Justice
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Respect
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Compassion
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Diversity
January 26, 2020
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Only one more week to Register to Vote!
Reach out to family and friends to make sure they are registered.
Register to Vote in the March 3 Primary Election.
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Notes from the Chair:
Voting Basics Part II
Please vote in the Democratic Primary!
RECAP: The Democratic Primary is on March 3, 2020
with
early voting running from February 18 to 28, 2020
. Kendall County will have 11 voting locations as in past years. The county has been approved and just last week was confirmed by the Texas Secretary of State for
countywide voting to continue
. This means on election day you can vote in any polling place. Information on voting locations and times are included in this newsletter. You will need to determine who you will vote for in the Democratic Primary. The top line races like
President, Senator and Congressman
will have lots of media information that is readily available but you also need to vote down ballot for offices like
Railroad Commissioner, State School Board Member and the many Judicial Seats.
The
Hill Country League of Women Voters
will have unbiased candidate information for you to review. Online organizations like
Ballotpedia
will also have valuable unbiased information on candidates and races. The
San Antonio Express News
will recommend candidates and supply a reason for their choice. It is well worth your time to check these sources out. Becky has included information on Texas School Board.
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Part II
Now that you are registered to vote (deadline is February 3 for the Primary) and started your candidate research here’s some additional information you might find valuable. Many folks ask me how you become a Democrat?
In Texas you do not register as a Democrat, Republican or Independent.
That occurs when you vote in the Primary. If you vote in the Democratic Primary you are classified as a Democrat, if you vote in the Republican Primary you are a Republican. That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to vote in the Primary. Also,
you can get active
in the
Kendall County Democratic Party
and become a volunteer. You can join
Boerne Area Democrats
and attend their meetings and events. On
March 21, we will hold our County
Convention
you should plan to attend. Details on the convention will be coming soon.
Early voting is a great way to cast your ballot and avoid the rush on election day. This year we can
early vote at the
Kendall County Courthouse Annex at 221 Fawn Valley Dr. in Boerne beginning February 18
. In past years we also had a day or two of early voting in Comfort. Unfortunately, thanks to Texas House Bill 1888 we will not have a Comfort early voting site.
It was pushed through in the last legislative session by Republicans like our own Representative Biedermann and Senator Campbell. The bill was ostensibly to curb some minor abuses in school board elections. The real reason was to suppress the votes of young people on college campuses. The bill restricts the use of cost effective temporary early voting sites like Comfort. If we can take control of the Texas House next November, we can start reversing the heinous Republican agenda.
Remember when you go vote, by Texas law, you cannot use your cellphone in the voting booth
. You can take paper notes or better yet a sample ballot that you have annotated with your selections. That will help speed up the voting process.
Sample ballots will be available on our website, at our office and at the Election Office
so please pick up a sample ballot before you go to the polling location. Political signs and other electioneering is not allowed within 100 feet of the polling location and you are not allowed to wear political clothing, badges or insignia when entering the polling place. If you are handicapped or find it difficult to physically to enter the polling place, you can curbside vote by calling the Elections Office at 830-331-8701. Also,
folks over 65 years old
, those who are
disabled,
or
out of the county
can use a
mail in ballot.
Finally, we will have
drivers available to take folks to the polls
if they need a ride, contact KCDP a day or two prior to when you want to vote.
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Remember, it is time to make our presence known so when you go vote, in the Primary don’t hesitate to politely announce:
“I’m a Democrat and I want to vote in the Democratic Primary”
Kevin Henning
Kendall County Democratic Party Chair
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This is the second in a series of four articles providing information about offices and candidates you'll see on the 2020 Democratic Primary ballot.
State Board of Education
The SBOE sets policies and standards for Texas public schools. Responsibilities include the following:
- Setting curriculum standards
- Reviewing and adopting instructional materials
- Establishing graduation requirements
- Overseeing the Texas Permanent School Fund
- Appointing board members to military reservation and special school districts
- Providing final review of rules proposed by the State Board for Educator Certification
- Reviewing the commissioner's proposed award of new charter schools, with authority to veto a recommended applicant
Fifteen SBOE members are elected to four-year terms. Today, the board is dominated by Republican members, with ten Republicans and five Democrats. The governor appoints one member to chair the board. Kendall County is in District 5.
Two highly qualified women are running in the Democratic primary for
State Board Of Education - District 5:
We encourage you to review their campaign information and make an informed decision about who best represents your values.
We can win this race! Think about how important it is for our children's education that Kendall County is represented on the SBOE by a person who shares our values. Our current SBOE member, Republican Ken Mercer, is NOT running for re-election. In 2016, Rebecca Bell-Metereau came within 4 points of defeating Mercer -- 46% to 50% (a third-party candidate had 4%).
In the next newsletter we’ll provide information on the Judicial Races.
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Office Now Open to the Public Three Days a Week
Wednesdays
9-11 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Fridays
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Saturday
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Stop by to pick up Wendy Davis and Rebecca Martinez signs.
Jennie Lou Leader's signs coming.
Check out our KCDP Art Gallery, or take or leave a book from the Progressive Little Library.
I
f you’d like to volunteer to staff a shift,
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"Digital Office Hours"
W
e will continue to hold “Digital Office Hours” every Wednesday morning from 9-11 a.m. at the new office. Stop by with your questions on any of the tools. Bring your laptop/device, or use Laura's or Becky’s laptop.
Digital Office Hours: Now Featuring Short Training Videos
Our Wednesday “Digital Office Hours” have hosted a steady stream of visitors. Laura will feature one or two training videos from the Texas Democratic Party training website on our big screen TV.
We are happy to schedule some other time to work with you, if Wednesday mornings aren’t convenient; just let us know. (Becky will make house calls!)
We hope you’ll take advantage of our “office hours,” and please feel free to share with your key volunteers. We look forward to seeing you!
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Your entire
donation
goes directly to Kendall County Democratic Party, except for a 3.95% credit card processing fee. The money we raise supports the Democratic Operations for Kendall County. We need funds to operate an Office, Train volunteers, “Get out the vote” efforts; Mailings, Posters, Advertising, etc.
Donate Online!
We encourage you to donate to the Party online with the secure online donation site ActBlue accessible from our
home page.
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There are more of us than you think!
We continue to search for local Democrats.
If
you run into any “like minded people,” send their name and email address to
Laura Bray
so we can add them to our mailing list and into VAN as a “strong/lean Democrat.” We need to continue building that list for 2020 and beyond!
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Kendall County Democratic Store
Show your pride for the Kendall County, Texas Democratic Party! Apparel comes in a variety of colors and styles.
Check out the selections; KCDP logo t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, totes and more available
Purchase Here
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Feel free to forward to a friend!
Office
518 East Blanco, Boerne
( same building as Mary’s Tacos,
enter through rear entrance)
Hours: Weds, Fri, and Sat
from 1:30-4:30.p.m.
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830-388-0109 bstrain947@aol.com
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