Author: Charles Sturcken

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Assemblyman Harvey Epstein led a rally and urged NYers to vote early. More than 90,000 voters turned out on Saturday !
Tilden Democrats, Eleanor Roosevelt Democrats and Gramercy-Stuyvesant Democrats urge voters to get out early .

Here are the remaining dates and you can find your early voting place by visiting. vote.nyc .  Tip for Seniors – ask the poll site personnel for the Senior Line to expedite your check-in.

If you have not voted please use this link to find a polling place to vote https://www.vote.nyc/ . Voting sites will be prepared and safe.

If you have filled out an absentee ballot but have not mailed it you may drop it off at ANY polling site tomorrow – not just your regular site

Carolyn Maloney for Congress

Brad Hoylman    

Join us.

On June 19, 1865 — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation — enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned that they were finally free. They were informed by General Gordon Granger and his Union troops who declared this:
“All slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”
From that day forward, June 19 came to be celebrated as Juneteenth. Black Americans did not achieve equality of rights that day as General Granger said, but freedom was still something to celebrate while equality is something to fight for.
The celebration of Juneteenth has ebbed and flowed on a national scale since its first celebration. But this year, it takes on a different meaning. This Juneteenth coincides with the civil unrest and amplified demands for racial equality and justice that have spread across our country and the world. Black activists and allies are still in the streets, online, in city council meetings, at their statehouses, and contacting Congress demanding change.
This Juneteenth, I’m asking you to take a couple actions against racism, and then to join all of us at the DNC in celebrating Black history:
Watch and share this video to learn more about Juneteenth from Black DNC staff.
Juneteenth video

Voter roll purges overwhelmingly impact Black, student, and minority voters. Thanks to the DNC Tech Team, we just rolled out a tool for Democratic state parties and campaigns to engage with purged or inactive voters and help get them back on the rolls. Learn more about this important new DNC tool by clicking here.

Tune into the National Museum of African American History & Culture’s all-day Juneteenth virtual programming for some social-distancing celebration right here.
Juneteenth is a celebration of the strength and resilience of Black Americans in this country, but a celebration doesn’t mean the work is done. We’ve got a long way to go, Jeffrey, but today you can take action by getting involved with anti-racism organizations and resources on our website and learning more about Juneteenth.

ZOOM codes and agenda to follow

The following letter was circulated by Michelle Deal Winfield, State Committee, 74th Assembly District. We will need every member input to have the club say for delegate selection. Our next membership meeting will be May 28th, however, I have asked Committeemember Winfield to let us know the timing so we can adjust our input.




For Immediate Release: 05/04/2020
New York State Democratic Committee
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LETTER FROM CHAIRMAN JAY S. JACOBS

Dear Fellow Democratic Leader,

I know many of you have questions in light of the State Board of Elections’ decision on Monday to cancel the Presidential Primary. This was a difficult decision reached by the Democratic Commissioners of the State Board and it was predicated, entirely on two – and only two facts: (1) the outcome of the primary, the purpose of which was to choose a nominee for President, was already conclusively decided; and (2) holding the primary would unnecessarily create and exacerbate a potential health hazard for Democratic poll workers and voters. I unequivocally support that decision.

We are currently in discussions with the Democratic National Committee to prepare an acceptable plan in which the State Committee, by vote, will approve a slate of delegates that would have otherwise been elected in the Primary. It is our intention to work in cooperation with both the Biden and Sanders campaign to come up with a fair representation for both campaigns, based on the likely results had a primary been held. That way, this decision in no way advantages one side or the other. When we have a plan and we know better how it will work, we will let you know right away.

While editorial and other support for this decision has been exceptionally favorable, I know that there are many Sanders delegates, supporters and others who feel that this was an unnecessary act that deprived them of their right to vote. Here are some facts and answers to some of the questions:
In 2016 the Democratic Presidential Primary brought out a 34% turnout – 1,971,000 Democrats out of 5,792,500 enrolled. A typical non-presidential primary is between 8-15%, leaning much more heavily toward the lower number. As an example assuming a 10% turnout: In the only Democratic primaries in Nassau County (CDs 2 & 3 – Nassau portion), the combined Democratic enrollment is 147,605 which would mean a likely turnout of about 14,700 voters WITHOUT a Presidential Primary. WITH a Presidential primary, at a 34% turnout of the 415,674 registered Democrats, Nassau County BOE would have to staff EVERY poll site for a 141,000 voter turnout – 9.6 times the number of voters. That’s not only more voters – it’s more poll workers. Moreover, in 20 counties – about a third of all of our counties – there will now be no primary at all.
People who say that we now have unlimited absentee voting so that we don’t need to open polling places are completely uninformed when it comes to the running of elections. This is the FIRST time we would go completely by mail, if we did that. What about the people who did not receive their ballots? What about the people who received them late? What do we say to leaders and elected officials in some of our minority districts who tell us that participation in their areas, if we only allow vote by mail, will be greatly reduced? Talk about disenfranchising people! People STILL have to have an opportunity to vote in person – both early and on Election Day. That’s not a choice.
Most of our poll workers are seniors who are most at risk for the worst effects of the virus. Many of our polling places are now in senior residences. How do we get these folks to work in large numbers in a full scale Presidential Primary? If we do, what risk are they taking (see Wisconsin)? I ask those who oppose the Board’s decision: just how many poll worker’s lives are you willing to risk in order that your “voices are heard” in an already predetermined election? 5? 10? 15? 20? Tell me when to stop. My answer to that question is zero.
Some have argued that this decision, hurting turnout, will benefit incumbents down ballot and the establishment. First of all, the Presidential Primary WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE SAME DAY AS THE DOWN BALLOT RACES! That was changed by the Governor recently due to the outbreak. So, at the worst, we only returned the down ballot races to where they would have been without the virus. Second, whose reading of primary election results shows that activists and candidates of the far left are more likely HELPED by a larger-than-normal turnout? Check out local primaries. Most times, activist candidates tend to beat incumbents WHEN TURNOUT IS LOW. When turnout is high, in most districts the result is that more MODERATES are drawn to the polls and incumbents win.
This decision deprives Sanders’ supporters the opportunity to be delegates to the convention. As I stated above; that’s not our objective and we will be working with the two campaigns to come up with a fair allocation for both. So, barring any quibbling over a handful of delegates in the distribution, the Sanders’ folks will be pretty close to where they would have been HAD the primary been held. Who knows? Maybe better!
So, for those reasons, I support the decision of our State Board of Elections to protect the health and safety of our poll workers and voters by cancelling a predetermined election. If we closed all nonessential businesses in New York to protect our health, shouldn’t we cancel all nonessential elections? And, if an election where ONLY ONE CANDIDATE IS RUNNING isn’t a nonessential election, I don’t know what is!

Stay safe and I look forward to seeing you soon!
Alternate text
Jay Jacobs
Chairman

Staying Connected and Moving On With Club Business – we will be holding our virtual meeting this Thursday and members should have received a ZOOM invitation from DL Sherrod.
A REMINDER will be sent with ZOOM log-in link and code for attendance; telephone log-in will be available as well.
Please make every effort to join the meeting. Thank you and be well.

National Arts Club launches online program series
by Maria Rocha-Buschel
The National Arts Club (NAC) has announced the launch of “NAC @ Home,” a new online program series.

While the Club is temporarily closed in response to the COVID-19 crisis, this series continues to fulfill the NAC’s mission to stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts.

“NAC @ Home” offers online performances, artist talks, workshops, and more.
All programs are free with registration. For a full schedule and registration
details, visit nationalartsclub.org

Christine Coulson, Author of Metropolitan Stories. Tuesday, April 28, Time TBA
Author Christine Coulson discusses her novel Metropolitan Stories. Described as a “surreal love letter” to the private side of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Stories unfolds in a series of amusing and poignant vignettes in which readers discover larger-than-life characters, the downside of survival, and the powerful voices of the art itself.
The result is a novel bursting with magic, humor, and energetic detail, but also a beautiful book about introspection, an ode to lives lived for art, ultimately building a powerful collage of human experience and the world of the imagination.

Jazz Pianist Jon Weber, Thursday, May 7, 1 p.m.
Pianist Jon Weber performs an intimate jazz concert from his home. Weber has recorded and toured all over the world, winning numerous honors for performance and composition—scoring extensively for television since 1987. Weber is a consummate post-bop musician with a lithe technical ability and an ear for complex harmonic compositions.

For a full list of events or to learn more, please visit nationalartsclub.org.

As expected, we are cancelling the next general membership meeting scheduled for next Thursday ,March 26th. We will continue to update members and friends on events as they affect Tilden and our political partners.
Please everyone be safe with your family and loved ones and know that we will all be together again when the crises passes. Everyone stay in touch and share any cheer or common sense advice you may have.