July 31, 2022 / Newsletter 287 |
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Hall County Democratic Caucus to elect state convention delegates.
When: Saturday, August 6, 2022; 12:30 sign-in; caucus runs from 1:00-3:00 pm.
Where: Gainesville Civic Center
UPDATE: We're working on also setting up virtual access to attend the meeting. Look for the link later this week.
For the LATEST information about this exciting opportunity, please see the article below.
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Upcoming public meetings
Hall County Board of Elections
When: Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022 at 3:30 pm
Where: Hall County Administration Building
2875 Browns Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA 30504
Hall County Commission
When: August 11, 2022
Where: Hall County Administration Building
2875 Browns Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA 30504
Gainesville City Council
When: Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022
Where: Public Safety Complex, Municipal Court Room
701 Queen City Pkwy, Gainesville
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REGISTER TO VOTE or CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION
The deadline to register to vote in the November election is OCTOBER 11.
If you aren’t already registered, do it now.
If you’ve moved, update your address.
Even if nothing has changed, be sure to check your registration to ensure it is active.
We can’t win if you can’t vote!
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WE HAVE STACEY ABRAMS YARD SIGNS!
Show your support for Stacey Abrams for Governor with a yard sign..For a donation to Hall County Democratic Party, you can walk out with a sign! All donations welcome.
We have signs for Jen Jordan too!
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The Georgia Democratic Convention is coming up
August 27th in Columbus--
Here's how YOU can be involved!
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WE NEED DELEGATES!
Folks, we have not had a single application for delegates to the state convention. WE NEED TO REP HALL COUNTY! Having Democrats at the convention helps us get visibility from the state party, which in turn helps us book good speakers at attract candidates to hold rallies in Hall County. So we're asking you to step up, plan a trip to Columbus, and enjoy being with a crowd of Democrats!!!!! We've extended the deadline for paperwork until Thursday, August 4th.
The Democratic Party of Georgia will host its 2022 State Convention on Saturday, August 27th in Columbus. This gathering will showcase our now incumbent Democratic United States Senator, our amazing slate of candidates and do other important things like adopt our platform.
The state convention is an excellent opportunity to hear from party leaders, meet delegates from across the state, and build a network of like-minded Democrats throughout Georgia. It's also a chance to have a say in the party platform for 2022.

Hall County can send a total of 8 delegates to the convention, 4 to be voted on by the Hall County Democratic Party committee and 4 to be voted on by all Hall County Democrats. The committee and the party members will each also vote on 2 alternates.
We are holding the caucus to elect delegates on Saturday, August 6th, at the Gainesville Civic Center. Sign-in starts at 12:30 PM. If you can't attend in person, look for a link later this week to be able to attend virtually.
All Democrats registered to vote in Hall County can participate. All you have to do to vote in the caucus is complete an affidavit that you are a Democrat and a registered Hall County voter. Those wishing to run for a delegate slot will also need to fill out a delegate application form.
The August 27th convention will be held at the Ironworks in Columbus. The DPG will be sending us details about hotel blocks, agenda and other information soon, and we'll share that here. We'll also help our delegates form car pools to get to and from Columbus. The convention starts on Saturday morning, so delegates may want to plan on going down to Columbus on Friday. The official business should conclude early enough on the Saturday for delegates to get back to Hall County that evening.
APPLY TO BE A DELEGATE:
- Download the Delegate Affidavit form below.
- Open the form in Acrobat, and either complete the form online or print out the form to complete it by hand.
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If you complete the form online, please SaveAs and add your initials to the filename. If you complete the form by hand, either scan or take a photo of the completed, signed form.
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Attach the file (form, scanned form or photo) to an email & send to HallCountyDemocrat@gmail.com and put State Convention Delegate in the subject line.
- Bring the original signed document to the August 6th caucus. If you can’t attend the caucus, you can still apply to be a delegate. Just contact us to work out arrangements to provide us with the original application before the convention.
Democrats who are not delegates are welcome to attend the convention. Non-delegates will not be allowed to vote at the convention.
If you are coming to the caucus but don't want to be a delegate to the convention, you can shorten the sign-in process by filling out the form below and bringing it with you to the meeting.
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State Convention Delegate and Delegate Elector's Affidavit form
Clicking on the thumbnail should open a form that you can fill out online, or print and fill in by hand.
If the form doesn't allow you to fill it out online, look on the right toolbar in Acrobat and click Fill & Sign.
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Candidate News
Volunteer, attend an event, host an event, contribute
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Our candidates on the campaign trail |
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Kim Floria, GA House District 30
Kim is hosting a weekly Wine and Postcard Writing event on Wednesday evenings at Soprano's Grill, 5783 Old Winder Highway in Braselton.
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Isabel Martinez Flynn Hall County School Board Post 2
is setting up a fun event where you can sample beer while you chat with candidates about their positions on issues important to you. We'll have more details about the candidates who are participating as the event gets closer.
Save the date for Candidates on Tap
Saturday, August 25th, 4:00 PM
Beer Me, 5609 Main St, Flowery Branch
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Several of our local Democratic candidates attended an event at the Georgia Mountains Food Bank |
Laura Colaninno Hall County Commission District 1 and Pat Calmes HC School Board At Large |
Devin Pandy, GA House District 29, and Kim Floria, GA House District 30 |
Laura; Angela Middleton, Hall County School Board Post 1; and Mike Ford, US House GA 9th District (with Food Bank Executive Director Kay Blackstock) |
SAVE THE DATE!
Devin Pandy (GA HD29) and Angela Middleton (Hall County School Board Post 1) will be holding a joint campaign kick-off event on August 13th!
Watch this space for more details.
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Jody Cooley GA Senate District 49
Jody met with Hall County voters across the county during July. At right, Cooley speaks at Board of Realtors candidate forum
Below, Jody Cooley talks with Todd Slaughter at the recent Hall County Board of Realtors Coffee with Candidates forum
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Jody Cooley with Kevin Wetzel at the Memorial Park picnic for public servants |
Donate to our Democratic Candidates
Using the secure website ActBlue, you can donate to these Hall County Democrats running for office. Use the links below:
Isabel-Martinez Flynn, Hall County School Board Post 2
Pat Calmes, Hall County School Board At Large
We'll add links for our other Hall County candidates as they become available.
Get the word out and support these Democratic candidates.
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Upcoming 2022 Mid-term Election Dates

August 22 - First day to submit application for absentee ballot
October 11 - Voter Registration Deadline for 11/8 & 12/6 state and local races
November 7 - Voter Registration Deadline 12/6 Federal races
NOVEMBER 8 - 2022 MIDTERM GENERAL ELECTIONS
DECEMBER 6 - 2022 MIDTERM ELECTION RUNOFF
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Hall County Board of Elections meeting,Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
Our voter protection sub-committee co-chair Frank Lock attended this meeting and has provided this report.
The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m.
Following the first opportunity for public comment (there were no comments), the Elections Director, Lori Wurtz, gave her report. Her first item involved the results of the run-off election audit. (This was a voluntary activity for the elections office, which I attended.) Wurtz reported that the results from the audit verified the reported results.
She next reported on the office space sharing that is ongoing in the elections department. Remodeling is ongoing in the building, and the elections staff is sharing space with three or four other departments. Remodeling is expected to be completed within 60 days, and no interruptions to elections are anticipated.
The city of Lula will hold a special election for City Council in August. The Hall County Elections staff is responsible for verifying the eligibility of the candidates for posts 1 and 5. Wurtz reported that an error had been made in selecting the qualifying date, and the city council passed an amendment to correct that error.
BOE member Craig Lutz expressed concern about the BOE certifying candidates. He asked that in the future municipalities verify the eligibility of candidates and, and the BOE conduct the election. A motion was then made by member Craig Lutz calling for the Special Election in Lula; the motion was seconded by member Cochran. Following brief discussion, the motion passed 4-0. (BOE member David Kennedy was absent.)
Member Lutz then expressed concern about the BOE having to relocate two polling places in Hall County. He asked that the elections office staff follow the correct procedure for notifying voters of the polling place changes, and requested that the staff pursue using school facilities when arranging for new polling places.
Next was a second opportunity for public comment. I addressed the board members about housekeeping concerns with the BOE web site. I asked that the site be kept up to date with BOE meeting dates (when I looked at the site there was no information about the July 26thmeeting – I verified the meeting by contacting the Director by email.) I also requested that once BOE meeting minutes are approved, they be made available on the site. (It turns out that the information is on the site, but located in a Public Notices link. A voter with little or no experience on the web site would have a challenge in finding that information.) BOE Chairperson Tom Smiley indicated that the BOE has little influence on the composition of the web site.
The BOE chairperson spoke about the upcoming general election in November, indicating that he feels confident that the elections office will be well prepared.
The next meeting will take place in the County Commission meeting room on Tuesday, August 2, 2022, at 3:30 p.m.
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Polls show split ticket voting a possibility in November
The following story appeared in The Jolt in the AJC on July 28.
The newest AJC poll of the 2022 elections shows a possible split-ticket dynamic in Georgia this year, with GOP incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp about five points ahead of Stacey Abrams in the race for governor, and Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock with a three-point lead over Herschel Walker, which is described by pollsters as essentially a dead heat.
But one of the most troubling findings for Democrats in the AJC poll was tucked into the crosstabs of the race for governor. It showed wavering support for Stacey Abrams among the party’s most reliable constituency.
Georgia Democrats routinely capture more than 90% of the Black electorate, and Republicans often see it as a victory if they can crack double-digits with the voting bloc.
But the poll shows Abrams garnering roughly 80% of Black support. The other votes are split about evenly: About 10% back Kemp and about 8% are undecided.
It’s not ideal territory for Abrams, whose campaign to become the nation’s first Black woman elected governor hinges on motivating core supporters.
That poses both a problem and an opportunity for the Democrat’s campaign. The problem, of course, is she can’t defeat Kemp without energizing the party’s most important bloc of voters. The opportunity is she can quickly make up lost ground by mobilizing Black voters.
In the other marquee race, Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock – the state’s first Black U.S. senator – has support from about 85% of Black voters. His rival Herschel Walker, who is also Black, has about 9% support from Black voters.
One possible reason for the lagging support for Democrats? Nearly one-third of Black voters disapprove of President Joe Biden’s record as president
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Warnock To Herschel Walker: Commit To A Debate | Zerlina.
As things heat up in key Georgia midterm races, political reporter Greg Bluestein breaks down the latest." Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeT...
Read more
www.youtube.com
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A new Georgia voting law reduced ballot drop box access...
Monica Poole looked forward to voting in Georgia's primary in May. But after breaking her ankle, she couldn't drive. Even navigating the stairs from her second-floor Atlanta apartment was impossible, so waiting in line to vote wasn't an option.
Read more
www.npr.org
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5 State Laws Based on Voter Fraud Myths that Will Hamper ...
As the JanuÂary 6 commitÂtee hearÂings have made clear, the attack on the Capitol was fueled by false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presÂidÂenÂtial elecÂtion. While the insurÂrecÂtion failed, the damage from the Big Lie of a "stolen"...
Read more
www.brennancenter.org
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Bookman: No guts no glory if Herschel weasels out of...
Back in the primary, Herschel Walker wanted nothing to do with a debate against his Republican opponents, but at least he had a lame excuse of an excuse. With polls showing Walker with an insurmountable lead among Republicans, he could shrug off...
Read more
georgiarecorder.com
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If YOU have an opinion you want to share, you can submit a letter to the editor here: https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/about-us-main/contact-letter/ The Times has long given short shrift to Democrats, so letters to the editor are a way to get out the message that we are here, we are active, and we care about Hall County and Georgia!

If you'd like us to help with a letter to the editor, email hallcountydemocrat@gmail.com and put "letter to the editor" in the subject line.
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Stacey Abrams & Charlie Bailey in Clayton, Rabun County |
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Stacey and Charlie with GA 9th District Congressional candidate Mike Ford |
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State & Local News (Some links may require a subscription)
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Stacey Abrams plans for more affordable housing in Georgia
Democrat Stacey Abrams is promoting a plan she says will make housing more available and affordable across Georgia if she defeats Republican Gov. Brian Kemp this year. "I will lead the charge and tackling the four central housing challenges faced ...
Read more
www.gpb.org
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Diners pack Longstreet Cafe for Fox & Friends interview...
Others drew similarities between Walker and former President Donald Trump. "I'm an avid Trump supporter, and I think Herschel is following his lead," Chuck Bancroft, 87, said. "When Trump was president, the economy was fabulous," said Marianne...
Read more
www.gainesvilletimes.com
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What to do if CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy,...
People who have had their birth control prescriptions or condom purchases denied by large pharmacies continue to flood social media with their stories under the hashtags #BoycottWalgreens and ##CVSDeniesCare. The issue has come to the fore as...
Read more
www.usatoday.com
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Prisons chief deflects blame for failures, angering...
With just days left in his tenure, the embattled director of the federal prison system faced a bipartisan onslaught Tuesday as he refused to accept responsibility for a culture of corruption and misconduct that has plagued his agency for years.
Read more
www.wabe.org
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ACLU, doctors open new legal front to challenge Georgia...
A new attempt to stop Georgia's anti-abortion law has been filed in Fulton County Superior Court, opening a new front in state court for the post-Roe legal fight one week after a federal appeals court let Georgia's law take effect. The lawsuit...
Read more
georgiarecorder.com
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Georgia Poll: Warnock Leads by 9% for Senate; Abrams...
A SurveyUSA Poll of Georgia has Senator Raphael Warnock leading in his reelection bid 48% to 39% over Republican Herschel Walker, with 5% supporting minor candidates. The survey has a statistical tie for governor of Georgia with the current...
Read more
www.dailykos.com
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National News (Some links may require a subscription)
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Opinion | The surprise Manchin deal is cause for celebration
The new reconciliation deal Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) announced Wednesday anticipates its critics: What was once Build Back Better is now dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act - less catchy, perhaps, but savvy. The name is fitting for a...
Read more
www.washingtonpost.com
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Press "bothsideism" has failed Biden, and America
The American press corps struggles every day to prove to readers and viewers that it is "fair and balanced," the slogan cleverly adopted by Fox News. If it strongly criticized Donald Trump during his presidency (and since), then it follows that...
Read more
www.brookings.edu
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EXCLUSIVE: Prosecutors prepare for court battle to force ...
Justice Department prosecutors are preparing to fight in court to force former White House officials to testify about then-President Donald Trump's conversations and actions around January 6, according to people briefed on the matter.
Read more
www.cnn.com
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41 Republican senators break their promise to protect...
Senate Republicans blocked the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, which would expand health care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Forty-one Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan compromise bill on Wednesday that would expand health care for ...
Read more
americanindependent.com
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Inspirational story of the week: Young activist raises over $1 million to help women access abortion. The amount has at least tripled since this story aired on Wednesday night. |
Gen Z activist's clapback to Matt Gaetz? Raising over...
Gen Z activist Olivia Julianna has raised over $330,000 for abortion access after being targeted by Matt Gaetz, using his attack as the fuel for her successful fundraising campaign. The teen activist joins Joy Reid on the fight for reproductive...
Read more
www.msnbc.com
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HCDP Office hours:
NOTE: Due to pest control activities, the office will not be open for the next few weeks. We'll resume regular office hours soon.
Monday 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday CLOSED
Friday 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday CLOSED
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314 College Avenue
Gainesville, GA 30501
Phone: (470) 892-5825
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