Facts Matter
Integrity Matters
Elections Matter
Photo courtesy Gary Halvorson Oregon State Archives
COVID-19 Update
Our headquarters are located at 742 SE Cass Ave, Roseburg, OR 97470. Our office is closed for the time being due to the COVID surge. Please everyone, mask up! Get vaccinated! Wash your hands! Stay safe! !For additional COVID-19 information click here.
Democrats Deliver
Oregon’s lone vote against the newly passed “Infrastructure and Jobs Act”, was Republican Congressman Cliff Bentz. That really says something...
Read the rest of the letter from our Chair Connie Page. click here.
Read (or to listen to) the cover story over at the Atlantic, "Trump's next coup has already begun." Click here.
The January/February issue of The Atlantic is devoted to examining the crisis of American democracy.
Join Jeffrey Goldberg, along with Pulitzer-winning staff writers Barton Gellman and Anne Applebaum, on Monday, December 13 at 11 a.m. ET (8:00 AM Pacific Time) for a virtual event revisiting the Capitol riot, one year later. Register for free.
Currently on our home page -click on the topic that interests you
Roe v Wade- Joe Yetter's letter
Run for Office
Resolution in support of River Democracy Act
New Notice about DPO Platform Convention
Infrastructure bill benefits for Oregon
Make sure you check out our Democratic Letters to the Editor. Links are here.
In case you missed it, our monthly newsletter is posted here.
Remember.
Do you remember the bad old days? Before Roe v Wade?
I remember. I was in medical school in Indiana, 1968-1972. I saw the bloody, brutal, and stinking septic consequences of anti-abortion laws, in the morgue and on the wards.
In Roe, in 1973, the Supreme Court recognized a woman's constitutional right to her own bodily autonomy. In earlier decisions, SCOTUS found that couples could marry across color lines, that married couples could use contraception; in later rulings, SCOTUS found that bodily autonomy meant that consenting adults could engage in sex that other people thought nasty.
The arc of history delivered on the promise inherent in the Constitution. But this week, the Supreme Court signaled it would gut Roe. Make no mistake: this is the result of a decades-long project by Republicans. Even though 75-80% of Americans favor preserving the abortion rights guaranteed by Roe, conservatives will strip women of a fundamental constitutional right.
Look at the Oregon Republican Party platform: they "strongly oppose abortion" and make no exception for rape, incest, or life of the woman--from the moment of fertilization onward. A woman is nothing but a vessel. Welcome to Gilead. Hello, coat hangers.
The argument for Roe is the same argument for your right to love whom you want; to marry another race; to take contraceptives, and so on. Your body, your choice.
Republicans are gutting Roe, and they absolutely meant to. Next up? Maybe you don't care whether states can outlaw interracial marriage. Or gay sex. Or contraception. Fine, then, vote Republicans into office. Support the Republican project to take us back fifty, a hundred years. Maybe more.
But, if you do care: Remember. Republicans, up and down the line, have a project. Gutting Roe is only the beginning. Stop them. Vote them out. Remember.
Let's Elect Democrats!!!!
First, watch this inspiring, awesome video from Justice Democrats. Congressman Jamaal Bowman and Congresswoman Cori Bush talk about why they decided to run, how they campaigned and won, and what they hope to achieve. Video is perfect for potential candidates (for any office), for campaign support people, and for voters. Do you want to get fired up? This is the video for you.
Now that you have watched the video, here is basic information about running for office in Douglas County, and also information on what to do next.
Dates
Filing for office opens- September 9, 2021
Filing for office closes- March 8, 2021
Primary election- May 17, 2022
General Election- November 8, 2022
Local offices of particular interest
All Oregon State Representatives (partisan office)
All three positions for Douglas County Commissioner (non-partisan)
Please note that if a candidate for commissioner, in the May primary, wins 50% + 1 votes, the candidate wins the office outright at that time.
For more information
For a list of the national and state offices click here
To find out everything you need to know about running for office in Oregon, click here
For information about local offices up for election in the May primary, visit the Douglas County Clerk.
Your local Democratic Party can help you. Contact our office or fill out the form, found here.
Build Back Better Benefits
Based on funding formula alone, Oregon expects to receive the following from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:
-
$3.4 billion to improve highways and $268 million for bridge replacement and repairs over five years.
-
$747 million over five years to improve public transportation options across the state.
-
$52 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in Oregon.
-
A minimum of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 136,600 Oregonians who currently lack it. (11% of Oregon households do not have an internet subscription, and 3.2% of Oregonians live in areas where, under the FCC’s benchmark, there is no broadband infrastructure.)
-
$39 million over five years to protect against wildfires and $15 million to protect against cyberattacks. Oregonians will also benefit from the bill’s historic $3.5 billion national investment in weatherization which will reduce energy costs for families. (From 2010 to 2020, Oregon has experienced 12 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $5 billion in damages.)
-
$529 million over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure that clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.
-
$211 million over five years to improve Oregon’s airports.
In addition, Oregonians are poised to benefit from:
-
$12.5 billion Bridge Investment Program for economically significant bridges and nearly $16 billion of national funding in the bill dedicated to major projects that will deliver substantial economic benefits to communities.
-
$2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging.
-
945,000 or 23% of people in Oregon will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.
Platform Convention
Hello Democrats,
After careful consideration of the best public health guidance and much consultation, the DPO Admin Committee has made the difficult decision to move our 2021 Platform Convention online for the weekend of December 10-12th, and to cancel all in-person Convention plans. Our 4th Quarter SCC meeting will also be moved online as a virtual meeting due to these emergency situations.
While we believe and hope that it will soon be safe to gather in person, COVID-19 is still being widely spread through community transmission, even to some folks that are fully vaccinated. This means that it is not yet safe for all of our members to gather together in person. We encourage you all to continue to stay safe and protect your community!
As you know, our staff have been hard at work preparing for any eventuality with this Convention, and they will have more information in the days ahead about how the Virtual Convention will proceed. This may also include some schedule adjustments during the weekend to accommodate technology.
This year’s convention will look different, but we are hopeful that all of our participants will still be able to tune in and participate to make this the strongest DPO Platform yet! I ask for everyone’s patience in the coming days as we work on the logistics for this event. We will also hold numerous trainings prior to the convention to make sure everyone is prepared to fully participate.
If you have been appointed by your county or caucus as a delegate or alternate and have not yet registered, you will receive a new registration link on Monday with details on how to register.
For folks who have already registered, you will receive an email shortly about how to process a refund for your registration.
As a note, while we are moving our convention online, and are therefore removing registration fees, there are still costs associated with putting this convention on. Additionally, we’ll be unable to host the Nan Honeyman fundraising Dinner as part of Convention weekendSo after you register, you’ll receive a link asking you to chip in to help offset these costs, and if you are able to help out it would be greatly appreciated.
Onward,
KC Hanson
Chair
Democratic Party of Oregon
Democratic Party of Oregon
232 NE 9th Ave
Portland, OR 97232
United States
