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Democracy Is A Participatory Sport – 02/22/2022 – Volume 66

Home/Newsletter/Democracy Is A Participatory Sport – 02/22/2022 – Volume 66
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Democracy Is A Participatory Sport – 02/22/2022 – Volume 66

What’s Inside

  • Alan Darnowsky Petition Signing Party
  • Important Election dates for May 3rd Primary
  • What’s New From Clermont To Columbus And Beyond
  • Word From The Chair
  • Democracy Is A Participatory Sport- Get Involved
  • Reading Room
  • COVID19 In Ohio
  • Join The Donkey Club
  • Clermont County Democratic Club Updates
  • Clermont County Democratic Club Directory

ALAN DARNOWSKY PETITION SIGNING PARTY

Alan Darnowsky is running for Congress in Ohio’s Second District. He needs signatures of Democrats and Independents to get on the Democratic primary ballot. He will be having a petition signing party this Saturday. Come by, say hello, and sign!

Saturday, February 26, 2022
Plane Street Coffeehouse and Cafe
125 W Plane Street
Bethel, OH 45106
1-3PM
Hope to see you there.

IMPORTANT ELECTION DATES AND DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES IN THE MAY 3RD PRIMARY

The Ohio primary is Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Be sure to check your registration here. The deadline to register for the May primary is April 4th. You may register online here.

IMPORTANT ELECTION DATES TO REMEMBER

Apr. 4     Deadline Registration for Voting in May Primary
Apr. 5     Absentee Voting Begins and ends May 2
Apr. 30   Deadline to request a ballot
May 2     Absentee Ballots must be Post Marked
May 3     Primary Election Day
May 13   Absentee ballots returned by U.S. Mail must be postmarked no later than May 2 and received by boards of elections by this date to be counted.

Statewide Democratic Candidates on the May 3rd Ohio primary ballot.
Tim Ryan, U.S. Senate
Morgan Harper, U.S. Senate
Jennifer Brunner, Chief Justice of Supreme Court
Marilyn Zaya, Justice of Supreme Court
Terri Jamison, Justice of Supreme Court
Nan Whaley, Governor
John Cranley, Governor
Jeffrey Crossman, Attorney General
Chelsea Clark, Secretary of State
Marion Mayor – Scott Schertzer, Treasurer
Taylor Sappington, Auditor of State

Be sure you’re registered and VOTE!

For Immediate ReleaseThursday, February 17, 2022

CONTACT: Cameron Keir, ckeir@ohiodems.org, 614-506-5413

Ohio Democratic Party Executive Committee Votes to Endorse Candidates in Senate, Supreme Court Races

Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) held a virtual meeting of its Executive Committee. Per ODP bylaws, the Committee is required to consider endorsements of statewide candidates before the primary election. The Executive Committee voted tonight to endorse Rep. Tim Ryan for Senate, Justice Jennifer Brunner for Chief Justice and Judges Marilyn Zayas and Terri Jamison for Supreme Court.

“Ohio Democrats are proud to endorse Rep. Tim Ryan, Justice Jennifer Brunner and Judges Marilyn Zayas and Terri Jamison, and we’re excited about the strong candidates we have running. We’re confident we have a strong, diverse ticket coming out of the primary elections that will show voters we’re on their side and lead us to victory in November,” said Chair Walters.

At the request of both candidates, ODP’s Executive Committee did not endorse in the race for governor.

“We respect Mayor Cranley’s and Mayor Whaley’s request for the party not to endorse in the governor’s race. We’re confident that our eventual nominee will provide Ohio voters a much better alternative to the failed leadership and corruption coming out of Mike DeWine’s statehouse,” said Walters.

The Executive Committee will meet again in March to consider endorsements in the other statewide races.

According to ODP bylaws, the Executive Committee shall be called for a meeting before the primary election and the Committee must carefully consider an endorsement in each race. Before tonight’s endorsement vote, the Party convened a screening committee made up of members of the Executive Committee that met with each candidate. The candidates also filled out questionnaires and were vetted thoroughly.

WHAT’S NEW FROM CLERMONT TO COLUMBUS AND BEYOND

CLICK ON THE HEADLINE TO ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

CUPS ARE NOW RECYCLABLE IN CLERMONT COUNTY

Disposable paper cups, most plastic cups, and aluminum cups are now accepted in all curbside bins and public recycling drop-off dumpsters in Clermont County, regardless of the hauler. Examples of the newly accepted material include paper and plastic beverage cups from fast-food restaurants (Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.), plastic souvenir cups, and aluminum cups such as those used at many stadiums and some dedicated outdoor refreshment areas (DORAS). READ MORE

CALLS FOR OHIO TO MAKE PLAN ON REMAINING RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS

Ohio still has billions of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on the table, and advocates are calling for a public planning process to ensure the needs of communities are met. $2.7 billion of the more than $5 billion allotted to the Buckeye State have already been assigned. READ MORE

OHIO SUPREME COURT TO REDISTRICTING COMMISSION: WHY SHOULDN’T WE HOLD YOU IN CONTEMPT?

Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor signed an entry in all three of the lawsuits against the ORC on legislative redistricting, asking Gov. Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Auditor Keith Faber, Senate President Matt Huffman, House Speaker (and commission co-chair) Bob Cupp, state Sen. (and commission co-chair) Vernon Sykes and House Minority Leader Allison Russo, to explain the “failure to comply with this court’s February 7, 2022 order,” and why they shouldn’t face anything from fines to jail time, the consequences for contempt of court. READ MORE

PRESIDENT’S DAY: FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO THE BALLOT BOX

As we celebrate Presidents’ Day 2022, we’re taking a look at four key inflection points for voting rights when the head of state either stepped up or failed to meet the moment, whether within their control or not. READ MORE

WHAT WILL RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF BREAKAWAY UKRAINE REGIONS MEAN?

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the French and German leaders on Monday that he planned to sign a decree recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. Here’s a look at the implications for the wider crisis, in which the United States says Russia may be poised to invade Ukraine with a force of up to 190,000 troops it has massed near its neighbour’s borders. READ MORE

WORD FROM THE CHAIR – RAYMOND LEMBKEIt is tempting to think of Clermont County as this anomalous Republican enclave where our Party has dropped the ball. That image is particularly tempting when we compare ourselves to Hamilton County next door, which is now a Democratic County. Unfortunately, Clermont County is in Ohio’s political mainstream by many measures. READ MORE

Katie Paris, Ohio resident and the founder of Red Wine and Blue — a national network of like-minded, mostly Democratic suburban women — believes the only way to fight back the increasingly vitriolic rhetoric from parents whose protests over mask mandates and diversity education have turned school board meeting rooms into battlegrounds, is to present a calm face to counter the angry groups that have dominated and disrupted board meetings and in some cases threatened officials. Her network of more than 300,000 women recently broadened its focus to fight the rising number of book bans across the country, launching a case trackeron Jan. 31, and is running training sessions to help women testify and manage highly charged government meetings. Democracy is a participatory sport. To find out how to get involved sign up for their newsletter here. Red, Wine & Blue was featured in the Washington Post here.

Campaign Staff Academy

Applications for our next cohort of the LEAD Ohio Campaign Staff Academy are open!

Democracy is a participatory sport. Campaigns require more than strong, well trained candidates to win elections. Campaign managers and staff play an important role to ensure campaigns are organized and effective, and we need more of them in Ohio. This training program is specifically tailored for current and future campaign managers and campaign staff. Whether you are working on a school board race or have your sights set on managing a candidate for Congress, the skills we teach and the network you’ll build in this Academy will be extremely valuable.

The Campaign Staff Academy will be hosted over the course of 8 weeks. In person is in Columbus, Ohio and we typically do 8-8.5 hours in a single day, but for virtual learning we’ll do about 3 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday because Zoom fatigue is a real thing. Training dates are as follows:
  • In-person: Saturday, March 26th
  • Virtual: Saturday, April 9th & Sunday, April 10th
  • Virtual: Saturday, April 23rd & Sunday, April 24th
  • In-person: Saturday, May 14th

Each class builds on the last, so it’s important to attend ALL classes. The training is free and you may apply here.

This is an organization you can participate in as an individual or a group. Postcards to Voters are friendly, handwritten reminders from volunteers to targeted voters giving Democrats a winning edge in close, key races coast to coast.

What started on March 11, 2017 with sharing 5 addresses apiece to 5 volunteers on Facebook so that they could mail postcards to voters in Jon Ossoff’s race grew in one month to 1,200+ volunteers nationwide and over 51,000 postcards mailed.

Now, we consist of over 75,000+ volunteers in every state (including Alaska and Hawaii) who have written close to 8 million postcards to voters in over 200 key, close elections. Democracy is a participatory sport. If you are a candidate and would like Postcards to Voters to support your campaign you must apply. For information about writing postcards go here.

READING ROOM

It Could Happen Here: Why America Is Tipping from Hate to the Unthinkable―And How We Can Stop It by Jonanthan Greenblatt

It’s almost impossible to imagine that unbridled hate and systematic violence could come for us or our families. But it has happened in our lifetimes in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. And it could happen here.

Today, as CEO of the storied ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), Jonathan Greenblatt has made it his personal mission to demonstrate how antisemitism, racism, and other insidious forms of intolerance can destroy a society, taking root as quiet prejudices but mutating over time into horrific acts of brutality. In this urgent book, Greenblatt sounds an alarm, warning that this age-old trend is gathering momentum in the United States—and that violence on an even larger, more catastrophic scale could be just around the corner. READ MORE

COVID19 IN OHIO

TRACKING CORONAVIRUS IN OHIO

Sources: State and local health departments About this Data: New cases and deaths are matched to the date they occurred when possible. Otherwise, they are recorded on the date they are reported by health departments. The seven-day average is the mean number of new cases and deaths for the previous seven days.

You can find where to get vaccines and booster shots in Clermont County here.

Place Your Order for Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests here.

Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of #4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here’s what you need to know about your order:

  • Limit of one order per residential address
  • One order includes #4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
  • Orders will ship free starting in late January

For information for COVID19 testing in Ohio go here.
For more information about the numbers in Ohio, what precautions you need to take and where you can find resources for testing, mental health assistance and employment visit the Ohio Department of Health Coronavirus Portal  

JOIN THE DONKEY CLUB

Your Clermont County Democratic Party believes the economy should work for everyone, diversity is a strength, health care is a right, facts and truth matter, fair and effective government is fundamental, and justice is for ALL. We strive to cultivate and elect public servants who reflect these beliefs. There are two ways you can impact Clermont County Democratic Party with donations: (1) Monthly contributions help us manage our yearly expenses. (2) Annual donations in any amount are welcome. Whether it’s a one-time contribution or a recurring monthly contribution we appreciate your support. Join online by clicking the Donation button below or join by mailing a check made out to CCDP PO Box 475, Batavia, Ohio 45103

CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB UPDATES

The Young Dems are having a happy hour at Jungle Jim’s Wednesday night, Feb. 23rd, at 6:30. Please join us if you are available!

Quin-T Democrat Club’s next meeting is Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. David Pepper, former Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party and author, will be the guest speaker. He will be discussing his most recent book Laboratories of Autocracy. Details forthcoming.

To give you a sneak preview here’s Sam Seder interviewing David Pepper on The Majority Report.

Reminder: per the Ohio Democratic Party’s directive in-person meetings are suspended due to increases in COVID cases overwhelming our hospital systems. Please contact the leaders of our Democratic clubs to find out their meeting arrangements.

CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB DIRECTORY

Below is a listing of Democratic groups in Clermont County. Due to the concerns about COVID19 it is a challenge to schedule in-person meetings. Remember this is temporary. We will get through this! Click on the name of each club and it will take you to their website or Facebook page with updated information about meetings. Some groups are conducting virtual meetings while others are looking to outside locations.

Quin-T Democrat ClubDemocracy In Action
West Clermont DemocratsClermont County Young Democrats
The Goshen Democratic ClubDrinking Liberally

Clermont County Democratic Party Central Committee

Please contact Patty Lawrence, Central Committee Chair at: p.lawrence@fuse.net for more information.

Clermont County Democratic Party Executive Committee
The Executive Committee will meet on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 6pm via Zoom

STAY CONNECTED

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM – VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Clermont County Democratic Party Facebook PageClermont County Democratic Party Twitter pageClermont County Democratic Party Instagram AccountClermont County Democratic Party Website

Like, share, comment and retweet our posts. Use the hashtags #OHDems #ClermontOHDems

This is your newsletter. We welcome you to submit news items, events, book reviews or anything else you feel is important to advance our Democratic values in Clermont County.

Next issue will be published Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Deadline for submissions for the next issue is Friday, March 4, 2022. Send your submission with “CCDP Newsletter” in the subject line to our newsletter editor Cheryl Richards at: cheryl1richards@gmail.com

Share the newsletter with your friends and encourage them to sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter at clermontdems.org

Clermont County Democratic Party
174 E. Main Street P.O. Box 475
Batavia, OH, 45103
513-732-2378
Paid for by the Clermont County Democratic Party, Judith Miller, Treasurer

By cheryl|2022-03-24T16:49:02-04:00March 24th, 2022|Newsletter|Comments Off on Democracy Is A Participatory Sport – 02/22/2022 – Volume 66

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Word From The Chair

  • Making Voting More Difficult – 01-24-2023

    Making Voting More Difficult House Bill 458 was passed by the Ohio General Assembly during its lame duck session late last year.  Governor DeWine signed the bill into Ohio law a couple of weeks ago. This means that H.B. 458 is now part of the reality confronting Ohio voters. H.B. 458 makes several major changes to the rules governing who may vote and how you may cast your ballot. The biggest change is that Ohio voters now must show an identification card with their photograph on it to be able to vote. Formerly, several forms of identification without a photograph were permitted, such as a recent bank statement or utility bill provided those had the voter’s name and current address and that information matched what was in the voter registration records. Now, everyone must have a photo ID. However, not all photo IDs will be good enough. The primary acceptable photo IDs are a valid driver’s license, a valid state-issued ID card, a valid passport, and a current military ID card. Among the photo IDs that are not good enough are student identification cards, even those issued by Ohio state universities (arms of Ohio state government), and identification cards issued by county veterans’ services offices (arms of county government). Making passports an acceptable form of identification is a significant change. Previously, passports were not acceptable identification because, while they evidence citizenship, they do not show the voter’s address. Other states which have enacted photo identification requirements for voting have seen some drops in the number of voters. I have read estimates that over 400,000 Ohioans who are otherwise eligible to vote lack a photo ID. A driver’s license suspension for something like not having liability insurance or having unpaid tickets could disenfranchise an otherwise eligible voter. More significantly, and undoubtedly in the minds of the Republicans who rushed H.B. 458 through, is that everyone agrees that the Ohioans most likely to not have an acceptable photo ID are disproportionately low income, urban, and minorities; people more likely to vote Democratic. Changes For Mail-in Ballots The rules on mail-in ballots were also changed. Formerly, a mail-in ballot was timely and eligible to be counted if the ballot was (a) postmarked by the day before Election Day and (b) received by the Board of Elections within the ten days after Election Day. H.B. 458 requires that mail-in ballots must now be received within four days after Election Day, something which neither the voter nor the Board of Elections has any control over. Every election, the Clermont County Board of Elections receives some ballots that were mailed before Election Day but which the Postal Service failed to deliver to the BOE within the ten-day period. Those ballot envelopes are not opened. Shortening the period for mail-in ballots to be delivered inevitably means that even more ballots will not be counted solely because of postal delay. H.B. 458 shortened other deadlines Formerly, if you had to cast a provisional ballot on Election Day, most commonly because you forgot to bring your ID, you had ten days after Election Day to bring your ID to the BOE and your provisional ballot would be counted. Likewise, many people who vote by mail make some error in filling out the security envelope containing their ballot. Common errors include omitting some required piece of information or writing the date of the election or the date on which they completed their ballot in the line for the voter’s birthdate. The BOE was required to notify those voters of the problem. Both voters casting a provisional ballot on Election Day and those who erred in filling out the security envelope for their mail-in ballot had ten days after Election Day to come to the BOE and fix the problem. That deadline has also been shortened to four days. H.B. 458 also abolished in-person early voting on the day before Election Day. Before H.B. 458, voters could vote in person at the Board of Elections between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on the Monday before Election Day. Many Clermont County voters did. No more. Another significant change made by H.B. 458 was to change the deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot from the Saturday before Election Day to seven days before Election Day. This change probably made sense. Mail-in ballots must be mailed to voters. If a voter did not request a mail-in ballot until the Saturday before Election Day, it was doubtful that the voter would receive her ballot in time to vote it and return it within the deadlines. Still, this change to the law will change how some people tried to vote. Solutions To Non-existent Problems Most of the changes made by H.B. 458 are solutions to non-existent problems. Photo ID is supposed to reduce fraudulent voting. However, no one has ever produced any evidence that we have a fraudulent voting problem in Ohio. H.B. 458 will reduce legitimate voting, and that was the obvious intent behind the law. Nonetheless, H.B. 458 is the law. To minimize H.B. 458’s bad effects, voters need to be educated about the new rules. That education needs to happen early enough that voters can get their photo IDs in time to vote and that voters who habitually vote on the day before Election Day cast their votes earlier. The Only Way To Stop Voter Suppression Laws A lawsuit has been filed in federal court seeking to invalidate some of the worst parts of H.B. 458. It will be some time before we see whether that effort is successful. Don’t count on it. There was a lot of opposition to H.B. 458. It passed by the Republican majority in the General Assembly and was signed by the Governor anyway. We will keep getting bad laws like H.B. 458, just like the Republican majority violated Ohio law in drawing the General Assembly and Congressional districts used in last year’s election. Why? Because the Republicans in Columbus do not care what Ohioans think or […]

    […]
  • Clermont County Needs You – 01-10-2023

    Belated Happy New Year!  I trust everyone had safe and enjoyable holidays.  Of course, with a new year we enter a new election cycle. Yes, It Is Another Election Year We have at least one election every year in Ohio. In 2023, Clermont Countians will be electing school board members, members of city and village councils, and township trustees.  These are important jobs that affect all of us where we live. Among other things, township trustees have authority over law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, parks, and township roads (including snow removal) in their townships. Municipal councils have greater authority over those areas along with some taxing authority, and the power to define minor crimes (misdemeanors) in their municipalities. Municipal councils may also enact ordinances prohibiting things like gender and sexual orientation discrimination and facilitating affordable housing. Both township trustees and municipal councils have authority over zoning, which determines things like where businesses may be located, how big yards must be, and whether people can install swimming pools on their property. School boards have become a focus of the extreme right in recent years, seeking to transform education into a thorough indoctrination into conservative “values.” While the General Assembly is seeking to privatize education and centralize control over the public schools which remain in Republican hands in Columbus, local school boards still retain primary authority for running the schools in their district. This ranges from hiring administrators and teachers to deciding what books are allowed in the school library to imposing fees for students to participate in extracurricular activities like sports and band. Put simply, the offices up for election in 2023 have great power over things which matter in all our daily lives. While they often do not receive much attention (name the members of your local board of education without looking them up), the people who hold these offices have tremendous impact on our communities. These are truly part-time positions, but they are also paid positions. No special qualifications are needed to run for or hold one of these offices. Municipal council, township trustee, and school board are also the least expensive offices to run for. The geographic area in which you run is usually relatively small. While yard signs, even for these offices, have become ubiquitous, television and radio advertising are exceptionally rare. The key to winning these races is the ground game: meeting voters. A few enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers can make the difference. In Clermont County, these races are “non-partisan,” meaning you do not run in a primary election first and you do not need to identify yourself as affiliated with a political party. If you or someone you know is considering building a career in public service, the offices on the ballot this year are a great place to start. Running for one of these offices gets you known and provides priceless campaign experience. Serving in one of these offices gets you better known and provides credentials on which you may later run for other offices. The Republicans have shown us how that works. State Representative Jean Schmidt started her career as a township trustee. County commissioners Claire Corcoran and Bonnie Batchler were also previously township trustees. County commissioner David Painter was previously a school board member. Finally, the perception that Democrats cannot win in Clermont County is inaccurate as to these local offices. Several Democrats serve or have served as township trustees, on municipal councils, and on local school boards. The local offices on the ballot in 2023 are important. Service in one of those offices is a great way to give back to your community and start your own public service career. While we have Democrats in some offices, the county needs more. Our county needs more local officials who care about the people they serve, who have genuine values, and who will govern based on facts rather than lies. If you do not step up, who will? Please think hard about running for an office in your community in 2023. If you have a friend or family member whom you think would be good in one of these offices, please encourage them to run. The deadline to file the paperwork to run for these offices in 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. The Clermont County Democratic Party can help you with petition signatures and other things necessary to get started.  Please call or e-mail us. Stay safe and let’s have a successful 2023!

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    MOVING FORWARD With a few exceptions, the results of the 2022 general election were disappointing, at least in Ohio. Ohio Republicans are already pursuing an extreme agenda to entrench their power more deeply and to bring crucial functions, such as education, more completely under their ideological control. This is not the time for Democrats to crawl into the corner and lick wounds. Many of us have already had discussions about what we should do next and how we can do better. Over the next few installments of From The Chair, I will discuss some of the ideas I have heard. You may have thoughts about these, have other ideas, or be willing to volunteer to implement some of these ideas. Your feedback is essential!  My contact information appears at the end of this piece. One very important issue is getting our Democratic message out to voters. We need to be doing this constantly, not just around election time. In my legal career, I have participated in many seminars teaching trial advocacy. Persuading jurors is not fundamentally different from persuading voters. One of the things lawyers are taught in these seminars is the importance of primacy. Simplified, the concept of primacy is that people tend to retain the first information they receive about a particular subject and that information influences how they think about relevant information they receive after that. Stated differently, primacy means that it is difficult to persuade people to reject what they already “know” about a subject. In the political context it means that our Democratic messaging is substantially more difficult if voters are constantly hearing and reading the Republican message but do not hear or see ours until a few months before an election. Republican officeholders automatically have the megaphone of their offices. The Governor, Secretary of State, or a County Commissioner can call the media or issue a press release and what they say will be reported. Democrats lack that kind of platform in Batavia and Columbus, so we must find other ways to communicate. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR One way which is relatively easy and very inexpensive is to write letters to the editor, whether that be to the Clermont Sun, the Cincinnati Enquirer, or some other publication you know about. The media in Southern Ohio is largely owned by Republicans. Some of our letters will not be published. That fact makes it important to submit letters frequently. Letters should come from many of us. Numerous letters from the same person are easier for both editors and readers to ignore in the belief that they already know what that person will say. Letters from “new voices” are more likely to attract attention. Letters on different subjects, from climate change to education, are more likely to be noticed. No one is interested in “same old.” Letters to the editor should be succinct, clear, and factually accurate. A certain former president notwithstanding, nothing damages credibility more than saying something which is provably incorrect. Do some homework YARD SIGNS Another suggestion is to use yard signs. If people see the same message day after day on their drive to work or the store, they are likely to internalize it. You probably saw the yard signs in Clermont County in 2021 exhorting people to “Stop The Madness” by voting Republican. These signs ignore the fact that Republicans have controlled our County and our State for decades so whatever “madness” exists was their doing. What the signs do, however, is constantly deliver the message that there is “madness” which needs to be stopped. The more people are exposed to an idea, the more likely they are to believe it.  Signs, of course, require resources. Signs cost money, a lot of it. To be effective, signs must be visible. This means they require people willing to give the time to find visible locations, to persuade the property owner to allow the sign to go up, and to put the sign up. Monitoring is also required to ensure the sign stays up and to replace it if it is stolen. Lots of people are interested in candidate signs as an election looms. For signs to work for us, we must have money and volunteers to print signs and get them up at other times as well. SOCIAL MEDIA Younger voters are, in general, more likely to vote Democratic. Party labels and loyalty are not that important to young people. As someone younger than me (a huge part of the population) said at a meeting I attended last Saturday, one thing young people have in common is that they all have smart phones. They routinely use those phones to access social media. This means that social media is a prime way to reach a population of potentially persuadable voters. Social media presents some challenges. First, we need people sufficiently knowledgeable about particular platforms to get things posted in a way that they are noticed. Equally important is posting new material regularly. People are not usually interested in a month-old post about something that happened a month or more before that. Successful use of social media requires volunteers who have some familiarity with the platform and who are willing to post frequently. RADIO Another idea I recently heard is use of radio. Most of us have our radios on at least when we are in our cars. Radio ads, I am told, are not necessarily prohibitively expensive. Still, they are not free. Using radio as a platform for our message will require money, identifying the radio stations which will give us the best outreach we can afford, volunteers to work with those stations, and volunteers to record our spots.  Radio is, I think, something we should look at closely. I would love to hear from people who have knowledge of or experience with radio advertising. WHAT IS THE MESSAGE? You may have noticed that I haven’t talked about the most important part of messaging: what is our message?  There are certainly basic concepts […]

    […]

Upcoming Events

Feb 2
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Quin-T Democrat Club Meeting

Feb 13
7:30 am - 8:30 pm

West Clermont Democratic Club Meeting

View Calendar

Archived E-Newsletters

  • American Values Over Autocracy – 01/10/2023 – Volume 89

    WHAT’S INSIDE Hakeem Jeffries Speech to the 118th Congress Word From The Chair – Raymond Lembke What’s New From Clermont to Columbus and Beyond Pepperspectives 2023 Recruiting Starts Now Join The Donkey Club Clermont County Democratic Party Committee Meetings Next Issue Publication Dates Hakeem Jeffries, Leader of House Democrats, Speech to the 118th Congress Watch Hakeem Jeffries historic first speech as the new leader of the Democratic House Caucus. His speech will fill you with hope and optimism. The video is about fifteen minutes long so grab a cup and buckle up. Click here to watch. WORD FROM THE CHAIR- Raymond Lembke We have at least one election every year in Ohio. In 2023, Clermont Countians will be electing school board members, members of city and village councils, and township trustees. These are important jobs that affect all of us where we live. CONTINUE READING What’s New From Clermont To Columbus And Beyond Click on the headline to access the full article President Biden highlights Brent Spence Bridge project during visit to Kentucky President Joe Biden highlighted the Brent Spence Bridge project Wednesday, while standing in its shadow during a stop in northern Kentucky. The existing bridge, which connects Kentucky and Ohio, will undergo repairs, and a new companion bridge will be built to improve traffic flow. It’s one of the biggest infrastructure projects of the new year, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by Biden last year. CONTINUE READING Statehouse ‘coup’ — Ohio GOP members bitterly divided by deal with Democrats to elect ‘moderate’ House Speaker Late-night phone calls, behind-closed-door bargaining and a deal with the Democrats led to a remarkable upset in the race for the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Now, the state Republican party has censured the 22 GOP members who voted against the originally-chosen candidate. CONTINUE READING Ohio Organizations Sue Over State’s New Voter Suppression Law On Friday, Jan. 6, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans and Union Veterans Council sued over Ohio’s new voter suppression law, House Bill 458, which was enacted earlier today. The law — which was passed despite the fact that both Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) have praised the state’s election apparatus in recent years and confirmed there is no widespread fraud — imposes three new restrictions on the voting process. CONTINUE READING Opinion – How did politics get so awful? I blame MTV circa 1992 Everyone has a theory about why American politics today is so awful. I blame MTV. More specifically, I blame the music channel’s “Rock the Vote” campaign in the early 1990s. That’s the moment when the tastemakers of popular culture decided the widespread perception that politics isn’t cool was a problem to be solved. Politics had to be made cool. And therefore not boring. CONTINUE READING Pepperspectives Taking the Trash Out The Latest Voter Suppression in Ohio by David Pepper The show “The West Wing” made the term famous: in politics, late Friday is when you take the trash out. You wait as late as possible in the week, when the press is closing up shop and regular folks are tuning out for the weekend, to do something you don’t want people to notice. CONTINUE READING LEAD Ohio “The ‘Pow-Her’ To Run for Office” Wednesday, January 18 – 6:30-8:00pm Virtual Meeting In this free virtual training, our Executive Director, Louise Valentine, will walk you through the beginning steps of how to run for office. We will cover a wide range of topics including: Who should consider running for office What offices are available to run for When you should begin planning to run How to get on the ballot and begin planning your campaign Why it is important for women to run for office in Ohio And so much more! All are welcome to join us for this free virtual training on Wednesday, January 18th, from 6:30-8:00pm. REGISTER HERE Identifying Strong Candidates to Run for Office Virtual Live Training January 26, 2023 1:00pm – 2:00pm (ET) Join the National Democratic Training Committee on Thursday, January 26th from 1pm-2pm ET for a free virtual live training on Identifying Strong Candidates to Run for Office, designed to build the bench of Democrats in your community. We’re here to help, so join us to learn the following: Learn effective methods for finding strong candidates to run for political office Recognize common traits of strong candidates for political office Understand the time frame to identify candidates to run for office REGISTER HERE Recruiting Candidates for Political Office Virtual Live Training Jan 27, 2023 1:00pm – 2:00pm (ET) Join the National Democratic Training Committee on Friday, January 27th from 1pm-2pm ET for a free virtual live training on Recruiting Candidates for Political Office, designed to build the bench of Democrats in your community. We’re here to help, so join us to learn the following: Explore strategies for persuading individuals to run for office Explain the positive impact of running for office Identify systems of support in place for those running for office REGISTER HERE Join The Donkey Club Our Donkey Club is our major source of funding and we hope you will become a member by joining. Member benefits below. A headquarters located centrally in the county in Batavia A bi-monthly e-newsletter A robust Internet presence on our Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Support for our Democratic candidates Click the Donate button below and make your donation securely online through ActBlue or mail a check. Make Checks payable to: Clermont County Democratic Party (CCDP), PO Box 475, Batavia, OH 45103 Thank you for your support! Raymond W. Lembke, Party Chairman Clermont County Democratic Party   CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB DIRECTORY Below is a listing of Democratic groups in Clermont County. Click on the name of each club and it will take you to their website or Facebook page with updated information about meetings. Quin-T Democrat Club Democracy […]

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  • Happy Blue Year – 12/27/2022 – Volume 88

    WHAT’S INSIDE Happy Blue Year POTUS and Democrat Accomplishments A Gift For You What’s New From Clermont to Columbus and Beyond 2023 Recruiting Starts Now Join The Donkey Club Clermont County Democratic Party Committee Meetings Next Issue Publication Dates Happy Blue Year! As we say goodbye to 2022 let’s reflect on the victories of President Biden and the Democrats in Congress. A Gift For You And here is a gift to you from the Clermont County Democratic Party. A satirical review of the year by Dave Barry as it appears in the Washington Post. No pay wall. Enjoy! Dave Barry’s 2022 Year in Review The best thing we can say about 2022 is: It could have been worse. CONTINUE READING   What’s New From Clermont To Columbus And Beyond Click on the headline to access the full article In this issue instead of picking the articles for you to read we are going to provide some links to media sources for those political junkies who just can’t let the politics go for the holidays. Enjoy! Ohio Capital Journal Ohio State Government News The Ohio Channel City Beat NPR     Identifying Strong Candidates to Run for Office Virtual Live Training January 26, 2023 1:00pm – 2:00pm (ET) Join the National Democratic Training Committee on Thursday, January 26th from 1pm-2pm ET for a free virtual live training on Identifying Strong Candidates to Run for Office, designed to build the bench of Democrats in your community. We’re here to help, so join us to learn the following: Learn effective methods for finding strong candidates to run for political office Recognize common traits of strong candidates for political office Understand the time frame to identify candidates to run for office REGISTER HERE Recruiting Candidates for Political Office Virtual Live Training Jan 27, 2023 1:00pm – 2:00pm (ET) Join the National Democratic Training Committee on Friday, January 27th from 1pm-2pm ET for a free virtual live training on Recruiting Candidates for Political Office, designed to build the bench of Democrats in your community. We’re here to help, so join us to learn the following: Explore strategies for persuading individuals to run for office Explain the positive impact of running for office Identify systems of support in place for those running for office REGISTER HERE Join The Donkey Club Our Donkey Club is our major source of funding and we hope you will become a member by joining. Member benefits below. A headquarters located centrally in the county in Batavia A bi-monthly e-newsletter A robust Internet presence on our Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Support for our Democratic candidates Click the Donate button below and make your donation securely online through ActBlue or mail a check. Make Checks payable to: Clermont County Democratic Party (CCDP), PO Box 475, Batavia, OH 45103 Thank you for your support! Raymond W. Lembke, Party Chairman Clermont County Democratic Party   CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB DIRECTORY Below is a listing of Democratic groups in Clermont County. Click on the name of each club and it will take you to their website or Facebook page with updated information about meetings. Quin-T Democrat Club Democracy In Action West Clermont Democrats Clermont County Young Democrats The Goshen Democratic Club Drinking Liberally Clermont County Democratic Party Central Committee Please contact Ben Indino, Central Committee Chair at: benjamin.indino@gmail.com for more information. Clermont County Democratic Party Executive Committee Next Executive Committee meeting will be Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 7:00 pm This will be a hybrid meeting with choice of in-person at headquarters, 174 E. Main Street, Batavia, Ohio 45103 and via Zoom. Central Committee members are encouraged to attend. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR COMMITTEES CCDP has four active committees. Each committee needs volunteers. Please consider getting involved. The strength of our party is our volunteers. You may contact the respective Chairs of each committee below by clicking on their name if you are interested in volunteering. Finance Committee- Chair – Ben Brady Events Committee – Chair – Katherine Lent By-laws Review Committee- Chair- Gregg Conrad Communications Committee – Chair – Michelle DeTemple   CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFICERS Benjamin Indino – Central Committee Chair Tracy Jo Small – Central Committee Vice Chair Amanda Fox – Central Committee Secretary Raymond Lembke – Executive Committee Chair Elaine Barnett – Executive Committee Vice Chair Chris Barnett – Treasurer Bonnie Carlier – Executive Committee Secretary   STAY CONNECTED FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM – VISIT OUR WEBSITE   Like, share, comment and retweet our posts. Use the hashtags #OHDems #ClermontOHDems This is your newsletter. We welcome you to submit news items, events, book reviews or anything else you feel is important to advance our Democratic values in Clermont County. If you have critiques about content or format please feel free to voice your opinion. Next issue will be published Tuesday, January 10, 2023. Deadline for submissions for the next issue is Friday, January 6, 2023. Send your submission with “CCDP Newsletter” in the subject line to our newsletter editor Cheryl Richards at: cheryl1richards@gmail.com Share the newsletter with your friends and encourage them to sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter at clermontdems.org Clermont County Democratic Party 174 E. Main Street P.O. Box 475 Batavia, OH, 45103 513-732-2378 clermontdems@gmail.com Paid for by the Clermont County Democratic Party, Christopher Barnett, Treasurer

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  • Pay Attention Or Lose Democracy -12/13/2022 – Volume 87

    WHAT’S INSIDE Word From The Chair – Raymond Lembke What’s New From Clermont to Columbus and Beyond Take Action 2023 Recruiting Starts Now Join The Donkey Club Clermont County Democratic Party Committee Meetings Next Issue Publication Dates WORD FROM THE CHAIR- Raymond Lembke This is not the time for Democrats to crawl into the corner and lick wounds. Many of us have already had discussions about what we should do next and how we can do better. CONTINUE READING   What’s New From Clermont To Columbus And Beyond Click on the headline to access the full article One organization comes forward in support of amendment supermajority requirement The Opportunity Solutions Project’s CEO, Tarren Bragdon, is also the CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability, which has close ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Founded by right-wing billionaire Charles Koch, ALEC crafts model policy bills for legislators to use around the country. Ohio state Rep. Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, who sits on the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee, also sits on ALEC’s Board of Directors. Seitz currently has a separate bill moving to install photo voter ID in Ohio, as well as legislation to overhaul the Ohio Elections Commission. CONTINUE READING Senate Republicans add oil and gas lease provisions to poultry bill at eleventh hour Last week in the Ohio Senate Agriculture committee, Republican members used a measure tied to retail poultry purchases to clear the path for greater oil and gas drilling on public lands. State Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, added the language as part of a series of amendments meant to advance unrelated policy changes. CONTINUE READING An Elite Power Grab Dressed in Academic Robes If you have not heard of the independent state legislature (ISL) theory, congratulations. You lead a happier life than I do. Not just because it represents a terrifying power grab by federal judicial supremacists, but also because it has a day-ruining bad name. The ISL theory is not a doctrine, it does not grant anyone independence and it is not about supporting state legislatures. If you’re confused, that’s kind of the point. CONTINUE READING Take Action to Oppose Sub HB294 and HB458 Two bills are moving through the lame duck Ohio legislature that represent a direct attack on Ohioans’ voting rights. House Bill 458, a bill about special elections, has been modified in the Senate to restrict drop box availability, limit the time for early voting, add new identification requirements that will make it harder for many voters to cast a ballot, and to stop accepting ballots that arrive after election day, even if they are postmarked by the day of the election. House Bill 294, like HB458, limits drop boxes and early voting, including eliminating the last Monday of early voting. Sponsors of the bill say it could also be amended to add the same new strict limits on the form of identification voters can use to cast a ballot. Both bills represent a major threat to voting rights and must be stopped. Send a message to your State Representative and Senator today to tell them to respect Ohioans’ right to vote by opposing both Sub HB 294 and HB458. It’s easy. Simply fill in your name and address, click “START WRITING” and you will be directed to a form letter that you can edit or not. The letter will then be sent to your respective Ohio State Senator and State Rep. SEND YOUR MESSAGE HERE   VIRTUAL TRAINING SESSION TONIGHT! Women LEADing Ohio – “Pow-Her” to Run for Office informational session In this free virtual training, our Deputy Director, Louise Valentine, will walk you through the beginning steps of how to run for office. We will cover a wide range of topics including: Who should consider running for office What offices are available to run for When you should begin planning to run How to get on the ballot and begin planning your campaign Why it is important for women to run for office in Ohio And so much more! All are welcome to join us for this free virtual training on Tuesday, December 13th from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. If you have any questions, reach out to us at info@leadohio.org. The zoom link for this event will be emailed the afternoon of the event. See you then!! REGISTER HERE Identifying Strong Candidates to Run for Office Virtual Live Training January 26, 2023 1:00pm – 2:00pm (ET) Join the National Democratic Training Committee on Thursday, January 26th from 1pm-2pm ET for a free virtual live training on Identifying Strong Candidates to Run for Office, designed to build the bench of Democrats in your community. We’re here to help, so join us to learn the following: Learn effective methods for finding strong candidates to run for political office Recognize common traits of strong candidates for political office Understand the time frame to identify candidates to run for office REGISTER HERE Recruiting Candidates for Political Office Virtual Live Training Jan 27, 2023 1:00pm – 2:00pm (ET) Join the National Democratic Training Committee on Friday, January 27th from 1pm-2pm ET for a free virtual live training on Recruiting Candidates for Political Office, designed to build the bench of Democrats in your community. We’re here to help, so join us to learn the following: Explore strategies for persuading individuals to run for office Explain the positive impact of running for office Identify systems of support in place for those running for office REGISTER HERE Join The Donkey Club Our Donkey Club is our major source of funding and we hope you will become a member by joining. Member benefits below. A headquarters located centrally in the county in Batavia A bi-monthly e-newsletter A robust Internet presence on our Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Support for our Democratic candidates Click the Donate button below and make your donation securely online through ActBlue or mail a check. Make Checks payable to: Clermont County Democratic Party (CCDP), PO Box 475, Batavia, OH 45103 Thank you […]

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    The Clermont County Democratic Party strives to elect Democratic candidates and promote Democratic issues. We are committed to social and economic justice, environmental stewardship, and effective government in our county and beyond. By joining the Clermont County Donkey Club you are contributing to raising awareness of our party and its core beliefs. Through meetings, forums, trainings, social events, and community service, we are strengthening our community and creating a more balanced electorate.

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