Tuesday, April 3rd – Meet Congressional Candidates in East Greenville

Come out to the Upper Perkiomen Middle School, 510 Jefferson Street, East Greenville, PA on Tuesday night, April 3, 2018 – 7:30 p.m. – to meet, hear, and converse with the Democratic candidates on the ballot in the upcoming May 16th primary election.

The Democratic candidates for Congress (House of Representatives) for the newly drawn 4th Congressional District (which includes all of Upper Perkiomen Valley); Mary Jo Daley, Shira Goodman, and Madeleine Dean will be attending this event, as will the democratic candidates for PA State Representative; Andy Lee and Josh Camson, and democratic candidate for PA State Senator; Linda Fields. 

Bring your questions and show your support. It is wonderful these candidates are coming to the Upper Perkiomen Valley and we would like to thank them by having a large crowd.

This is a free public event. All local democrats and independent voters are invited and strongly encouraged to attend. This event has been organized by the Area 2 Upper Perkiomen Democratic Committee.

Just a reminder – in Pennsylvania, those wanting to vote in the primaries must be registered either Democrat or Republican. Pennsylvania hold “closed primaries” which means that in the primary election, registered Democrats vote for those on the Democratic primary ballot and registered Republicans vote within the Republican primary ballot. In the general election in November, anyone registered to vote, regardless of party affiliation, may vote for any candidate on any side of the ballot. If one wishes to change one’s party affiliation, one must submit a change of voter registration form 30 days before the election (for this year’s primary, the deadline is April 16, 2018).

Primary Election Today – Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Polls opened at 7 a.m. this morning, Tuesday, May 16, 2017, in Pennsylvania, and will remain open until 8 p.m.

Historically, turnout is low on “off years” but local elections matter! Local elections determine not just how your schools are run (or if they are built), not just how your town is run (roads, recycling, police, development, etc.), but who decides on how laws are enforced, and if they are lawful in the first place (e.g. voter laws, gerrymandering, fair use, property rights, drilling rights, even bathroom rights).

Check out posts below, or do your own research on the candidates, but be sure to get out and vote today!

UPDC Member, Louise Doskow, will speak at Philadelphia March for Science!

Louise Doskow, a local member of the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club, and active member of the Democratic Party, has been invited to be a speaker at the April 22nd, 2017 March for Science in Philadelphia! She has been told that she has 2-3 minutes to talk (must be a lot of speakers planned for the day – up to 2 hours worth, according to their Facebook page!).

The Philadelphia March for Science starts at City Hall and ends at Penns Landing.

We will assemble at 10:00am on the south side of City Hall (Juniper Street). The March will kick-off promptly at 11:00am and will go down Market Street to Front Street, Front Street to Chestnut Street and then over Chestnut Street to Penn’s Landing – Great Plaza.

Entertainment will begin at 11:30am featuring local band, The Really Cooks, and the March for Science PHL speakers will begin at 12noon. The event will end by 2pm.

Confirmed speakers at the Saturday event include Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Derrik Pitts, Chief Astronomer and Director of the Fels Planetarium at The Franklin Institute, Beth Goldstein-Huxen, Math Teacher, Gerrymandering Educator, and Voting Rights Activist, and our own Louise Doskow, Public Education Advocate and Defender of Science Education and former chemist and medical researcher.

Sounds like a great way to spend Earth Day to me!

Pres. Bill Clinton in Reading on Friday, Oct. 28th!

On Friday, October 28, 2016, President Bill Clinton will speak at a free public rally at Albright College (Campus Center), 1621 N 13th Street, Reading, PA. Doors open at 4;30 p.m. for the scheduled 5:30 p.m. event. Folks wishing to attend are encouraged to RSVP (and get in line early!)

See VP Biden and Michele Obama in Philly this week!

Vice-President Biden will speak on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s campaign at a free public event at Drexel University (at Drexel’s Great Court, Main Building, 3141 Chestnut Street) in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 27th as part of National Voter Registration Day. The event is scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. – doors open at 8:30 a.m. It is suggested (though not required) that one signs up to attend.

Michele Obama will be in Philadelphia on Wednesday, September 28th campaigning for Hillary Clinton at LaSalle University (Tom Gola Arena, 1900 W. Olney Avenue). Doors open at 9 a.m. for this event.

Lansdale Open House – Hillary Clinton Campaign Office!

I just received a call letting me know about the Open House tomorrow, Tuesday, August 23, 2016, of the Lansdale Campaign Office for Hillary Clinton (and for the combined PA Democratic Candidates campaigns). All democrats, and supporters, are invited and welcome to attend the event, beginning at 6 p.m. at 14 East 6th Street, Lansdale, PA.

The office is on a street with townhouses, so look for the signs and the driveway leading to the office.

Vote Today (but don’t vote straight Democratic ticket!)

Polls are now open (it is 7:04 a.m. as I type this) and will remain open until 8 p.m. This is a critically important election, ranging from very local races (town supervisors) that effect our daily lives directly (roads, trash pickup, water supply, snow removal, local policing, zoning), to judicial races such as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court (which rules on environmental issues, fracking, public education, women’s rights and rights to choose, civil rights, voting rights, redistricting), to County Commissioners (let’s keep the Courthouse Democratic by re-electing Josh Shapiro and Val Arkoosh), and Upper Perkiomen School Board (which is where it gets really interesting).

This may be one of the very few times you will read on this blog a request NOT to just pull the lever to vote for the entire Democratic ticket on the ballot. But in today’s election, in which school board candidates have cross-filed (appear on both the Democratic and Republican ticket), voting for all the listed Democratic candidates would mean voting for self-proclaimed Tea Party supporter Raeann Hofkin for Upper Perkiomen School Board. Hopkin has made it clear that she is working for private funding versus public funding of public education, and cutting public education past the point where it can reasonably serve our students and community. After the tragedy in Newton, the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, her proposed solution (outlined in a letter to the editor) was to arm teachers and school administrators -put more guns in schools.

Therefore, we advise that when it comes to the Upper Perkiomen School Board ballot, you vote FOR Joan Smith (who has long served our community in many elected and volunteer positions, as a public school teacher, and, full disclosure, is a founding member of the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club) and AGAINST Raeann Hofkin.

You can check your voter registration status online. PA Voter ID law was struck down by the courts in January 2014.

Not sure of the address for your polling place? Check here.