October 15, 2023

Newsletter

Please note: our newsletters contain a lot of links to make viewing the source easier - just click on images or linked text to explore

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Domestic Violence Awareness Project
• TDP Talking Points - Anti-Voucher Talking Points
• Follow Special Session 3 Legislation
• Brookings Research on Impact of Vouchers
• Elections Training
• Democratic Candidate Recruitment Summit
• County Chair Attends Seminars
• Bridge Issues - Vouchers
• Democratic Dames Dining for Democracy - October 19
• Pride Festival - Join us for the fun! (you may still volunteer))
• Conroe ISD Bond Proposals
• Be Prepared - Election Information
• Key Voting Dates
• Legislative Update - Constitutional Amendments 10-14 (of 14)
• Non Profit Spotlight - MC Public Health District
• Friday Night Football
• Democratic Party Events Around the Count
• Election Countdown Calendar
• Joe and Kamala's Corner (click on an image to open)
• For Fun - Andy Borowitz
• Leaders we Deserve
• Tweets (click on an image to open)
• Democratic Party Calendar of Upcoming Events
• Other Groups and Community Events

This newsletter is published on or about the 1st and the 15th of every month.

Email content for consideration to communications@mcdptx.org

no later than 3 days before publication.

The Domestic Violence Awareness Project (DVAP) supports the rights of all individuals, especially women and girls, to live in peace and dignity. Violence and all other forms of oppression against all communities and families must be eliminated.

The purpose of the DVAP is to support and promote national, tribal, territorial, state, and local advocacy networks in their ongoing public education efforts through public awareness, strategies, materials, resources, capacity-building, and technical assistance. These efforts include campaigns that address the victimization of women throughout their lifespan.

The voices, leadership and expertise of survivors who have been abused are critical and necessary components of these campaigns. To change belief systems and practices that support violence and abuse the DVAP recognizes that women and other marginalized people are disproportionately affected, and the participation of the entire community in building social intolerance towards domestic violence is crucial.

Read more

School vouchers are a scam to divert precious tax dollars away from your neighborhood school and into private schools that are unaccountable to taxpayers and are not required to serve all students. 

Vouchers are not a Republican vs. Democrat fight. It’s a fight between the bipartisan, pro-public education coalition in the Texas House and Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and the billionaire mega-donors who control their agenda. 

• We must call vouchers what they are — a scam: Like any scam, vouchers may sound good at first, but if you dig a little deeper, you realize it’s ripping you off. Vouchers subsidize private school education for the wealthy few, while pillaging money from public schools that serve the vast majority of Texas kids.
• Debemos llamar a los vales escolares lo que son: un fraude: como cualquier fraude, los vales pueden parecer buenos al principio, pero si profundizas un poco más, te das cuenta de que te están defraudando. Los vales escolares pagan la educación en escuelas privadas para unos pocos ricos, mientras se roban el dinero de las escuelas públicas que atienden a la gran mayoría de los niños de Texas.

• Public dollars are for public schools: Taxpayer dollars shouldn't be entrusted to private corporations. Private schools aren’t accountable to taxpayers, aren’t subject to testing, they are allowed to discriminate, and they can pick and choose their students. 
• Dólares públicos para escuelas públicas: No se puede confiar el dinero de los pagadores de impuestos a corporaciones privadas. Las escuelas privadas no son responsables ante los pagadores de impuestos, no están sujetas a exámenes y eligen a sus estudiantes.

• Vouchers defund local schools: Texas already ranks 43rd in the nation for per-student funding, and Texas teachers are already underpaid by $7,500 compared to the national average. Vouchers will mean larger class sizes, lower teacher pay, and worse outcomes for the millions of Texas children who attend Texas public schools. Extracurriculars, like football, will get cut. Teachers will be laid off. Schools will be closed.
• Los vales quitarían fondos de las escuelas locales: Texas ya ocupa el puesto 43 (cuarenta y tres) en la nación en cuanto financian por estudiante, y los maestros de Texas ya están mal pagados por $7,500 (siete mil quinientos) en comparación con el promedio nacional. Los vales significarán clases más grandes, salarios más bajos para los maestros y peores resultados para los millones de niños de Texas que asisten a las escuelas públicas de Texas. Las actividades extracurriculares, como el fútbol, se eliminan. Las escuelas se consolidarán.

• Billionaire mega-donors are the driving force behind voucher scams: Billionaires like Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks are spending millions bankrolling the fight for vouchers. Why? Because schools empower everyone, and the rich want to monopolize power for themselves.
• Los mega donantes multimillonarios son la fuerza principal detrás del fraude de vales: multimillonarios como Tim Dunn y Farris Wilks están gastando millones de dólares financiando la lucha por los vales. ¿Por qué? Porque las escuelas empoderan a todos y los ricos quieren monopolizar el poder para sí mismos.

• Vouchers are designed to separate rich families from the rest of us: These corporate private school vouchers will only provide a coupon for wealthy families to keep sending their children to the private and religious schools they’re already attending — at the expense of the 96% of Texas children who rely on our public schools.
• ¡LOS VALES NO VALEN! Los vales están diseñados para separar a las familias ricas del resto de nosotros: estos vales corporativos para escuelas privadas solo proporcionarán un cupón para que las familias ricas sigan enviando a sus hijos a las escuelas privadas y religiosas a las que ya asisten, a expensas del 96% (noventa y seis por ciento) de los niños de Texas que dependen de nuestras escuelas públicas.

• Students with disabilities, those at-risk of not graduating will be hurt most by a voucher scam: Private schools can reject students because of their religion, test scores, disabilities, or simply because they aren't “the right fit,” and these students will face the most harm if we divert public school dollars to private schools. Importantly, students with disabilities lose their federal rights and protections with a voucher.
• Los estudiantes con discapacidades, aquellos en riesgo de no graduarse, serán los más afectados por el fraude de vales: las escuelas privadas pueden rechazar a los estudiantes debido a su religión, resultados en exámenes, discapacidades o simplemente porque no son "los adecuados", y estos estudiantes enfrentarán el mayor daño si desviamos el dinero de las escuelas públicas a las escuelas privadas. Es importante notar que los estudiantes con discapacidades pierden sus derechos y protecciones federales con un vale.

To follow the legislation being considered during this third special session click here.

Brookings research on school vouchers suggests concerns ahead for education savings accounts

MCDP will host a special training for election workers to prepare for the November 7, 2023, Uniform Election. This training does NOT replace the mandatory in-person elections training. We will review Election Day forms and provide information to enhance your knowledge of election laws. Come to the training to be educated and empowered to serve our community.

Please join Ann Milton, MCDP Elections Coordinator on:

October 26, 2023

6:30 pm

at Headquarters and via Zoom

Email office@mcdptx.org to RSVP

MCDPTX Zoom Host is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Election Judge Training

Time: Oct 26, 2023 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89089431206?pwd=1kxzLvApVbgBCZkGZugyKuMaiwMhvW.1

Meeting ID: 890 8943 1206

Passcode: 717671

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdHONqOecB

If you have ever thought you might be interested in running for elected office or you are just curious, join MCDP and TDP for this Candidate Recruitment event. Join current and past candidates and TDP officials for interesting information and discussions!

Click here to register via Mobilize

County Chair Seminars

On September 29^th and 30^th, Ginger Blair, MC County Chair, traveled to Austin for two days of educational training.   These sessions were designed for all Texas County Chairs; 500 were in attendance from around the state.

On Friday, September 29th both Democratic and Republican County Chairs met all day with the Secretary of State’s office for the 21^st Biennial Election Law Seminar.  They learned about the roles and responsibilities of the Secretary of State and the duties of all County Chairs related to elections.   They also learned about how candidate applications are handled, how contracting and joint elections work and about promoting accountability and transparency in elections. 

The Secretary of State urged all County Chairs to support electronic voting and reported there has been no fraud in elections.

On Saturday, September 30^th, the Democratic County Chairs met with Texas Democratic Party officials.  Presentations were made about Get Out the Vote (GOTV) programs, fundraising efforts and more.   The point was made that social media is the best avenue for GOTV.   There was also discussion about the importance of updating VoteBuilder (VAN) with the results of canvassing and outreach to voters.  

Ginger represents us well in these and all interactions with election officials and TDP officials.  Thank you, Ginger!

Bridge Issues

Remember the days when Democrats and Republicans could agree on issues and have civil discussions?  We do and we miss them. We believe a strong two-party system is critical for Democracy to thrive and even survive. 



We believe there are still issues on which we can agree, and we would like to use the newsletter to talk about them.  We call this Bridge Issues! Let us know if you have ideas about bridge issues that we can talk about here.  

VOUCHERS

Most Texas voters – of both parties – are against school vouchers.   Parents understand that public schools are a critical resource for their children and families and a central part of their communities.  Despite that our governor and other extreme Republican legislators are pushing a bill to implement vouchers across the state.  We must reach out to our legislators of both parties to voice our support of our public schools and demand they vote against school voucher legislation.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Sat, Oct 21st, 2023, at 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM CDT

Town Green Park

2099 Lake Robbins Dr

The Woodlands TX, 77380

Join the fun! Volunteers needed to:

Help set-up our booths

Be a Greeter

Be a Voter Registrar

Give out Stickers and Freebies

Help take-down our booths

CALL 936-703-5841 OR EMAIL

OFFICE@MCDPTX.ORG

 SPREAD SOME JOY!

Vote Yes to Conroe ISD School Bonds

Be a voter. Be a supporter of our public schools. 

GET OUT THE VOTE on November 7^th

For more information go to https://www.conroeisd.net/bond/ 

Will You be an Informated Voter?

Go to montgomeryvotes.org to see the Voting Schedules for early voting and for election day. If you vote on election day, you must vote at your precinct's designated location.

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with what is on your ballot. You may view and download your sample ballot by looking up your registration status and clicking on "Sample Ballot."

What is on the ballot for Texas? Fourteen proposed Constitutional Amendments, and if you live in Conroe ISD, a major school funding bond.

State Constitutional Amendments may be viewed on your sample ballot or on the SOS website here. The Texas League of Women Voters has posted some excellent explainer videos on YouTube - know the pros and cons of each.

For information on the CISD School Bond click here. For information on how you can help get the bond passed go to Community for Conroe ISD’s Future.

Thank you for being an informed Texas Voter. If you need help with voting, want to volunteer, or have any questions, don't hesitate to call the Montgomery County Democratic Party Headquarters at 936-703-5841.

Submitted By Carol Ortiz

Chair, Precinct 86

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION ELECTION

On November 7, 2023, all registered voters in Texas will vote on 14 constitutional amendments. Since the legislature only meets in odd numbered years, any constitutional amendments they pass must be voted on by citizens in November of that year. I will be providing additional information on each them in the order in which they will appear on the ballot.

For additional information, including the pros and cons of each go to:

League of Women Voters Texas

Voter Guide and Videos of the Pros and Cons of the 14 Constitutional Amendments

Proposition 10 - “The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation equipment or inventory held by a manufacturer of medical or biomedical products to protect the Texas healthcare network and strengthen our medical supply chain.”

A constitutional amendment to allow the legislature to exempt from property taxation tangible personal property held by a medical or biomedical manufacturer as a finished good or used in the manufacturing or processing of medical or biomedical products.

Proposition 11 - “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to issue bonds supported by ad valorem taxes to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities.”

A constitutional amendment to expand the authority of the legislature with regard to conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County. The Texas Constitution permits conservation and reclamation districts in certain counties across the state to issue bonds to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities but does not currently provide this authority to El Paso County. The proposed amendment would add conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to those districts currently allowed, if authorized by general law, to issue bonds supported by property taxes to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities. The proposed amendment would not limit the powers of the legislature or of a conservation and reclamation district with respect to parks and recreational facilities as those powers currently exist.

Proposition 12 - “The constitutional amendment providing for the abolition of the office of county treasurer in Galveston County.”

A constitutional amendment to abolish the office of County Treasurer in Galveston County. The amendment would authorize the Galveston County Commissioners Court to employ or contract with a qualified person or designate another county officer to perform any functions that would have been performed by the County Treasurer. The proposed amendment would take effect only if a majority of the voters of Galveston County voting on the proposition favor the amendment.

Proposition 13 - “The constitutional amendment to increase the mandatory age of retirement for state justices and judges.”

A constitutional amendment to increase the mandatory retirement age for state justices and judges. Currently, the Texas Constitution establishes that justices and judges of the appellate courts, district courts, and criminal district courts must retire on the expiration of the term during which they reach the age of 75 years or an earlier age, not less than 70 years, as the legislature may prescribe. The proposed amendment would change the mandatory retirement age for justices and judges of the appellate courts, district courts, and criminal district courts to 79 years or an earlier age, not less than 75 years, as the legislature may prescribe. The proposed amendment also would remove the provision stating that justices and judges may only serve until December 31 of their fourth year in office if they reach the age of 75 years in the first four years of a six-year term.

Proposition 14 - “The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the centennial parks conservation fund to be used for the creation and improvement of state parks.”

A constitutional amendment to establish the centennial parks conservation fund as a trust fund outside the state treasury. The fund could be used, in accordance with general law, only for the creation and improvement of state parks. The centennial parks conservation fund would consist of: (1) money appropriated, credited, or transferred to the fund by the legislature; (2) gifts, grants, and donations received by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) or its successor for a purpose for which money in the fund may be used; and (3) investment earnings and interest earned on amounts credited to the fund. The proposed amendment would authorize the legislature to appropriate money from the centennial parks conservation fund to TPWD or its successor for the creation and improvement of state parks.

Submitted by

Betty McInturff

Chair, Precinct 12

Calling All Friday Night Football Fans!

Are you there for your kids? Are you there for your hometown?

If you firmly believe that school spirit and pride in your local community is good for your children, your family, and your hometown (big or small), then please join us in a show of support for our local schools. We have a plan.

YOU CAN BECOME A FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SUPER FAN!

YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO GET OUT OF YOUR CAR!

Call 936-704-5841, email OFFICE@mcdptx.org

VOTE YES on SCHOOL BONDS and

NO on SCHOOL VOUCHERS!

County

Non-Profit Spotlight

Each month in 2023, we will share information about non-profit resources in Montgomery County in hopes that those in need receive assistance and to make everyone aware of the great resources in our County.

This month we spotlight the Montgomery County Public Health District  which is devoted to education and services with regard to all areas of public health. According to their website:

Our Mission:

Promoting a healthy, resilient community through health education, disease prevention, clinical services and emergency preparedness.

Our Vision:

An integrated team that serves, educates and promotes health and resiliency throughout Montgomery County.

To learn more click here.

To find all resources in Montgomery County click here. This page is worth bookmarking!

Blue Magnolia

We continue to have new faces join us at each social event! We enjoyed one of the first cool evenings on October 11th at Lone Pint Brewery.

Come on out and join us!

Make and Take

Make and Take days are now on Fridays! On October 13th several volunteers came together to enjoy camaraderie and to complete the beautiful holiday cards they started last session. Here is a sampling of what is available being shown off by Eleanor and Carol. Proceeds from the sales of the Make and Take products benefit the MCDP.

Thanks to all those who make this happen each week - especially Carol and Michele for their leadership.

Tweets!

Just for fun!

Watch Andy Borowitz's interview at The Progressive Forum in Houston in September - click here.

[If you don't know about The Progressive Forum, check it out!]

Young Progressive candidates face systemic barriers. At every level of government, the average politician is older than the average American. Our political system is stacked against young people – in favor of those who are older, wealthier and white. In 2020, Millennial and Gen-Z individuals only held 21% of State Legislative seats despite representing 45% of the electorate.

Leaders We Deserve is a grassroots organization dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures across the country to help defeat the far-right agenda and advance a progressive vision for the future. Our mission is to identify and elect more trailblazers – youthful, audacious, and charismatic leaders who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. We pledge to stand with them, equipping their campaigns with the tools to succeed: from fundraising and messaging to scheduling and budgeting. We’ll raise the banner of their cause, rallying funds online and in person.

Read More

Recurring meetings, and related events

TUE, OCT 17 – CONROE ISD BOARD, 6:00pm, 3205 W. Davis Street, Conroe 77304

WED, OCT 18 – TRUSTWORTHY DOCUMENTARY, 11:30am/Noon, 3200 College Park Dr.

THU, OCT 19 – PASTORS FOR TEXAS CHILDREN, Noon, Spring Creek BBQ 4083 Riley Fuzzel Rd

THU, OCT 19 – WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP BOARD, 6:00pm, 2801 Technology Forest Bl.

THU, OCT 19 – ACLU, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WEBINAR #2, 6:00pm, online

THU, OCT 19 – PROGRESSIVE FORUM: HEATHER C RICHARDSON, 7:30pm, 1500 Sunset Bl. 77005,Houston

FRI, OCT 20 – LWV WORK DAY: PREPARE VOTER GUIDES, 10:30am, 8125 Ashlane Way,

SAT, OCT 21 – WOODLANDS PRIDE FESTIVAL, 11:00am to 5:00pm, Woodlands Town Green Park

TUE, OCT 24 – MOCO COMMISSIONERS COURT, 9:30am, 501 N. Thompson 77301,

WED, OCT 25 – WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP BOARD, 6:00pm, 2801 Technology Forest Bl.

TUE, NOV 7 – ELECTION DAY, 7:00am to 7:00pm

THU, NOV 9 – LWV MoCo: POST ELECTION HAPPY HOUR, 5:00pm, Black Walnut, 9000 New Trails

TUE, NOV 14 – LS GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION BOARD, 6:00pm, 655 Conroe Park N 77303

TUE, NOV 14 – CONROE ISD BOARD, 6:00pm, 3205 W. Davis Street, Conroe 77304

Democrats and Progressives of Montgomery County

Morning Breakfast MEETUP

Saturday, November 11, 9:00 am

The Whistle Stop Cafe

11133 Interstate 45 S · Conroe, TX

Hosted by Karen Cavanagh

RSVP