Voter Registration/Absentee Ballots

Weather permitting, the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club will once more be hosting a voter registration and absentee ballot request information table at tomorrow’s East Greenville Community Day (Saturday, September 8th, 2018 – Main Street, East Greenville, PA). We will have forms for voter registration and for requesting absentee ballots.

September 17th is the first day to apply for an absentee ballot in Pennsylvania (and while applications are available online, the form must be printed and mailed to the County Courthouse address found on the online form). While officially an absentee ballot request form may be mailed out as late as the week before the election, since the completed ballot must arrive at the Court House by the Friday before the election (November 6, 2018), to insure that one’s vote is counted one should mail one’s ballot at least a week before the election (and earlier is better).

Voter registration closes on October 9, 2018 (because October 8th is a holiday) – that means the form must arrive at the county seat by that date. One can register to vote online!

Check your voter registration online, to be sure that you haven’t been taken off the rolls for any reason or by error!

Election day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018; polls are open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

2018 PA Democratic Candidates

U.S. Senate – Bob Casey

U.S. House of Representatives, 4th District (which now includes all of Upper Perkiomen Valley) – Madeleine Dean

Governor – Tom Wolf

Lt. Governor – John Fetterman

State Senate, 24th District – Linda Fields

State Representative, 131st District – Andy Lee

State Representative, 147th District (Green Lane and Marlborough Township) – Josh Camson

January 20th, 2018!!!

Saturday, January 20, 2018 is not just the one year anniversary of a dark day in U.S. political history. It is a day when one can eat, drink, and be merry – I mean march – (though not necessarily in that order).

Women’s Marches will once again be happening in many major cities around the country, including in Philadelphia along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Folks wishing to participate on Saturday, January 20th, are asked to sign up online (though not required – this is just for planning purposes); gather at Aviator Park/Logan Square at 10:30 a.m. The March from Logan Square to Eakins Oval begins at 11 a.m. and the speakers and performers take the stage beginning at noon.

The annual Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club Potluck is Saturday evening, from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (Jan. 20th), at the Center at the Open Link (aka Upper Perk Senior Center), 517 Jefferson Street, East Greenville, PA. The event is free and open to all democrats (and their families). The club provides the plates, napkins, cutlery, and beverages – attendees provide the rest (don’t worry, there is always more than enough good food to go around).

Fall Plans for UPDC!

The start of fall is not just when pumpkins, and pumpkin spice, becomes all to prevalent, but when the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club (UPDC) becomes more of a public presence in the Upper Perkiomen Valley. Despite what some in our area might think, there are many democrats living and working (and voting) in the area and we need to let folks know we are here!

As we have for nearly 20 years, UPDC volunteers will be setting up a Voter Registration and Information Table on Main Street in East Greenville for Community Day. Community Day this year is on Saturday, September 9, 2017. Stop by and say hello, and pick up a balloon, or a pen, or a Hate Has No Home here sign!

All local democrats are invited to join us on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 for our first UPDC meeting of the fall at the Upper Perkiomen Public Library, 350 Main Street, Red Hill, PA (in the lower level; parking available in the back lot, as well as street parking on Main Street). The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Items on the agenda include the upcoming Halloween Parade and the November elections.

The UPDC has had an entry in the annual Upper Perkiomen Halloween Parade since 2000! Last year, instead of walking alongside our donkey, we rode on the float, and that is our plan again this year.Thousands of people line the parade route along Main Street from Red Hill to East Greenville and this is one more opportunity to make it known that the Democratic Party is still here, still fighting and standing up for what we believe, and to let local democrats know that they are not alone. And yes, we’ll also be giving away a lot of candy to the kids along the sidelines!

East Greenville Community Day, September 9, 2017!

Unlike other states in our country, it looks like Pennsylvania will have sunny days and dry weather over the weekend. Which means, among other things, that the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club will be setting up our Voter Registration Table first thing Saturday morning, September 9th, along Main Street in East Greenville (no, we don’t know exactly where – the borough likes to surprise us by assigning spots that day; probably between the borough hall and Art on Main). Look for the signs, bunting, canopy, and balloons – yes, we’ll be handing out blue balloons again this year, along with UPDC pens. We have voter registration forms (for your neighbor, friends, and relatives who meant to vote last year or just turned 18 or just moved into the area) and absentee ballot request forms. We also bought a dozen “Hate Has No Home Here” signs to give away tomorrow – first come, first serve!

Even though these are dark political times, it is important to let people know we aren’t going away and we are taking a stand for what we as a party and country believe in. And also remember, local elections matter! From school board to town supervisors to local and state judgeships to state races to House and Senate races to the White House – they all matter! So vote in November (and next year in the primaries and again in November 2018, and beyond!). And stop by the UPDC table between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday to say hi to our volunteers!

Tuesday, April 11th – UPDC Meeting

Just a reminder that the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club (UPDC) is meeting on Tuesday evening, April 11, 2017 at 7 p.m.  The meeting is open to all Democrats in the area and will be held at Upper Perkiomen Valley Library, 350 Main Street, Red Hill, PA.

The UPDC usually meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Next month’s meeting will be on Tuesday, May 9th (one week before the PA Primary Election!).

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!

Time Change, Tuesday’s Meeting

Tuesday night’s Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Perkiomen Valley Library, 350 Main Street, Red Hill, PA. All local democrats are invited to attend and participate in the meeting on March 21, 2017.

March Meeting Postponed

As expected, the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club is postponing its March meeting to next Tuesday, March 21st. The meeting will begin at  7 p.m. at the Upper Perkiomen Valley Library, 350 Main Street, Red Hill, PA.

Stay safe everyone!

Potluck Dinner this Saturday, Jan 28th!

The annual UPDC Potluck Dinner is this Saturday, January 28th, from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. The potluck is held at the  Upper Perkiomen Senior Center, 517 Jefferson Street, East Greenville.

This event is free and open to all Democrats in the area.The club provides the plates, napkins, cutlery, and beverages – attendees provide the rest (don’t worry, there is always more than enough good food to go around).

This is always a fun social occasion, with a bit of political talk mixed in – I expect that this year many people will have great stories to share of last week’s Women’s March!

You can make a difference!

Phone calls and emails worked towards pressuring the Republican controlled Senate to delay four cabinet confirmation hearings today (3 of the nominees have not yet been cleared by Office of Government Ethics), and to back down last week from destroying (for all practical purposes) the Office of Congressional Ethics.

The most important factors in making this kind of difference are to call the D.C. office or local office of your Representative and/or Senator, and to talk about one specific issue per call (or email).

Find the list of your federal and state elected officials and contact information here.