Because This Is America!

Weekly News, Updates, and Events

We As Democrats Believe:

"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas."

 

Shirley Chisholm, first African American woman elected to Congress

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NEWS





New Tool to Track Mail-in Ballots: BallotTrax

 



The State Board of Elections has added a great new tool voters can use to check on absentee ballots. It is called BallotTrax. Many voters have already reported on Facebook that BallotTrax has increased their confidence that their ballot will be counted. It will tell you:


Has your ballot been mailed to you?

Has the Post Office received your returned ballot?

Has your ballot been received by the Board of Elections?

Has your ballot been accepted by the Board of Elections?


You can check on your absentee ballot here. 

 

If you haven't yet applied for an absentee ballot, you can do that here.

 

The Board of Elections began mailing absentee ballots a week ago. If you are voting by mail, make sure to fill out the ballot and ballot envelope completely, then mail it in or take it to the Board of Elections from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Click on the image above for a short video on the required envelope items. Tell your friends!

 




Democrats Successful In Submitting Absentee Ballots

 




New Hanover Democrats have taken a multifaceted approach to ensuring that Democratic absentee ballots are accepted and counted, reaching out to voters with emails, texts, phone banks, videos, Facebook and other social media. The data is now available to show that we are succeeding.

 

The graph to the left shows that as of September 13, less than 15% of Democrat ballots were rejected or "spoiled" by the Board of Elections out of a total of 359 Democratic ballots so far. Typical reasons for rejection are lack of a witness signature, witness printed name or witness address. The Board of Elections will mail a new ballot to each voter whose ballot was spoiled, so the final rejection rate should be much lower. Voters can also use BallotTrax (see above) to see if their ballot was accepted. Thanks to Steph Fetzer for the data analysis.



 

Cunningham vs. Tillis; U.S. Senate Debate Tonight; Tweet for Cal

 

Voting in North Carolina has started, and with it the final push to defeat Thom Tillis and flip the US Senate. Tonight (September 14) at 7 p.m. Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham and Republican Senator Tillis will take the stage for their much anticipated first debate. The Cunningham campaign is calling on his supporters to help on debate night to amplify Cal’s message and communicate the clear contrast in this race.  Here are some suggested tweets:







Shareable graphics are available to download. here



I’m proud to be on #TeamCal. RT if you are too! #NCSenateDebate Click here to tweet
 

I’m excited to hear @CalforNC’s plans to fight for North Carolinians. RT if you are too! #NCSenateDebate Click here to tweet



I’m ready to elect @CalforNC and flip the Senate. #NCSenateDebate Click here to tweet



I’m excited to watch @CalforNC at the upcoming #NCSenateDebate, as we fight to bring new leadership to the Senate. Click here to tweet 



NC needs a Senator who will invest in education. The clear choice is @CalforNC. #NCSenateDebate Click here to tweet



@CalforNC will fight to protect and expand North Carolinians’ access to health care—not take it away. The choice is clear this fall. #NCSenateDebate Click here to tweet







You can follow along at debate.calfornc.com, where the Cunningham campaign team will be responding to the debate in real time. A livestream will be available there and on WRAL’s website (WRAL.com).

 

Online Voter Suppression Documentary Film on Wednesday

 



Deb Butler, representative of the 18th District in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and the Rev. Dr. William Barber II of Repairers of the Breach, will be part of an online Town Hall discussion after the screening of the vital documentary Capturing the Flag on Wednesday. The film chronicles the efforts of a group of friends who traveled to Cumberland County, North Carolina, in 2016 to do voter protection work in an area called a "poster child" for voter suppression. 

 

The website for the film says: "The shocking voter suppression we see unfold in real time in Capturing The Flag is proliferating across the country, as those who control local elections have been emboldened to rewrite access to the ballot box along partisan lines. With verité footage of Barack Obama and Reverend Dr. William Barber II, the film is also a powerful call to arms for what we all can and need to do in the ongoing battle for voting rights."

 

For reservations to view the screening and the Town Hall, click here.

Needed: Poll Greeters, Site Captains and Vote Protectors

We need Poll Greeters and Site Captains:  One of the more successful programs initiated by New Hanover Democrats in recent years is the Blue Ballot program.  Blue Ballots are a half page slate card with early voting information on the back, which we print on blue paper on a half page.  In previous years we recruited poll greeters who would approach voters and offer a blue ballot. In the middle of the pandemic we expect a more socially distanced role. Instead of approaching voters with literature we recommend that interactions be limited to offering blue ballots from a distance like a carnival barker.

 

Another important role is the site captain. We have nine early voting sites and need a site captain for each. The site captain will be responsible for setup and takedown each day. The site captain is also responsible for securing printed materials overnight. The site captain job can be done with very little public contact.

 

We accomplish a lot with Blue Ballots. It has become common for voters to show up at the polls asking for them. This year Sally Meserole has again agreed to schedule volunteers to staff polling places to distribute Blue Ballots. Sign up here to volunteer to be a Poll Greeter or Site Captain.

  

Also Needed: Vote Protectors who will observe inside polling places both during Early Voting and on Election Day. Because we are in the midst of a pandemic, this job is not for everyone, and if you are at high risk for COVID-19 you should not apply. We can appoint you to go inside a polling place to observe for specific four hour shifts or as a roving observer with access to all polling places. We can appoint up to ten roving observers. Click here to volunteer.  NHCDP will identify appropriate training and will assign you to observe at the precincts most important to success by Democrats. Democracy NC and Common Cause have training on September 22nd at 6 pm, primarily aimed at their volunteers (outside observers). However, we recommend it for everyone who wants to be a well-informed voter. Click here to register for the training.

 

Literature Drops To Elect Democrats

 



In this unusual election year we are trying to find ways to support Democratic Candidates without risking the health of our volunteers. Traditionally we have told volunteers that the single most effective thing they can do is door to door canvassing. For this year, we think that is too much to ask.

 

However a literature drop should be safer. The idea is for volunteers to get a list of doors to hit, and to leave literature on each one, without knocking or ringing doorbells. Masks will be worn, of course. There may be chance encounters with residents.  We encourage you to politely disengage and keep moving. We recognize that your decision to engage in Lit Drops is very personal and will depend on your own health and risk profile, and your family's as well. We are not asking you to engage in activity you feel is unsafe. However, most of us are walking for exercise, and you may consider this a walk with Democratic literature in hand.

 

We need volunteers.  Several campaigns and Precinct organizations are doing or planning Lit Drops. You can volunteer to drop literature, or to be an organizer, providing walk lists and Lit to volunteers. Click here to volunteer.

The Reason Leslie Cohen is Running for County Commission?: "I Want to Serve."

Leslie Cohen said that before she ran against and nearly defeated Holly Grange in a 2018 face for a state legislature seat, she had never thought about running for office. "I'm not interested in personal glory or a big career in politics," Leslie said. "This isn't a dream that I'm fulfilling. This is something I feel called to do because I'm tired of watching leaders who either don't know, or don't care that their decisions affect actual people. I want to make people's lives better." Leslie said, "I want to serve." 

 

Leslie has spent her entire adult life as an entrepreneur, initially in the printing business, then in commercial graphics designing collateral advertising for Fortune 500 clients, and most recently as a fine art painter. She has also dedicated herself to community and political activism, working on other candidates' campaigns and volunteering for local organizations. At 16, she was the youngest student ever admitted to Emory University. After her  freshman year she transferred to UGA and two years later, to Georgia State University, studying Chemistry, Philosophy, and Information Technology. Leslie and her husband Jeff moved to the area along with his parents after their two children moved about seven years ago. 

 

Leslie wants to bring transparency and civility back to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners and said her first act after being sworn in will be to make a motion to move the 4 p.m. meeting to 6 to give citizens a better opportunity to be involved and informed, and to reschedule and televise the agenda review meetings, cancelled by the current board.

 

On Wednesday, Leslie is holding a drawing to award an original artwork created at last week's "An Evening With The Artist, Leslie Cohen." See details below.

 

Get Ready for the RiseUp Rally and Auction

 




Are you ready to RiseUP Democrats?

The RiseUP Committee is excited to announce the new and exciting Zoom RiseUP Rally, September 26th, 6:00-9:00 p.m.

The rally will Include comedy, music, an auction and the candidates you want to hear from. Please register for the Rally here.

The very special on-line auction will include a home cooked Thai dinner, a weekend getaway, lots of wine, art, themed baskets and much, much more. The auction website will go live September 19th and bidding will close with a BIDDING FRENZY during the Rally. Bid early and often! (It's different from voting!)

Watch for an email with links to the RiseUp Auction and the RiseUP Rally. Until then check out our donation page for more ways to help.


Thank you, New Hanover County Democrats, for always being the people who will RiseUP!


 


NHCDP Office Open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, Noon to 2 p.m.

 

The New Hanover County Democratic Party office at 5401 New Centre Drive, Wilmington will now be staffed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from noon to 2:00 p.m. We will use the office primarily for pick up and drop off of yard signs, blue ballots and similar items. We do not anticipate scheduling meetings there at this time. Our office phone number is (910) 805-5703.  Please wear a mask and observe social distancing. One visitor at a time in the office.


 

 

EVENTS



 

Combined Campaign Virtual Phone Banks for Joe Biden Now Through November 3

 

When: Every day except Monday.

Where: Join Phone Bank and call from home 

 

Team Joe supporters from Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender counties are invited for a virtual phone bank to make phone calls to voters. Training will be provided.

 

Lit Drop for Leslie Cohen  -- Now through October 15

 

When: Now through October 15

Where: Register here to participate.

 

Because of the pandemic, volunteers cannot safely canvass voters as in the past. Instead, the Leslie Cohen for New Hanover County Board of Commissioners campaign needs volunteers to help spread Leslie's message across New Hanover County by lit-dropping in neighborhoods. This can be done on the volunteer's schedule at any time of day, since the campaign isn't trying to reach voters face-to-face. Lit-dropping involves dropping off campaign literature at voters’ homes. Safety is the campaign's biggest priority. Volunteers probably won’t have to interact with anyone as they drop off literature, but they will wear a mask just in case and use gloves and/or carry hand sanitizer to use as needed.

 

Virtual Phone Banks for Adam Ericson -- Wednesdays through October 28



When: Wednesdays from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. through October 28 

Where: Join Phone Bank here and call from home 

 

Adam Ericson is running against Republican Ted Davis Jr. for the position of State Representative for District 20.

 

Virtual Phone Bank for Marcia Morgan -- Thursdays through October 31

 

When: Thursdays from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. through October 31 

Where: Join Phone Bank here and call from home 

 

The Marcia Morgan campaign to turn the NC House 19th District blue ask volunteers to donate time! Donate your time calling potential voters on behalf of Team Marcia. We provide the training, the script, the names and numbers -- violunteers provide the phone and the willingness to help. Multiple shifts are available.

 

Virtual Phone Banks for Harper Peterson -- Thursdays through October 29

 

When: Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. through October 28 

Where: Join Phone Bank here and call from home 

 

Harper's campaign for State Senate will be hosting a weekly phone bank every Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. through October 28.

 

Stories From Behind the Screen with Kyle Horton  -- September 14

 

When: Monday, September 14, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. 

Where: Zoom virtual event. For details and reservations click here.

 

Film and TV have been a big part of New Hanover County for many years. Join Kyle and several of our favorite actors for a virtual event, as they share their experiences and stories. Kyle is excited to have Nick Basta (Harriet) , Jane McNeill (The Walking Dead) and Tammy Arnold (Ozark) join her for a behind the scenes look at our film and TV industry. After you purchase your ticket, an email with the zoom link for the event will be shared with you. This event is a fundraiser for Dr. Kyle Horton for New Hanover County Commissioner.

 

Broadway Sings to Flip the NC House with Marcia Morgan -- September 15

 


When: Tuesday, September 15, 6:30 p.m. VIP reception; 7:00 p.m. Main Event 

Where: Zoom virtual event. For details and reservations click here.

 


Join Marcia for an evening of performances and conversation with Broadway stars of Hamilton and more, hosted by Broadway cast member of Hamilton Ryan Vasquez, the only actor to have played Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, and the founder of Swing From Home, an organization working to connect remote volunteers and grassroots fundraising to state legislative races across the country. He will be joined by the multi-platinum artist behind "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman, Keala Settle, Original Broadway Cast member of Hamilton Elizabeth Judd, and fellow Schuyler Sister Erin Clemons. The evening will feature performances from the artists, as well as a conversation surrounding arts and activism, and the role of art as an agent for social change.

 


League of Women Voters School Board Candidate Forum -- September 15

 


When: Tuesday, September 15, 7:00 p.m.


Where: Zoom virtual event. Click here to register in advance.

 

The League of Women Voters of Lower Cape Fear, the YWCA, and the NC Coastal Federation are sponsoring a New Hanover County School Board Candidates' Virtual Forum. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

 



Drawing for Original Artwork by Leslie Cohen -- September 16

 


When: Wednesday, September 16, Noon


Where: Facebook Live

 


Log into Facebook Live here  on Wednesday at noon to see who has won two oil paintings by Leslie Cohen. You have a chance to win by making a donation to Leslie's campaign for county commission here. There are two ways to get a painting: By donating you will be entered into a drawing to win Two Calla Lillies (6”X12” framed oil on canvas, retail value $600) and the supporter making the largest donation will receive Storm Over Old San Juan (24"X30" framed oil on canvas, retail value $2,000). The drawing will be held, and the name of the highest donor will also be announced at Wednesday's Facebook Live event. Click here to view last week's event "An Evening With the Artist, Leslie Cohen" for a live painting demo.



 

League of Women Voters County Commission Candidate Forum -- September 16

 


When: Tuesday, September 16, 7:00 p.m.


Where: Zoom virtual event. Click here to register in advance. 


 

The League of Women Voters Lower Cape Fear is hosting the New Hanover County Commissioners virtual forum. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 

Re-elect Harper Peterson Fundraiser with Former Miss America -- September 17

 



When: Wednesday, September 17, sponsor reception at 5:45 p.m., free event at 6:00 p.m.


Where: Zoom virtual event. Click here to register in advance. 


 

The campaign to re-elect Harper Peterson to the North Carolina State Senate features an Evening with Susan Powell, Miss America 1981. The event is free, and sponsorships are available for donations of $250 or more. 

 

RiseUp Auction -- September 19

 

 

When: Friday, September 19, Kickoff

Where: Online, TBA

 

On September 19th our on-line auction will go LIVE with over 25 donated items for you to bid on. Choose from original artwork, jewelry, gift cards, baskets of wine and food, a 2-night stay on a beautiful Airstream, a homemade Thai dinner delivered to your home by the cook and more! There is something for everyone, so get ready to bid! 

 

Watch for more details in the upcoming NHCDP emails and the NHCDP website.


 

Celia and Friends Fundraiser for Marcia Morgan -- September 24

 

When: Thursday, September 24, 6:45 p.m. sponsor reception, 7:00 p.m. main event.  

Where: Register here. 

 

In times like these, don't we all need a good laugh to keep from crying? Award-winning syndicated humor columnist and New York Times bestselling author Celia Rivenbark will join the Marcia Morgan Team for an evening filled with her trademark wit and humor, and she'll be joined by a few friends who have their own talents to share. This is a FREE virtual event but sponsorships are available at a number of levels. Proceeds support the candidacy of Marcia Morgan for NC House District 19. 

 

RiseUP Rally -- September 26

 



When: Saturday, September 26, 6:00 p.m.

Where: Zoom, Please register for the Rally here.


Hold the date for an exciting Zoom RiseUP Rally to celebrate our party, our donors and our great volunteers.  This extravaganza will include special guests, fun and the final bell on our on-line auction.  More details to follow. Save the date and get ready to RiseUP and party for the party. 






 

Vote Counting Begins -- September 29

 

When: Tuesday, September 29

Where: Online

 

The Board of Elections will begin counting the absentee ballots on September 29th. No results will be announced, but your ballot will be scanned, and you will able to confirm online that it has been received and accepted. If you are in this group, your vote will be announced on Election Day right after the polls close.

 

Supreme Court Town Hall Meeting for Congressional District 7 -- October 1

 

When: Thursday, October 1, 7:00 p.m.

Where: Zoom meeting. Reservation link here.

 

Supreme Court candidates Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, Justice Mark Davis, and Judge Lucy Inman will meet in a community town hall for Congressional District 7. Learn more about the candidates and the work of North Carolina’s Supreme Court.

 

Costume Party and Scavenger Hunt with Marcia Morgan -- October 15

 

When: Thursday, October 15, 7:00 p.m.

Where: Register here.

 

Help Marcia Morgan celebrate the start of early voting and have a little fun before the presidential debate with a costume party & scavenger hunt with Team Marcia. There will be voting on and awarding prizes for the best costumes in a variety of categories, an at-home scavenger hunt, lessons on how to make a signature cocktail and much more! Sign up now for Marcia's last fundraiser for the 2020 election cycle and join the Team for what will be a fun and memorable evening. Tickets are $25 and sponsorships are available. Proceeds support the candidacy of Maricia Morgan for NC House District 19. 

 

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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