Polk County Democratic Party Weekly Digest: Sept. 20-26, 2021
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Training
Polk County Voter Registration Training
Let's turn Florida BLUE! Join us to learn - why, where and how to register targeted Democratic voters in Polk County. Find out the rules, forms and best practices for successful voter registration in your area. Training calls are held on the 4th Wednesday of the month, at 1:00 P.M.
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To register for the event September 22,
click here.
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Call to Action
Register Voters at Bartow Fall Festival
Let's register new voters and turn Florida BLUE! Meet and greet visitors to the Bartow Fall Festival on Saturday, September 25, and register new voters. This is a walking/standing event - no table. Team leaders are needed to coordinate shifts, collect registration forms, etc. Training and all materials provided.
Register here and pick your 1-2 hour shift during the 10:00AM to 5:00PM festival.
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Elections supervisor schedules Winter Haven recruitment event for poll workers
The Supervisor of Elections is hosting an informational and recruitment event in Winter Haven where Polk County residents can apply for paid positions working at polling places on Election Day, Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards said.
The event, which is scheduled for Thursday, September 23 and conducted as an informational meetings, will be broken into two sessions: One will be held at 10 a.m. and another at 6 p.m.
For details, click here.
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Check out these events in Polk County being held in conjunction with National Drive Electric Week, Sep 25-Oct 3, a nationwide celebration to raise awareness of the many benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more.
National Drive Electric Week Winter Haven - September 25, 9 am to 1 pm
National Drive Electric Week Lake Wales - September 25, 9 am to 1 pm
These FREE family-friendly events will have several electric vehicle owners showcasing their EVs, answering your questions, and sharing their enthusiasm. Several different EV models, including electric bikes, will be on display. The events will also feature food trucks and live music, as well as the local farmers markets' wonderful weekly fresh produce and crafts booths.
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Polk County has $10.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to give out. Nonprofits need $40 million-plus.
Catherine Price, chairwoman of the Polk County Democratic Party, will attend a future Polk County Commission budget meeting to encourage substantial funding for community programs.
"There are so many needs out there, so many problems," Price said. "We have a concern, in the face of the large needs in the community."
For a list of community funding requests, click here.
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UPDATE - Legislative Delegation Meeting
Organizers of the annual Legislative Delegation Meeting in Polk County are now taking names of people interested in speaking during the event October 26.
The annual public meeting is an opportunity for citizens, elected county and city officials and members of civic organizations to address the delegation before the 2022 state legislative session begins.
If you would like to be placed on the printed agenda, contact the office of the Chair Designate of the Polk County Legislative Delegation, Rep. Colleen Burton, by sending a request to hedy.weddington@myfloridahouse.gov
You will be sent a speaker’s request form with instructions, which must be turned in by 5 p.m. Oct. 12, to be placed on the printed agenda. You may also complete a speaker’s form on the day of the meeting and you will be afforded time to speak in the order in which it was received up until 6 p.m.
The Polk County Legislative Delegation is meeting from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 26, at the Polk State College Center for Public Safety, 1251 Jim Keene Blvd., Winter Haven.
Please note, if you would like to provide handouts to the delegation, and do not send information ahead of time, please bring 10 copies to the meeting for distribution.
For more information, contact Hedy Weddington at hedy.weddington@myfloridahouse.gov or 863-413-2640.
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Florida Redistricting Process Begins
Florida lawmakers will begin this week meeting to redraw the state's political boundaries, based on the data released from the 2020 US Census.
The first meeting will be today (Monday, September 20) of the Senate Committee on Reapportionment. Their meeting will run from 3:45—5:45 pm and can be viewed via https://thefloridachannel.org/
The House Redistricting Committee will then meet on Wednesday, September 22, when there will be an overview of redistricting and census information. Scheduled to run 2:45-4:45 p.m., the meeting will be live-streamed on https://thefloridachannel.org/
Subsequent simultaneous meetings will be held September 23 of the Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee and the State Legislative Redistricting Subcommittee. Both meetings will run from 9-11 a.m and also be live-streamed.
For more information, click on the House Committees website and follow the links to the respective redistricting committees.
Members of the Polk County Democratic Party will be monitoring these meetings and providing updates, as they become available.
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Federal judge rejects disabled children parents' request to block Gov. DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates
Judge K. Michael Moore issued a 34-page ruling that denied a request for a preliminary injunction against an executive order that DeSantis issued July 30, to ban mask mandates. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, contends that the executive order violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws designed to protect the rights of students with disabilities. Click here for more.
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Important Dates and Meetings
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Steering Committee & Regular DEC Meetings
The next DEC Steering Committee meeting will be held on Monday, October 4.
The next Regular DEC Meeting will be held from 6.30 pm on Monday, October 11. Click here to register.
(Regular DEC meetings are on 2nd Monday of the month) |
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Meeting to form Education Caucus
A virtual meeting seeking Polk County Democrats' interest in forming an public education-focused caucus will be held Thursday, September 23, from 6–7:30 pm. For more information and to register, click here.
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Keep us up to date: If you would like to feature what your club or caucus is doing or introduce a new president, other office holder or person of interest, please send information to polkdemwd@gmail.com
Upcoming Polk County DEC Mobilize Events
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Democratic Party of Polk County, Club & Caucus Links
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Mailing Address:
Due to the pandemic the Democratic Party of Polk County has closed the office in Lakeland.
The mailing address is the following:
The Democratic Party of Polk County, 6039 Cypress Gardens Boulevard, Suite 328, Winter Haven, FL 33884
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