Because This Is America!

Weekly News, Updates, and Events

We As Democrats Believe:

"I believe in nonviolence, but some people think peace is the absence of noise and not the presence of justice."

-- Rev. William Barber II

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NEWS






DOING Campaign, Precinct Volunteers Reach Out to Thousands of Voters


 

"It went better than I ever could have hoped," said Lani Hashimoto, chair of Precinct FP06 and member of the DOING Steering Committee. Lani said that people she and other volunteers contacted "were amazingly receptive" to the campaign's calls checking in on voters and urging them to request absentee ballots. DOING (Democrats Organizing in Neighborhood Groups) had planned on intensive door-to-door canvassing, but had to give it up in early March as the state shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group switched to phone banking and recruited precinct organizations and volunteers to reach out to Democratic voters over 60 years old to see how they were doing and to encourage them to apply for absentee ballots.

 

The volunteers have made more than 20,000 contact attempts and reached 4,234 voters, according to DOING. "The vast majority were happy to hear from somebody," Lani said. She said the importance of getting Democrats in position to vote safely in the critical November elections can't be overstated. "I think it's a make it or break it situation," Lani said.

 




Phone banking scripts, targets, volunteer recruitment and training were developed soon after the door-to-door effort shut down. Since mid-April, 27 of 43 precincts have started phone banks, and here are the results of the effort:


21,858 call attempts

4,234 voters canvassed

2,450 voters have expressed interest in an absentee ballot request form. 

438 voters have received an email with a link to the absentee ballot request form

1,568+ voters have received an absentee ballot request form by mail or by personal delivery

432 voters have been added to the NHCDP weekly eNewsletter

343 voters have volunteered

736 voters have been identified as GOTV targets for this Fall

One remarkable volunteer has made 1,527 calls - thank you Martha Afetse!


We still need volunteers, because we need to to complete these calls by August so that we can devote ourselves 100% to the Combined Campaign. To volunteer, email Susanne Werner, [email protected], or Joanne Durham, [email protected] to get connected to this critical effort.




 

Medical Supply Organization Lauds Kyle Horton Mimi Marquis And Others For Making PPE

 

A group called Open Source Medical Supplies (OSMS) was organized in March to bring together medical professionals, community organizers and other volunteers to help meet the unprecedented demand for personal protective gear ("PPE") stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Kyle Horton, physician and candidate for New Hanover County Commission, was one of the professionals who joined the global effort. Here are some excerpts from an OSMS article about the mask-making effort in the Cape Fear region:

 

At the beginning of the year, internal medicine physician and former Congressional candidate Kyle Horton didn’t know that she’d be learning a new skill.  While initial attempts at sewing broke her mother’s old sewing machine, in the last two months Horton and her colleague Mimi Marquis moved the needle to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to their community in Eastern North Carolina.   

 

As the global pandemic reached the United States, Horton discovered the OSMS Facebook page and its suggestions for sewing masks using readily available fabric and sewing machines. With her background in medicine and community organizing, Horton and Marquis stitched together a team of about fifty local residents to produce PPE. While still working full-time at a travel marketing company, Marquis created online forms for community organizations to request masks, and for fabric cutters, mask sewers, and PPE delivering drivers to connect and create a local supply chain. 

All in all, the effort and hustle demonstrated by Horton, Marquis and the team in Cape Fear serves as a powerful testament to the ingenuity and selflessness of community. The team saw a gap in the response to the pandemic, and swiftly filled it. “People are really stepping up to do their part,” Horton said. 




Cal Cunningham Challenges Tillis On Medicaid Expansion

 

Cal Cunningham, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, has drawn a sharp distinction between himself and his opponent, Republican incumbent Thom Tillis. While Tillis brags about preventing the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina, Cal backs proposed federal legislation to provide additional incentives for states to expand Medicaid. Here are excerpts from Cal's position statement: 

 

Cal Cunningham is calling for the next COVID-19 relief package to include an incentive for states that have not yet expanded Medicaid to do so. In North Carolina, Medicaid expansion would extend coverage to more than 634,000 people and provide a lifeline to rural hospitals across the state struggling to stay open. Thom Tillis blocked Medicaid expansion as Speaker of the North Carolina House and recently bragged about making it illegal to expand Medicaid in the state. Today’s pandemic puts that choice under a microscope, as thousands have died, millions have lost jobs, and a disproportionate number of deaths among people of color have underscored health disparities.  

 

“North Carolinians are facing unprecedented health and economic challenges — challenges that underscore the long overdue need to expand Medicaid in North Carolina,” said Cunningham. “During a global pandemic that has infected thousands in our state and cost even more their jobs, the need to expand this safety net to help the most people we can has never been more urgent.”

 

Legislation introduced in the Senate would give states that have not expanded Medicaid an additional incentive to do so, by giving them the 100 percent federal match regardless of when they expand. A similar effort was introduced in the House. Cal supports including provisions like these in the next COVID-19 relief package in hopes of encouraging more states, including North Carolina, to expand the program.  

 

To see Cal's full statement, click here. For a News & Observer article on the issue, click here.




 

EVENT

 






Combined Campaign Dialing for Democrats -- Wednesdays through July 15



 

 

When: Wednesdays, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Where: Call from your home

 

The Combined Campaign invites you to drop in to a Zoom phonebank party from a comfy chair at home between 5 and 8 on Wednesdays to call voters in the 7th Congressional District. To sign up, click here.  

 



 

 

Red Cross Blood Drive -- July 7

 



When: Tuesday July 7, Noon - 6:00 p.m.

Where: Andre Mallette Training Room, Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington 28403

 


Blood collection by the Red Cross has been hampered by the coronavirus, but life saving donations are still needed. NHCDP and the New Hanover County Republican Party are inviting New Hanover voters to a blood drive event at Government Center on July 7th. Appointments are available from noon until 6 p.m and the event will be in the large training room inside the Government Center. If you are in a high vulnerability group, this event may not be appropriate for you. However we inquired, and the Red Cross organizers will set up the event to ensure appropriate distancing and masks will be provided and required of all staff, volunteers and donors. Donors who don't want to wear a mask will be turned away. Temperatures will be taken, gloves will be worn, surfaces will be disinfected and sanitizer will be readily available.

 

To sign up for an appointment, click here: [link removed] and use search code New Hanover County. To expedite your appointment fill out the RapidPass form online, and then download and print or email it to yourself and bring it with you. www.RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass  The form must be completed on the day of your appointment. Also, eat a good breakfast, drink water and bring a picture ID with you.

 



Happy Hour and Conversation with County Commission Candidates  -- July 22

 

When: Wednesday, July 22, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Zoom 



Precinct leaders and other New Hanover County Democrats are invited to participate in an online zoom video conference on behalf of the Democratic county commission candidates on July 22. It's a chance to meet candidates Jonathan Barfield, Leslie Cohen and Kyle Horton. After social time and greetings, moderator Sue Hayes will introduce the candidates allowing each a period of 10 to 15 minutes to speak on their own behalf or to respond to questions. 

 

To join the Zoom Meeting: [link removed]

 

Meeting ID: 829 2331 5390

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,82923315390# US (Germantown)

+13126266799,,82923315390# US (Chicago)

 

 

Best,

Richard Poole, Chair

News Content by James Cummings

 

If you have any announcements, comments, questions or concerns regarding this email series, please contact the Editor here.


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| Paid for by the New Hanover County Democratic Party |
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Mailing Address: 

NHCDP

PO Box 3036

Wilmington, NC 28406 

 

Office Address:

5041 New Centre Drive

Wilmington, NC 28403

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