We Are SC-3

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Letter from the Chair: A Candidate Forum at Cokesbury College

Cokesbury College, the first Methodist college founded in the US, was first located in Abingdon, Maryland and then Baltimore, Maryland from 1787-1796. The college is now located at 210 College Dr., Hodges, SC 29653

Hello GCDP,

The historic site of Cokesbury College is now managed by state legislative nominations and a gubernatorial appointment of commissioners. They manage the operations of the College for weddings, anniversaries, Christmas parties, etc. The College is booked predominantly year round and is open during the summer months for tours, which are conducted by a commissioner each Sunday from 2-5 PM.

This historic backdrop will play host to the first Democratic and Republican Candidate Forum. All candidates running for election on November 6th, 2018, or any elected officials wishing to come have a word or just mingle are invited to come join us. Candidates will have ten minutes to introduce or reintroduce themselves and share his/her platform.

The date and time for this event is scheduled for:

September 13, 2018

5:30 – 7:30 PM

This will be a great opportunity for candidates from both sides to be heard, so I am inviting all Democrats from Greenwood and the surrounding areas. Dress comfortably, as this event is slated for outdoors. Bring your own seating if you like. Come on out and mingle with friends and the candidates! Hot dogs and burgers will be available for purchase.

With Deepest Regard,

Charles Lewis

Chair Greenwood County Democratic Party

Commissioner Historic Cokesbury College

https://www.facebook.com/events/228929137778499/

 

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Evvie Harmon: Women’s March co-founder & James Smith campaign staffer

At the GWCDP Breakfast Meeting on Saturday, Aug 4, the main guest speaker was Evvie Harmon, a lifelong resident of South Carolina with an impressive resume of activism in a traditionally conservative state.

Evvie was one of the original co-founders of the national Women’s March in 2017. How did a young woman from Greenville, SC end up getting involved in one of the largest organized global movements in history?

I acted,” she answered. “Instead of just saying ‘Oh, that’s cool,’ say ‘What can I do?'”

She started by created a Facebook page for the South Carolina Women’s March event, which turned out to be the first such page in the nation. Soon, she found herself tapped to be the Global Coordinator for Sister Marches around the world.

Read “Meet the Women Who Are Making the Women’s March on Washington Happen“.

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South Carolina Voter Registration Information

How to Register

Online Voter Registration (click here)

Register in person at your county board of voter registration , or

Download a voter registration form, complete it, and return it to your county board of voter registration by mail, fax, or email.

2018 GENERAL ELECTION VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES:

  • Registration by Mail:  Any voter registration by mail application that is postmarked Tuesday, October 9 or earlier will be accepted.
  • Online Voter Registration: Any online voter registration application submitted by Sunday, October 7 will be accepted (application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., October 7).
  • Applications submitted by fax or email:  Any faxed or emailed application received by county voter registration offices by Sunday, October 7 will be accepted (application must be received by 11:59 p.m., October 7).
  • In-person applications at county voter registration offices:  Voters must register in person no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 5, unless county board holds weekend hours (check locally).

County Boards of Voter Registration Contact Information

Download a Voter Registration Application 

Who Can Register?

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James Smith for Governor Postcard Party

Evvie Harmon, our guest speaker at Saturday’s Breakfast meeting, shared with us her efforts to get over 90,000 postcards out to Democratic leaning voters across the state who haven’t voted in the past few years. This type of grass roots campaign is a critical part of electing James Smith as Governor of SC.

The Greenwood County Democratic Party is rising to the challenge to be one of the leading counties in the state to help in this endeavor. A group of Precinct Leaders gathered at the library this evening to hold a “postcard party”, knocking out almost 100 cards alone.

Here’s how you can participate.
1. Sign up as a volunteer using this online form. You can choose to host a party, join someone else’s party nearby or just go solo. Evvie will directly respond to you within a few days with instructions and possibly even a list of name and addresses, depending on what you sign up for.

2. Gather materials.

  • Postcard stamps can be acquired from the post office for 35 cents each. You can also purchase postcards with the postage pre-stamped
  • Postcards can be standard index cards. You can also by sheets of perforated postcards at Amazon (or Office Depot in Greenwood) for $10 for a package of 200 postcards.
  • Pens, highlighters, markers, crayons, stickers and anything else to make a postcard stand out.

3. Write those postcards! In addition to the addresses, Evvie will provide you the message to write on the back of the card. If you purchase the perforated sheets, you can even print out the message. But a personal touch is needed – so we at least recommend handwriting the addresses and a “Dear XXX” on the back.

THAT’S IT!

If you have any questions, e-mail us at info@gwdcountydems.org and we’ll get back to you. We will also be having similar postcard endeavors for other candidates as well, so let’s get writing!

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June 28 – Post-Primaries Newsletter

The Primaries are behind us.

Vision, Clarity, and Conviction for November!

In this Newsletter:

  • The Democratic Nominees on the Greenwood Ballot in November
  • Upcoming Events
  • Fish & Dogs fundraiser – a big Thank You!
  • Michael Gaskin Campaign Kickoff
  • In Memoriam

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletters here!


The Democratic Nominees on the Greenwood Ballot in November

The Primaries are behind us. Congratulations to Mary Geren and James Smith on their victories! We also thank Hosea Cleveland, Phil Noble, and Marguerite Willis for their campaigns and the time they spent with us in Greenwood.

We now have names of those who are running to represent us at the County, State, and National levels. We will strive to learn about our Candidates, engage them in discussions that are important to you and your community, and support them in spreading the word, helping out financially or engaging in grass-roots efforts.

Over the next few months, we at the GWCDP will do our best to help you learn who the people are behind the names on the Ballot. We will look to bring those candidates here to Greenwood to give you a chance to meet and talk with them in person.

Here are the slate of Democratic Candidates that will appear on our ballots in November:

  • Edith S Childs – County Council, District 01
  • Melissa Spencer – County Council District, 03
  • Anne Parks – State House of Representatives, District 12
  • Michael Gaskin – State House of Representatives, District 13
  • Travis W Moore – Probate Judge
  • Melvin T Whittenburg – Secretary of State
  • Constance Anastopoulo – Attorney General
  • Israel Romero – State Superintendent of Education
  • Rosalyn L Glenn – State Treasurer
  • James Smith – Governor
  • Mary Geren – U.S. House of Representatives, District 03

We will be featuring these individuals in future newsletters as well as on Social Media. You can start to learn about these Candidate now by visiting our Turn SC Blue! page.

Finally, THANK YOU to the members of our Party who gave their time to be Poll Workers for the Primaries as well as having the fortitude to come back a second time for the Republican runoffs (because of course, they couldn’t get it right the first time 😉).

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June 5 – Breakfast meeting notes and more

The kids may now be on vacation but June is a

Busy month for Democrats!

In this Newsletter:

  • Fish & Dogs FUNdraiser
  • Upcoming events
  • Last Saturday’s Breakfast Meeting notes

Fish & Dogs fundraiser update


The big day is THIS SATURDAY! In addition to ticket purchases, we could use help with the following items still:

  • Large tents to shelter our cooks and other workers
  • Food items, especially baked beans trays, bottled water, can soda, small chips bags and desserts.
  • Volunteers to help with setup, cleanup, and other activities. The more the merrier!

Please contact Claude Wright (992.7087) or Karen Bright (992.1822) if you can offer assistance on any of these items.

Tickets will be available at the entrance, but any purchases in advance would be helpful in defraying the costs of the food purchases. Thank you!

Please help us promote this event! Share our Facebook Event on your page, retweet our Twitter post, like our Instagram post, or share this e-mail with your friends and family! Continue reading

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Newsletter – May 28, 2018

“At its core, the nobility and the majesty of Memorial Day can be found in the story of ordinary Americans who become extraordinary for the most simple of reasons: They loved  their country so deeply, so profoundly, that they were willing to give their lives to keep it safe and free.”
– Barack Obama, 2010

In this Newsletter:

  • Letter from the Chair
  • Fish & Dogs FUNdraiser
  • Upcoming Events
  • Local Democrats in the news

Letter from the Chair

Hello Democrats,

The 2018 Primaries are almost upon us. I am pleased that many of you have signed up to work the polls this year. Please everyone, remember that the Mid-Terms, consisting of Primary and General Election 2018, are just as important as the Presidential election in 2020. This is what happened to President Obama: Voters did not go out as we should have in 2010 and as a result, he had an uphill climb to get the progress we need to move the country forward.

I have asked Dr. Bob and his committee to make available for you the list of Democratic candidates and the offices they are seeking. They have been included in this newsletter. Hopefully, this will make your choices much easier.

If you have not made up your minds, then consider the following: U.S. Congressman James Clyburn, SC’s only Democratic Representative in Washington DC, has endorsed James Smith for SC Governor. Former VP Joe Biden also endorsed James Smith. SC Planned Parenthood, the former Governor and US Secretary of Education, Dick Riley, and many more organizations and leaders have also endorsed Jame Smith. So take the time to do your homework. Check out their sites and choose wisely on June12th.

Charles Lewis,
GWCDP Chair


Fish & Dogs Fundraiser

Our local Democratic Party holds only two major fundraisers a year: The Fish & Dogs picnic (formerly Dogs & Burgers) and the Carnell-Drummond Dinner. These events help us offset the expenses of printing and distributing voter education materials, hosting information meetings, acquiring basic audio-visual equipment and eventually renting space for a Greenwood County Democratic Headquarters.

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May Breakfast Meeting notes, Fish & Dogs Fundraiser, Voter Registration Drive

In this Newsletter:

  • Fish & Dogs Fundraiser
  • Upcoming Events
  • Breakfast Meeting Notes
  • Youth Voter Registration Drive

Fish & Dogs Fundraiser

The annual Fish & Dogs Fundraiser (formerly “Dogs & Burgers”) is one of the two main events to help the GWCDP raise money to effectively pursue its goals for the year.

We need your help! Please contact the Fish & Dogs Committee Chair, Claude Wright, at wrighttravel65@yahoo.com or by phone  (864) 992-7087 if you would like to offer assistance in:

  • Food donations (chips, beans, drinks, hot dogs, etc)
  • Coolers & ice
  • Serving, cooking, clean-up
  • Offering and seeking donations for door prizes
  • Advertising, promotion, distributing flyers
  • Selling tickets!

All Precinct Leaders should pick up a batch of tickets to sell. If each could successfully sell only 5-10, we’d have the largest fundraiser ever! Please e-mail info@gwdcountydems.org to purchase tickets or to receive some to sell.


Upcoming Events

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Letter from the GWCDP Chair

Greenwood County Democratic Party
Post Office Box 73
Greenwood, SC. 2964

 

Hello Friends,

We have been very busy during the past few months with the Precinct Reorganization, County Convention, Pratt Issues Conference, March for our Lives in Greenville and the Parents Expo at the YMCA in Greenwood. The Executive Council Members and I have been working on your behalf with the State Democratic Party to make sure our delegates to the State Convention had their credentials and information to vote on the convention proceedings.

I went to Columbia on Friday but had to leave due to notification that my property in Hodges was on fire. Since I could not stay, I notified the State Party that Mrs. Elaine Gentry would represent our delegation as chair. Thanks to all delegates that attended the convention on Saturday and voted on rules and resolutions for the SC Democratic Party Platform.

We have candidates running for election and reelection to local, state and congressional positions. Much thanks to Dr. Bob Phillips and the Search Committee for interviewing and vetting candidates for local positions on the School Board, Greenwood County Council, CPW Commissioners and State House Representatives. If anyone is interested in hosting a drop-in for the Democratic candidates let them know.

Twenty seven precincts in Greenwood County need captains. Let me or our Secretary Bill Kimler know of prospective precinct leaders. Another precinct Reorganization meeting will be held soon to connect with these voters. We need your help to turn South Carolina Blue. 

If your Precinct has organized make sure you are hosting activities to keep your Democratic neighbors informed of events and monthly meetings. Be creative and help spread the word to register more voters and stay informed on the issues and platforms of candidates. Precinct # 3 will be hosting a gathering at the Grace Street Park Fuji Pavilion, 112 Merrywood Road on Saturday April 28 at 1:30. I plan to attend along with Michael Gaskin, Candidate for South Carolina House District 13.

Volunteers are asked to contact Mr. Claude Wright, chair of the Dogs and Burgers Fundraiser Committee.

The next major fall event will be the Carnell Drummond Dinner. This is your party and you are the key to our success and victory in turning South Carolina BLUE. Keep up the GOOD work everyone!

Charles Lewis, Chair
Greenwood County Democratic Party

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