The voting is over, and the nail-biting continues. The Trump campaign and the Republican Party will certainly petition to have the votes recounted in certain states like Wisconsin and Michigan, so the results of the presidential election may yet be weeks away. Stay tuned to find out if there are things Democrats in Oregon can do to support our fellow Democrats in those states where recounts may happen. You can peruse this pamphlet for ideas of what to expect in the coming weeks and what you can do about it: Hold-The-Line_-A-Guide-to-Defending-Democracy.pdf
Nearer to home, The Josephine County Democratic Party has helped send Senator Merkley and Congressman DeFazio back to Washington to continue their great work for us, and we have made our next redistricting secure by electing Shemia Fagan to the office of the Secretary of State. We also helped return State Treasurer Tobias Read and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to their offices with our votes. Thank you Alex Spenser, for making a good run of it in Congressional District 2.
Although none of the Democratic candidates running for the state legislative seats that cover Josephine County won, we must remember that they had uphill battles in districts that lean two-thirds conservative. The fact that we had excellent candidates running in these positions is important because Republicans too often run unopposed here, and our candidates were instrumental in sharing alternative solutions with the public about pressing issues in Josephine County and southern Oregon. Hats off to Jerry Allen, Mary Middleton, Kat Stone, Calla Felicity, and Jerry Morgan for being willing to step up and make our voices heard.
Locally, we will have several new city council members in Grants Pass, including Vanessa Ogier, Brian DeLaGrange, and Robert Pell, plus a new mayor, Sara Bristol. The new perspectives and energy they will bring to the council are much needed and welcomed. Here, here for transparency!
We want to give a great big thank you to our many volunteers. They have given their time and energy to staff our office, watch the ballot processing and the ballot box sites, write letters and postcards, phone bank and text, and do the behind-the-scenes technological work necessary that made all of our voter outreach possible. During this election season, our volunteers attempted to contact every Democrat in Josephine County. Our Neighborhood Leader Program contacted 3392 Democrats here with calls, texts, or letters, and we attempted to contact all of the rest of the Democrats in the county with postcards, phone calls, or texts to encourage them to vote. As of this writing, the Democratic Party turnout in Josephine County stands at 85.4%.
Lastly, we want to give a big thank you to all the donors who supported us financially. You paid for our voter drive and kept our office doors open; without your help none of this would have been possible. We’re humbled by your generosity.