Voting registration booth moves to individual appointments
DEMOCRATIC CLUB
The SBLW Democratic Club board held its first meeting by Zoom on July 14. The meeting focused on developing plans for involvement in the upcoming Nov. 3 General Election. Membership meetings, which will resume via Zoom in August, will feature programs relating to candidates running for election to the Seal Beach City Council, Los Alamitos Unified School District Board, House of Representatives and California Assembly. The 12 propositions that will appear on the ballot will also be addressed. Club members without access to computers should contact Mary Tromp at (562)-412-0898 for information as to how they can participate in the meetings by phone.
Members are also looking forward to the possibility of a series of debates between the candidates vying for election. Congressman Harley Rouda has urged his challenger to engage in eight debates between mid-August and late October. Constituents would be allowed to physically attend such debates only if it is deemed safe under COVID-19 prevention safety measures. The debates would be open to the public through television or live-streaming services. Rouda has outlined other conditions that would need to be agreed to before he would participate. They include having no debates occurring in the same city over three times; a neutral and agreed to moderator; and agreement as to topics to be covered. He also wants at least two debates to focus on issues facing the Vietnamese and Latinx communities, respectively.
Congressman Rouda has continued to work tirelessly to assist local health care workers to get the protective equipment they need. He has also been reaching “across the aisle” to lead on commonsense, business-friendly policies. As a result, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded him the Abraham Lincoln Leaders for America Award in June.
During its recent meeting, the Democratic Club’s board also agreed that it would be extremely difficult to maintain COVID-19 prevention safety measures if they opened the voter registration booth at Clubhouse 6 during this period of self-isolation. In its place, board members are available to assist anyone on an individual basis who wants to register for the first time, change address or register in a different party. Call Kathy Moran at (562) 596-0450 for details and/ or an appointment. The Board also adopted a number of new policies and procedures, copies of which are available to any member requesting them. Email lwsbdemocraticclub@gmail.com.
Board members are closely watching a number of bills working their way through Congress, including S.1397, which would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to provide for a national Federal absentee ballot. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has introduced S. 3529, which revises and establishes voting procedures for federal elections. Specifically, her bill requires each state and jurisdiction to establish and publish a contingency plan to enable voters to vote in federal elections during an emergency.
•••• Anyone who wants to stay informed and is interested in receiving the Democratic Club’s electronic newsletter on a regular basis can email the editor, Mary Larson, at mlarson. telfords@ gmail. com with their contact information.
