El Cerrito Democratic Club

By Greg Lyman

The Central Committee bylaws were changed in November 2014 and now require all club’s to include the definition of a member in good standing.  Suggested type changes to by-laws would be in the section that defines a member to insert a phrase or a sentence that states something like “Members whose dues are current shall be members in good standing.”   

The membership and dues portion of the ECDC bylaws are currently:

III. Membership: Any registered Democrat becomes a member upon payment of annual dues.  Dues may be waived by the Executive Board for good cause, such as inability to pay.  ECDC administrative information about members (e.g., name, address, phone number, e-mail address) is confidential except when disclosure would serve or promote ECDC activities or administration.

1. Annual Dues: Dues shall be determined by the membership and shall be at least $5/year.

We currently allow members to renew on their anniversary date. We will be discussing a change to make it clearer that dues are to be paid by a date certain, however, that proposal was challenged as requires discussion by the members.

Therefore, to satisfy the Central Committee, the membership and dues portion of the bylaws is proposed to be:

III. Membership: Any person becomes a “member in good standing” (hereafter “member” or “members”) upon verified payment of annual dues and proof of registration in the Democratic Party. ECDC administrative information about members (e.g., name, address, phone number, e-mail address) is confidential except when disclosure would serve or promote ECDC activities or administration.

1. Annual Dues: The members shall determine the amount of the annual dues at the September meeting and shall be at least $5/year. Dues may be waived by the Executive Board for good cause, such as inability to pay.

by Jonee Grassi

Thursday, July 30, 2015, will be the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the MediCare Act by President Lyndon Johnson.   MediCare is the nation’s largest and most successful health insurance system serving the health needs of almost 50 million older and disabled Americans.  Therefore, there will be a National Day of Action for MediCare’s 50^th birthday.

The theme of the celebration can be summarized by “P.I.E.”  protect it, improve it, and expand it.  A coalition of organizations has been formed to organize celebrations throughout the country.

In nortern California, a rally and march are being planned for Thursday, July 30th, 2015, at Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA from 11a.m. to 2p.m.  The Plaza is near the 12th Street BART station.  Buses will be bringing many people from throughout northern California.  The event will begin at 11am with a rally, including booths, raffles, story boards, bands, etc. in the Plaza.

At noon, emcee Tom Ammiano will begin the program of speakers, including State Controller Betty Yee, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, and others.  This will be followed by a short march to the Ron Dellums Federal Building.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee is scheduled tentatively to speak at this site.  There will be a drawing for the raffle and further birthday celebration before concluding at 2pm.

We need everyone to come to make this a successful event and show the continued support for the MediCare program.  The El Cerrito Democratic Club has endorsed this event and promised to mobilize its members to support it.  If you have any questions about the event, please feel free to contact Jonee Grassi at 510-681-6021 or joneemg@aol.com.

by Jean M. Brown, Past President of ECDC

Voter turnout increases dramatically when voters receive ballot recommendations from a respected Democratic club in their community. We have found that registered Democrats often decide not to vote when faced with too many candidates whom they do not know, especially those that are at the end of the ballot. These include city candidates, such as the auditor, and county officials like the superintendent of schools. The California ballot measures also require more information than is available to most voters.

In the 1990s, the El Cerrito Democratic Club distributed ballot recommendations that included every item on the ballot to every Democratic residence before every election in the city. Not only did voter turnout increase, but the county supervisor moved his office to El Cerrito, and the city council changed from its previous teeter-totter, GOP/Democratic majority to a Democratic majority.

Printing was inexpensive because our ballot recommendations were photocopied on a single sheet of paper, folded and printed on both sides. This distinguished it from costly, glossy, campaign flyers. Club members were willing to distribute the flyer because they were asked to distribute only around their own residence. Our volunteer list grew with neighbors before each election.

The club needs to devote the time necessary to study the candidates and issues in order to make informed recommendations. This information has to be passed on to members before the endorsement meeting. Voters begin to count on them as they are distributed regularly before each election. There is no greater service a club can provide the community.

Plan

1. Enlist a motivated organizer to get things started, along with a member willing to organize the distribution of the precinct lists to the walkers.
2. From the Registrar of Voters, or Democratic Party get: (a) the applicable precinct lists; (b) the District Multi-Voter Manual which lists the precinct and district of each street address; and (c) the map that outlines the precincts and districts.

Phone Members and Volunteers

1. Line up your walkers. Phone all members, including former members. Homebound members will help with the phoning.
2. Assure walkers that they only need to distribute the ballot recommendations around their own home. They do not have to ring the doorbell—they can leave the flyer near the entrance. Flyers can be left in a secure spot at the bottom of steps, but not under, or in, the mailbox.
3. The precinct lists can be sent via email, picked up at a given location, or delivered.

Write the Flyer

1. Simply telling voters to vote yes or no is not enough to increase turnout. In a short phrase or sentence, give the reason for the endorsement. It can be the candidate’s main achievement, or significant endorsers, such as the state Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, labor organizations, etc. If there is no endorsement for an office, tell voters why.
2. The club’s contact information disseminated with this useful material strengthens the club’s reputation and increases membership.

Distribute the Flyer

1. To develop trust in the recommendations, they must be distributed before every election. Walkers are rewarded by meeting voters who say, “I was waiting for that.”
2. To be noticed and valued, the ballot recommendations must be distributed without other campaign literature—even if a particular candidate or issue is endorsed by the club.