org.

All residents and businesses of Washington state are welcome to join and provide feedback. Find your region and the date for your meeting (again, east is tomorrow!) and sign up today at taxworkgroup.org.

Lastly, this Saturday is our September state committee meeting! WSDCC members should be ready for a big day and other folks from around the state will have the opportunity to tune in to the proceedings over on Youtube. Thanks so much and keep up the good work!

 

With gratitude, 

 

Tina Podlodowski

Hello fellow Democrats and I hope everyone had a wonderful week! It looks like we have one last weekend of sun before the fall weather returns - will you be out there lit dropping or door knocking? There are literally thousands of great candidates in our state to choose from, and if you can’t decide, check out our Rooted to Win candidates here: https://www.wa-democrats.org/rootedtowin/ Another cohort will be added to these 39 in just a week or so.

Big COVID Vaccine News -  

The Biden Administration is taking a strong step to help make sure all Americans who can get vaccinated are doing so by requiring all employers with 100+ employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or show weekly negative testing. By expanding these mandates, we can boost overall vaccination rates -- the most effective way to keep people safe and save countless lives. You can read more about this new measure, and the other steps being taken by the Biden Administration to end the pandemic here: 

• Vaccinating the Unvaccinated: President Biden announced vaccination requirements that cover an estimated 100 million Americans – two thirds of all workers – including all employees in the federal government and those at most health care settings

• Further Protecting the Vaccinated: President Biden announced there will be enough booster shots available to everyone for free as soon as they are authorized – with a national distribution system ready, providing easy access for all eligible Americans, and ensuring Americans know where to get a booster.

• Keeping Schools Safely Open: The President called on all governors to require vaccinations for all teachers and staff, will require vaccination for educators at federal Head Start Programs, and is helping increase regular testing at schools. And, any teacher or school official whose pay is withheld by a governor will have that pay restored by the federal government – 100%.

• Increasing Testing & Requiring Masking: The President’s plan will ensure that every American – no matter their income – can access free, convenient tests. The plan expands easy-to-use testing production through the Defense Production Act, makes tests more affordable, expands free pharmacy testing, and sends free rapid tests to food banks and community health centers. The plan also continues to require masking for interstate travel and on federal property.

• Protecting Our Economic recovery: The President announced several programs that will help ensure the U.S. economy continues to grow, including an expansion of the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program so small businesses can borrow up to $2 million to keep their businesses strong.

• Improving Care for Those with COVID-19: The Administration is strengthening its surge response, with nearly 1,000 personnel already deployed across 18 states and the Department of Defense doubling the number of their teams deployed to support hospitals. The Administration is also increasing the weekly pace of monoclonal antibody shipment.

Some will say this is controversial, and, to a few, it might be. But the fact is that these vaccine mandates are wildly popular. Take a look at the polling done this August in some key battleground states:

People want to be safe, people support vaccines, and people support these mandates, no matter how much of a fuss conservative politicians and die-hard Trumpers try to make of them. These mandates are the right thing to do for safety, and that’s why they’re popular with the American public. 

Meanwhile, next door in Idaho, hospitals are now filled with so many COVID cases that they may have to triage patients and ration or deny care for some. My heart breaks for the families there who must be terrified about what could happen if a loved one gets sick or even has a “normal” medical emergency, like a car accident or a heart attack. It’s important to recognize that this is what Washington State Republicans would be doing here in Washington if they had power - the GOP would be stopping mask usage and vaccine requirements just as Idaho did, and we’d be in as deep of a crisis as our neighbors to the east. Elections truly have consequences, and it’s a public health necessity that we keep people like Loren Culp, John Braun, and J.T. Wilcox out of power. 

A Whole Boatload of Talking Points, Info, and Resources - We often hear from folks about how they’re looking for more information and other resources about some of the major events of the day. Well, good news! We’ve got a whole boatload of stuff we’ve assembled for you on the work that the Biden Administration and Democrats are doing on the issues that are important to communities across the country. This is information that you can share, refer to, and get informed by, so you can do a better job of representing Democrats in your community and spreading the word about the great work being done by our party for the people of this state and this country. 

Haiti:

• USAID Continues to Deliver Critical Aid to Haitians

COVID:

• Plan to Combat COVID

• We Can Do This Campaign

Build Back Better:

• The Build Back Better Agenda

• BBB AANHPI Fact Sheet

• BBB Latinx Fact Sheet

• BBB African American Fact Sheet

• BBB Rural Communications Fact Sheet

• State Fact Sheets: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

• The American Families Plan Taxes Billionaires and Protects Family Farms and Businesses

Child Tax Credit:

• ChildTaxCredit.gov – a one-stop-shop for information about the CTC, including information about how non-filers can sign up for payments.

• GetCTC.org – Simplified Tax Filing to Claim Your Child Tax Credit. The Code for America CTC Non-filer Sign-up Tool (website – English and Spanish). This is where people sign up to for the Child Tax Credit.

• The Code for America CTC Non-filer Sign-up Tool Help Guide (PDF - English). This guide is meant for navigators and assisters. It outlines what's going on at each step, so that they know how to respond to common questions and can understand what will happen if people go down a rare corner of the flow. Navigators can also access a navigator resource website (in English and Spanish).

• The Code for America GetCTC demo (Video – English). This video is a quick tour of how to use GetCTC, the simplified tax filing portal.

• READOUT: Treasury, White House, and Code for America Host Call to Discuss Collaboration and Launch of New Bilingual and Mobile-Friendly Sign-Up Tool for Advance Child Tax Credit

Hurricane Ida:

• Federal Response Ramps up as Ida Departs

• Fact Sheet: How the Biden Administration is Supporting Hurricane Ida Response Efforts in the Gulf Coast

• Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Strategic Petroleum Reserve Exchange to Address Impact of Hurricane Ida

Housing:

• Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Immediate Steps to Increase Affordable Housing Supply

Immigration:

• Operation Allies Welcome Website | Homeland Security (dhs.gov)

• Operation Allies Welcome Fact Sheet

Jobs Report:

• Jobs Day Talking Points

Reproductive Rights: 

• Statement by President Joe Biden on Supreme Court Ruling on Texas Law SB8

• Statement by Vice President Harris on Texas Law SB8

Voting Rights:

• Statement from the Vice President on New Texas Voting Restrictions

Campañas con Calidad (3C) Spanish Language Training Program - The Washington State Democratic Party, together with the DNC and ASDC Best Practices Institute, are excited to announce the launch of our Campañas con Calidad (3C) Spanish Language Training Program! 

Campañas con Calidad is a free, six-part, on-demand training course that covers a variety of campaign skills needed to run successful campaigns. 3C trainings are conducted entirely in Spanish, and are targeted towards Spanish speaking individuals who are looking to organize and win campaigns in Latinx communities. These trainings are available for on-demand viewing in the BPI Victory Vault to commemorate the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month here in September!

Training topics include framing and relational organizing, field organizing, digital mobilization, technology, communications, and fundraising. Register for the BPI Victory Vault today to gain access to this exciting training program!

¡El Partido Demócrata de Washington, junto con el DNC y el ASDC Best Practices Institute, se complace en anunciar el lanzamiento de nuestro programa de capacitación en español Campañas con Calidad (3C)!

Campañas con Calidad es una programa de capacitación en línea, gratis, de seis partes, que cubre una variedad de habilidades de campaña necesarias para construir campañas exitosas. 

Los entrenamientos de 3C se llevan a cabo íntegramente en español y están dirigidos a personas de habla hispana para ganar campañas en comunidades latinx. Estas capacitaciones estarán disponibles para su visualización a pedido en el BPI Victory Vault para conmemorar el inicio del Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana.

Los temas de capacitación incluyen organización relacional, organización de campo, digital, tecnología, comunicaciones y recaudación de fondos. Regístrese hoy en BPI Victory Vault para obtener acceso a este programa de capacitación.

The Facts on Police Accountability Bills - You may have seen some misinformation about the police accountability legislation passed this year by the state legislature and what it does. Politically-motivated Republicans are trying to spread bogus information about these bills, claiming that they’ll make us less safe in attempts to heighten the issue and win midterm elections next year. The fact is, these are good bills that will make us safer, reduce instances of bias and unnecessary police violence, and that the public strongly supports. 

Truth In Washington is an informational campaign to get the word out about the facts of these bills - check out their website here, and please share as broadly as you can. They have some great graphic content on the site that can be used on social media, and have links to polling that you can download and read yourself. 

Thanks for reading, mask up, vaxx up, and stay safe! 

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski