43rd Representative Candidate Forum Video and Transcript Available.

We were excited to host the two candidates running for 43rd Representative Position 2 at our candidate forum on Thursday, September 10th. We want to thank both Representative Frank Chopp and Sherae Lascelles for attending the forum and answering questions from 43rd Democrats Members.

If you missed the forum, you can watch it on facebook here or read a transcript. Coverage of the forum was featured in Capitol Hill Seattle.

September 15th Endorsements Meeting

Our Tuesday, September 15th Endorsement meeting will be held online. Please join us for the following agenda items and register for the meeting here to receive updates and information on how to join.

• An update from the coordinated campaign on our weekly phone banks. Our first one will be before the meeting, this Wednesday, September 9th from 6-8 pm. Sign up here!

• Endorsements! You can view the questionnaires for all eligible candidates here and the slate put together by our executive board here.

• Resolution to Endorse and Support the Passage of The Treatment and Recovery Act

• Washington Anti-Discrimination Act (WADA) - Endorsement Resolution

FULL AGENDA HERE

WHEN: September 15th, 2020, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We will open up the meeting at 6:00 for anyone who wants to join early in order to test out the meeting software.

WHERE: Online via Webex! Registration is required, please do so here. You will notice that registration is through ActionNetwork this month.  We believe this will be simpler for everyone and you will receive the information to join the meeting as the meeting date approaches.

ACCESSIBILITY: Please reply to this email or contact chair@43rddemocrats.org if you need any assistance joining or participating in an online meeting. Voting will be much easier on a personal computer or tablet than it is over the phone. If you plan to join the meeting by phone please let us know so we can assist you in ensuring you are able to vote

Eligibility to vote: In order to be eligible to vote new members must join by Saturday September 5th. 2019 members have until the beginning of the meeting to renew their membership and be eligible but we STRONGLY recommend renewing as early as possible to ensure you are eligible to vote and to ease the burden on our credentials and tally committee. Sign up to join the 43rd District Democrats here.

Voting: Each eligible voter will be sent a Voter ID that they will use to vote during the meeting. Expect to receive your code over the coming week along with more information about the voting process. Please let us know if you have any questions about the process before the meeting. We expect a large number of our members to attend this meeting and it will help things go much smoother if we are able to help you out with questions or technical difficulties before the meeting begins. Please send an email to tally@43rddemocrats.org if you have questions about the voting process.

43rd Representative Candidate Forum Thursday September 10th

The 43rd District Democrats will host an online candidate forum on Thursday, September 10 with the general election candidates for 43rd State Representative Pos. 2: Representative Frank Chopp and Sherae Lascelles. Please register to attend the event here and submit your questions for the candidates using this form.

This is a great opportunity to help the people you know get plugged in to the importance of local elections and the work that we are doing as a district. Please share this event with your networks and any organizations you know whose members might be interested in attending!

Event highlights:

• Get to know the candidates ahead of the November general election and hear where they stand on important issues affecting the state and 43rd District.

• Open to the public: All residents of Washington’s 43rd Legislative District are invited to attend, regardless of party affiliation.

• Ask questions: Attendees will have the option to submit questions for the candidates ahead of time.

WHEN: Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. PT

WHERE: Online via Zoom and Facebook Live! This is a free event, but registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Please RSVP here. The form to submit questions will be included in the registration confirmation, and a link to the Zoom meeting will be sent out the day before.

ACCESSIBILITY: Please contact programs@43rddemocrats.org if you need any assistance joining or participating in an online meeting.

P.S. Don't forget about our September 15th endorsement meeting and our phone bank this coming Wednesday at 6 pm!

July 21st General Meeting

Our Tuesday, July 21st meeting will be held online. Please register for the meeting here to receive updates and information on how to join. 

At this meeting we will be:

• Electing a new PCO Committee Chair! If you are interested in running for this position please contact Scott Alspach at chair@43rddemocrats.org

• Our GOTV strategy for the August Primary election

• Receiving an update on Defunding the Seattle Police Department

• Appointing three new PCOs

FULL AGENDA HERE

WHEN: July 21st, 2020, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We will open up the meeting at 6:30 for anyone who wants to join early in order to test out the meeting software.

WHERE: Online via Webex! Registration is required, please do so here. You will notice that registration is through ActionNetwork this month.  We believe this will be simpler for everyone and you will receive the information to join the meeting as the meeting date approaches.

ACCESSIBILITY: Please reply to this email or contact chair@43rddemocrats.org if you need any assistance joining or participating in an online meeting. Voting will be much easier on a personal computer or tablet than it is over the phone. If you plan to join the meeting by phone please let us know so we can assist you in ensuring your vote is counted.

Eligibility to vote: In order to be eligible to vote new members must join by Saturday July 11th. 2019 members have until the begging of the meeting to renew their membership and be eligible but we STRONGLY recommend renewing as early as possible to ensure you are eligible to vote and to ease the burden on our credentials and tally committee. Sign up to join the 43rd District Democrats here.

Voting: Each eligible voter will be sent a Voter ID that they will use to vote during the meeting. Expect to receive your code over the coming week along with more information about the voting process. Please let us know if you have any questions about the process before the meeting. It will help things go much smoother if we are able to help you out with questions or technical difficulties before the meeting begins.

Statement on Improving our Resolutions Process

43rd District Democrats,
Thank you all for joining our endorsements meeting on Tuesday evening. We had nearly 300 people participate in our first online endorsements process. I’m proud of the many fantastic candidates we endorsed.

We want to acknowledge the disappointment we heard, both during the meeting and after, that there wasn’t an opportunity to discuss the content of the resolutions. I, and others on our board, were looking forward to hearing that discussion, and we share your disappointment.

As was said at the beginning of the meeting “We know that we have work to do as a party both statewide and here in the 43rd to build a more welcoming and representative organization.” Tuesday evening was a good illustration of this and we are thinking hard about how we can do better moving forward.

It is clear from the past several meetings that our current process regarding resolutions is not serving our membership well. Members have expressed confusion over when they are permitted to ask questions, discuss, or move to adopt/postpone/amend resolutions as well as frustration over the time we spend debating whether to take up a particular resolution rather than discussing the resolution itself.

Additionally, when we do decide as a body to take up resolutions we owe them a fair hearing, especially for those resolutions which are particularly controversial. Members who put in the time to write resolutions and bring them to our body are often looking forward to speaking in favor of their resolution and those who oppose a particular resolution deserve a chance to make their case to the membership. As we saw on Tuesday, immediately “Calling the Question” on a resolution in order to move to a vote not only deprives the body of a chance to hear the varied perspectives of our members, but can take up more time and effort than the discussion would have taken in the first place.

Of course, all of this has been made more difficult by the fact that we are still adjusting to running meetings virtually. Things such as taking a vote on a motion to postpone, which are often quick and easy in person, take much longer online. It is also difficult for the body to determine who has the floor and has been recognized by the chair in these online environments, and this led to confusion and frustration Tuesday evening. We will continue to improve on this, and thank you all for your patience as we work out the kinks in the process.

With all of that being said, we want to share a few of the ideas we’ve been considering on how we can improve our resolutions process going forward.

1. Going forward the meeting chat will be used to seek the floor and members will be able to make their motion only once recognized by the chair. This should help ensure that it is clear to everyone who has the floor and what motions have been made.

2. We will do our best to move resolutions towards the beginning of the agenda to give us ample time for discussion.

3. In the future I will make sure that we always have a parliamentarian available to help with the interpretation of Robert’s Rules. It was my mistake not to appoint one for Tuesday’s meeting and I take responsibility for doing so moving forward.

4. The Rules and Bylaws Committee will propose standing rules for discussing and voting on resolutions, and will present these to the membership for a vote on adoption. While our current process is dictated by Robert’s Rules of Order, our bylaws allow us to define rules that take precedence over Robert’s when and as it suits us. This appears to be a case where it is necessary and appropriate (and perhaps past time) for us to do so. 

The Committee’s goal will be to propose rules that give members a clear opportunity to decide whether to take up the resolution or postpone it to later, ensure that members have an opportunity to discuss resolutions prior to voting on them, and ensure that the discussion on a resolution centers and includes the communities most impacted by that resolution. Please contact bylaws@43rddemocrats.org if you are interested in participating in the development of this proposal, would like to share input or feedback, or have questions or concerns about this process.

5. We will also look into ways to proactively help members understand matters of parliamentary procedure as they are happening, including what motion is on the floor, what is required for it (e.g., is a second required, is it 2/3rds or simple majority), and what actions can be taken (i.e., what motions are in order). The complexity of Robert’s means that people with knowledge, training, and comfort with it have an advantage over those without. This all too often can tilt meetings and debates in favor of groups who experience relative privilege within our society, and against groups that suffer under systems of oppression. Rules for process and procedure are important, but it is equally important for everyone to have an equal understanding of the rights and access to the rights they provide.

Again, thank you all so much for your involvement in the 43rd and your work to improve our community for everyone. We welcome any feedback you may have regarding the June 16th meeting, or our organization as a whole, which you can send to chair@43rddemocrats.org.

Thanks,
43rd District Democrats Chair Scott Alspach and the 43rd District Democrats Executive Board

Update to 2020 August Primary Endorsements

Following the June endorsements meeting, the Tally Committee reviewed the results for any signs of errors or anomalies. We identified an issue that affected the outcome of the Initiative 131 endorsement race. Due to an error in the counting process, we omitted 30 votes for “No Position” in the Initiative 131 endorsement vote from the vote totals for that race. This artificially lowered the threshold of votes required for a position to earn an endorsement, from 125 votes to 110 votes. Since the “Yes” position received 122 votes, we reported at the meeting that the “Yes” position was endorsed. However, upon recount after correcting errors in the counting process, we find that the “Yes” position did not receive enough votes to reach the endorsement threshold, and thus the membership did not vote to endorse any position on Initiative 131.

In total, we identified two counting errors in addition to the error identified during the meeting, however only the issue described above had any impact on the outcome of any race.

Further details on the errors that were uncovered and the results review can be found in our report here. Please direct any questions about the endorsement or tally process to tally@43rddemocrats.org.

You can find the full list of endorsed candidates on our 2020 August Primary Endorsements page.

43rd District Democrats Executive Board Statement on Recent Protests for Black Lives

The Executive Board of the 43rd District Democrats stands in solidarity with protesters against the systemic violence and excessive force continually demonstrated by police against Black people across the country. This violence has resulted in the murder of Black Americans nationwide and in Seattle including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Charleena Lyles, and so many others. We call for justice for each of them and an immediate enactment of the reforms necessary to prevent future police violence against Black people.

In addition to the public reports and videos of police targeting peaceful protesters across the nation, multiple members of the 43rd District Democrats attended the protests this weekend and Monday night and saw the Seattle Police Department target peaceful protesters and children with tear gas, pepper spray, flash bangs, and other “crowd control” measures. Multiple videos show that on Monday evening, Seattle Police attacked a crowd of peaceful protestors with pepper spray and tear gas in the middle of a residential neighborhood, endangering not only the protesters and media present but those obeying the curfew and sheltering in their homes nearby.  Additionally, these behaviors were supported and condoned through the implementation of overly restrictive curfews, which have gone into effect with little to no warning over the past several days. These actions are unacceptable and officers who used force against peaceful protesters must be held accountable for their actions. 

We acknowledge that these tactics are nothing new, and have been utilized by the police against Black people and other minority communities for decades. 

In a city, county, and state where Democrats hold large majorities, it is unacceptable that the police feel free to attack and arrest Black people and peaceful protesters with impunity. For too long our elected officials have given in to the demands of the Seattle Police Officers Guild and avoided real reform. Our Democratic Mayor is currently working with the Trump Justice Department to lift the federal consent decree placed on the SPD due to their repeated use of unnecessary force before needed accountability measures are in place. In 2018, every Democrat on the Seattle City Council voted for the current police contract, which was opposed by the Seattle/King County NAACP, the ACLU, and the Seattle Community Police Commission because it lacks needed reforms and accountability measures. 

These actions do not reflect our values as Democrats and are not in line with the 2018 Washington State Democratic Party platform which calls for “police forces to be demilitarized, be held accountable for abusive practices, exercise restraint in their dealing with peaceful assemblies and protests” and we must do better moving forward. As Democrats, we call on our elected officials to heed the demands of community groups and protesters, demilitarize the Seattle Police Department, leave the consent decree in place, and insist on strong accountability measures during upcoming SPOG contract negotiations.

Resolutions in support of these measures will be presented to the membership of the 43rd District Democrats at our June 16th meeting.

Endorsements Meeting Tuesday June 16th

Our Tuesday, June 16 meeting will be held online. Please join us for the following agenda items and register for the meeting here to receive updates and information on how to join.

• Endorsements! You can view the questionnaires for all eligible candidates here and the slate put together by our executive board here.

• A proposed budget amendment

• Resolution in Support of Defunding the Police and Investing in Community

• Resolution Calling for the Resignation of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan

Full agenda here.
In order to be eligible to vote new members must have joined by Saturday June 6th. 2019 members have until the begging of the meeting to renew their membership and be eligible but we STRONGLY recommend renewing as early as possible to ensure you are eligible to vote and to ease the burden on our credentials and tally committee. Sign up to join the 43rd District Democrats at this link: https://www.43rddemocrats.org/become-a-member

You may invite your friends or share the event using our facebook event here.

43rd Delegate Election Results

Thank you to everyone who ran for delegate and a hearty congratulations to everyone elected to represent our legislative district at the state convention! Please see the full list of delegates and alternates from the 43rd here.

May 19th General Meeting

Our Tuesday, May 19 meeting will be held online due to the Governor’s ongoing “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order.

Please join us for the following highlights

• Guest Speakers discussing Seattle's response to the COVID-19 crisis

• Adoption of Remote Voting Rules

• Amendments to our 2020 endorsement rules to allow for remote voting

• Resolution in opposition to budget cuts and in support of taxing the rich

• Resolution in Support of I-131: An Act to Tax Big Businesses to Fund Affordable Green Housing in the City of Seattle

FULL AGENDA HERE

WHEN: May 19th, 2020, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. We will open up the meeting at 6:30 for anyone who wants to join early in order to test out the meeting software.

WHERE: Online via Webex! Registration is required, please do so here (we only need your name and email, please ignore the other fields).

Important: the password for the meeting is 43rddems

ACCESSIBILITY: Please contact chair@43rddemocrats.org if you need any assistance joining or participating in an online meeting.