April 2023 Newsletter

NEWS FROM CHAIR DAVID GLIDDEN

Amazingly, we have just passed 100 days since the amazing people elected in 2022 were sworn into office. In this time Democrats have moved forward major climate change legislation, Treasurer Pieciak has worked to ensure a stable financial future for Vermonters lacking access to a workplace retirement plan, and Secretary Copeland-Hanzas has begun her campaign on civic and voter education. Democrats are not slowing down on delivering for Vermont communities.

We are excited to celebrate many of our wins and build for our future at the 24th annual Curtis-Hoff Awards on May 12th. This annual event celebrates the legacies of Governor Phil Hoff and Chair David Curtis. I cannot think of better legacies to be celebrating at this time. Chair Curtis led with courage; his congressional testimony as a public official living with AIDS helped ensure funding for services for people living with HIV/AIDS in rural communities. Governor Hoff’s value based leadership helped shape Vermont through such critical programs as the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. In these polarized times such fearless leadership is needed more than ever.

As part of Vermont Democrat’s commitment to this fearless leadership, we are proud to have Senator Machaela Cavanaugh as our keynote speaker. Senator Cavanaugh has spoken for up to 12 hours every day on the Nebraska Senate floor to block Nebraska Republicans' attempt to strip trans people of their rights to healthcare. Her courageous stand against the GOP’s continued attempts to control people's bodies is part of Democrats continued fearless leadership across this country. RSVP to the Curtis-Hoff Awards Dinner here.

UPDATE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION 2024: Chicago Here We Come!

Preparation for the 2024 Presidential election is well underway. That work is occurring at the national level, where the DNC announced recently that the convention would be held in Chicago from August 17-24 2024; and here in Vermont, where the VDP rolled out our official Delegate Selection Plan.

The plan (which you can find here) walks through the process by which Vermont’s 24 delegates are chosen for the convention, but here’s a brief summary:

March 5, 2024: Vermont’s Presidential Primary occurs. Any presidential candidate who receives more than 15% of the vote in the primary will be eligible to receive a proportion of our delegates.

Mid-April, 2024: Town caucuses occur to choose delegates to the Vermont State Democratic Convention.

May 3, 2024: Anyone wishing to be a delegate must submit a statement of candidacy (the form is in the plan, don’t worry) to the VDP by this day to be eligible.

May 19, 2024: The State Convention! Democratic delegates from around the state, chosen by their town caucuses, get together to choose 13 of our 24 delegates - 11 District-level delegates, and our DNC Committeeman and Committeewoman.

May 23, 2024: Anyone who wasn’t chosen at the convention but still wishes to be a delegate may apply to be an at-large delegate, an alternate, or a Party Leader/Elected Official delegate (if they are a party leader or elected official). Those wishing to do so must submit a statement of candidacy to the VDP by this day to be eligible.

June 1, 2024: District-level delegates meet to select PLEO and at-large delegates, and alternates.

August 17, 2024: We all go to Chicago and have a great time.

There’s more to it, but we’re going to help you understand it. Our Affirmative Action Committee, headed by the wonderful Esther Charlestin of Middlebury, will be talking to Vermonters all over the state about the process to become a delegate, and how to join your town and county committee to make sure you’ve got the relationships to win that campaign. Stay tuned for more.

TRAININGS TRAININGS TRAININGS

The Vermont Democratic Party, together with the DNC Best Practices Institute, are excited to announce the launch of our 2023 Train the Trainer (T3) Webinar Training Program!

T3 is a free six-week, twelve-part webinar course, covering several aspects of grassroots campaigning. This program seeks to expand the skills of progressive activists and volunteers, by ensuring that comprehensive training is free and accessible for Democrats all over the country.

T3 training is held every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET, from May 16, 2023, through June 22, 2023. The deadline to register is May 14, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET.

Participants must complete all twelve sessions in order to receive certification. All training sessions will include a skills test to track retention and participation. Training will be recorded and made available following each session via a weekly wrap-up email, delivered on Fridays, so participants may still complete the program, even if they are unable to attend the live session.

CLICK HERE to submit your registration for the 2023 T3 Training Program! Registration will close at 11:59 p.m. ET, on May 14, 2023.

And don’t forget! VDP staff all have office hours to answer your questions about any town committee work, campaign thoughts, or general improvement suggestions. Make sure you check out the events calendar down below for more information.

UPDATE FROM THE HOUSE The House Democrats have been working tirelessly to pass major legislation since early March. As in the Senate, each committee was flooded with legislation due to the crossover deadline. Here are some of the bills that passed the House:

• The most generous Paid Family and Medical Leave Program in the country.

• Universal School Meals: Ensuring that all Vermont students are guaranteed meals at school, regardless of their parents income.

• Expanding Vermont’s beloved Bottle Redemption Program to include almost all beverage containers.

• Creating a Rental Registry to make it easier for the State to hold housing providers accountable.

Now, with the Senate passing their bills to the House, House Democrats are taking up even more priorities:

• The Affordable Heat Act, or S.5, is expected to have a floor vote in the coming weeks.

• S.100 - a bill that will increase the availability of affordable housing - is expected to be voted on the floor in the next few days.

In addition, the House Democrats are excited to have their new House Caucus Director, Liam O’Sullivan. Liam and House leadership are working hard to get the ball rolling on recruiting candidates, reaching out to constituents, and prepping members of the House for a major election year in 2024.

UPDATE FROM THE SENATE

The Senate Democratic Caucus has been incredibly busy over the last few weeks giving final approval to bills after Crossover, and receiving bills from the House and assigning them to the appropriate committees. Some of the most important bills the Senate passed included legislation around affordable housing, reproductive healthcare protections, carbon divestment, and childcare. The Senate has also passed many other important bills ranging from ranked choice voting to the VT Saves retirement savings program.

Additionally, the Caucus has also been working to expand its constituent outreach with the help of its new Senate Caucus Director in order to hear from voters on these big issues. So far, both virtual and in-person town hall meetings have been organized with the Washington and Windsor Senate District delegations, and these meetings will continue to be organized across the state in the other Senate Districts.

COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE

Exciting news out of the Comms Department is that, starting soon, there will be regular training on how to build a website, make social media accounts, and set up any other communications tools you might need when running for office or working with your town and county Democrats! Be on the lookout for a follow up email with training dates and sign up links.

I want to thank everyone who came to our meet & greet in Johnson last week! It was amazing to have so many wonderful and dedicated people show up and share with us their hopes and goals for the party and their towns. And special thanks to Jenna’s Promise for allowing us to use their beautiful space for the afternoon.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, you can always hop on comms office hours or email ebowers@vtdemocrats.org!

DATA UPDATE In case you have not heard, all town and county committees qualify for free access to VAN. If you would like to get access, email me at klapp@vtdemocrats.org. This role is also not limited to chairs, so if there is someone in your committee or community who would be interested, I would love to connect and get folks trained up! As always, you can also find me on our mobilize for training and office hours weekly.

EVENTS CALENDAR Wednesday, April 19: DEM Club Only Legislative Briefing with Senate and House Leadership 5:30PM Wednesday, April 19: Washington County Senators Town Hall 7:00 PM Friday, May 12: Curtis-Hoff Leadership Awards Dinner & Chair's Reception at UVM 6:00 PM Saturday, May 20: VDP State Committee Meeting 9:00 AM Sunday, June 25: Southern Vermont Celebration at Wilburton Inn in Manchester 4:00 PM Votebuilder 101: Tuesdays 5:30 PM Votebuilder 102: Wednesdays 5:30 PM Communications Director Office Hours: Thursdays 2:00 PM Executive Director Office Hours: Mondays 8:30 AM Finance Director Office Hours: Every other Tuesday 4:30 PM