Dear Democrats,

As we officially enter the critical month of August, Floridians are keeping our eye on a potential hurricane, starting Early Voting this week, ramping up the Campaign, setting Vote By Mail records, and getting ready for this month's National Convention and August 18 Primary Election, all while our state's unemployment numbers remain in the double digits and we have surpassed New York for number of COVID-19 cases. Through it all, Democrats across the state continue to work harder than ever because the stakes in this year's election could not be higher.

We know that Florida is the key Battleground State in the country, and we are seeing more energy than ever to flip Florida Blue. Our volunteers, partner organizations and FDP team have worked tirelessly to enroll Democrats into Vote By Mail, and we now are about to surpass a 600,000 VBM enrollment advantage -- yes, you read that right, a 600,000 VBM margin! We are excited to keep this momentum and ask everyone to continue to put on the gas to enroll as many Democrats as we can into VBM -- voting should not have to be a choice between voters' health and safety and exercising the right to vote. See below for more about VBM.
 
Everything is at stake in this election, including our health care. This past week Mike Pence and Donald Trump were more concerned with campaigning in Florida than governing, illustrating just how little they care about public health and safety. Millions of Floridians are at risk of losing their health care because of Donald Trump’s continued attacks on the Affordable Care Act. His efforts to dismantle our health care in the midst of a pandemic, without so much as a whisper of a plan to replace the ACA, is cruel and senseless. If the ACA is repealed, insurance companies would once again be able to charge women more for health insurance and discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions. 

At the end of this past week we mourned a national hero, Congressman John Lewis, and were reminded once again of the critical importance of our efforts. May we all pledge to honor his legacy with our continued fight for justice and equality. Throughout these continued uncertain times, we remain diligent in our work, and this November, we will say goodbye to Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden, along with hundreds of Democrats across the ballot. Thank you for your tireless work in every corner of the state!

We are now officially under 100 days until the election -- we have 93 days (3 months and 1 day) until November 3, 2020.
Forward,
Terrie Rizzo
Chair
Florida Democratic Party
Vote by Mail - Big News!
Florida Democrats now hold a 599,161 voter vote-by-mail enrollment advantage over the Florida GOP! In 2016, Florida Democrats held a slim 8,800 edge in vote-by-mail, and in 2018, our margin was just under 50,000.

And our voters are voting -- 507,007 Democrats have returned ballots compared to 390,565 Republicans - giving us a 116,442 voter turnout lead! Historically, Republicans have opened up a big lead early in voting returns and Democrats play catch up; this is not happening this cycle due to the massive amounts of work FDP staff, DECs, clubs and caucuses, the voter protection teams, our partner organizations, and the Biden campaign have done in vote by mail and voter education. Share this Tweet to help spread the good news!

Thank you to everyone for all your hard work - let’s keep our foot on the gas for the next 93 days! Please continue to  make VBM enrollment calls  and to share our VBM sign up links for every county in both  English  and  Spanish .

NOTE:   Return your Primary ballots! I f you still have a VBM ballot,  be sure to sign and date the back of the envelope  and return it as early as possible. Recommended date by which to mail is 7-14 days before the election, August 4-11 - the sooner the better.  OR you can drop off voted VBM ballots at lockboxes located at all SOE Offices and all Early Voting sites. OR if you prefer, you can instead vote "live" at any Early Voting site or on Election Day at your regular precinct. (You do not need to turn in your unvoted VBM ballot, although it will help expedite the check-in process.)
Mail Ballot Postage
The US Postal Service (USPS) has issued the following statement regarding its national policy for handling ballots with insufficient or unpaid postage.

“Federal law requires appropriate postage to be affixed to all mailpieces entering into the U.S. Postal Service mailstream and we expect our customers to comply with this requirement. To help voters, the Postal Service’s regulations require election officials to inform voters of the amount of First Class postage required to return their ballots. If a ballot is nevertheless returned with shortpaid or unpaid postage, it is the Postal Service’s policy not to delay the delivery of completed Absentee or Vote-By-Mail ballots . We are proactively working with state and local election officials on mailing requirements, including postage payment.
 
In cases where a ballot enters the mailstream without the proper amount of postage, the Postal Service will collect postage from the appropriate Board of Elections .”
Coordinated Campaign Updates
The Biden Campaign has brought on senior staff members to their Florida team this month:
  • Jackie Lee - State Director
  • Brandon Thompson - Coordinated Director
  • Karen Andre - Senior Advisor
  • Juan Peñalosa - Senior Advisor  
  • Luisana Pérez Fernández - Deputy Director of Communications
  • Cedric McMinn - Deputy Political Director
  • Gabriela Castillo - Deputy Director
  • Stacy Eichner - Deputy Director
  • Faith Lowe - Chief of Staff
  • Carlie Waibel - Communications Director
  • Shahra Anderson Lambert - Political Director
  • Kevin Munoz - Press Secretary
The Coordinated Campaign is committed to a 67 county strategy in Florida. The state has been divided into six "super pods" as follows:
  • North Florida - everything north of the Orlando media market
  • East Central Florida - the Orlando media market
  • West Central Florida - north Tampa Bay media market
  • Southwest Florida - Manatee to Highlands down to Collier
  • South Florida - South Broward to Monroe
  • Palm Beach - North Broward through Treasure Coast
Each "super pod" will be broken into smaller regions. Organizers are being onboarded rapidly to ensure coverage in every region of Florida. Organizers will be responsible for turning out a specific number of votes. In our more rural areas, this may mean an organizer is covering 2-3 counties while in more densely populated areas, an organizer may be responsible for 2-3 residential communities. Coalitions building will continue to be a key part of our strategy.

Vote by mail enrollment and persuasion messaging is our current campaign focus. There are no plans to open physical offices before September 1, and the health and safety of our volunteers, supporters, and staff will be the most important consideration if offices are opened in the future.
Voter Protection Volunteers Needed
FDP launched the Voter Protection Hotline in August 2019. Through the hotline, we have answered questions from voters and prospective electors from all 67 counties in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. Now that we are days away from the start of optional early voting for the Primary election, we expect an increase in call volume to the Voter Protection Hotline. To ensure every Floridian is able to cast a ballot  and  have that ballot count, we need your help.
 
Volunteers are needed from Monday, August 3, 2020 through Friday, August 21, 2020 . If you are interested in assisting voters by remotely answering calls received on the FDP's Voter Protection Hotline during the Primary, please complete this online form  here and forward to other Democrats who want to help turn Florida blue . Through FDP University, we offer an on demand Voter Protection Hotline course that will enable you to be ready to jump on the line! Taking the course is a prerequisite. If you do not have login credentials for FDP University, please register  here . If you have already registered for FDP University, but misplaced your credentials, please do not register again. Instead, submit a ticket requesting new credentials  here
Virtual Fundraiser for Voter Protection
Please join us for our virtual fundraiser Tuesday, August 3 at 6 p.m. ET to support our Voter Protection efforts. Join California Congressman Ro Khanna, New York Congresswoman and DNC Vice Chair Grace Meng, FDP Chair Terrie Rizzo, and FDP Voter Protection Director Brandon Peters and learn more about the work we're doing to flip Florida blue. This is especially timely after Donald Trump's tweets this week. RSVP Here .
National Women for Biden Bimonthly Call
Join the Women for Biden National Call Thursday, August 6 at 7 p.m. ET . Biden for President will host this bi-monthly call every 1st and 3rd Thursday through October 29. Register for the calls here .
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention Committee has published the Convention schedule for the August 17-20 Democratic National Convention .

Caucus and council meetings taking place each day will be open to the public. Florida Democrats can RSVP to meetings at DemConvention.com/Schedule .

Highlights of the virtual Convention schedule include:
  • Monday, August 17: Opening ceremonies
  • Tuesday, August 18: Keynote address and roll call
  • Wednesday, August 19: Vice Presidential nomination
  • Thursday, August 20: Joe Biden's acceptance speech
DNC Standing Committees
This week, the DNC Standing Committees met and finalized plans that will be presented to the delegation during Convention. You can watch those meetings here:

Videos of these meetings in Spanish and ASL + CART Live Captions are available on the 2020 Democratic National Convention YouTube Channel .
2020 DNC - Get Involved
In addition to signing up for council and caucus meetings, Democrats can get involved with the Convention by sharing their stories.

The 2020 Democratic National Convention will speak to more Americans than ever before: our ideas, our beliefs, our stories. Tell your story to be featured in the convention program!
Be sure to also follow along @DemConvention on  Facebook Twitter , and  Instagram  for Convention updates! And download the official 2020 Democratic National Convention Digital Toolkit here for exclusive content and swag to show off your convention spirit.
The Biden Plan For African American Families
This first-in-series event is Saturday, August 15, 12 p.m. ET . Join South Florida leaders for a presentation on building up the Florida African American vote. There will be a review of Biden's "Build Back Better" Economic Plan in relation to Black Jobs and Employment, Healthcare, and Education plus updates on the 2020 Census, Vote-by-Mail, voter protection, and volunteer opportunities. Register for this event here.
YOGA: Restoring the SOUL of all Americans
Thursday, August 6 at 6 p.m. ET , a professional yoga instructor will lead you through the three stages of yoga. An inspirational and uplifting message will be provided along with an update on campaign activities. Register Here.
Training Resources
FDP's Tech Team is providing training to address cybersecurity readiness issues for our campaign:

Our FDP Training team has the following upcoming training:
  • Thursday, August 6, 6 p.m. ET: Running a Virtual GOTV - From virtual offices to digital organizing, we have been meeting people where they are during the transition from face-to-face voter contact into digital. In this session, we will talk about the different ways for organizers and volunteers to reach out to voters during GOVT.

FDP's State Voter Protection Training Director Henry Burden is providing Voter Protection Program Training each week, Tuesdays and Saturdays , through the end of October. These trainings are open to anyone interested in assisting with voter protection this election cycle. Register for a live, virtual Voter Protection training here. Those not already connected with a county voter protection team should complete the Voter Protection Interest Sign Up form .

The National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) has several virtual live trainings focused on ways to continue your work during this time of COVID-19.

Cybersecurity
In addition to FDP's Cybersecurity training programming in August and our Technology and Security courses available at FDPUniversity.org , we want to share these important Cybersecurity resources with you.

If you have cybersecurity questions or concerns, feel free to reach our cybersecurity team during their weekly office hours:
Mondays, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. ET
Fridays, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET
Call (305) 697-4202 PIN: 86381
Incentive Grants
Monthly incentive grant goals are based on the number of volunteer calls made into the county's FDP vote-by-mail virtual phone bank . These county-specific phone bank targets include cold and warm Democrats with high support scores and cell phones who are not enrolled in VBM. The script includes a Joe Biden ID, vote-by-mail ask, and a request to forward the call to the local SOE's office. Because these are patch-through calls, these phone banks should only be used during SOE business hours. Additional guidance, including instructions for how to patch-through calls to the SOE, are included in our Incentive Grant Program Guide .
 
County DEC phone banks are available at m.floridadems.org/phonebank . Caucuses should contact PartyAffairs@FloridaDems.org for incentive grant phone bank links. The Incentive Grant program will continue to be VBM patch-through phone bank calls for August, but the phone bank links will change, coming out of the coordinated campaign VAN committee.
Compliance Corner
During this Primary election season we are receiving lots of questions regarding supporting or endorsing Republican candidates when no Democratic candidates are running and our policy regarding inviting Republican candidates to meetings or events. This week's Compliance Corner addresses these questions:
  •  The Florida Democratic Party and its affiliated organizations work to turn out the vote for Democratic candidates. As such, it is not within our purview to support Republican candidates in any form. We realize we have red counties who do not have Democratic candidates in every race on the ballot and that voters may be looking to the local Party to make recommendations in these elections. In these cases, our suggestion is that when asked, members provide their individual recommendation ("this is who I'm voting for and why") rather than the Democratic organization taking an official position.
  • FDP has a long-standing policy prohibiting inviting non-Democratic guest speakers to FDP, DEC, club, organization, or caucus meetings and events. This policy applies to both partisan and non-partisan candidates and applies to candidate forums, with an exception for judicial candidate forums.
  • Elected officials who are not Democrats may be invited to speak on topics directly related to their office but may not speak as candidates.
For more information or questions, please contact PartyAffairs@FloridaDems.org .
Democratic Digital and TV Ads
The Joe Biden for President campaign, DNC, FDP, and partner organizations are running ads on television and online to speak to Florida voters where they are. Watch and share these videos widely.

This week the Biden campaign released additional ads. " Didn't Matter, " running in English and Spanish, is a TV ad featuring a granddaughter sharing the story of losing her grandmother to COVID-19 and laying the blame on Trump's lack of leadership. " Dignity " is targeting older voters on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and highlights how Biden's Build Back Better agenda will give older Americans peace of mind and independence. The “ Números ” ads are running on Spanish TV, radio, and social media in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando, addressing immigration issues.

The Environmental Defense Fund's political committee began running " Listen " in the Tampa media market this week. The ad features warnings from the U.S. military about climate change and how Trump consistently ignores those warnings.
100 Razones Para Derrotar a Trump
The road to the White House is through the Latino vote, and we want to encourage as many Latinos in Florida to support Biden in November. We are collecting stories from the  Hispanic community in Florida  to show why defeating Trump is personal to them. Starting on Day 100 until Election Day, we will highlight a story on our social media platforms. The stories can be in the form of video, images or in writing.

Please share this with any voter, supporter, community leader, friend, or family member who you think would be interested in sharing their story with us! We want to highlight stories not just of voters, but also those who cannot vote. If they are helping to defeat Trump or have been affected by the cruel policies of the Trump administration, we want to hear from them too! Stories can be in English or Spanish, but we do want to emphasize collecting them in Spanish. 

We have prepared guidelines in English and Spanish with information about our "100 Reasons to Defeat Trump" campaign, tips on how to share your story, examples of stories and pictures, and instructions for submitting your story.
FDP on Social Media
Now there are more ways than ever to join us online. Follow FDP on these platforms and share our content:
Our digital team has done incredible work to expand our digital reach and engagement. In 2020 we've reached over 30 million Floridians online across all of our social media channels. Over 3 million people have engaged with our content - that's over 300% more engagement at this point in the election than we had at this point in 2018! We received over 800 new Twitter followers last week due to our 500,000 VBM enrollment advantage tweet (that's about three times more new followers than an average week!). And we now have over 1,000 followers on our new TikTok channel.

FDP Digital has also prepared this Social Media Organizing Guide to share best practices for each digital organizing platform!
Press Conferences
The FDP Communications and Political teams work hard to hold the Trump and DeSantis administrations accountable, organizing multiple press calls and events weekly to highlight Florida's Democratic elected officials and community leaders, our Party values, and solutions for issues our communities face.
Here's a summary of this week's press events:
  • Monday, head of Mike Pence’s visit to Miami, Congresswoman Donna Shalala, State Senator José Javier Rodríguez, State Representative Javier Fernández, United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernández-Mats, Tampa Teacher Jessica Harringon, and Orlando Teacher Keegan Schlake joined a virtual press conference to highlight the Trump administration’s failure to take the basic action needed to quell the coronavirus pandemic in advance of a vaccine and their reckless demand that schools fully reopen or risk federal funding.
  • On Friday, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, State Senator Annette Taddeo, State Representative Dianne Hart, State Representative Javier Fernández led a virtual press conference slamming Donald Trump for hosting an in-person fundraiser in Tampa as the state continues to suffer the consequences of his continued failure to contain the coronavirus. They also reminded Floridians that Trump is attempting to distract from his chaotic leadership and unprecedented recession by following the lead of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and making empty threats to delay the November election.

You can see results of these press conferences in the FDP News Digest below.
Democracia al Día
Tune into our Spanish-language radio show every Saturday:
  • 9 a.m. ET on La Mega Tampa Bay 101.1 FM and 1110 AM
  • 10 a.m. ET on La Zeta 105.3 FM and La Numero Uno 99.1 FM and 1280 AM in Tampa
  • 11 a.m. ET on Acción 97.9 FM and 810 AM in Orlando
  • 12 p.m. ET on Actualidad 1040 AM and 103.9 FM in Miami

 The program features community leaders and local elected officials speaking on issues important to the Hispanic community such as healthcare, the economy, voting protection, the work of Democratic leaders, and the failed policies of the Donald Trump administration. Each show is also available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Play .
FDP News Digest
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