Republicans have clearly decided that the best way for them to win is to suppress votes and restrict dissent. In many battleground states including Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, Republicans are taking bold steps to make access to the ballot box more difficult, especially for Democrats.

In Florida, Gov. DeSantis and his Republican cronies are pushing legislation to suppress votes as a way to ensure they have the best chance of winning re-election next year. The St. Johns Democratic Party's Legislative Affairs committee, led by Jennifer Robar, is working hard to identify each of these bills and alert all Democrats when they come up for a vote in the legislature so that we can make our voices heard. The first of these bills is an attempt to suppress voting by mail.

Last fall, 2.1 million Democrats in Florida voted by mail, compared to 1.5 million Republicans. SB 90 would require everyone who already has a valid vote by mail request through 2022 to reapply again, and reapply every election year. This bill would unnecessarily increase time, effort and confusion for Florida voters. Vote-by-mail is what led to the historic Democratic turnout of 85% in St. Johns County last year. We must not let this bill pass.

The bill is working its way through the Florida legislature. So far, it passed 5 to 4 in the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on 2/16, and is now in the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee. What can you do? As soon as the bill comes up for the next vote, we urge every Democrat to contact the legislators on that committee. LIKE AND WATCH our public Facebook page for Action Alerts when this bill and others come up for a vote. Our Alerts provide all the information you need to make your voice heard.

HB1 (and it's counterpart SB 484) is a bill that would enact heavy-handed punishments designed to curb free speech and silence dissent. State and Federal laws already exist to address rioting, insurrection, treason, and assault and battery. This bill is clearly designed to help Mr. DeSantis win by clamping down on protests and marches that may oppose his policies. The bill passed out of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Subcommittee 11 to 7 and is now in the Justice Appropriations Subcommittee.

Called "Anti-American" by the president of the League of Women Voters Florida, this dangerous bill is an attack on our First Amendment rights to peacefully protest. At a minimum, it would have a chilling effect on the right to peaceably assemble like the protesters in the video below (led by Ponte Vedra United for Progress last summer). It provides a defense for persons to deliberately injure peaceful protestors if the authorities deem the gathering a "riot." And it would deter the right of the people to petition their government, a key element of democracy. Please help by contacting members of the legislature when the bill goes to the next step in the Florida House and Senate. Watch our Facebook page and this newsletter to get Action Alerts with all the information you need to make your voice heard at every stage of the legislative process. THIS BILL MUST BE STOPPED!

What is the best way to win more elections in St. Johns County? By growing the number of voters registered as Democrats. Did you know that Democrats make up only 25% of the electorate in St. Johns County? Yet 36% of registered voters here cast their ballots for Joe Biden! Furthermore, people are moving into the county all the time, and students are coming of age to vote. In addition, many voters have been leaving the Republican party across the nation after the January 6th insurrection. All these facts suggest there is ample opportunity to strengthen our party by mounting an intensive voter registration effort -- starting now!

The DEC Voter Registration committee, led by Gary Farris, is hard at work identifying new resources that will allow us to more strategically target homes and areas where there are unregistered left-leaning voters. We will begin with our usual method of tabling at outdoor events such as farmer's markets and schools, but will soon proceed to using new data-based applications to canvass targeted addresses, text, phone call, mail, and email potentially unregistered voters.

Will you join our army of voter registration agents? We plan to leave no stone unturned in this effort, and need all the help we can get! You can start by signing up for one of the first two Voter Registration trainings shown below -- either in person or via Zoom:

For additional information, please contact Gary Farris at glandlkfarris@comcast.net or volunteer@stjohnsdemocrats.org.

Voting by mail increases voter turnout. In 2018, Democratic turnout increased by 21% over the previous mid-term due to vote-by-mail. And in 2020, it's what led us to achieve 85% Democratic turnout---a 6 point increase over the previous presidential election.

Voting by mail works to increase turnout because it's more convenient than standing in long lines, gets around voter intimidation at the polls, and provides a window for voting of a month or more (among other reasons). Our DEC Campaign Committee, led by Marie Garnes, is developing a plan to reach out to newly registered Democrats, low-propensity Democratic voters, Dems whose Vote-by-Mail requests are expiring, and inactive Democrats for Vote-by-Mail all across the county.

Watch this newsletter and our Facebook page or sign up at our website to get alerts when these activities are scheduled. You may also contact volunteer@stjohnsdemocrats.org to indicate your interest in helping promote mail voting among Democrats.

The DEC's Candidate Committee, led by Cathy Cosby, is in full swing looking to identify and support prospective candidates at the local, state or national level! Please contact Cathy at c4cosby@comcast.net if you know someone who might be interested in running for office.

Considering, but not yet sure? Join candidate trainer Kevin Winchell via Zoom on March 6th and 7th to learn what it takes and whether it's for you! Sponsored by the Democratic Women's Club, the seminar will be held from 1 PM to 4:30 PM each day. Please register here, cost is $35.

The DEC's Volunteer Engagement and Community Outreach committee, led by Joanne Pero, will host a discussion of Stacey Abrams' book Our Time is Now, on February 28th at 6:30 PM via Zoom. What led to Georgia turning blue? Are there lessons that can be transported to Florida?

Don't forget to register for the discussion here!

The process to build a St. Johns County chapter of the Democratic Black Caucus continues at a brisk pace. The interest meeting hosted by the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida was well attended, and new members have submitted applications and paid dues. The next step is the organizational meeting at which officers will be elected.

Please join the organizational meeting on Tuesday, February 23rd at 6:00 PM via Zoom and help elect Black Caucus leaders in St. Johns County! Contact Jaime Perkins at jaimeperkins83@gmail.com to obtain the Zoom link. All are welcome to attend, and membership recruitment continues!

The St. Johns County chapter of the Democratic Environmental Caucus will meet via Zoom on Thursday March 4, at 6:30 PM. Dianne Abell will present her excellent nature photography from near and afar and will lead a discussion about changes at the federal level on environmental polcy the Biden administration has made thus far and what needs to be done going forward to rectify the damage done during the four years of the Trump administration. The meeting is open to the public. Contact John Pilecki at johnpilecki@gmail.com for more information and link to the meeting.

The Northwest Club United for Progress held its reorganization meeting on Feb. 8th and elected new officers. Congratulations to Holly Ross, President, Latonya Hines, First Vice-President, Lisa Hampton, Secretary, Linda Foote, Treasurer, and Jennifer Robar, Parliamentarian!

Our club has been actively submitting monthly articles and letters to the editor concerning issues important to Democrats and is focusing on legislative action and education. We are currently mobilizing committees and considering community meetings with representatives. Please join us at our next meeting via Zoom, on Monday, March 8th. Social begins at 6:30 with business meeting beginning at 7 PM. Contact nwsjcp@gmail.com for more information and to obtain Zoom link.

The St. Augustine Democratic Club met on Feb. 9th for their organization meeting and elected Nell Toensmann President, Bob Hellermann First Vice-President, Margaret Rickerson Second Vice-President, Julie Marshall Secretary, and Alfred Ortenzi Treasurer. Congratulations to all!

The next meeting will be held via Zoom at 7 PM on Tuesday, March 9th. Anyone wishing to join the club should contact the president for more information at: staugdemsclub@gmail.com or call 904-484-4960.

The Democratic Women's Club of St. Johns County has scheduled its Women's History Program for Wednesday, March 10th at 5 PM via Zoom. We are pleased to announce that our guest speaker will be Nikki Fried, the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

For more information and/or the Zoom link, please contact the club president Pamela Mirelson at mirelsonp@gmail.com, or call 904-502-3245.

Join us for a presentation by a legal expert with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) about the current status of migrant child separation and family reunification. KIND is one of the leading nonprofits working on this crisis. How will the Biden administration work to reunite children with their families when reports are the Trump administration's recordkeeping was shoddy? More information about the work of KIND can be found here.

For more information or to obtain the Zoom link, please contact president Jan Kary at jkary@verizon.net.

The Young Democrats Club held its organizational meeting in February and elected Steven Faviano President, Raj Mia Vice President, Keenan Ovrebo Treasurer, Jessica Gossett Secretary, and Lynne Park Communications Director. A hearty congratulations to all!

Join us via Zoom for our next meeting on March 15th at 6:30 PM where we'll begin planning our activities! Please register here to receive the Zoom link.

The Reunited States is a free documentary that is being shown February 19-23rd.

Sponsored by Compassionate St. Augustine and other organizations, the film is based on Mark Gerzon’s book, The Reunited States of America, and is said to be "a powerful and deeply moving film about people dedicating their lives to depolarization and creating a framework for the rest of us to do the same." To view the film, go to this link and enter the password CompassionRS2021.

Compassionate St. Augustine invites you to join a panel discussion of the documentary with cast members Mark Gerzon and Susan Bro on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 7pm. Please register for the Zoom discussion here.

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