In this Newsletter:
- Message from the Chair
- Candidate Updates
- GWCDP News
- Voting Rights
- Upcoming Events
Message from the Chair
Many of us are feeling the anxiety of the past 4 years piling up as we head into these last few weeks. It’s perfectly understandable. This chaotic Administration has gone into overdrive with a sense of desperation and we feel its effects even way down here in Greenwood, SC.
Besides casting your vote there are a number of great ways to release that stressful energy and be left with a sense of accomplishment:
- You can walk with me to distribute Voter Guides in neighborhoods that have historically low voter turnout.
- You can help make calls to Democratic voters who skipped the 2018 election and encourage them to vote this year!
- You can safely canvass for Senator Floyd Nicholson or candidate Denise Waldrep this weekend.
- You can assist in helping our incapacitated voters to get their ballots into the Elections Office.
- Finally, you can be a “poll watcher” to help ensure that the processes are followed correctly and report any incidents which impede a fair election process.
If any of these opportunities to be an active citizen interest you, then read below! It takes all of us to be “All In for SC” to make a change for the better!
Candidate News
The Vice Presidential debate on Wednesday showed the nation that Kamala Harris is more than qualified to be our Vice President. Take a look at the polling numbers comparing 2016 to 2020 by the same source (CNN):
2016 VP debate winner:
Pence 48%
Kaine 42%
2020 VP debate winner:
Harris 59%
Pence 38%
We all know polls don’t win elections. Votes do. But this certainly does bode well for the strength of our Democratic ticket!
Will there be another Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump? Who knows? As we write this, the Trump campaign has said both yes and no multiple times. Personally, we wouldn’t go near anyone from that group with a 10-foot flyswatter.
Jaime Harrison mopped the floor with Lindsey Graham in last week’s debate. We’re frankly quite shocked that Graham is coming back for a another helping!
The second debate will be tonight, Friday, at 7 pm. There are many options for watching, so grab a bag of popcorn and watch Jaime dominate yet again!
Senator Floyd Nicholson and State House Candidate, Denise Waldrep, will be in our neighborhoods distributing literature and spreading awareness about their campaigns.
To participate in Floyd’s effort, contact Ernest Boston Jr at ernest@scdp.org or call 678-887-9578. In Greenwood, they will be walking on
- Saturday: 10 am – 1 pm
- Sunday: 1 pm – 6 pm
To walk with Denise, you can reach her at waldrepworks@gmail.com.
Jose Villa is running for SC Senate in District 4, which covers a good part of the northwest quadrant of Greenwood County. He spoke to us as part of last week’s Carnell-Drummond-Mays Dinner. Get familiar with this young man who’s passionate about fighting for “the rest of us”.
Finally, Cokesbury College will resume its Candidate Stump Speeches in a beautiful outdoor setting on Thursday, Oct 15, from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Any candidate for public office will be afforded 8 minutes to speak on a first-come, first serve basis. Contact Rob Jones at (864) 942-2456 if you intend to speak. Otherwise, bring a chair and a mask, and support our candidates!
GWCDP News
We made the front page of the newspaper for the second time in a week! How’s that, for Fired Up, Ready to Go! On Tuesday, the State Democratic Party rolled into town as part of Jaime Harrison’s ALL IN tour. Thank you to our State Party chair, Trav Robertson, and his team for going county to county throughout the state to rally the vote for great candidates like Denise, Anne, and Floyd!
We have Biden-Harris signs & bumper stickers.
We have Jaime Harrison signs & bumper stickers.
We have Floyd Nicholson buttons & bumper stickers.
We have “All In” placards.
Next week, we’ll be setting up a distribution table and times in Uptown where you can pick up while supplies last. Look for announcements on our Social Media accounts or in our next newsletter.
In the meantime, you can reply to this e-mail or call Bill at (864) 715-2341 to arrange a pickup and place your signs prominently and proudly like Contessa & Chris did!
We will be providing assistance for delivering absentee ballots to the Elections Office for our incapacitated members. Please contact Cathie Swindell at (864) 992-2182 or cats.dems@gmail.com if you can help in this effort.
Voting Rights
Poll Watchers are volunteers for the South Carolina Democratic Party on Election Day who work in shifts at an assigned polling location within their county. They provide the eyes and ears to help ensure that our elections are run fairly and efficiently. They report any issues to our rapid response hotline (855) 785-0222 to receive immediate resolution.
Our Voter Protection Unit is coordinating Democratic poll watchers across the state. Sign up now to get placed on the volunteer list and receive free training!
Although the VoPro Unit will be conducting the training through to the end of the month they would like to have the majority of Poll Watchers trained by Oct 15.
As one of our members commented on our Facebook page: “When my husband and I worked the polls some years ago, we had a place designated for poll watchers and I believe they were given two hour slots and there were chairs for them to sit down….so, not a hard job.”
Witness Signatures are once again required. The State Republican Party found this to be so vital that they took this to the US Supreme Court in the name of “election security”.
Yet SC Elections Commissions spokesperson Chris Whitmire recently stated “There’s nothing they [elections officials] do with it” other than reject the ballot if the witness signature is missing.
What security is that when anyone can provide a witness signature? That includes out-of-state residents, the blind, young children, and even blind out-of-state children… No, we’re serious! “There are no residency, age, or registered voter status requirements to be a witness.”
| Upcoming Events See our Calendar Page for these and other upcoming events. |
| Harrison-Graham Debate #2 Fri, Oct 9 7:00 pm How to watch Canvas for Floyd Sat, Oct 10 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Sun, Oct 11 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm E-mail ernest@scdp.org or call 678-887-9578 to sign upCokesbury College Stump Speeches Thu, Oct 15 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Cokesbury College 210 College Drive, Cokesbury, SC Virtual Breakfast Meeting Sat, Oct 31 9:00 am – 10:30 am Sign up via Mobilize. |
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