We are the Johnson County Democratic Women, North and South
We are sister organizations, working together to engage women in politics and help get Democrats in Johnson County elected
North Meeting
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and in compliance with Johnson County Health Department guidelines, we will not meet this month.
South Meeting
April 16, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
Special Guest: Zack Pistora from the Sierra Club
Yes, we do plan to have a meeting! We will be holding our general member meeting via Zoom. Please stand by for details.
Zack Pistora
Zack is entering his 9th year as the Legislative Director and Lobbyist for the Kansas Sierra Club. He graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in Political Science, Nonprofit Leadership and Women’s Studies. He thoroughly enjoys public policy and civic activism, adventuring outdoors, traveling,
and playing in the garden. Zack is a Kansas native and currently resides on the family farm outside Tonganoxie.
We ar
e so heartbroken to report that Lucky Brewgrille, the home for Jo Co Democrats for nearly 20 years, has closed permanently. The owner Greg Fuciu has been so accommodating to us. He never said no to any event. He came in early one Saturday a month to cook breakfast for us. He never asked us for anything, never charged us to use his restaurant.
I am asking our members to please use this time at home to write a thank you note to Greg.
Greg Fuciu
Lucky Brewgrille
5401 Johnson Drive
Mission, KS 66202
COVID-19 Campaigning
We are in the midst of a crisis, and the most important way each of us can help is to comply with the Johnson County Health Department’s order to stay at home. By staying home, we hope to slow the spread of the virus enough that our healthcare system can treat the seriously ill. This is sometimes called “flattening the curve.”
This uncertain time is showing us more than ever before how important strong, compassionate, and capable leadership is in a national emergency. We’re seeing leaders like Governor Kelly rise to the occasion even as many Republicans in Topeka voted to strip her of her emergency powers.
Across this county, many wonderful women (and men) are running to bring sanity back to our state house. They need our support in a big way as EVERY CAMPAIGN has had to change its strategy to protect the health of volunteers and constituents. Most local and state races depend upon in-person contact, especially at doors. This option may be available to us again, but right now campaigns are falling back on phone banking and digital media.
They need your help. Effective social media strategy requires a grassroots effort by supporters willing to follow, like, comment, and most especially SHARE posts from their favorite candidates’ Facebook pages. You can also favorite, reply, and retweet on Twitter. When you engage with a post, you help more people to see it and spread the word.
If you’ve got a little more time, sign up to help with phone banking. Each candidate will train you using a script they have developed for their campaign, and you can make the calls from the comfort of your own home.
But again, the most important thing you can do is stay home. By doing so, you protect yourself, your family, and your community. The months ahead are going to be challenging, but we will get through it together. Separately, but together. If you need help and support, please find us on Facebook. Johnson County Democratic Women is a private group for North and South members and supporters. If you are not already a member, you can request to join by filling out a short survey.
Ever thought about running for office?
Now is the time to speak up! The filing deadline (June 1st) is fast approaching and we still have some countywide races without a Democrat on the ballot. If you’re interested, contact Nancy Leiker at chair@jocodems.org.
The 2020 NFDW Convention
Dear Friends:
Last summer at the KFDW State Convention, the Executive Board and delegates voted to host the NFDW 2020 National Convention in June, 2020. Since that time, the Convention Planning Committee has been working tirelessly to create the best convention possible, showing off everything we all know is so great about the place and people of Kansas. The convention was to be held at the Oread Hotel in Lawrence.
After thoughtful discussion, the NFDW Board voted this week to cancel the 2020 Convention in light of the national health and financial crisis. That’s the bad news.
But we all know that in every problem lies the seed of opportunity, and it is with that pioneering Kansas spirit that the Kansas Convention Planning Committee has committed to offering an exciting and out-of-the-box alternative to the annual convention. In lieu of the convention, we are instead taking on the editorial and creative work required to create a beautiful and substantive commemorative publication. This publication will commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment as well as inform and educate progressive women across the country about the most important issues of the day. Instead of luncheon and banquet speakers, we will be requesting Democratic women leaders across the country to submit articles on topics they would normally give in person. This publication, which will be available in both print and online form, will also serve as a platform for candidates to get their message out in the form of ads, as an alternative to door knocking and canvassing, an activity that will be greatly curtailed during this election cycle.
A large portion of the money raised for the NFDW convention normally goes to scholarships and awards for young women, some of which provide financial assistance to complete internships with the DNC. You can get the details about those awards and scholarships on the NFDW website HERE.
We anticipate the source of revenue from this new venture will come in the form of ads as well as a few sponsorships to help defer the cost of creating something that meets the highest standards of relevancy and creativity for you, our audience. The publication cost has not yet been determined, but we anticipate having a price and pre-order form for the print edition available soon.
The theme we decided on for our convention this year is Finish the Fight! It is in times of hardship, when people are most frightened and uncertain, that we must remain united, brave and unwavering in our common goal of creating a better community, a better country, a better world. So for us, Finish the Fight has taken on an even more poignant meaning. The KFDW Executive Board and Convention Planning Committee are more committed than ever in pushing forward to do what we can to support electing Democrats. We have a vision that includes all of us working together and reaching our highest potential, even in the worst of times, and we hope you will join us on this journey.
Candace Ayars
President
Kansas Federation of Democratic Women
Kansas Presidential Primary Election
IMPORTANT UPDATE (3/30): In-person voting has been CANCELLED
Check the KDP website for further changes to the primary process due to ever-changing COVID-19 developments.
To register to vote, change your party affiliation, or check your registration, go to KSVotes.org. We recommend that ALL voters double check their registration status.
- With the 2020 Kansas Democratic Presidential Party-Run Primary, the Kansas Democratic Party has made the most significant changes in decades to Kansas’ Democratic presidential nominating process.
These changes will encourage greater participation, provide wider accessibility for voters, and be conducted in an open and transparent manner. - *To vote, rank your favorite candidate as No. 1, then your second favorite as No. 2, and so on through your top five candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. If your first-choice candidate has limited support, your next choice will be counted to ensure your vote is not wasted. After all the ballots are in, only first-choices are counted. Any candidate that has at least 15% of the first-choice votes will automatically earn delegates.
- If, after counting all first-choice votes, some candidates have not received 15%, the candidate with the fewest first-choices is eliminated. Voters who chose this candidate as their No. 1 choice will have their votes count for their next choice. This process repeats, round by round, until all candidates remaining have reached at least 15% of the vote. Candidates will earn their proportional share of delegates, based on the percentage that each candidate received in the final round of the total tally.
- Because the KDP is holding the Kansas primary in May and our primary is in full compliance with the Democratic National Committee, Kansas has been awarded a 15% bonus in delegates for a total of 45 delegates instead of the original 39. The delegates will be assigned to candidates based on the percentage that each candidate received in the final round of the total tally. Final results will be released as soon as they are available after
in-person voting onMay 2.
March 30
The Kansas Democratic Party will send a mail-in ballot to every registered Democrat in Kansas.
April 17
The last day to request a mail-in ballot. (If you are a registered Democrat, you will automatically receive a mail-in ballot. If you don’t receive the ballot by April 3, a link to request a ballot will be available on the KDP websitehere.
April 24
The postmark deadline to return completed mail-in ballots.
May 2
In-person voting in each of the state’s 40 state Senate districts. Results will be released as soon as they are available following in-person voting.