DAJ Newsletter September 2014

Democrats Abroad Japan
Newsletter Title
SEPTEMBER 2014
VOLUME 2014, ISSUE 3
DAJ ANNOUNCES NEW PRECINCT CAPTAINS
Precinct Captain Strategy Meeting Held to Kick Off the Program
By Tom Schmid
Secretary, DAJ
After holding a Precinct
Captain Strategy Meeting on August 2, 2014,
DAJ announced the appointment of eight precinct captains across
Japan. Since that announcement, DAJ has
appointed another precinct captain, raising the
total to nine.
The new precinct captains are:
Eric Bossieux
Linda Crawford
Cindy Heinberg
Jeff Keays
David Littleboy
Sarajean Rossitto
Tom Schmid
Jenise Treuting
Terrance Young
DAJ’s nine precinct captains are operating in ten
prefectures plus Tokyo.
These include Ibaraki,
Gunma, Shizuoka, and
the prefectures within
Kansai. Within Tokyo,
precinct captains have
been appointed for six
wards: Minato, Ota, Setagaya, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Suginami.
During the weeks leading up to the election,
DAJ members living
within these precincts
should expect to receive
telephone calls or other
forms of communication
from precinct captains.
As previously reported,
precinct captains are
grass-roots-level organizers that serve as direct
links between Democrats
Abroad Japan and the
mem ber and non member American citizens living within the
precinct.
As the 2014 Midterm
Elections draw closer,
DAJ has increased its
efforts to register voters
and engage DAJ members in the organization’s
activities. It is hoped
that the Precinct Captain
Program will be instrumental in maintaining
the vitality of the DAJ
community during election years and off years.
P RECINCT
C APTAIN
STRATEGY MEETING
The Democrats Abroad
Japan Precinct Captain
(Cont’d on page 3)
DAJ GOTV EFFORTS AT NATIONAL AZABU
Since July 5, DAJ has
been staffing a voter
registration table at National Azabu Supermarket in Hiro-o, Tokyo.
Eight volunteers have
taken turns handing out
Vot eFr om Abr oa d. org
cards, reminding US
citizens to request their
ballots for the 2014 MidTerm Election.
During the ten Saturdays
of the GOTV effort, our
volunteers have made
contact with over 110
potential voters, most of
whom were not members
of DAJ and were unfamiliar with the process of
voting from abroad.
DAJ volunteer, Tracy
Silvasti, overseeing the
voter registration table at
Nat’l Azabu Supermarket in
Hiro-o, Tokyo.
DAJ would like to thank
the Store Manager of
National Azabu, Dale
Toriumi, for the opportunity to set up our
GOTV operation at his
store. National Azabu is
selected as the site for
the effort because it
stocks a wide selection
of American and over-
Copyright © 2014 by Democrats Abroad Japan; All rights reserved.
DAJ WINE AND
JAZZ FUNDRAISER!
See
the
Chair’s
Message on
page 2 for
more information on
how to join
the event
on OCT. 10.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Chair’s Message
2
Women’s Web Caucus
3
Absentee Voting Guide
4
State Reg. Deadlines
5
State Reg. Instructions
6
Disclaimer/Legal
7
Schedule of Events
7
seas products that that
draw in American customers.
The voter registration
table has been staffed
each Saturday from 3-5
P.M. If you are interested
in volunteering for one
of our remaining Saturdays in September,
please contact Mike
Stensrud:
[email protected]
Democrats Abroad Japan
SEPTEMBER 2014
VOLUME 2014, ISSUE 3
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
The Mid-Term Election & Beyond
By Mike Stensrud
Chair, DAJ
[email protected]
It has been an active
summer for DAJ. We
have been busy with GetOut-The-Vote (GOTV)
activities. These activities included sending
VoteFromAbroad.org
(VFA) postcards to the
more than 2,000 members for whom we
have physical addresses,
running a weekly voter
assistance table at National Azabu Supermarket in Tokyo, and distributing VFA cards to
newly arrived JET teachers at the Keio Plaza
Hotel. We also held a
meeting with volunteers
for our promising Precinct Captains initiative
spearheaded by DAJ
Secretary Tom Schmid.
Due to the looming deadlines for requesting your
ballot, our GOTV activities for the mid-term
elections will basically
be over by the end of
September. After that,
we will turn our attention
t o p r e p a r i n g for
2016. Part of the reason
we sent out the postcards
to the members is to get
a handle on our membership.
We know that
some members have left
Japan, and that some
have moved and have not
updated their details in
the database. We also
know that some members no longer use the email address that they
originally registered
when becoming a DAJ
member.
We’ll be using the returned postcards as a
basis for following up
with members who may
still be in Japan. At the
end of the process, we
hope to have a cleaner
database that can be used
more effectively for
helping get out the
American vote.
WINE, WINNING AND
ALL THAT JAZZ
We also aim to replenish
the DAJ bank account as
we transition to preparation for 2016. In that
spirit, we’ll be holding a
Wine, Winning and All
That Jazz music event in
Tokyo on October 10.
(19:00~22:00).
The entertainment will
be arranged & provided
by DAJ member April
Perkinson, a two time
graduate of the Berklee
College for Music, who
will be joined by DAJ
member David Littleboy
on guitar and Brazilian
sax
p l a ye r
Gustavo. Wine will be donated by DAJ member
and former Treasurer
Bill Campbell as well as
Michael Scott.
There
will also be finger foods.
Space is limited so
p l ease
RSVP
to DAJ.Jazzandwine@g
mail.com and pay by
October 1 to the DAJ
account to enjoy the low
rate of JPY4,000. After
Oct. 1 the cost increases
to JPY5,000 or, if you
purchase your ticket at
the door (and if we have
space!), JPY6,000.
Pl ea se not e, n on American partners are
welcome to the event,
but payments MUST be
made by an American. I
hope to see many people
there! It will be an enjoyable evening, a good
chance to meet other
Americans who care
about the future of our
country and a fun way to
raise money for DAJ.
DA GERMANY
OKTOBERFEST
You can see the event
page at:
https://www.facebook.com/
events/827333407306736/
InMunich on October 5th
(click ad for details)
2
Democrats Abroad Japan
SEPTEMBER 2014
VOLUME 2014, ISSUE 3
ANNOUNCING A WEB “CAUCUS” WITH FOCUS ON 2014 MIDTERM ELECTIONS
“Womenwillvote” encourages women (men not excluded)
to commit to vote in the midterm elections.
By Gloria Ishida
Vice-Chair, DAJ
The Nineteenth Amendment to the American
Constitution, after a long
labor, was ratified on
August 18, 1920, and
formally adopted into the
Constitution eight days
later. There are two simply stated sections.
“The right of citizens of
the United States to vote
shall not be denied or
abridged by the United
States or by any State on
account of sex” and
“Congress shall have
power to enforce this
article by appropriate
legislation.”
Congress could never
easily take away this
right, but the Republican
arm continues to block
legislation that affirms
various rights of women,
and by extension, their
PRECINCT CAPTAINS
(Cont’d from page 1)
Strategy Meeting was
held from 11:30 AM to
1:30 PM on August 2,
2014 at the Wesley Center in Tokyo, Japan. The
purpose of the meeting
was to introduce the
precinct concept, to
identify strategic issues
and best practices for the
program, and to build
consensus between the
DAJ Executive Committee and DAJ Precinct
Captains regarding the
families. Additionally,
some states, without a
word from the Republican House, are intent on
ignoring the second section. The ID requirements of several states
are so stringent that
women, minorities and
others could be disenfranchised. This affects
the livelihood and freedom of women individually, and inclusively of
our whole nation.
groups. The chair gave
me the responsibility to
do this for a Women’s
Caucus. Input was asked
for in the April DAJ
newsletter and on the
DAJ Facebook page.
Frankly, there was little
response. It seems necessary to consider how to
initiate such a sharing of
ideas and action, taking
into consideration the
time and work constraints of DAJ members.
Whether we are in Japan
long or short term, it is
important for us to keep
up to date on issues and
exercise our right to vote
for those candidates who
will intelligently address
women’s issues.
Linda Gould, our DAJ
Treasurer, came up with
the idea of creating an
independent website that,
while incorporating the
caucus idea, would reach
even a wider range of
women. With suggestions from some DAJ
women and several others, here is the result.
Members at the general
meeting last November
passed the motion to
look into the feasibility
of establishing caucus
implementation of the
program.
DAJ Secretary Tom
Schmid presented on
precinct captain programs in the United
States and outlined a
number of strategic and
practical considerations
for the group to discuss.
Additionally, member
Sarajean Rossitto presented on the need to
strengthen the DAJ
community in election
years as well as off
years.
3
“Womenwillvote”
encourages women (men
not excluded) to commit
to vote in the midterm
elections.
It
covers
women’s issues including informative links,
state voting information,
registering
using
VoteFromAbroad, and a
blog that invites personal
experience and opinion,
and much more.
While it is not a DAJ
sponsored website and is
one that is non-partisan
(as is VoteFromAbroad
technically), please use it
and encourage others to
do so.
Thank you, Linda, for
this excellent website.
http://womenwillvote.weebly.
com/
During the meeting,
which was also attended
by DAJ Chair Mike
Stensrud, the precinct
captains discussed the
purpose of the program,
the precinct captain selection process, reporting
and oversight, data privacy, and a number of
pr op os ed pr e ci n ct captain best practices.
Drawing inspiration from
the DAJ program, DA
Germany is now implementing a precinct captain program. As more
DA chapters embrace the
program, information
sharing and collaboration
between chapters is expected to lead to the
adoption of best practices.
The six-page report of
the Strategy Meeting is
available at:
DAJ is looking to expand
its Precinct Captain Program, and all interested
volunteers are requested
to contact Tom Schmid:
https://www.democratsabroad.org/
group/japan/report-daj -precinctcaptain-strategy-meeting.
[email protected].
Democrats Abroad Japan
SEPTEMBER 2014
VOLUME 2014, ISSUE 3
ABSENTEE VOTING GUIDE
NEWLY APPOINTED
PRECINCT CAPTAINS
How do you vote absentee?
There are four steps to voting absentee in the November
4, 2014 General Election. The following mailing dates
are recommended by the United States Federal Voter
Assistance Program.
How often should you complete the Federal Post
Card Application (FPCA)?
Submit a new FPCA in January of each year and whenever you change your mailing address. In most States
and territories, the same FPCA can be used to request
ballots for both the primary and general elections.
ACTION
1.
Register and request an absentee ballot using the Federal Post
Card Application (FPCA).
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WOULD
LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE
FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS FOR
VOLUNTEERING TO SERVE AS
DAJ PRECINCT CAPTAINS
Eric Bossieux
SETAGAYA-KU
Linda Crawford
KANSAI & KYOTO
DATE
by your state’s
deadline
Cindy Heinberg
IBARAKI
DAJ recommends using the
VotefromAbroad.org website.
2.
3.
4.
Receive your absentee ballot
from your State election office.
Election offices must mail ballots by September 20, 2014 (45
days before the election).
by Oct. 7, 2014
Jeff Keays
GUNMA
David Littleboy
SHINJUKU-KU
Return your voted ballot to
your State in time for it to arrive by Election Day.
If you are overseas or on a deployed naval vessel.
by Oct. 7, 2014
If you are a stateside Uniformed Service member or family member.
by Oct. 28, 2014
Ensure your vote is counted.
If you have not received your
requested ballot, use the Federal
Write-In Absentee Ballot
(FWAB).
by Oct. 4, 2014
Sarajean Rossitto
MINATO-KU & SHIZUOKA
Tom Schmid
SUGINAMI-KU
Jenise Treuting
SHIBUYA-KU
Source: Federal Voting Assistance Program, Voting
Assistance Guide 2014-2015. Note that the Guide recommends submitting ballot requests by August 1, 2014, but
there is still time to submit your request. (Click here to
download the guide in PDF format.)
4
Terrance Young
SHIBUYA-KU & OTA-KU
Democrats Abroad Japan
SEPTEMBER 2014
VOLUME 2014, ISSUE 3
2014 GENERAL ELECTION
S TATE R EGISTRATION D EADLINES
State/Territory
Registration Ballot Request Postmarked Received
Time
Alabama
Alaska
24-Oct
5-Oct
30-Oct
25-Oct
3-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
19-Nov
12 pm
n/a
American Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Guam
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
6-Oct
4-Nov
6-Oct
20-Oct
4-Nov
3-Nov
20-Oct
6-Oct
6-Oct
6-Oct
24-Oct
6-Oct
10-Oct
n/a*
27-Oct
n/a
14-Oct
6-Oct
6-Oct
n/a
14-Oct
n/a
6-Oct
n/a
25-Oct
7-Oct*
4-Nov
17-Oct
14-Oct
4-Nov
31-Oct
7-Oct
10-Oct
3-Nov
n/a
4-Nov
10-Oct
20-Oct
4-Nov
28-Oct
28-Oct
28-Oct
4-Nov
31-Oct
28-Oct
29-Oct
31-Oct
1-Nov
28-Oct
29-Oct
27-Oct
27-Oct
31-Oct
4-Nov
28-Oct
3-Nov
n/a
28-Oct
3-Nov
1-Nov
n/a
n/a
29-Oct
4-Nov
29-Oct
28-Oct
3-Nov
31-Oct
31-Oct
28-Oct
3-Nov
3-Nov
1-Nov
29-Oct
n/a
n/a
4-Nov
n/a
4-Nov
n/a
n/a
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
n/a
n/a
n/a
3-Nov
4-Nov
3-Nov
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
4-Nov
4-Nov
n/a
n/a
n/a
3-Nov
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
3-Nov
n/a
3-Nov
3-Nov*
n/a
4-Nov
4-Nov
14-Nov
4-Nov
12-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
14-Nov
14-Nov
7-Nov
14-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
18-Nov
14-Nov
10-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
14-Nov
14-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
7-Nov*
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
17-Nov
13-Nov
10-Nov
14-Nov
4-Nov
n/a
7 pm
5 pm
8 pm
n/a
n/a
8 pm
n/a
n/a
n/a
5 pm
n/a
8 pm
n/a
12 pm
12 pm
n/a
6 pm
n/a
8 pm
10 am
5 pm
8 pm
n/a
7 pm
12 pm*
8 pm
7 pm
7 pm
5 pm
8 pm
7 pm
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
7 pm
5
Democrats Abroad Japan
SEPTEMBER 2014
VOLUME 2014, ISSUE 3
2014 GENERAL ELECTION
S TATE R EGISTRATION D EADLINES
State/Territory
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Registration Ballot Request Postmarked Received
14-Oct
30-Oct
n/a
4-Nov
6-Oct
3-Nov
3-Nov
12-Nov
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
14-Oct
n/a
4-Nov
4-Oct
3-Nov
n/a
4-Nov
20-Oct
3-Nov
n/a
4-Nov
28-Oct
28-Oct
n/a
4-Nov
6-Oct
28-Oct
4-Nov
10-Nov
7-Oct
31-Oct
n/a
3-Nov
29-Oct
3-Nov
n/a
4-Nov
TBD
TBD
4-Nov
14-Nov
14-Oct
28-Oct
n/a
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
4-Nov
24-Nov
14-Oct
29-Oct
n/a
10-Nov
15-Oct
30-Oct
4-Nov
4-Nov
20-Oct
3-Nov
n/a
4-Nov
Time
8 pm
n/a
n/a
8 pm
7 pm
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
7 pm
n/a
INSTRUCTIONS
These instructions are intended to clarify certain column headings that are used in the table above. All information was
taken from the Voting Assistance Guide 2014-2015, published by the Federal Voting Assistance Program.
REGISTRATION: Not all states require overseas voters to register to vote. Therefore, some states may not have a registration date listed. For example, Illinois has no registration requirement for overseas voters unless they intend to vote
in Illinois’ state and local elections. In that case, Illinois voters must register by October 6, 2014.
BALLOT REQUEST: Please note that the ballot request deadlines are NOT mailing deadlines. The date listed in this
column is the date that ballot requests must be RECEIVED at the office of the appropriate election authority. Please be
sure to leave sufficient time for mailing of your request. Some states, like Indiana and Iowa, have different deadlines
for mailed and faxed ballot requests.
POSTMARKED: This is that date on which the envelope containing your ballot must be postmarked. Some states require postmarks before a specific time; these times have not been included in this table. Some states, like Indiana, Iowa,
Massachusetts, North Carolina, and North Dakota have different deadlines for mailed, faxed or emailed ballots.
RECEIVED: This is the date on which the envelope containing your ballot must be received by the appropriate election
authority.
TIME: Some states mandate a time by which ballots must be received on the day that they are due. The due date appears in the column labeled “Received”. All times are local time in each state or territory.
WARNING: We have done our best to mark dates and times in red that have additional scenarios that require further
investigation. For example, as of July 1, 2014, UOCAVA voters in Missouri must postmark their mailed absentee ballots no later than 12:01 A.M. on the day of the election and the ballot must be received by 12:00 P.M. (noon) on the Friday following the election. Ohio and Utah have similar requirements. Regardless of the intent of these changes, the
effect is to lead an unsuspecting voter to believe that absentee ballots can be mailed later than is allowed and that ballots can be received later than is allowed. Please verify all information using the Federal Voting Assistance Guide.
6
2014
SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER
DAJ EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
Mike Stensrud,
Chair
***
Gloria Bauer Ishida,
Vice Chair
***
Thomas L. Schmid,
Secretary
***
Linda Gould,
Treasurer
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 20
U.S. EMBASSY BBQ
DAJ volunteers will staff a
voter registration table at the
U.S. Embassy BBQ on September 20. Although tickets
are already sold out, please
stop by the table, and encourage your American friends to
do the same.
OCTOBER 10
DAJ WINE AND JAZZ
FUNDRAISER
From 19:00 to 22:00, DAJ will
host a fundraiser at the Half
Moon Hall in Shimokitazawa,
Tokyo. See the Chair’s Message on page 2 for more information.
DISCLAIMER
The opinions expressed in this
Newsletter are those of each
contributor and do not necessarily represent those of Democrats
Abroad Japan, the Democratic
Party Committee Abroad, the
Democratic National Committee,
or the Democratic Party of the
United States. DAJ officers who
appear as named contributors do Cost: 4,000 yen by Oct. 1;
so in their individual capacities 5,000 yen after Oct. 1; 6,000
and not as DAJ officers unless yen at the door.
expressly stated otherwise. The
purpose of this Newsletter is to
communicate with the DAJ
membership and to keep members informed of news, information and events relevant to them
as members. This Newsletter
may not be reprinted or distributed without the express written
permission of DAJ.
NOVEMBER 23
DAJ GENERAL
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
DAJ will hold its General
Meeting from 12:30 to 1:30 PM
at the Pink Cow in Roppongi
(Tokyo), which is located at:
5-5-1 Roppongi
Roi Building B1F
Minatoku, Tokyo 106-0032
The official notice will be
posted on the DAJ website.
Please RSVP to Tom Schmid:
[email protected]
VIDEO LINK: Those interested in participating via video
link, please inform DAJ leadership as soon as possible but no
later than November 1, 2014
so that the Executive Committee can make the necessary
DEMOCRATS ABROAD
JAPAN
VISIT US ONLINE
www.democratsabroad.org
. . . OR ON FACEBOOK
www.facebook.com/groups/
demsabroadjapan/
For questions about this issue,
please contact Tom Schmid at:
[email protected]
7
technological arrangements.
NOVEMBER 23
ANNUAL
THANKSGIVING DINNER
Immediately following the
General Meeting, DAJ will
host its annual Thanksgiving
Dinner at the Pink Cow. A
Thanksgiving buffet will be
served from 1:30 to 3:30 PM,
followed by coffee and dessert
from 3:30 to 4:00 PM.
STAY TUNED TO FACEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DAJ
EVENTS

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