News From the 10th Legislative District Democrats
June 2021
A Note from the Chair, John Amell
It feels good to be able to gather in person again and to go out and do stuff. Janet and I had 2 events at Camano Center last weekend. Saturday was an appreciation dinner for all of the volunteers for Camano Island Fire and Rescue's vaccination clinics. Sunday, we attended a friend's 90th birthday party.
We are looking to gathering with friends and family for Fourth of July celebrations. We have a lot to celebrate this year after what we've been thru. So, as long as you are vaccinated, go out there, have fun, and be safe.
Candidate filing week was May 17 -21 and we now have candidates to consider for a variety of seats on county councils, city councils, school boards, fire districts, ports, etc. Most of these races are non-partisan, but that doesn't mean that the people running are. It just makes it a little harder to identify the candidates that share our values. I will attempt to do so in the coming months. There is a primary election in August, but only for races with three or more candidates. Ballots drop July 16th for the August 3rd Primary. The general election is on November 2.
The exception to the non-partisan elections are the races for Snohomish County Council.
Juneteenth
The Annual Juneteenth Celebration (June 19, 2021) information is available on beloved4all.org/juneteenth2021. Subscribe for more information.
The NAACP invites everyone to have a look at the new hate map uploaded on their website.
The 10th LD will have a great Juneteenth speaker, Ray Miller, on June 26th. Our June Quarterly all membership meeting was originally scheduled for June 19th, but it has been rescheduled for June 26th due to a conflict with the Washington State Redistricting Commission's CD 2 outreach meeting, so I rescheduled.
From 1st Vice-Chair Alida Booth:
Dr Janice Greene, Chair of Snohomish County NAACP, asked Snohomish County Prosecutor Adam Cornell how the Marysville School District High School Student racial harassment incidents from December and January will be handled. He says they are going to be prosecuted as hate crimes.
A September date is being planned for the gala fundraiser at Angel of the Winds. It’s being planned as an in-person event.
NAACP National Convention is scheduled for July 14,2021.
A vaccine hesitancy commercial is being shot and people in the group were solicited to be in it.
Critical Race Theory: there is controversy about what is being taught in the schools. The NAACP would like everyone to contact their school districts to express concern that it could be eliminated from curricula . . . if it hasn’t already been.
List of local candidates of color:
Nicole Ng-A-Qui - Snohomish County Council position 1.
Brandy Donaghy - Snohomish County Council position 5.
Alicia Crank - Edmonds City Council
Louis Harris - Mukilteo City Council
Josh Binda - Lynnwood City Council
Shirley Sutton - Lynnwood City Council
Demi Chatters - Everett City Council
Joyce Copley - Lake Stevens City Council
Clarence Shaw - Marysville School Board
David Simpson - Port of Everett Commission
Contested races for 2021
Island County (Preferred Candidate in BOLD)
Position Name
Langley City Council - 1 Harolynne Bobis vs Kay Kenneweg
Langley City Council - 5 Scott Chaplin vs Tony L. Gill
Oak Harbor City Council - 4 Fe Mischo vs Dan Evans
Oak Harbor City Council - 5 Joel Servatius vs Shane Hoffmire
Oak Harbor City Council - 7 Andy Plumlee vs Bryan Stucky
Public Hospital Dist. Pos.1 Kurt S. Blakenship vs James D. Golder
Oak Harbor Schools Pos 4 Jessica Thompson vs John L Diamond
Oak Harbor Schools Pos 5 Jason Uemoto vs Eric Mann
Coupeville Schools Pos 2 Nancy Conrad vs Paul Rempa
Coupeville Schools Pos 5 Ward J. Sparacio vs Morgan White
South Whidbey Schools Pos 2 Andrea Downs vs Dawn Tarantino
South Whidbey Schools Pos 4 Marnie Jackson vs Farrah Manning Davis
South Whidbey Schools Pos 5 Ann M. Johnson vs Bree Kramer-Nelson
Stanwood-Camano School Dist. 1 Al Schreiber vs Gary Forslund vs Kevin Williams
Stanwood-Camano School Dist. 2 Charlotte Murry vs Samantha Smith vs Tracy Abuhl
Skagit County
La Conner Council Pos 2 John William Leaver vs Ivan Carlson
La Conner Council Pos 3 Bill Stokes vs Rick Dole
La Conner Council Pos 4 MaryLee Chamberlain vs Glen S. Johnson
Mt. Vernon Council at large Richard Brocksmith vs Larry M. Carpenter
Mt. Vernon Ward 1 Pos 1 Juan Morales vs Navor Tercero
Mt. Vernon Ward 1 Pos 2 Iris Carias vs Daniel Downs
Mt. Vernon Ward 2 Pos 2 Garrett Martin vs Gary Molenaar
Mt. Vernon Ward 3 Pos 2 Melissa Beaton vs Christopher L. Sadler
Snohomish County
Snohomish Co. Council Pos 1 Nicole Ng-A-Qui (D) vs Rich Yust (D) vs Nate Nehring (R)
Snohomish Co. Council Pos 5 Brandy Donaghy (D) vs Sam Low (R)
City of Stanwood Pos 1 Rob Johnson vs Dani Gaumond
City of Stanwood Pos 2 Marcus Metz vs Andreena Bergman
City of Stanwood Pos 3 Larry A. Sather vs Darren Robb
City of Stanwood Pos 7 Judy Williams vs Tim Schmitt
I know 2021 is an off-year election, but we really need to turn out voters in November. We have important races and we need to support clear-headed, reasonable people. The candidates we elect to city councils and school boards may go on to run for county and state positions in the future.
The Republican Party is also trying to field candidates in all races and have come up with some truly unqualified ones. But, that's just my opinion. Just so that you know what we are up against, I've included excerpts from two recent Skagit County Republicans newsletters. I did not edit these at all other than by deleting whole paragraphs for the sake of brevity. Let's go out and support our candidates that share our values. Hold onto your hats. It might get a little rough.
Skagit County Republicans Newsletter Excerpts
The catastrophic and unconstitutional 2021 WA State legislative session will go down in history as the most dangerous, destructive and damaging in our state's history.
State Democrats began by voting to ban "We the People" from the capitol campus and then banning the majority of elected representatives from the house and senate floor. Then Dems voted to EXPAND Jay Inslee's unconstitutional emergency powers. SCR 8402 bundles 26 emergency orders and extends them until the termination of the state of emergency abdicating the right of the legislature to weigh-in until he decides the emergency is over...which could be never.
Yes, King Inslee is keeping the Democrat Narrative / Covid 'emergency' going indefinitely, all the while using meaningless unscientific data to further the Democrat / Socialist agenda.
This is an unconstitutional transfer of legislative branch power to the executive branch, dismantling one of the elements of the constitution's protection of our liberty - the separation of powers.
With this, the Extreme Democrats in the legislature are doubling down, adding constitutional insult to injury, giving the governor unconstitutional arbitrary authority of what could be a permanent state of emergency. Most recently Inslee proclaimed that he is unilaterally moving Cowlitz, Pierce, Whitman and potentially other WA State counties back to Phase 2.
"It was the most radical agenda Washington has ever seen, and this was a dizzying session,” said LD 42 Sen. Doug Ericksen. Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview said, “It was as if the Seattle City Council got itself elected to the Legislature and decided the rest of the state should share in the benefits of chaos and dysfunction.” Sen. Padden said, “Taking all these bills together, this was a great session for economic development in Idaho and Montana.”
Inslee’s emergency powers have gone unchecked long enough, when will they end? Sen Doug Eriksen More Here
Democrats rolled out their $59 Billion operating budget and every House Republican opposed it in a 57-40 vote. State lawmakers, the public, and the media had only one day to read the information (more lack of transparency), state spending is egregious, includes moving money out of the rainy-day fund into a new account. Rep. Drew Stokesbary said “This budget will make our state less competitive, make our revenue less predictable, and ultimately hurts working families."
Democrats also passed an income tax on capital gains (the first in our state's history violating our state constitution and the will of the voters who have opposed it every time it has come up as a ballot measure). SB 5096 will levy a 7 % tax on certain assets and is totally unnecessary as hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs due to Inslee's lockdown measures, meanwhile state coffers are overflowing with tax collections.
The Maricopa County AZ Audit is confirming what we already knew, that Trump won that county and state by hundreds of thousands of votes. There are literally so many voting irregularities / anomalies and fraud it is hard to keep track. AZ Ballot Printing Company "Runbeck" Causing 11%+ ERROR RATE!
In Fulton County Georgia the forensic audit is exposing so much voter fraud that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is being asked to oversee the Georgia forensic analysis of 147,000 mail in ballots. So far there are 6 affidavits by veteran election officials who are saying up to 30,000 of the 147,000 mail in ballots are fake. Evidence includes #1 Counterfeit paper used for ballots. #2 Absentee ballots not folded #3 Same exact bubble mark for upwards of 30,000 ballots with 97% voting for Joe Biden and Jon Ossoff. #4 Mark made by a machine, not pen or pencil. Additionally the analysis of a random batch of 950 GA military mail-in ballots showed 100 percent went to Joe Biden (an impossibility). More Here
With all the widespread voter fraud being discovered and exposed via the Arizona, Georgia and New Hampshire audits, it is extremely concerning that our own WA State Secretary of State is undermining Election Integrity groups nationwide going on a national media blitz advocating for no third party audits in Maricopa County or anywhere else in the country. This despite the fact that the Arizona State Legislature called for the audit of Maricopa County in the first place, also both AZ and GA audits had court orders to do the audits because of all the evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 elections.
Labor Resource Group of the 10th LD
By Suzanne Woodard and Gary Kanter
The Labor Resource Group (LRG) of the 10th Legislative District was created to establish a visible presence for the numerous unions that work in the area and their members who live here.
Co-coordinators of the group are Suzanne Woodard (Whidbey) and Gary Kanter (Camano) both members of the 10th LD Democrats and union delegates to the Snohomish and Island County Labor Council (SICCLC).
Due to the toxic political environment, the LRG is not affiliated with a political party. Nor is it officially under the umbrella of the SICCLC. While we will work cooperatively with the Labor Council, our mission is to provide an opportunity for our Democratic organizations to actively support the labor community in our Legislative District and beyond.
Island County has a variety of unions representing a multiplicity of professions and trades, especially on Whidbey; many working at the Naval Base and its supporting industries. Our LD is also home to unionized employees of healthcare facilities, farms, supermarkets, school districts, and public agencies.
Organized labor has been the catalyst for economic advancement in this country for over 100 years. The end of child labor, the five-day work week, the eight-hour day, weekends, sick pay, and vacation leave along with worker safety and protections we all enjoy are the products of union members fighting, and sometimes dying, so we all may live increasingly better lives.
When unions successfully collectively bargain with an employer, it increases the slice of the pie for not just their members, but non-members as well. Non-unionized organizations are often compelled to offer higher wages and benefits in order to compete.
Surveys have shown that the current generation of new workers are enthusiastic about unions as the last bastion of defense against the aggressive stance of corporations squeezing labor costs by gutting all the hard-earned progress won by unions…all for the sake of CEO bonuses and additional shareholder profits. The fight is ongoing.
The Democratic Party, beginning with The New Deal has traditionally been the party of labor. Unfortunately, this relationship has frayed due to the undue corporate influence and the unfortunate associations and conduct of many past labor leaders. The Vietnam War further exacerbated the schism with images of hardhat construction workers attacking demonstrators, passively, if not actively, cheered on by many union officials.
That was then, this is now.
As both advocates of working people, let us renew our vows to stand together as a family. We will stay abreast of labor issues in our community and call upon our friends and neighbors (union members or not) to stand in solidarity.
“Out of our first century of national life we evolved the ethical principle that it was not right or just that an honest and industrious man should live and die in misery. He was entitled to some degree of sympathy and security. Our conscience declared against the honest workman’s becoming a pauper, but our eyes told us that he very often did.” Frances Perkins
A Message from Dave Paul
10th LD State Representative
Dear friends,
I’ve spoken to so many of you about how the COVID-19 pandemic and recession affected you, your family, and our community. From the earliest days of the pandemic, I worked with local and state leaders to address the health crisis—and to help workers and businesses recover from the recession.
This past Legislative Session, I focused on policies that would promote an equitable economic recovery and better ensure that all members of our community can prosper. For example, I secured funding for youth mental health services in our community. I co-sponsored legislation that will help bring manufacturing jobs to communities like ours—and double the number of manufacturing businesses owned by women and minorities.
As we work to make our state a better place to live, we need leaders who listen and champion policies that matter most to their communities, like green manufacturing, broadband, and rural healthcare.
My race will be the #1 target of the House Republicans who desperately want to flip this seat—and rollback the good work we have done over the last three years.
I’ll be resuming in-person, outside events this summer. I’ll also be building our re-election campaign team. Please email me at [email protected] if you would like to learn more about future events, host a fundraising event this summer, or would like to help with our grassroots campaign.
Thank you for your support, and thanks for all you do to support our community.
As always, it is an honor to serve as your representative.
Sincerely,
Dave
A Note from Janet St. Clair
Island County Commissioner District 3
As spring turns to summer and we see the pandemic crisis begin to recede, it has enabled local government officials the opportunity to refocus on issues of importance. For me, I look for systemic issues that will benefit a broad base of constituents and when possible, have multiple, intersectional benefits.
- I continue to focus on access to healthcare and equity in healthcare delivery. We are not yet done with COVID and while we celebrate our successes and review what could be improved, I am watching data recognizing we still have disparities in vaccine delivery for certain communities of color and in economic recovery. Strategies of “person-centered healthcare” include going where those communities live, work and play so we can do outreach appropriate to their lives. This is an ongoing topic of our Board of Health. We will also need to target economic recovery investments to populations or sectors most impacted by the pandemic.
- I am excited to report that the Island County Board of County Commissioners approved use of our Rural Economic Development Fund to contract for project management for Broadband development in Island County. Through the development of key relationships with local internet providers in our region and especially with our incumbent providers Whidbey Telecom and Ziply Fiber (formerly Frontier) we have already seen investments in Island County to improve broadband and are working with the State Office of Broadband to prioritize projects in our community for future investments.
- Addressing storm water runoff, forest practices and shoreline protections is work I began in 2019 and had to set aside during the crisis. It is good to pick up those issues and recognize the threats to property and public infrastructure from increased flooding while also keeping close in mind the importance of protecting our rural nature and protecting against runoff that threatens critical habitat. I’m proud to represent Island County on the Salmon Recovery Council and look forward to participating in the Ecosystem Coordination Board for Puget Sound Partnership.
I invite you to participate in my monthly Town Hall meetings and bring your questions. Our next Town Hall is July 22 and I will be introducing our new Island County Assessor, Bernie Upchurch. We will talk about property assessments and how that translates to property tax and where those investments go. Email me at [email protected] to get signed up for my notices and you will receive information for the Town Halls. This will be my first hybrid Town Hall with in-person and remote access options.
Janet
A Note from Melanie Bacon
Island County Commissioner District 1
Melanie
10th LD Democrats June Quarterly Membership Meeting
This meeting will be on June 26th at 10:30 AM. Anyone may attend, but voting is limited to members in good standing (for resolutions) and elected PCOs (for bylaw amendments). Here is a link to register for the meeting. This may be our last Quarterly Meeting on Zoom. We may actually meet in person in September. Click Here to register for this meeting in advance
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Resolution on eliminating the filibuster will be voted on at the next general or special meeting. CLICK HERE to view
Washington State Redistricting Commission
Washington State’s once every decade process of redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries is underway and the commission is meeting regularly. We have 49 legislative districts that each elect two state House members and one state senator. Every 10 years those legislators get a larger number of constituents. When the lines were drawn in 2011, a district held about 137,200 people. This year, based on the most recent population estimates, they’ll contain about 157,000 people.
The four appointed commissioners – one each named by the leader of a legislative caucus – will rearrange the state’s 10 congressional districts and 49 legislative districts to reflect changes in population that will show up in the 2020 Census. Brady Walkinshaw and April Sims were appointed by the Democrats and Joe Fain and Paul Graves were appointed by the Republicans. Sarah Augustine was elected by the four commissioners as the non-voting chair. They are meeting virtually for now. If you would like more information, past meetings are available for viewing as are agendas, minutes, and schedule of upcoming meetings, visit redistricting.wa.gov/meetings.
The final census numbers aren’t available yet, but based on preliminary estimates, Washington didn’t grow enough to get an additional congressional seat, as it did in 2010, 1990 and 1980. But the population growth in Western Washington has outpaced Eastern Washington.
2020 Census data should be available in mid-August. Redrawing our Congressional and Legislative District Maps can then really begin. In the meantime, the commission is conducting a series of public comment meetings. Each congressional district has a separate meeting. CD 1 took place on June 5th. If you missed it, you can watch the recording on their website at: http://redistricting.wa.gov. Our CD 2 public comment meeting is now scheduled for June 22 at 6:00 pm. If you would like to testify, you may register for the meeting on the same website. You do not need to register to attend the meeting, only if you wish to speak.
I am registered to speak and if you would like to as well, let's coordinate so that we have a coherent message. Contact me at: [email protected]. There will be a second round of public input in July and August.
The redistricting committee's website will have a map drawing app soon.
New Opportunities for Precinct Committee Officers
Island County recently split most of their 48 precincts in two resulting in 87 precincts going forward. Whidbey Island has 66 precincts and Camano Island has 21. No changes were made to Commissioner District boundaries. Given that we have 39 new precincts, we need 39 new PCOs. Below is a link to precinct information in Island County. There were no changes in Snohomish County or Skagit County.
Island County Precinct Information
Being a Precinct Committee Officer (PCO) is one of the most important roles in our party. As a PCO, you are on the front lines of winning elections up and down the ballot – from the School Board to the Senate. Here’s what PCOs do:
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PCOs are the main point of information and contact for voters in your neighborhood and within the Democratic Party.
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PCOs are also a central part of their local Democratic organization. They elect Party leadership, help fill vacancies in elected office, and lead their precinct caucus every two years.
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Becoming a PCO is one of the most important roles you can play in helping Democrats win up and down the ballot in your area.
For more information, check out our PCO Handbook in English and our PCO Handbook in Spanish.
PCOs are elected in even numbered years. If there’s no Democratic PCO in your precinct, your local Democratic party can appoint you.
Email [email protected] for more information on becoming a PCO.
2021 Election Calendar
July 16 - Primary Election Ballots Drop
Aug 3 - Primary Election
Oct 15 - General Election Ballots Drop
Nov 2 - General Election
Events Calendar
June 17-Camano Island Democrats General Meeting on Thursday at 7 PM to 9PM. Zoom - Join Zoom Meeting
June 19-Juneteenth Celebration offered by the Snohomish County NAACP’’ Saturday. Information is available by subscription on their website and at: beloved4all.org/juneteenth2021.
June 22 - Redistricting Commission 2nd CD Public Comment meeting on Tuesday at 6:00 to 7:30 PM. Zoom webinar and Youtube. If you wish to comment, you must register by 3 PM. More information and links are available at redistricting.wa.gov.
June 22 - Snohomish County NAACP General Meeting on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
June 22 - Pride Lives Here: Voices of the LGBTQIA+ Community on Tuesday 12PM to 1PM. Via Zoom and streamed on Facebook. Click Here to register.
June 26-10th LD Democrats Quarterly Membership meeting at 10:30 am on Zoom (maybe our last Zoom quarterly meeting). This meeting was rescheduled because of the Redistricting meeting conflict for June 19). Register in advance for this meeting: Click Here
June 26-Votebuilder training for all Skagit County PCOs offered by Skagit County Democrats. 4PM. PCOs should have already received login information. For questions contact [email protected] or [email protected]. There will be a 30 minute refresher for experienced PCOs.
July 1 - Island County Democrats E-Board meeting. Thursday at 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
July 4 - Oak Harbor Parade 9:30 - 11:00 am Windjammer Park
July 5-Snohomish County Democrats Executive Board Monthly Meeting. Monday at 6:45 to 8:45 PM via Zoom. Link to sign up on calendar of the Snohomish County Dems website.
July 10-Skagit County Democrats will meet consider candidate certifications and endorsements. Because all current races are nonpartisan, all candidates (including incumbents) must submit a request to be considered. Saturday at 10 AM to 12 PM. Skagit County Democrats office, 300 S 1st St A, Mt. Vernon.
July 15-Camano Island Democrats General Meeting on Thursday at 7 PM to 9PM. Maybe Zoom, maybe at Sno-Isle Library 848 N Sunrise Blvd, Camano Is.
July 17-10th LD Democrats E-Board Meeting on Saturday at 10:30 AM on Zoom.
July 21-Northwest Washington CLC, AFL-CIO on Wednesday at 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. 1700 N. State St, #202, Bellingham. For questions call 360 676 0099.
ANNOUNCEMENTS and Other Items of Note
The Stanwood Planning Commission reports that State Highway 532 might be considered for designation as a “state significant highway”. Because it is a state highway, changes and improvements must be planned by the state. One idea being discussed is to add roundabouts on some of the intersections where the traffic gets bogged down.
Snohomish County Democrats held a marathon endorsement meeting on May 23 starting at 1PM and lasting past 9:45PM.
Listen to Speak Up! Speak Out! Radio
Listen to Speak Up! Speak Out! - a half hour weekly radio show committed to community, peace, justice, and non-violence issues. The show airs on Community Radio stations (times subject to change) - KSVR 91.7 FM (Skagit Valley College), Wednesdays 5:00pm, rebroadcast Sundays 8:00pm; KSVU 90.1 FM, Hamilton, Sundays 8:00pm and Thursdays 8:00am; and KMRE 102.3 FM, Bellingham, Sundays 11:00am and Wednesdays 7:30am. Our shows are available online. Stream or download a show anytime at http://speakupspeakoutradio.org/.
Membership in the 10th LD Democrats Organization
The 10th LD has regular general membership meetings every quarter. During those meetings elected and appointed PCOs and members in good standing have the opportunity to participate and be heard. All members get to vote on things like candidate endorsements, resolutions, and other business of the organization. Their decisions shall guide the Executive Board in the conduct of the affairs of the District.
So, you might ask, how does one become a member in good standing? Well, the answer is simple. Our by-laws say that membership is open to all persons who are registered voters, residing within the 10th Legislative District (there is a map on the website) and who publicly identify as Democrats. Upon payment of dues and after a 14-day waiting period, any eligible voter professing to be a Democrat, becomes a member in good standing and will be granted voting rights at the next general meeting. Annual dues are $20 per person or $30 per family, and can be paid by clicking on the “Donate" button on this newsletter or on the website (link below). If you pay on-line, anyone who donates at least $20 will be recognized as having paid dues. You can also mail a check to 10th LD Democrats 300A - 1st Street, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, or pay at a meeting when we can actually meet in person again. Do pay attention to the 14-day waiting period for voting privileges. Our by-laws also say that no individual who suffers economic hardship shall be denied membership. Just ask. Most of us have been there at some point in our lives.
The dues that you pay support the organization in several ways. It allows us to financially support endorsed candidates. It pays for venues for fundraisers and forums where we get to hear from our candidates. It also pays for outreach like ads in newspapers informing the public of upcoming meetings.
If you were a member last year and have not yet paid your dues for 2021, your membership will have expired on March 1, which means that you will not be able to vote in 10th LD business. The next opportunity for a general membership vote will be for candidate endorsement in this year's elections. Something may come up earlier, but nothing is planned.
If you're not sure you want to continue with your membership, please note that nothing happens if you don't renew other than loss of voting rights. You will still get the 10th LD Newsletter if you are signed up for that and of course, you are welcome to attend quarterly meetings and E-Board meetings if you desire. If you do choose to renew your membership, you may pay your dues anytime online via a "Donate" link on the website (link below) or from the link on this newsletter.
If you think you have already paid dues since Dec 1, 2020, please email [email protected] and we can figure it out.
Thank you all for your support.
Links to other local Democratic organizations:
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Washington State Democrats
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Snohomish County Democrats
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Skagit County Democrats
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Island County Democrats
Please donate to the 10th LD Democrats
Your donations help to support our candidates, educate our voters, and engage our communities. It's super easy to give. Dues are $20 to become a member or $30 per couple/family. All members can vote at general meetings with a few exceptions.
Thanks for your support,
John Amell
Chair - 10th LD Democrats Website link: https://www.10thlddemocrats.org/