Please help send our local comrades and other progressives to fight the power in the state Democratic party

Ask for a mail ballot by Dec. 31-- simple instructions below

We all know that DSA members have a range of views on working within the Democratic Party. Should we push it a bit to the left, try to take it over, put all our energy into building an alternative, reject electoral politics altogether – or some combination of these and other strategies for bringing democratic socialism to the USA?

Our chapter’s Electoral Committee hopes to organize a deeper discussion on how we relate to elections in general and Democrats specifically. But meanwhile, here’s a quick – and easy – way we can all give a boost to those members who are working with other progressives to make “good trouble” in the California party.

It’s been a last-minute scramble, but across the state, slates of real progressives, including a good number of DSA members, are running right now for the Central Committee (CC) – aka “delegates” – in Assembly District-level voting, known as ADEMs. The top 14 vote getters in each district together make up a third of the CC for the next two years. (Another third are elected/selected through their county party CCs; and the rest are state and federal legislators, party officers and their appointees (Boo!))

Why participate? Delegates vote on party endorsement of candidates for office and ballot measures, elect party leaders. They may participate in advocating for or against platform planks and policy resolutions. If they succeed, it can advance our struggle on various levels.

Progressives are loosely coordinating under the auspices of the Progressive Delegate Network (PDN), whose leaders are hard at work vetting candidates for endorsement. To be eligible, candidates must pledge to support candidates who would back single payer; reject funding (for themselves and the party) from fossil fuel, pharma, law enforcement and military industry, among others; vote to endorse only a progressive for U.S. Senate in 2024; and declare their agreement with a much broader statement of principles. Have a look.

Here's how to vote:

Go online to request a ballot here by Dec. 31, complete the simple form.
It will send you a code by email to verify it’s you; enter it on the form and submit it. You should then get a confirmation email saying “Success.”
Receive a ballot in the mail around Jan. 6. It will list the numbers (apparently not the names!) of the candidates in your district.
Look for a follow-up message here to find the local progressive slates that include DSA members (we’ll list them) –; see Facebook and/or look for statewide PDN endorsements soon at pdn.vote.
Mark your ballot and put it in the mail in time to arrive at party HQ by Jan. 31.

A few more important items:

If you miss this Saturday’s deadline to ask for a ballot, there will be opportunities to vote in person, either the first or third weekends of January, throughout the state, times and locations to be announced. You can request an in-person ballot at the same site until Jan. 22. (But it’s easier by mail.)
Only registered Democrats can vote. You can check your status at https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov and from there, re-register easily online, vote, then re-register as something else if you want in February.
We recommend you do NOT check the box on the ballot request form to release your information to all the candidates. We’ll make sure to follow up here.
Another reason to submit the form right away: Some people are getting turned down for a ballot, most likely due to a discrepancy between their submission and what's on the voter roll (e.g. a middle name). If that happens to you and you’re unable to resolve it easily, check your record here or contact David Mandel of our Electoral Committee for help ([email protected] or 916 769-1641 (preferably via Signal).

Finally, please amplify your vote by passing this on to your progressive friends and relatives around the state. Ask them to request a ballot, then get advice from PDN.vote on whom to choose in their district.