Get Ready . . Get Set . . GO BLUE!
Four months to GO until the Oregon Primary and ten months to GO until the General Election . . Are you ready? Read on to learn what the Jackson County Democrats are doing to prepare for the upcoming elections:
*Get Out the Vote Program: NLP
*UpComing Fundraiser: Roosevelt-Kennedy Dinner
*Candidate Recruitment and Training
*Letters to the Editor Campaign Project
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Neighborhood Leader Program (NLP) or are already a Neighborhood Leader? Or maybe you don’t know about our amazing program to GET OUT THE BLUE VOTE in Jackson County. Read on to learn the first hand history of Jackson County’s Neighborhood Leader program and how you can get involved:
How NLP Started . . .
Oregon’s Neighborhood Leader Program (NLP) originated in Washington County where it was organized by Steve Packer, Ron Morgan, and other county Democratic Party leaders in 2012 or so. Packer had read some field studies proving that the single most effective tool for getting people to vote was to send trained neighbors to contact their neighbors in person. Neighbor-to-neighbor contact was substantially more effective than TV or radio ads or direct mail pieces. Success in Washington county soon prompted a few other counties to start their own NLP program.
As a delegate to the state Democratic Central Committee from Jackson County, I had heard glowing reports from delegates about how well the NLP was working to pump up the percentage of Democratic voters who voted!
Bringing NLP to Jackson County . . .
Up until the special election of January 2018, the Jackson County’s get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts, were organized for many years by former Ashland Mayor Cathy Shaw, who wrote a book called "The Campaign Manager” and ran her own campaign management company. Cathy did a great job in many election cycles, but if she decided to sit out an election the party lacked its own GOTV program, which could put us in a bind.
In May 2017, the Democratic Party of Oregon adopted a resolution that made NLP a program of the DPO and invited all counties with Democratic Party organizations to form their own NLPs. In June 2017 Ron Morgan came to southern Oregon and explained the program to a goodly crowd at the monthly meeting of the Jackson County Democratic Central Committee.
In July, I invited Jon Davidson, chair of the Deschutes County NLP to come tell us about how he ran the program in a county very similar to ours. The talks by Ron and Jon really helped to sell the program to our party members.
As a result, then JCDP Chair David Roadman appointed me to organize a new committee to run our own new Neighborhood Leader Program. Not feeling that I was qualified to manage the program or be its technical/database person, I looked for qualified volunteers and found them in Joyce Chapman, who agreed to chair the committee, and Paul Dieterich, to be our tech guru and first turf cutter, the person who created walking lists and maps for each NL to visit about 35 homes in their neighborhood.
Jackson County NLP passes its first test of effectiveness . . . .
The first test of our NLP came in December of 2017 and January 2018 when we sent our fledgling Neighborhood leaders into the field for the first time to talk to their neighbors in support of a “yes” vote on a statewide healthcare measure. Measure 101 passed handily statewide at the Jan. 23rd election and by a surprising 58 to 42 percent in purple Jackson County. We felt that it was a big win for our NLP. The measure stabilized funding for low income Oregonians in the Oregon Health Plan and capped increases of health insurance premiums.
Needless to say, our Jackson County Neighborhood Leader Program has grown considerably since January 2018. We probably had fewer than 100 NLs then and we expect to have about 300 NLs knocking on doors in 2024 as we do our best to keep Donald Trump out of the White House again, preserve the Democratic majority in the Oregon House and Senate and elect more democrats to local offices all the way down the ballot.
Past and new leaders have built NLP . . .
We’ve had several leaders over the last six years including Joyce Chapman, Kaki Shields, the late Richard Boucher, and the incomparable David Sours, who has been NLP chair for the past three years and began his term as party chair last year. Claude Aron has done a great job as our lead turf cutter for several cycles. Debbie McQueen is our new NLP chair, and we wish her well as we prepare for the most consequential election of our lifetime in November 2024.
Now that you know the history of NLP, we hope you’re inspired to be active as a Neighborhood Leader this year. If you’re already a Neighborhood Leader, watch for emails from your community leaders as we gear up for the next election. Do you know someone who is concerned about the upcoming elections? Ask them to consider becoming a Neighborhood Leader. We need all hands on deck to reach our goal of 300 Neighborhood Leaders in Jackson County for the 2024 election season!
To volunteer and learn more: Email nlp@jcdemocrats.org
You can learn more about joining the Neighborhood Leader Program on our website at https://www.jcdemocrats.org/nlp-menu-923
“If we play our part with courage and clear-sightedness, we may become the hope of the world.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” - John F. Kennedy
As we enter the 2024 election season, these words by Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy still ring true. We hope you will join the Jackson County Democrats at the 72nd Roosevelt-Kennedy dinner on March 14th.
The Roosevelt-Kennedy Dinner began in Jackson County in 1951 as the Roosevelt Memorial Dinner honoring President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The event was later named the Roosevelt-Kennedy dinner to honor two keynote speakers who had visited Jackson County for this dinner--First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President John F. Kennedy. A long list of distinguished speakers have been featured at the dinner over the years; Helen Ganahan-Douglas, Senator Wayne Morse, Senator Robert Byrd, Congressman Jim Wright, Vice President Herbert Humphrey, Senator Maurine Newberger and Congresswoman Edith Green to name a few.
In honor of Women's History Month, this year's Roosevelt Kennedy program will focus on celebrating the women leaders of our democracy. Please join us for a lovely meal, inspiring speakers and fellowship with progressive and Democratic supporters. You'll also have the opportunity to meet many candidates planning to run in the 2024 elections. The Roosevelt Kennedy dinner is our first major fundraiser for the 2024 election season. Your support is sincerely appreciated.
Don't be a BLUE Stranger . . Bring a new friend to the Roosevelt Kennedy Dinner. Please consider inviting a friend (or two!) to join you at the Roosevelt Kennedy dinner. We are offering special tickets for "New guests" when you buy a single ticket or a couples ticket. We're hoping you'll use this opportunity to bring a friend to the dinner who has not previously attended our fundraisers. This is a great way to expand our group of supporters and spread "the Blue" in Jackson County.
You can purchase tickets online through this ActBlue link: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/rooseveltkennedy24
Roosevelt-Kennedy Dinner Tickets:
Single Ticket: $85
Couples Ticket: $160
Single Ticket Plus One New Guest Ticket: $140
Single Ticket Plus Two New Guest TIckets: $190
Couples Ticket Plus One New Guest Ticket: $210
Couples Ticket Plus Two New Guest Tickets: $260
Student Ticket: $50
To inquire about purchasing a table for this special event (Tables seat 10 people), contact Paul Fisher at 541-261-7315 or via email at pfisher343652@gmail.com.
Would you be willing to underwrite the cost of a student ticket to help a student attend this event? Please email our party chair, David Sours, chair@jcdemocrats.org
If you'd like to pay by check, please send your check to:
Jackson County Democrats
PO Box 4474
Medford, OR 97501-0175
Please include your name, address and occupation for campaign reporting purposes. Please also include your phone and email so we can contact you regarding this event.
If you cannot attend this year, we hope you will make a donation! Proceeds from this event are targeted for our funds to support our 2024 Campaign Fund.
Potential Democratic candidates and campaign managers in Jackson County recently attended a welcoming information session hosted by our hard-working Campaign Committee. Local Democrats who have run for office were on hand to share their experiences and representatives from the Campaign Committee shared what resources and support are available from the Jackson County Democrats.
Candidate recruitment is still underway. Are you considering stepping up to run for a local office or would like to learn more about campaign management? Please reach out to the Campaign Committee so you’ll be invited to future training sessions. Please fill out this online form: https://forms.gle/LEbxFVg5SHuHszWf6
If you have any questions, please contact chair@jcdemocrats.org
Partisan Positions on the Ballot in 2024:
Jackson County Commissioner, Position 2
Oregon State Senator Districts 2, 28
Oregon State Representative Districts 4, 5, 6, 56
Oregon Secretary of State
Oregon State Treasurer
Oregon State Attorney General
US Representative District 2
US President
Nonparitsan Positions on the Ballot in 2024:
Jackson County Assessor
Jackson County District Attorney
Judge of Oregon Supreme Court Positions 1, 2, 3, 5, 7
Judge of Court of Appeals Positions 2, 4, 6, 7
Judge of Tax Court
Judge of Circuit Court-District 1 Positions 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
Justice of the Peace
Local City Offices for Mayor and City Councils in Jackson County
Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District
President Biden’s re-election campaign has launched with a challenge to all of us to pitch in to defend democracy, social justice, health care, social security, reproductive rights, the climate and environment and national security against the MAGA onslaught. Biden cannot do it alone. Fortunately, in his fight to defend democracy, he is being joined by many disaffected Republicans, such as Liz Cheney and those in The Lincoln Project, Republican Voters Against Trump, Country First, and the Republican Accountability Project. It may seem like a national fight, but the fight to protect democracy is a local fight. Recall that Jackson County Republicans, like many of their fellow cult members across the nation, are on record as accepting the Trump Big Lie about voter fraud and a stolen 2020 election. Presumably, candidates they endorse for election at the local, state and federal levels also hold that position.
We should recall that Democracy is not a spectator sport! When it’s threatened, we have to defend it. Recall, also, that: the only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good [people] men do nothing. We cannot sit this one out and be content to argue that it’s sufficient to vote for Democrats and work for their election. Frankly, we have to throw ourselves into this fight 100%; this might be our last chance to defend democracy.
One way to contribute to the cause is to stand up and be counted. We may live in a county that seems dominated by Republicans, but not all Republicans, and certainly not all Non-Affiliated Voters (NAVs) buy the MAGA line. Our task is to convince those who are wavering that they should place country over party and vote against the rejection of reality and the authoritarianism that is rampant in today’s Republican Party.
We know that many folks do not read the Letters to the Editor (LTE) columns of local print and digital media, but many do. And these folks can be reached by well-worded and frequent letters reflecting the sanity that is today’s Democratic Party and our positions on critical issues.
We are challenging our friends and colleagues in the Jackson County Democratic Party to please join a letter writing campaign by committing to try to submit a letter a month to the local print and digital media lauding the achievements of the Biden Administration or lambasting the mayhem of the opponents of democracy.
We’re ready to help in any way we can.
If you would like to join us, please contact one of us: Alan Journet alanjournet@gmail.com or Andy Seles andyseles@gmail.com . If there is interest, we’ll schedule a work session focusing on how local Democrats and progressives can engage in this effort.
Now’s the time to file to be elected as a Precinct Committee Person (PCP) with the Jackson County Democrats. When you file for election, your name will be on the Democratic Primary ballots for voters in precinct. We need PCPs in all precincts across the county. All PCPs serve on the Jackson County Democratic Central Committee . . . you can be the voice of your community in your local party. We also encourage our PCPs to help with our Get Out the Vote program as a Neighborhood Leader and serve of one of our party’s committees. You can file for election as a PCP online:
https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Pages/candidate-filing-precinct-committeeperson-sel-105.aspx
All current PCPs as well as new potential PCPs are reminded to file for election before the March 12 deadline.
If you’re interested in becoming a new PCP and would like to start serving before the May Primary Election, you can apply to be appointed as a PCP by our Central Committee Members. To apply to be appointed as a PCP, please fill out the application online: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdqLsqCO2R9z1QOEHUsdoZA97Sy7smgBFa-GHqAoKb2XAxNAg/viewform
*We would like appointed PCPs to become elected PCPs, so please also file for election on the May ballot.*
For more information about serving as PCP, please visit our website at
https://www.jcdemocrats.org/precinct-committee-person
PO BOX 4474, Medford, OR 97501 | 541-858-1050 | jcdemocrats.org
Jackson County Democrats
PO BOX 4474
Medford, OR 97501
United States
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