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In this Issue
Chair's Message • MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! • Statehouse Reports • We’re Listening • Donalds’ Town Hall • Club of the Month: LGBTQ+ • Environmental Caucus Back in Action • Why I Am a Democrat: India Palencia • Volunteers of the Month: Our Texting Team •
Help Wanted
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Support the Action Plan
"A Dollar A Door"
By Jim Rosinus
Chair, Democratic Party of Lee County
Believe it or not, I dislike writing these begging notices almost as much as you dislike receiving them. I would much rather be talking about how to resist and building coalitions and how this all ties back in a historical context. But that’s not where we are.
The Supervisor of Elections (SOE) is mandated by law to clean up the voting records on a regular basis and to remove from the rolls people who are no longer eligible to vote in Lee County. That process starts when a mailing piece from the SOE is undeliverable as addressed. When it is returned to the SOE, that voter is immediately marked as “Inactive”. After some time, that ‘Inactive’ voter will be dropped from the voting list. And, since the SOE cannot find them, they will never know until it’s too late.
The problem is, not all of those voters should be ‘Inactive’. Yes, many have moved out of Lee County, but there are quite a few who have not.
- The post office never delivered the piece.
- It was delivered but mislaid in all the other junk mail we all receive.
- The voter was away when it was delivered.
There are any number of reasons why someone might not respond or the mailer might be returned.
The Lee County Democratic Party has a program to ‘cure’ the Inactive status of voters still in the county. We are canvassing, currently in Lehigh Acres, trying to find and contact Inactive voters and let them know their status. We are having success. We need more volunteer canvassers. But even with all the volunteers we can expect, we will still fall short of our goals by almost 4200 doors, in Lehigh Acres and Fort Myers, the two areas with the highest concentration of Inactives. We need to hire paid canvassers.
We expect our costs to be just over $5800 for paid canvassers to complete Lehigh Acres and Fort Myers. That works out to a little over a dollar a door. (Actually $1.38 per door, but that doesn’t have the same ring to it.) So I’m asking for your help. Please contribute “A Dollar A Door” for curing Inactive Voters. Anything above the $5800 goal will go towards paying canvassers to cover the rest of the county. Please give as much as you can. Please do it now.
Thank you.
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Can’t make it today?
How about coming this Saturday, May 3, 9:30-11:30 AM, at Old Lee County Courthouse, 2120 Main St., Fort Myers? Or why not join the regular weekly protest at the corner of Shell Point Blvd. and Summerlin/McGregor Blvd., every Friday from 9 to 10 AM? Or...
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DON'T STAY SILENT!
Contact your representative today Click for info
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TODAY!!!
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!
This is the internationally recognized method of making a distress call. It signals an urgent, life-threatening emergency, requiring an immediate response. At the 100-day mark of the Trump Administration, it is clear that our democracy is in danger. All around the U.S., people have seen the dangers posed by the Trump administration to our constitutional order. Here’s just a small sample:
- Denying birthright citizenship
- Sending masked ICE agents to capture and ship people off to foreign prisons without due process of law
- Defying a Supreme Court ruling to facilitate the return of a man “mistakenly” sent to an El Salvador prison.
- Threatening journalists, lawyers, and jailing judges.
- Threatening to impeach judges who do not carry out the demands of the Trump administration.
- Assaulting academic freedom in colleges and universities.
- Cozying up to dictators like Putin while abandoning democracies like Ukraine.
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Launching what the Wall Street Journal calls “the dumbest trade war in history.”
As Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says, “It’s a 5-alarm fire, everyone. It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and step out into the streets and speak up and make your voices heard.”
Today, May 1, people around the country are calling “MAYDAY.” Here in Lee County, you can join the MAYDAY protest TODAY at Alico Road and Ben Hill Griffin Drive (right by Cheddars) from 4 to 7 PM.
Can’t make it today? Then how about coming this Saturday, May 3, 9:30-11:30 AM, at Old Lee County Courthouse, 2120 Main St., Fort Myers? Or why not join the regular weekly protest at the corner of Shell Point Blvd. and Summerlin/ McGregor Blvd., every Friday from 9 to 10 AM?
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Don’t Let SB 1284/HB 1517 Pass,
Defend Reproductive Autonomy
The Florida legislature is scheduled to wind up its session this week. SB 1284 and HB 1517 are dangerous bills that threaten reproductive rights in Florida by granting embryos the legal status of “unborn children.” This revision of the wrongful death statute could open the door to lawsuits over embryos that don’t survive or are discarded in IVF, severely limiting access to reproductive healthcare. Additionally, it could restrict essential contraception methods like IUDs and emergency contraceptives, as they prevent pregnancy by inhibiting embryo implantation.
This bill is another step toward further restricting abortion access and undermining reproductive autonomy. We cannot allow this dangerous legislation to pass. Take action today
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What’s on Your Mind? We’re Listening...
Come and share your concerns, ideas and feedback with the leadership of the Lee County Democratic Party. Our listening tour continues this month with welcoming, open forums in North Fort Myers and Lehigh. Whether it’s affordable housing, jobs, healthcare, education, or any other issue, we’re ready to listen and take action.
May 3, 2:30-4:30 PM – North Fort Myers Regional Library
May 10, 2:30-4:30 PM – Lehigh Acres Veteran’s Park & Rec Center
More information
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The Donalds’ Town Hall
He’s No “Tip” O’Neill
By Cornelius Hurley
Long before legendary Massachusetts congressman Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill became speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, he was an ardent foe of the Vietnam War. His journey from reluctant supporter of President Johnson’s unpopular venture to anti-war critic did not happen spontaneously. It was the result of his deep personal reflection, skeptical reading of the administration’s war reporting, and, most of all, extensive engagement with his constituents.
Read more
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Club of the Month
Stand Proud with the
LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus!
By Viri Ryan
At a time when LGBTQ+ rights and democracy are under attack, the Lee County LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus is fighting back and winning.
Over the past several months, the caucus has been everywhere: from high-energy appearances at SWFL Pride and Bonita Springs Pride to Cape Coral Pride, where they proudly registered 43 voters for vote-by-mail. They’re also rolling up their sleeves for the next election cycle, adopting a precinct to focus on post-carding, phone banking, and canvassing efforts to help turn out voters. Their message is clear: visibility is power, voting is critical, and community drives change. Read more
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Environmental Caucus Back in Action
The Lee County chapter of the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida soon will host an "environmental roundtable." Local Democrats and candidates planning to run in 2026 will be joined by state Environmental Caucus officers. Directed discussion of water quality, the economics of storm recovery, and outdoor-laborer safety will help candidates and Democratic organizers formulate clear and concerned campaign messages.
The roundtable begins at 9 AM on May 10; the location is the Residence Inn of Fort Myers Sanibel. For details and registration options, click here. As a convenience, virtual participation will be available through Zoom.
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Why I Am a Democrat
By India Palencia
I am a Democrat because I believe in fairness, justice, and the radical idea that hard work should be enough to make ends meet. I grew up in a small town outside of Tulsa, the daughter of two “hippy” parents who worked tirelessly but still relied on charity to help provide for our family. We were the poor kids in the rich church, the ones who learned early that kindness and community matter more than wealth.
Politics was always in the air—my older brother took to it like a fish to water, becoming a political consultant. Me? I took the scenic route. For years, I watched, voted, and spoke my mind, but never stepped into the fight. That changed when my community asked me to take on a seemingly simple task: moving a school bus stop. Read more
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Don’t hide your talents! Bring your skills to the Party! Be Like Our Texting Team! Step Up!!! Volunteer. Here’s what's especially needed right now:
Vehicle Caravan Coordinators
As the season heats up, protests remain important. We need people to organize Protest Caravans. What would they do? 1) Pick the date, time, theme, and route! 2) Create a flyer for the Lee Dems website and social media. 3) Contact the media to cover it. 4) Organize the lineup of vehicles, with the lead and last driver in communication as we drive.
Phone Bankers CALLING CAMPAIGNS allow any Democrats to join the team from anywhere in the USA! No weather can deter indoor calls to your fellow Democrats.
Voter Registration and Rescue Coordinator: Recruit, train, supply, and schedule volunteers for rallies, community events, and canvassing.
Volunteer Coordinator Collaborate with a team to respond with a pattern of email, follow-up phone calls from volunteer applications, introduce them to the nearest club or caucus, and coordinators of their chosen task.
Training is provided for all roles. More opportunities and Sign up
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Volunteers of the Month
Our Texting Team
This month we’re recognizing the incredible work that Debbie Rooney, Cindy Skiles, and Cathy Cohen accomplish for the Democratic Party of Lee County. Not only do they develop messaging to voters, and schedule and quantify the results, they also dig deep into the data, finding missing pieces to help reach voters who were previously unreachable.
They play a critical role in verifying whether inactive voters still reside in Lee County, helping individuals with voter registration information, polling destinations, and much more. Their hard work truly translates into significant returns on donor investments for Lee Dems. Read more
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SUBSCRIBE
The Informed Democrat is published monthly and posted on the LeeCountyDems.org website.
Do you have something you’d like to share with your fellow Democrats in Lee County, or do you have comments, questions, or ideas about features you'd like to see?
Contact us at InformedDemocrat@gmail.com.
Editor: Melissa Butler
The Democratic Party of Lee County is an all-volunteer organization. We do not receive any funding
from the Florida Democratic Party nor the National Democratic Party.
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