Friday's DWC breakfast meeting allowed us to get to know the 11 women who were recommended for DWC endorsement in this Spring's primary election.  Each candidate made a short statement and then the members in attendance voted on the endorsements. Those votes were combined with any electronic ballots received earlier.  We are very pleased to report that each candidate received the requisite 2/3 vote of the membership. So... your 2020 DWC endorsed candidates are...DRUM ROLL...

Shelli Yoder - State Senate District 40

Tiffany Grant - State Rep. District 60

Alyssa Bailey - State Rep. District 62

Paula Staley - State Rep. District 65

Julie Thomas - County Commissioner, District 2

Penny Githens - County Commissioner, District 3

Cheryl Munson - County Council At-Large

Jessica McClellan - County Treasurer

Valeri Haughton - Circuit Court Judge, Division 2, Seat 6

Kara Krothe - Circuit Court Judge, Division 8, Seat 5

Joani Shields - County Coroner

Congratulations to all our candidates!  Remember, DWC members--early voting starts on April 6--that's less than a month away! Volunteer for a campaign TODAY and help our endorsed women get elected!!!

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

DWC ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPDATES:

The Women’s History Month Lunch will be held on March 25, 2020 at the Monroe County Convention Center. This year’s national theme is Valiant Women of the Vote. Keynote speaker for the lunch is journalist Elaine Weiss and awardees are Women of the Year: Jessika Hane and Dr. Tashera Perry and Lifetime Contribution, Beth Lodge-Rigal. Emerging Leader,Shatoyia Moss, and Young Woman of the Year, Solveig Ksander Hicks, will also be recognized. (Those awards will be presented at at the Women’s Leadership Development Event at City Hall on March 28).
The DWC plans to reserve a table for the lunch. Tickets for reserved table seats are $35 per person. If you are interested in sitting with the DWC, please contact us asap at [email protected] and once we have enough people to make up a table we will contact you about paying for your seats. If there is enough interest we may reserve a second table as well.
Note: If you would like to sponsor the event contact Sue Owens. If you are a local woman owned business or non-profit who has questions or would like to reserve a display table at the event contact Barbara McKinney. You can also donate tickets to help provide seats for the event for women from MiddleWay House and other groups, you can do so online at the BCT Box Office - select the “Pay It Forward” option.

Are you creative, skilled at writing, a social media expert?? - THE DWC NEEDS YOU!! We trust you like our communications and rely on them to help keep you informed of political happenings and DWC operations. Those communications are not magically self-generating-they are an essential function of the DWC and we have a small crew of creative women who make it happen. We are looking for women to join that team and help create the Monday Morning News and our Social Media messages. It is not time consuming, and it is not difficult. Plus, for those of us who like to write and craft messages, it is actually fun! If anyone reading this newsletter has a few scant hours a month to help us out, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected]

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CANDIDATE NEWS AND EVENTS:

Volunteer for Cheryl Munson: Who knew that County Council would be such a hot race this year? Cheryl is running for re-election to an At-Large seat in a crowded primary. If you are willing to walk for Cheryl, meet potential voters and help her campaign, please send a message to [email protected]. A sign-up sheet will also be at Friday's breakfast meeting. More info about Cheryl's Council accomplishments and future goals WWW.CHERYLMUNSON.US

Volunteering for Shelli Yoder: If you are interested in volunteering to help get Shelli to the State House, please join our team by emailing Ashley Pirani at [email protected]. There are several ways for you to get involved. Some of those opportunities include canvassing, helping to write postcards, and hosting a meet and greet. They'd love to have you join them!

Note: The DWC’s mission is to recruit, fund and support pro-choice, progressive women candidates in Monroe County. For more information about candidates, candidate events and other political information that does not fall within this mission, check out, among others, the Monroe County Democratic Party Website, The Indiana Democratic Party Website and the Indiana Secretary of State's Election Division. If you don't currently get the Monroe County Democratic Party Dispatch, you can send a note to [email protected] to sign up.

CANDIDATE & OTHER POLITICAL TRAININGS:

Indiana Democratic Party

A Candidate Tool Box, Precinct Committee Person Handbook, VAN training and links to the Party’s Webinar Training Series can be found at https://www.indems.org/trainings-and-voter-file-access/

National Democratic Training Committee Webinars

The NDTC has and extensive list of webinars and courses in political management, messaging and communication, fundraising, and running for office. Check out their list of courses at https://traindemocrats.org/course-catalog/

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OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The final day to register to be able to vote in the May 5 Indiana Primary is April 6. Now is a great time to double check that your voter registration is up to date - check your status at indianavoters.com

Early Voting for the Indiana Primary in Monroe County starts on April 7 - all absentee in person voting will take place at Election Central, 401 W. 7th St., Bloomington on the following dates:
April 7 - April 9 8an - 6pm
April 13 - April 17 8am - 6pm
April 20 - April 24 8am - 6pm
April 25 9am - 4pm
April 27 - May 1 8am - 6pm
May 2 9am - 4pm
May 4 8am - Noon

The Monroe County Election Division is looking for democratic poll workers to work as Inspectors, Judges and Clerks.
To work the polls in Monroe County, you must:
• Be a registered voter of Monroe County.
• Attend training,  provided by the Election Board.
• Have access to transportation.
You will be paid for training, working at the polls and a $25 food allowance.
Interested: call  812-349-2690 or Email: [email protected]
More information can be found at: http://monroecountyvoters.us/pollworkerportal.html

Upcoming National Caucuses & Primaries:

March 10: North Dakota Democratic "firehouse caucus," Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington primaries
March 17: Arizona Democratic primary and Florida, Illinois, and Ohio primaries 
March 24: Georgia Democratic primary 
March 29: Puerto Rico Democratic primary
April 4: Alaska and Hawaii Democratic primaries, Louisiana primaries and Wyoming Democratic caucuses
April 7: Wisconsin primary
April 28: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island primaries
May 2: Guam Democratic caucuses and Kansas Democratic primary
May 5: Indiana primary
May 12: Nebraska and West Virginia primaries
May 19: Kentucky and Oregon primaries
June 2: Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota and Washington, D.C., primaries

The Indiana Democratic Convention is slated for Saturday, June 13 in Indianapolis
The National Democratic Convention is slated for July 13-16 in Milwaukee. 

The 11th Democratic presidential debate will take place in Phoenix on Sunday, March 15.
The debate will air from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, will be hosted by CNN and Univision, and it is being held in partnership with CHC Bold, the political action committee of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
The venue, format, moderators and qualification criteria will be announced at a later date, the DNC said.
The debate is taking place two days before voters head to the primary in Arizona, which is emerging as a battleground in 2020. Illinois and the competitive states of Ohio and Florida also hold their nominating contests on March 17.

The Indiana Democratic Party wants to hear from you! The IDP is seeking your input on their 2020 State Democratic Platform and has already held three hearings around the state to learn what issues are important to Democratic voters. There is one remaining Platform Hearing, on March 14 in Fort Wayne, and it is free and open to the public.
If you are unable to attend but would still like to participate, you can submit an online input form here. If you'd like to review the 2018 State Party Platform, click here. The open comment period will close on April 3, 2020 and a final draft of the Platform will be presented to delegates for approval at the 2020 State Convention on June 13th.

MONROE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
contact Taegan Bolden-Davis, Executive Director, Monroe County Democratic Party at [email protected]

BOARD AND COMMISSION OPENINGS: A great way to get involved and learn about how government works in Monroe County and Bloomington and to make a difference in your community:

CITY OF BLOOMINGTON B&Cs
The office of the City Clerk announces a vacant position on the Bloomington Commission on Sustainability. This position is available for city residents 18 years of age or older. The BCOS promotes economic development, environmental health, and social equity in the community for present and future generations. The commission gathers and disseminates information, promotes practical initiatives, and measures, monitors, and reports on the community’s progress towards sustainability.
For information on this position, or other commissions that have vacancies at this time, contact the office of the City Clerk or check https://bloomington.in.gov/boards to see the nature of the board or commission, recent minutes and actions, and how that particular vacancy is filled.

MONROE COUNTY GOVERNMENTAL B&Cs
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners invites you to apply to serve on a Board or Commission! There are immediate openings on a number of these bodies, including: Animal Management, Environmental Commission, and the Human Rights Commission. For information on each of them, see https://www.co.monroe.in.us/boards/. The application is available in a tab at the right side of the boards page. If you have any questions, please contact Julie Thomas ([email protected]). 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO OUR MEMBERSHIP:

Through December 31, 2020
VOTES FOR WOMEN: The Women’s Suffrage Movement in Monroe County
Monroe County History Center, 202 E. 6th St., Bloomington
Commemorating the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution granting women the right to vote with a year-long exhibition in the Deckard Education Room. Featuring Monroe County women involved in the struggle for suffrage in the context of the State and National suffrage movements based on the research of Hilary Fleck and supported by the May Wright Sewall Fellowship from Indiana Humanities. Sponsored by The Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial, the Monroe County Bicentennial, the City of  Bloomington, and Monroe County NOW

Friday, March 27, 2020, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
2020 FDR Gala
Switchyard Park Pavilion, 1601 S. Rogers St.
Please join MCDP for drinks, hors d'oeuvres, music, and fun with fellow Democrats! This event is free to attend, but all contributions are welcome: suggested donation $30.00. For information about sponsorships and contributions, please contact Kaisa Goodman at [email protected]. For questions about the event, please contact Gavin Everett at [email protected]
Sponsorship Levels:
Gold Sponsor/Event Host: $1000
Silver Sponsor: $500
Bronze Sponsor: $250

Saturday, March 28, 2020, 9:00am - 3:00pm
Indiana Federation Of Democratic Women 2020 Spring Meeting
First Friends of Richmond, 2010 Chester Blvd., Richmond, IN
Cost: $20,00 per attendee
Registration: 9:00am, Meeting: 10:00am to 3:00pm, Lunch is provided
More information at: https://www.facebook.com/events/182754393028546/
PLEASE RSVP /You can pre-register at ActBlue https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ifdw20spring#
Call 765-603-8213 with any questions or concerns

Saturday, March 28, 2020, 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Sip & See with the Next State Senator to Be
Patrick residence: 516 North Hamilton Court, Bloomington
An open house with Shelli Yoder, candidate for State Senate! The event will take place on Saturday, March 28th from 2-4PM at the home of Lisa and Josh Patrick (516 N. Hamilton Court). All ages are welcome, and snacks and drinks will be provided! Hosted by Nicole Browne & Olivia Reed. If you have any questions, please contact Olivia at oliviajreed@gmail.

ACTION ITEM(s):

1. If you, like many, are concerned about charter school transparency, contact your Representatives in Congress (addresses below) to co-sponsor this legislation:
Sign the petition at the link below!
 https://actionnetwork.org/letters/new-federal-charter-bill-ask-your-representative-to-cosponsor/

2. Get involved with the DWC - there are ways you can contribute beyond your membership support... Our most urgent need is for help with our Social Media: we are looking for women to help us maintain and keep our social media pages up to date and to contribute to writing and/or editing the Monday Morning News. A couple of our long time writers will be unavailable after this spring. This doesn’t necessarily require a major time commitment. If you’re interested please email us at [email protected]

3. Watch for your census form - fill it out - send it back!

4. Renew your membership in the DWC for 2020 (see below)

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

Todd Young:
https://www.young.senate.gov/contact/email-todd
(202) 224-5623

Mike Braun
https://www.braun.senate.gov/contact-mike
(202) 224-4814
(317) 822-8240

Trey Hollingsworth
https://hollingsworth.house.gov/contact/
(202) 225-5315 (U.S. House) or (812) 288-3999 (Jeffersonville Office)

BECOME A DWC MEMBER or RENEW your membership!
The DWC is dedicated to inspiring, recruiting, training, supporting and funding women to increase the number of progressive, pro-choice women in the political arena. We ALL help with this mission, together, collectively. Make sure you have full rights and privileges of membership.
Only $20 for one year’s membership.
Join online here: https://democraticwomenscaucus.nationbuilder.com/membership

Do you have news items? Send your items of interest to us at [email protected]
Deadline for MMN is noon on Sunday.

Paid for by DWPAC - Democratic Women's Political Action Committee
Democratic Women's Caucus
http://www.democraticwomenscaucus.org/