March 19, 2020
Your Weekly News from the Collin County Democratic Party
A Special Thank You to the Candidates Who Did Not Finish First
by Tarek Lucien Radjef, long time Collin County Democrat
Tanner Do, Roberto Alonzo, Mark Watson, Jerry Zimmerer, Larry Praeger, Brandy Voss, Peter Kelly, William Pierrat Demond, Dan Wood, Steven Miears, Aimee Garcia Lopez, Rocio Hernandez, Anthony Lo, Jon Cocks, Carol Scarborough, Manu Lail, Will Maiberger !

Some of us remember 2012 when the Democratic Party was only able to field half dozen candidates in Collin County. This year, thanks to you plus the four in a runoff and those who will represent our party in the general election, the Party fielded over three dozen candidates and has a chance to turn Collin County BLUE for the first time in a long while.

The people of Collin County, not just the Democrats, are indebted to you as your time, your effort, your money, your personal sacrifices and your dedication have already made Collin County a better place.

If some of you are thinking about disengaging from the “battle,” now is not the time!

The Collin County Democratic Party needs your knowledge, your experiences, and yes, your wisdom. You were a candidate because you cared about people and this sentiment will not go away. Please join the Coordinated Campaign to help elect other candidates and/or join the Party’s various other Committees.

You are needed to help local Democrats’ organizations evolve in a way that reflects the new demographics of the county. You may also give serious consideration to joining the campaign of the candidate against whom you competed.

Finally, under normal circumstances attending the Collin County Democratic Convention on March 21 st would be suggested if you had not already planned to do so.

Throughout history UNITY has been the key to the underdogs’ successes. Here again, joining forces will be required to win in November.

To all 2020 candidates! Thank you! Thank you!

To comment on this editorial, click here .
The 2020 CCDP Convention
Convention word cloud
As a result of the COVID-19 virus, we have had to make changes in our 2020 County Convention. You can access all the details and how this will happen on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at this link .
Our next issue of Shades of Blue newsletter will be Monday, April 6th as the editors are on Spring Break.
Update on the Primary Election and Absentee Voting
The Primary Administration Team is proceeding to pay Election Workers for their service in the March 3rd Primary and we are continuing to recruit workers and appoint Judges/ Alternate Judges for the May Runoff. 

Here is suggestion to voters 65 and over and the disabled: you can vote by mail in any election. We recommend you apply to vote by mail so you can receive ballots for all elections.  

If you do request a mail ballot, you can always choose to vote in person.
To download an application, go to  https://webservices.sos.state.tx.us/forms/5-15f.pdf

You will find more complete information on voting by mail at this link .
Ann Richards Dinner Postponed
Dear Democrats,
Our Ann Richards Committee has made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s Ann Richards Dinner that was originally scheduled for April 18th.

In doing so, they considered expert guidance by the CDC and WHO regarding coronavirus, similar decisions by local leaders, and the need to protect our community.

We plan to reschedule the 2020 Ann Richards Dinner to a later date in the year and will keep you updated over the weeks to come. We believe doing so is the best choice for our party and the wider community for which we are responsible.

We are also very grateful for all of you who have supported the dinner and sponsored or purchased tickets. We are saving your seats for you and look forward to having you at our rescheduled dinner. Your support helps build our party, our community, and a better Collin County.

All the volunteer members on this year’s Ann Richards team have done a fantastic job planning and preparing for what promised to be a great night. We are very grateful for all the hard work and planning they have put into this event and we will see their hard work later this year.

John Shanks
Executive Director
Collin County Democratic Party
We Can Still Get People Registered to Vote!
by Sharon Stark and Barb Walters, your VDR Co-leads
With COVID-19 throwing challenges in our path to get people registered to vote, Democrats are meeting the challenge in a most creative way.
 
Whether you are a Volunteer Deputy Registrar or an interested civilian, you can put people on the path to voter registration before the next deadline on Thursday, April 2nd, 2020. The next elections are coming soon.
  • City/School Elections are Saturday, May 2, 2020
  • Primary Runoff Elections are Tuesday, May 26, 2020
  • City/School Runoff Elections are Saturday, June 20, 2020
  • The General Election is Tuesday, November 3, 2020
 
Our regular Voter Registration locations are temporarily suspended BUT we have two ways to reach out to the un-registered:
 
1)     MapThe.Vote will assist you in finding un-registered future voters near you. Leave 1 to 2 Mail In forms under their doormat while you are out for a walk(add a note if you want) .
2)    The Apartment Project – we still have apartment complexes that need adoption. Contact Sharon Stark to get the names. Once you have the names of the complexes, contact their office and ask where near the office you can leave the Mail In forms.
3)     Register2Vote.org  is another option for Texas. This info could be emailed, posted on Facebook and Nextdoor. They go into  Register2Vote.org , fill out the online form and an official voter registration form will be mailed to them. They sign and date it and mail it back in. The postage is prepaid. Easy Peasy!
 
White mail-in cards are available in the CCDP office.
 
Since January 1st, 2020 our VDR (Voter Deputy Registrar) team has registered at least 350 voters which contributed to the 620,000 registered so far in Collin County in 2020. Let's help them keep up the momentum until we are all about to get out and about and our VDRs are back to registering voters at office buildings, high schools, markets, mosques, in our neighborhoods, at the doctor’s office, colleges, and so many other places.
Collin County Upcoming Events
Drinking Liberally and Living Liberally Meetings on Hold
But Yes, We Can Still Talk Politics
A consensus of the Drinking Liberally and Living Liberally leaders have agreed that we will not be meeting for the remainder of March and possibly into April. Like the rest of the nation, the health and well-being of our members are paramount. We invite everyone to reach out to various Democratic groups on Facebook and find camaraderie there until this COVID-19 crisis is over.

Meanwhile, remember to keep a six-foot distance, wash your hands like your mother is watching over your shoulder, stay out of the public if you are feeling unwell, and keep an eye on those around you who might need help with seemingly simple things like grocery shopping or a check-up phone call.

Watch the CCDP online calendar for updates on upcoming events. We want to see you back when it is safe for all of us.

Drinking Liberally and Living Liberally are informal, inclusive progressive social groups. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics.