The November 2020 Campaign Strategic Plan has launched and we hope you will join one or more of our efforts to win up and down the ballot on November 3. Let’s help elect Biden-Harris; Antonio Delgado; Michelle Hinchey; Betsy Kraat; and Claudia Andreassen.

Local Candidate Action Summary

Phonebanking on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays for our coordinated campaign will replace knocking on doors and is essential to get out the vote (GOTV).  Sign up HERE or email david_kathygordon11@verizon.net.

• Tuesday evenings – Sept 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Oct 6, 13, 20, 27, Nov 3:  5-7pm
• Saturdays – Sept 5, 12, 19, 26, Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31:  10am-12pm
• Sundays – Sept 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov 1: 2pm-4pm

A few notes on the phonebanks:

• These are virtual phonebanks. You can call from the comfort of your home! It’s best if you use a computer to access the meeting and link to the phonebank and a phone (landline or cell) to make the calls.
• On the first night of phonebanking, the first few minutes will be a Zoom call and training. There will be training for new callers each session, either a recorded video training or a live training. If you have used MiniVAN, you already have an ID. If you remember it and your password, that will make it easier. People who haven’t used MiniVAN will need to create an account. But you DO NOT need to install MiniVAN. When you click on a link to the phonebank, you will be asked to enter your ID and password or to create an account. A team leader will make sure everyone is proficient.

Voter education and advocacy will help protect voting through the upcoming webinar, Safeguarding Your Vote, on Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 PM (register for webinar here) and other initiatives to register new voters and shepherd them through registration to the elections. To sign up email chdinsmore@gmail.com.

Mailers will be sent to Saugerties Democrats to help GOTV. We hope to have at least one SDC mailer and join postcard campaigns for our candidates. To sign up email lotusactiongroup@gmail.com.

Print and social media will supplement efforts to keep our candidates front and center. This includes writing letters to the editor, tracking news about our candidates, raising our social media posts; and debunking disinformation. Email chdinsmore@gmail.com to support.

Out-of-State Action Summary

Swing states for Biden/Harris and Senate races will include postcards, letter writing, texting and phonebanking in crucial swing states. Email grayorchids9@gmail.com and jerrywoodstock@yahoo.com. Potential options include:

1. Writing letters: votefwd.org. Letters are already prepared on its website and you print them. You are provided with addresses in various battleground states. You print the letter, add a sentence or two to personalize, and then mail them on a specific assigned date chosen for maximum effectiveness. Mailing will be sometime in October. If you need paper and envelopes, email Jerry who has extra supplies.
2. Postcards:  postcardstovoters.org. You supply your own postcards or you can purchase from them (or shop on the internet for the best price). For instance, vistaprint.com costs approximately 10 cents per card.
3. Senate races: The best chances of flipping red to blue are in: Maine (Sara Gideon over Sue Collins), North Carolina (Cal Cunningham), Arizona (Mark Kelly), Iowa (Theresa Greenfield) and Georgia (Jon Osoff). In Colorado, the Democratic candidate John Hickenlooper has a good lead. Best to go to the website for each candidate, or go to paybackproject.org, which focuses on flipping the Senate.
4. Indivisible NY19:  Thanks to the amazing work of Indivisible NY19, there are tons of opportunities to phonebank, text, and send postcards to swing states. We don’t need to recreate the wheel!  Get involved and sign up here.

Other Opportunities

In addition to the SDC’s November 2020 Campaign Strategic Plan, national voter registration and GOTV efforts exist. While we encourage you to join us locally, here are a few organizations working on expanding voter engagement:

Black Futures Lab is currently working on registering Black voters and working to ensure they are not disenfranchised. Of its three initiatives, Black to the Ballot is focused on the election.

Million Muslim Votes is engaging Muslims, who as a group has been targeted by the Trump administration, to realize their political influence and vote.

Higher Heights works to empower Black women, increase the number of Black women in political office and enact policies that address their concerns.

When We All Vote is a nonpartisan organization working to close the racial and age voting gap through grassroots efforts.

The Saugerties Democratic Committee had its monthly meeting on August 25 by Zoom.*  Highlights of the meeting include:

• Ashley Dittus and Jeff Collins spoke and answered questions about their candidacies for the Ulster County Democratic Chair
• The Committee voted to endorse Claudia Andreassen for Town Justice (final results of the vote were tabulated on August 27 because of secret balloting)
• Passed a resolution to challenge and reverse UC Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Thomas Turco’s eliminating Saugerties as an early voting site, which will be sent to Turco and our NY State representatives
• Reviewed the November 2020 Campaign Strategic Plan
• John Schoonmaker gave an update on the police review committee search

Next SDC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 22. Please email Bill Barr at saugertiesdemocraticcommittee@gmail.com for the virtual meeting updates. Please mark your calendar for the remaining Committee meetings in 2020, October 27 and November 24.

For a copy of the last meeting’s full minutes click here.

Black Lives Matter rallies continue nightly in Saugerties on the corner of Main and Market Streets from 5:30 to 7:00. Please join when you can.

The Save our Saugerties Post Office rally on Saturday, August 22, was part of a national day to protest the dismantling of the USPS. Demanding that the post office be fully funded, with all services, machinery and procedures restored, and for Trump-appointed postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, to resign, about 75 people donned masks and headed to the rally. Among the demonstrators was NY State Senate candidate Michelle Hinchey.

Census 2020 deadline is Sept 30 (lawsuit pending to extend). Just 66% of Saugerties residents have filled out the census. To ensure that Saugerties, Ulster County and New York get the representation, services and funding they are entitled to, please fill out the census now.