NTD NEWS   October 26, 2016
Click to view:        
  Commentary     --   Events     --   Your Legislators 



   

Today,  we are now less than two weeks away from November 8th, voting_people.jpg Election Day. And as with every election, the final days before the polls are closed and the votes counted is a critically important time. That extra push to bring out voters in those remaining days can determine who ends up winning contests up and down the ballot. So, from now until November 8the, getting out the vote (GOTV) will be the focus of the New Trier Democrats. Since you are an engaged voter and quite likely a past volunteer, I encourage you to help in this final effort.
     According to polling across our nation, it looks more and more like Hillary Clinton will win enough electoral votes to become our next President. This might make you think that a big volunteer effort is no longer necessary. But you would be mistaken. Here are three compelling reasons why:
     The bigger the Democratic voter turnout, the better the election chances for many excellent candidates listed lower on the ballot. We've all seen how the attraction of a popular presidential candidate can help bring out votes for "lesser" offices. But it is also a fact that a certain percentage of ballots cast in every election only contain votes for the best-known names at the top of the ticket. So if the name at the top of the ballot is either uninspiring or considered a "shoo in" -- or both -- there's a danger that this will lead to a lower voter turnout and will not reward good down ticket candidates with enough votes to defeat an opponent with better name recognition.
     The bigger the vote for Clinton, the better her credibility when she takes office. President Hillary Clinton will be taking on the responsibility of leading our entire nation, not just those Americans who voted for her. You can be sure that there will be plenty of conservative opponents in Congress, in state legislatures, in the media and in public organizations who will spring into attack mode as soon as she takes the oath of office. If she wins with an anemic popular vote it will make her task to improve the state of our Union and the lot of every American that much harder to accomplish.
     The bigger the popular vote margin for Clinton over Trump, the better the chance to shut Trump up. I realize that shutting Trump up is really an impossible dream. He enjoys hearing himself talk, and being in the public spotlight, far too much to ever stop shooting off his mouth. So, I imagine that for years to come America will be treated to the outrageous statements, insulting behavior and reckless claims of "The Donald." This will be especially likely if the rumors (a TV Network run by Trump, Ailes, Bannon, Hannity) are correct.
     But just like America adjusted to the radio presence of Rush Limbaugh and the spewing of his warped reality, I'm pretty sure America can handle repeated doses of whatever exaggerations, accusations and outright lies Trump may dish out in the coming years. The difference will be that he won't be on the international stage as the potential President of our United States. No, his future rants will have a diminishing number of followers once he becomes a "civilian" again.
     However, there is one issue that could not only keep him in the spotlight but has the potential to do considerable damage not only to Hillary Clinton's Administration but also to the health and future of our democracy. Trump's prediction that this election will be "rigged" to defeat him and his threat to not recognize the outcome are dangerous developments.
     It is unfortunately true that our nation has seen unethical activities in various elections over our relatively long history as a democracy. And the people who are rabid Trump supporters already feel that "the system" is rigged against them (discussing that situation is a whole other subject). For Trump to urge his excitable followers to believe that a Hillary Clinton victory (you know "Crooked Hillary") would be illegitimate and would make her an illegitimate President is very dangerous talk indeed.
     And after the election, no matter how clearly an argument might be made that his claim is nonsense, mere words will not shut him up. It will take a winning margin of popular votes from across the United States that is so overwhelmingly large only a crazy person would continue claiming that those many millions of votes were all fictional. Of course not being a psychiatrist, I can't guess how large that number would have to be to convince a pathological narcissist that he has been rejected by millions of Americans. It seems to me there is only one way to find that out. We all must work to -- Get Out The Vote -- and shut Trump up!
                                                                       Nels Howard
                                                                       NTDO member since 1973

P.S. You still have time to get involved in the GOTV action. Besides the out of state activities, there is plenty of action right here at home. Scroll down to the message covering the new volunteer hours at the New Trier Dems office. They are having a huge impact on voter contact -- not just for Hillary Clinton but also for Tammy Duckworth and other local candidates. Come join them
 
-----------

Attention!
 
You still have plenty of opportunities to help Hillary Clinton win in Iowa and Wisconsin between now and Election Day.  
Just click on one or more of the travel dates below to sign up.

          
 The DPOE trips leave from the DPOE office in Evanston are going -- to Iowa Saturday Oct 29.

 
The Tenth Dems Road trips leave from the Highland Park area going--
To Iowa Sunday, Nov. 6. 

In thirteen days you will have many weekends ahead of you to use any way you desire. But right now think about how you will enjoy those future weekends a lot more if the President-elect is not Donald Trump and the U.S. Senate is controlled by Democrats. 

------------- 
 
Attention!

Our volunteer office hours at the NTDO office (800 Oak St., Winnetka) are being extended:  

This weekend, Sat. Oct 29  and Sunday Oct. 30,  the new hours are
9 am - 9 pm . (NOTE: The office will close at 7 PM if there is a Cubs World Series game.)

Next Monday to Thursday the hours are not changing
4:30 - 8:00 pm
-
From Friday Nov. 4 through Monday Nov. 7 the new hours will be
9am - 9pm
-
On Tuesday Nov. 8 (Election day) - 8 am until polls close

A Message from Field Organizer and Volunteer Coordinator Stacy Zeidman: 

"Our NTDO office is a regional HUB for calling committed voters in New Trier, AND in the entire state to guarantee we get these voters to the polls. We need YOUR HELP to accomplish this.
     A 3 hour shift would be ideal, but whatever time you can spare would be appreciated. Bring a cell phone and a laptop, IPad, or tablet of any kind. We will be accessing a database that allows us to call committed democratic voters.
   
Our goal is get as many committed Democrats to the polls, either early voting or on election day itself, as we can." -- Stacy
-
To volunteer please call Stacy Zeidman - (847) 224-2023
(And If you feel like sharing, feel free to bring treats and drinks.)
---------------
 
Mark you calendar now for A Joint Election Night Party at Tommy Nevins in Evanston. Come party with fellow Democrats from four great Northshore Democratic Organizations! 

The New Trier Democrats, The Democratic Party of Evanston the Northfield Democrats and The Niles Democrats
are getting together for a HUUGE! Election Night Party at
Tommy Nevins, 1454 Sherman in Evanston,
Tuesday, November 8, likely 8pm - 12 midnight.
Free buffet and a cash bar. --- BRING YOU FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

---------------- 
Cook County voters have several ways to cast their vote. Votes cast early are "votes in the bank" for your candidates.

 Mail-in Voting

Any registered suburban Cook County voter may request a mail ballot using this online application. Once the Clerk's Office verify your registration and process your application, the County Clerk's Office will send a paper ballot to the mailing address you designate in your application. The deadline to apply is five days before an election.
 
To complete an online mail ballot application, you will need: 
- your driver's license or state identification number;
- the last four digits of your Social Security Number;
- the address where you would like your ballot mailed;
  and an email address

To apply to the County Clerk's office for your paper ballot click here
Early Voting

For the November 8, 2016 Presidential Election, Traditional Early Voting will take place October 24-November 7 . Here are some of the early voting polling places convenient to New Trier Township voters:

Wilmette: (Centennial Park) 2300 Old Glenview Rd.
 
Glenview: Village Hall, 2300 E. Lake Avenue
Evanston: Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
Skokie Courthouse (Near Old Orchard Shopping Ctr.)
5600 W. Old Orchard Rd. Room 149
Chicago Loop: County Clerk's Main Office, 69 W. Washington, Pedway & 5th FL.

For more information on early voting and a complete list of Cook County's early voting polling places click here.

Get Your Hillary Yard Sign!   (There are other candidate signs at the office too.) 

The NTD office, 800 East Oak St., Suite 112 in Winnetka now has Hillary Clinton yard signs available for pick up. The recommended contribution for a sign will be $5.00 per sign. A system to deliver signs to homes will be established at a later date. Office hours are Mon., Wed., Fri. from 9 a.m. to noon. However, you can also stop by the office any weeknight during phone-banking before 8:30 p.m., to drop off 5 bucks (or more) and pick up your sign(s). -- And if you bring your cell phone, your invited to join in that critically valuable campaign work.  

Other upcoming events and news items:
 
 
Next Tuesday, Nov. 1 in Deerfield -- The Tenth Dems Annual Awards Dinner with keynote speaker Scott Turow 

When: Tuesday, November 1, from 7:00 - 9:00pm.
Doors open at 6:30pm
Where: Embassy Suites, 1445 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL
What: Tenth Dems Annual Awards Dinner. This year's Mikva Award recipient will be State Senator Julie Morrison. The Keynote speaker: will be best selling author and attorney Scott Turow. Joining them will be many of the District's wonderful Democratic candidates, including former Congressman and current candidate for Congress Brad Schneider. For additional information and to RSVP, register online email events@tenthdems.org or call 847-266-VOTE (8683) 
 
 
The Tenth Dems needs attorneys for Election Day.
 
A message from the Tenth Dems:
"We need attorneys to be our eyes and ears early when the polls open on Election Day. You will observe the opening of a polling place at 6:00 a.m. and then visit other polling places to ensure that things are running smoothly and take action if they are not. Your time commitment would be from approximately 5:45 a.m. until 9:00 or 9:30 a.m.
     We need attorneys to monitor polls near closing time. You will need to arrive at the assigned polling place at around 5:30 p.m. and remain until it closes. You will ensure that everyone in line by 7:00 p.m. has an opportunity to vote and then monitor the closing process and call in the voting tally. Your time commitment would be from approximately 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
     We also need attorneys who can monitor for blocks of several hours throughout the day. You can cover assigned polling places, or you can be part of our rapid response team to be dispatched to sites where legal issues have been reported.
     We need folks who can help monitor early voting locations before Election Day.
     If you speak a foreign language-especially Spanish-let us know so that we can assign you to areas where non-English speaking voters may need assistance. Spanish-speaking phone responders also are needed.
     Let us know if you are available to help in any of these ways. You can sign up here: tenthdems.org/protection. Also, feel free to recruit and/or forward to lawyer friends and family. Law students and paralegals may also participate.

---------  
The Cook County Clerk's office is recruiting community members to serve as suburban poll workers for the Nov. 8th Presidential Election.
Call (312) 603-0965 to learn more and submit an application.
 
Do you know if your voter registration is up to date?
Are you considering using an absentee ballot? Do those questions apply to any of your family members or friends? Here is a very easy-to-follow website with voting information. Check it out for yourself and your family or to send to any friends who might need Illinois voting info. For voter registration information click here. For
absentee ballot information click here. -- On either page you can scroll down further for other info. 

If you or someone you know has not yet registered to vote you can get started right hare -- right now!

HelloVote is the chat bot that helps you register to vote! Simply enter your number on this page or text HELLO to 384-387 and HelloVote will guide you through the process and help take care of filling out the voter registration form for your state. It's as simple as sending a few texts! (Data & message rates may apply. Text STOP to 384-387 to stop all messages.)
Our Wisconsin Democratic neighbors are fighting to keep Wisconsin's November election honest. --
NTD President Judy Mandel has invited one of them to reach out the NTD members for help.

"My name is Carl Johnson. I am one of the Deputy Voter Protection Directors for the Democratic Coordinated Campaign in Wisconsin this election. We are
recruiting poll observers for Election Day and Early Vote;
We are looking to recruit lawyers and other professionals to volunteer as poll observers. Because non-Wisconsin residents can be poll observers in Wisconsin, we're hoping to draw in a sizable number of volunteers from out-of-state. Our poll observer training, which can be done remotely via webinar/teleconference, provides all the information volunteers need, and is designed for both first-time observers and those with prior experience. Poll observers in Wisconsin will identify any issues preventing qualified voters from casting their ballots, and will use a state-of-the-art reporting system to help the campaign team respond to incidents in real-time. If you would like to volunteer in Wisconsin, please click here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me and I will respond as promptly as I can."
 
Have you visited Senator Biss' website "The Road Back" --
click on the link to his video -- then, throughout the summer follow his plan's development on the website.

Daniel explains a lot about how Illinois got where it is today and how we can begin the journey on the road back toward achieving our state's tremendous economic potential.

Dear Fellow Democrats, 

If you are not already an NTDO member, and enjoy our Newsletter, we hope you consider joining us as a dues-paying member. NTDO is a not-for-profit political action organization. We depend on our membership dues to support our Democratic causes and candidates.

There are two options for dues payments: by check or credit card.

 

By Check: Make check payable to NTDO and mail to our office:

NTDO

800 Oak St., Suite 112

Winnetka, IL 60093

OR

By Credit Card: visit our website by clicking  here 

Click on the "Get Involved" tab

Find the link for "contribute with ActBlue"
or go directly there by clicking here. 
Your Legislators:


Legislators Democratic Legislators
who represent New Trier Township in 
Washington, Springfield and Cook County 
 


You'll be hearing a lot from these exceptional public servants. --
And they want to be hearing a lot from you. 
     The fact is, they need to hear from you and want to hear from you in order to represent you most effectively. So, the first thing you can do is get to know who these people are. The links below to their campaign websites are a good place to start. 
 
Jan Schakowsky , 9th U.S. Congressional District Representative  and Chief Deputy House Democratic Whip. The new Ninth District boundaries include all of New Trier except for Glencoe. 
  
Daniel Biss,   State Senator for Illinois' 9th State Senate District.The Ninth District includes all of New Trier Township.
  
Julie Morrison, State Senator for Illinois' 29th State Senate District. The district includes New Trier's northernmost precincts.   

Robyn Gabel, IL 18th District State Representative. The 18th District includes much of New Trier up to Hazel Avenue and Dundee Road.
 
Laura Fine , IL 17th District State Representative.
The 17th District includes the East Glenview and West Wilmette areas of New Trier Township.

Scott Drury ,  IL 58th District State Representative. 
The 58th District includes the northernmost precincts in Glencoe.

Larry Suffredin, Cook County 13th District Commissioner. The 13th District includes all of New Trier, Evanston and Niles Townships. 
----------------
Still not a member of the New Trier Dems? Your participation in grassroots political action will make a difference. -- Come join us.

When you're a member of the New Trier Democratic Organization, you have an active role in affecting the political process; participating in grassroots campaigns, staying in touch with elected officials, playing a role in deciding which candidates are endorsed. You'll also gain free admission to select forums and events throughout the year.

Come be a part of New Trier's grassroots political community.    
About Us:
The New Trier Democratic Organization is made up of hundreds of grassroots volunteers dedicated to advancing progressive ideals through the political process. We welcome your participation.

Sincerely,
Dean T. Maragos, Committeeman New Trier Township

We are located at 800 Oak Street in Winnetka, IL. Ph: 847-446-8030
Contact: newtrierdemocrats@gmail.com.

*This Internet communication paid for by the New Trier Democratic Organization and  not authorized by any federal or state candidate or campaign committee. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is available for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, Illinois.