Demo Memo: May Edition
The “Where Trump leads, Glenn follows” tour kicks off, A note from the Voter Protection Director, VADEMS holds trainings, & the staff takes a trip through Southwest Virginia.
Our Communications Team kicked off their “Where Trump Leads, Glenn Follows” tour
A note from Ja’Scotta Jefferson, VADEMS Voter Protection Director
Virginia voters now have multiple voting options: absentee in-person voting for 45 days, otherwise known as early voting, in-person voting on Election Day, or vote by mail. At DPVA we take a year-round approach to ensure that every eligible Virginian is able to cast their ballot. We strategically staff the polls with observers, operate the Virginia Voter Hotline to educate and answer voters’ questions, and lastly enforce election laws to benefit VA voters. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our Democratic majority and Voter Protection Team, access to the ballot has been expanded. Voting in Virginia is easy and convenient, and should be done early; now let’s cast those ballots!
The right to vote is the basic right without which all others are meaningless. It gives people, people as individuals, control over their own destinies.
— Lyndon B. Johnson
An update from our Training Director, Jara Butler
In March, DPVA launched an ambitious goal of building out a training program unique to the Commonwealth that would provide training for candidates, staff, party leaders, and activists. We wanted to create a program that would be expansive enough to meet needs while also intersecting with our core values of inclusivity and building long-term power at every corner of Virginia.
Since March, our training program has hosted 22 training sessions including:
- Inaugural Local Candidates Cohort in partnership with NDTC
- House of Delegates Candidates Weekend in partnership with the House Democratic Caucus
- Racial, Equity and Inclusion Training with the Coordinated and House Caucus Staff
- Created a survey for chairs to provide feedback on training
- Launched our Neighborhood Organizing Series
- Launched a weekly staff training series
In total, we have trained over 300 people touching every part of the Democratic ecosystem. We have established key partnerships in the training space to create dynamic training for Virginia Democrats and have worked in partnership with the House Democratic Caucus to support their needs this election cycle.
We know the progressive training space is crowded with something for everyone, however, we also know real investment begins and ends right here at the Democratic Party of Virginia. We believe building long-term, sustainable power means investing time and resources to create unique to Virginia learning experiences. And we are proud of what we have accomplished in a relatively short period of time.
We invite you to share and join our next series of trainings in June:
Rural-Urban Divide Training 6/12
Community Engagement 6/21
Safe Canvassing 6/24
Team DPVA went on a tour of Southwest Virginia
The DPVA held the second Democratic Debate for Governor live from the Bristol Hotel on May 6th
We took the opportunity to see some of our favorite Democrats in Southwest on the way!
