Democrats Abroad UK Newsletter
November 2022
Register to vote at votefromabroad.org
Get your American friends in the UK to join our ranks
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Need help voting? It’s not too late. Go to live Zoom voter help all day today, and tomorrow and Tuesday.
Thank you for supporting democracy.
Dear Fellow Democrat,
This is it – crunch time for Democrats to do all we can, to continue fighting for our vision of America – a peaceful, inclusive and prosperous country. A country where the rights of all are respected, where our policies to improve the lives of everyone can bear fruit, and where our values – of democracy, enlightenment and progress – can become reality.
The day is not over yet. Volunteers will be meeting in person this Sunday afternoon and Monday and Tuesday evening in London – if you would like to help us get out the vote, please sign up here.
On Tuesday – Election Day – we’ll make a final push online and in person, and then host election watch parties in London and Oxford – please see details under Events. We’d love to spend this important evening for our community together with you!
Time magazine gave us some great coverage this week in about overseas voting and our London campaign office, with quotes from our International Chair Candice Kerestan and our own Treasurer and GOTV leader Elizabeth Kelly.
Thank you so much to all who have been volunteering as phonebankers, assisting voters in the Zoom rooms, postcarding and reaching out to other Americans in person, wherever you are in the U.K.
And thank you to everyone who has already voted. In many states, it is not too late yet to return or even request your ballot in time to be counted. Please check on Vote from Abroad for guidance by state and instructions on how to cast a Back up Ballot, if necessary.
One last push to Tuesday – we’ve come this far – let’s leave nothing on the field, and fight to the end for everything that is at stake!
Yours Democratically,
Wen-Wen Lindroth
Chair, Democrats Abroad UK
[email protected]
democratsabroad.org.uk
votefromabroad.org
DAUK EVENTS
Nov 8 – year end
Nov 8 – Election Night! Final Campaign Office & Zoom Phonebanking Together
Nov 8 – Election Night Watch Parties: London and Oxford
Nov 15 – Political Book Club: Special guest Dana Milbank (of WaPo) on The Destructionists
Nov 16 – DAUK Post Election Speakeasy & Thank You
Nov 30 – Social Security & Medicare webinar w/ Jennifer Hershey of the American Embassy
Dec 13 – Political Book Club: The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher
Election Night Events
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Final Campaign Office & Zoom Phonebanking Together
Join us for the final pop-up campaign office & Zoom phonebanking drop-in session together. We have members who can still request and return their ballots electronically through November 8th. Let’s help get those votes home — we are the margin of victory from abroad in these races!
Campaign Office
London School of Economics
5:00pm – 9:00pm
Zoom Phonebanking Drop-In
Via Zoom
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Campaign office: please RSVP through our Sign Up Genius Link for the exact location and reception desk security.
Online: look for the Zoom link in the Phonebanking Whatsapp or email [email protected].
Schedule for the online portion:
6:00 pm: Final Phonebanking Kick-Off & Updates
8:00 pm: Mini-Rally & Thank yous from DAUK Chair, Wen-Wen Lindroth and Phonebanking Leads Leah Trotman & Stephanie Randall
8:55 pm: Cheers and Wrap-Up
Please email [email protected] or call/text the Campaign Office at 07498 278260 with any questions.
Election Night Watch Parties in Oxford and London
Oxford Watch Party
St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. 9:30pm – 1:30am
Come one, come all to our Midterms watch party at Catz MCR! We’ll have live updates on the TV, and maybe some results coming through in the later hours of the night. Drinks will be available at the MCR bar for purchase, but feel free to BYOB!
RSVP: Midterms watch party – Oxford
London Watch Party
Temple Brew House, 46 Essex Street, London, WC2R 3JF. 8pm to late
Come join your fellow Democrats in London for a beverage or two on Election Night to follow the results as they come in. We’ll raise a glass to celebrate our efforts to get out the vote and share insights on promising early voting trends. We’re meeting in a pub near LSE to watch coverage in the US. We’d love to spend this significant evening for our community of Democrats Abroad together with you!
Please RSVP for the London Election Night Watch Party at [email protected]
*If you would like to help us reach out to last minute voters by phone before the watch party at our campaign office, please see details above.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Come to a conversation about The Film Committee Film Club project
Join the Film Committee for the launch of a conversation about its Film Club proposal. Brainstorm with us about new ways to ‘deliver’ viewing and discussing films – documentaries or not! – on a wide range of US topics and issues.
Think about how we can extend the ways we engage with Caucus, Committee and Regional members. Hear our ideas about how we could coordinate sharing ideas, information, resources and experience.
We can use the power of film and discussion to keep us inspired and energized! Covid was a harsh experience, but gave us the motivation and opportunities to innovate. Interested? email [email protected] to find out more.
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The online federal student loan relief application form is now available for Americans abroad!
The deadline to apply is Dec 31, 2023 – however, it is in everyone’s interest to apply ASAP to ensure you get relief before the end of the year, since payments are due to resume on January 1, 2023. You’ll want to ensure your payments are lower when they start back up. Click here to read more.
DAUK EVENTS
DAUK REGULAR PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
Political Book Club: Dana Milbank joins us to discuss his book The Destructionists!
Tuesday, November 15, 2022. 6:30pm via Zoom
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank joins us to discuss his book, The Destructionists: The 25-year Crack-up of the Republican Party. ‘This is meticulous history, showing how the Republicans have spent a quarter of a century “hacking away at the foundations of democracy and civil society.”’ (The Guardian)
Preceding his talk is our first hour discussing current events in the wake of the mid-term elections of the previous week — more Republican hacking at the foundations of democracy? RSVP to [email protected] and receive our current events newsletter and book discussion questions before Nov 15.
DAUK Midterms Post Election Speakeasy & Thank You
Wednesday, November 16, 2022. Starts at 7pm. London School of Economics and via Zoom
We will gather in person at LSE one more time and join our fellow DAUK members from around the UK virtually via Zoom from 7-8 pm. We will review the election results together, recap the key metrics from our volunteer efforts and thank everyone for all their hard work. Awards including top Phonebanker Postcarder, and Voter Registration volunteer will be presented!
Nibbles and drinks will be provided. For those in person, we will move onto a local pub following the Zoom portion of the program.
Please RSVP at [email protected]
Social Security & Medicare for Americans in the UK
Special Guest Jennifer Hershey (Federal Benefits Unit at the American Embassy)
Wednesday, November 30, 2022. 6:30pm via Zoom
Did you know that you may be eligible to receive Social Security and Medicare benefits as an American living in the UK?
Join us to hear Jennifer Hershey from the Federal Benefits Unit, based in the American Embassy in London, speak about Social Security and Medicare eligibility for people living abroad. She will also discuss Social Security Number policy, Medicare, and other federal benefits. If you are retired, disabled, a child of a retired or disabled U.S. parent, or a widow or widower, you might be eligible for additional benefits.
This event is free, even if you can’t attend the webinar, please RSVP since we’ll send a link to the recording out to everyone afterwards.
RSVP here: DAUK Tax Committee webinar on Social Security and Medicare
Political Book Club: The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher
Tuesday, December 13, 2022. 6:30pm via Zoom
The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World, by Max Fisher (2022).
“There’s no shortage of books lamenting the evils of social media, but what’s impressive here is how Fisher brings it all together: the breadth of information, covering everything from the intricacies of engagement-boosting algorithms to theories of sentimentalism, makes this a one-stop shop. It’s a well-researched, damning picture of just what happens online.” — Publishers Weekly
Now that Elon Musk has taken over Twitter, what further chaos awaits? Our first hour is a discussion of current events in the wake of the US midterms. Our second hour is a discussion of the book. Please RSVP to [email protected]
