Celebrate Independence Day
Polk County area 4th of July celebrations start July 3. For a comprehensive list, click here.
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Polk County Democratic Party Weekly Digest: June 28 - July 4, 2021
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New Leaders Elected
Polk County DEC members this month elected Barbara Harris to the position of 2nd Vice Chair and Cesar Ramirez as Treasurer. Barbara also holds the positions of President Northeast Polk Democratic Club, Precinct Captain #105, and PR & Marketing Chair for the Polk County DEC. Cesar is also Chair of the Polk County Democratic Hispanic Caucus.
The PCDEC also welcomed as new Precinct Captains Charmaine Saunders (#201).
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Don't forget to RSVP here.
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New Florida Law To Survey University Students and Faculty About Political Beliefs
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a piece of legislation that could wreak havoc on the freedom of speech and academic freedom of Florida’s institutes of higher education. The law would require all public colleges and universities to survey students, professors, and staff on their political beliefs in what DeSantis said is an attempt to promote “intellectual diversity.” For more, click here.
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Capitol riot: Six more Florida arrests as state leads nation in Jan. 6 charges
From the Lakeland Ledger: "With six more Floridians arrested this week, the state now is in sole possession of first place when it comes to the most individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.
"Florida now has 53 arrests, breaking a tie with Texas, which has 47 arrests, according to a database maintained by USA Today.
"The new arrests include a husband and wife from Ocala who are prominent adherents of the QAnon conspiracy movement, adding to the large number of Floridians facing Capitol riot charges who are affiliated with extremist groups or ideologies."
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Biden approves federal aid after Surfside condo collapse
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Surfside and ordered federal assistance for state and local responses a day after last week's condo building collapse.
The President’s action authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population. Click here for details.
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Rubio May Have Violated Senate Campaigning Ethics Laws
From Florida Politics: "Sen. Marco Rubio spent much of the week responding to news U.S. Rep. Val Demings would challenge his reelection. But was he in such a hurry he forgot to leave politics outside his official office?
"In at least one interview (about campaign strategy) Rubio conducted June 9, the Republican Senator clearly is seated at his desk in the Russell Senate Office Building."
This could be in violation of Senate ethics laws which state ”Senate space may not be used for any political campaign”.
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Analysis: On Infrastructure, Biden Tests the Limits of Having It Both Ways
The president has long pitched himself as both solidly progressive and committed to bipartisanship. His deal with Republicans, coupled with assurances to liberals, attempts to marry the two.
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DOJ Suing Georgia Over Voting Law
The Department of Justice announced it will sue Georgia over its controversial voting laws weeks after Attorney General Merrick Garland said the wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states would be reviewed.
This will be of interest in Florida, where lawmakers passed it own version of a controversial voting law is currently being challenged with four separate civil lawsuits. Florida is among a number of Republican-controlled states that passed similar laws and the DOJ said could be subject to investigation.
In related news, the DOJ also announced this past week it is forming a task force to investigate any threats against election workers.
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As we prepare for the 2022 mid-term elections, the Polk County DEC is seeking individuals to fill these critical volunteer positions. If you have any questions or interest, please contact the relevant person as listed.
| Job Title |
Desirable Skillset |
Job Description |
Contact Person |
| Volunteer Coordinator |
Organized, moderate computer skill, good interpersonal communication, enjoys socializing and talking to people via text and phone |
Will take responsibility for communicating with new volunteers by text or phone, placing their data in a spreadsheet that will be used by the Office Committee. Will help new volunteers identify a job that they would like to do for the DEC and then connect them with the appropriate Club, Caucus or Committee Chair that is coordinating that job. |
Catherine Price
Chair, Polk County DEC
chairpolkdemfl@gmail.com |
| Voter Registration – Committee members |
Enjoys working with people, organized, moderate computer skill level, able to run trainings and communicate well with volunteers |
Will research events and locations for voter registration events throughout Polk County; work with the volunteer coordinator to build and train a team of people that work voter registration events throughout Polk County. Follow all voter registration rules and guidelines and train Voter Registration volunteers on such. |
Veysel Dokur
First Vice-Chair
Polk County DEC
vcpolkdec@gmail.com |
| Campaign & Candidate Recruitment – Committee Chair |
A connector, person that enjoys talking to people and searching various networks for possible Democratic candidates. Resourceful and a strategic, political thinker. |
Will build a team of that will search for Democratic candidates for federal, state and local elections in Polk County. Connect candidates with training and funding resources. Help develop strategies in collaboration with candidates to win campaigns. |
Karen Welzel
State Committeewoman
Polk County DEC
Kwelzel628@gmail.com |
| Legislative Liaison |
Enjoys research; detail oriented; issue driven. Good written and verbal communication skills. Able to utilize Mailchimp and other communication software. |
Will research various issues of interest to Polk County Democrats, understand the legislative process and become knowledgeable of legislation being proposed at the federal, state and local level. Provide education about important upcoming legislation through written media, programs and emails to Polk County Democrats. Encourage lobbying by Polk County Democrats. Possibly put on townhall forums to education Democrats and the community about specific issues. |
Catherine Price
Chair, Polk County DEC
chairpolkdemfl@gmail.com |
| Finance Committee Members |
Knowledgeable of financial management and fundraising process. Good computer skills. Likes to party. |
We need people to help with our financial oversight processes and by writing fundraising letters, calling donors and helping put on fundraising events. If you like to party you might be a good fit for this committee. |
Catherine Price
Chair, Polk County DEC
chairpolkdemfl@gmail.com |
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Join The Team
Mi Vecino is hiring Organizers and Canvassers (starting at $18/hr) to help empower communities of color by building their political power through voter registration and vote-by-mail enrollment programs.
Click here to see to find out more and if you are the right person for the job!
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New date: Candidate and Campaign Staff Training
A session to assist those thinking of running for office or show who want to develop the skills to work on a campaign, hosted by Hillsborough County Democratic Party, has been rescheduled for August 7.
Training will be conducted by Kevin Winchell, Executive Dir. of Democracy Strategies. You'll learn about fundraising, political campaign management best practices, campaign planning, and more!
This is a full day event, running from 9 am to 4.30 pm. Make sure to sign up early to reserve a spot.
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Important Dates and Meetings
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Steering Committee & Regular DEC Meetings
The next Regular DEC Meeting will be held on Monday, July 12th Click here to register.
(Regular DEC meetings are on 2nd Monday of the month)
The next DEC Steering Committee meeting will be held on Monday, August 2.
Please note: The DEC Steering Committee meeting for July has been cancelled in observance of the Independence Day public holiday.
Club & Caucus Meetings
Democratic Women’s Club of Lakeland - June 28 at 6:30 pm
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Events Calendar of Clubs and Caucuses
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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
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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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