The Primary Election is here! Early voting for the Primary Election officially begins tomorrow across Indian River County. The winners of over 5 local elections will be determined in the August Primary Election with Democratic voters voting for the Tax Collector, County Commissioners in Districts 1 and 3, and School Board Members in Districts 3 and 5. You will find slate card information below.

From August 10 to August 17, you can vote in person at the following locations from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. These early voting locations will also have vote-by-mail ballot drop boxes.

Sebastian City Hall (1225 Main St, Sebastian, FL 32958)
Supervisor of Elections office (4375 43rd Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32967)
Main Library Vero Beach (1600 21st St, Vero Beach, FL 32960)

Mail-in-ballots can be returned by mail, in person at the Supervisor of Elections office, or at early voting sites. 
 

This week, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would join the ticket as her running mate. 

Governor Walz is a champion for America’s working families, with a background as a former football coach and Command Sergeant Major in the Army National Guard. He won his first race in a Republican district by advocating for farmers and rural communities.

In Congress, he took action for veterans and forged compromises to achieve results. As governor, he has implemented significant measures to help middle-class families, including the largest tax cut in state history, lowering insulin costs to $35 per month, eliminating junk fees, and enacting paid leave to support parents caring for sick family members.

A strong advocate for fundamental freedoms, Governor Walz made Minnesota the first state to codify abortion rights after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe. He has prioritized safe communities by funding police departments, hiring more officers, investing in body cameras, and banning chokeholds to foster trust between law enforcement and communities.

As a gun owner and avid hunter, Walz advocates for universal background checks and an assault weapons ban to combat gun violence. With a background as a union member and two decades of teaching experience, Governor Walz remains committed to fighting for working families, drawing on his own experiences and challenges, including his family's journey through reproductive health care.

Please join us in mobilizing voters to get out and vote for Harris-Walz and our entire Democratic ticket.

The Young Democrats of Indian River invite you to join us at The Kilted Mermaid on Saturday, August 10th. This casual get together will begin at 6:00 p.m. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected]. As always, we encourage anyone between the ages of 16-39 to join our cause using this link.

Democrats feel a profound gratitude for President Joe Biden's lifelong commitment to public service. From his early days as a senator to his current leadership, Biden has championed significant legislation aimed at improving the lives of everyday Americans, including healthcare reform, climate action and gun violence prevention. His empathy, shaped by personal experiences, resonates deeply, fostering a sense of hope amid adversity. Under his administration, initiatives like the bipartisan infrastructure law moved America toward a more equitable future. 

Stop by our office to pick up a yard sign and/or sticker to proudly express your support and gratitude.

Indian River Democrat, Ann Brakman, sent the following letter to President Biden to express her appreciation for his service to our country.
 

Dear President Biden:

I thank you so much for what you have given this country, not just in your policies and bills passed, but also for showing to younger people that we can have a leader who is a real gentleman.

Although during your term you have been the most effective leader in my time (I’m 87), I have to admit I wished you hadn’t decided to run for a second term. My husband of 57 years, and friend since I was 13, died when we were 80 years old. I miss him every day—there are so many reminders and memories of him. We both worked into our sixties, so I know what it is to have a life together without worrying about work stresses. I wished for you and Jill to have your last years together enjoying life without the stresses of the presidency. And more, your children and grandchildren will get to know you even better. I am sure you will still be contributing in any way you can. My contribution has been to write letters to the editor. You might like them.

Your legacy is a great one. Deciding that the good of the country comes first adds to it immensely. I believe you mentored Kamala very well for your common goals, and she will make you proud.

My best wishes to you and your family.

Sincerely,
Anne Brakman

Run by many who held high-level positions in the Trump Administration, Project 2025 remains a far-right, dark money-funded threat to our democracy, determined to limit individual freedoms by taking more control of Americans’ lives. Research Shows Project 2025 seeks to exert more control over Americans’ lives by limiting freedoms. 

The organization boasts “a menu of solutions” for ways to “fix our schools, and support families,” when it is in fact seeking ways to take away freedoms and control people’s bodies, self-determination and pocketbooks. 

Research shows Project 2025 aims to accomplish the following:

• Control people’s bodies by enforcing the Reconstruction-Era Comstock Act to restrict healthcare and stop the distribution of abortion medication. The plan recommends the CDC institute enact “mandatory data collection for all abortions nationwide — literally tracking and surveilling women who choose to get abortions” and threatens to cut funding to any state that does not submit abortion data to the CDC’s surveillance systems.

• Limit Title IX discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students and equates those who support the rights of transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming students to “child predators” who “should be imprisoned” and “classed as registered sex offenders.” It defines a “healthy society” as made up of families composed of a “married mother, father, and their children” while repealing policies focusing on LGBTQ+ equity and supporting single-mothers. 

• Propose a lifetime cap on Medicaid, jeopardizing health care coverage for up to 18.5 million people.

• Control people’s self-determination by deploying the military domestically under the Insurrection Act to crack down on protesters.

• Control people’s wallets by taking away eligibility for overtime pay for millions of workers, driving up drug costs and limiting insurance options for people, and eliminating student debt forgiveness for civil servants while dismantling protections for defrauded students.

Project 2025 remains the blueprint for a future conservative administration that is fiercely moving forward with a plan to trample American freedoms. Learn more at ExposeProject2025.org.