Monthly Meeting
of the Wilkes County Democratic Party

Saturday, Oct 19th
10:00 am

Wilkes Democrat HQ
313 9th Street
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659

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CHAIR GOODWIN MAKES A WILKES STOP ON NCDP RURAL LISTENING TOUR

Twenty folks from Wilkes and Alexander counties attended the NC Rural Listening Tour by NC Democratic Party Chair, Wayne Goodwin, on October 11, 2019 at the Wilkes Country Agricultural Center. Goodwin spoke about the "Carolina Promise" with emphasis on Jobs, Education, Health Care, and People.

Issues and concerns brought up by the audience included:

Voter outreach - applications like "Hustle"
"One Country" project launched by North Dakota's Heidi Heitkamp
Voter Protection and Voter ID
Broadband Internet Access
Messaging - assistance from the NCDP on long term "targeted messaging" (template letters, memes, talking points)
Census - making sure people know why it is important, making sure count is conducted properly, having workers who look like the people they are canvassing.
Gerrymandering - New Legislative Maps - still being voted on.
NC State Budget - Goodwin discussed the status of our state budget and the standstill on Medicaid Expansion.
Election Security - McConnell blocking all election security bills, use of paper ballots in local elections.
Transportation Funding - needs not being met, $$$ being pulled to urban areas, away from rural areas.
Green Technologies - solar and wind farms as job opportunities for rural areas.

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FAIR DISTRICTS NC COMMUNITY FORUM TO END GERRYMANDERING OCTOBER 24th

Fair Districts NC; a coalition of organizations working to end gerrymandering in North Carolina will be holding non-partisan community forum to educate the public about the issue of gerrymandering and encourage voters to get involved in the effort for redistricting reform. For more information, visit their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/events/399131807397292/

POSTCARD PROJECT
REACHES OUT TO VOTERS

A very special thank you to all who came together to write over 100 postcards to voters all across North Carolina, to inform and remind folks of the new Voter ID law for 2020. Frances Hayes, Judy West, Mona McRae, Connie Cox, Gwen Shafer, Kathy Kerwin Riddle, Jane Maupin, Colleen Balco, Laura Megard, Sandra Forrest, Laurie Love, Barbara Pendry and Kathryn Charles for their hard work.

Walnut Grove
Chief Judge

**UPCOMING DATES**

Jeanne Supin
Meet & Greet
Friday, October 18^th
Olive Garden
5-7 pm
Visit the FB Events Page

Climate Reality Project w/ Terri LeGrand
Monday, October 28^th
Wilkes Public Library
5pm

Impeach Trump Rally
Sunday, October 27^h
Watauga Public Library
5pm
Visit the FB Events Page

ONE-STOP EARLY VOTING
OCT. 16th - NOV 1st
Wilkesboro County Offices
Mon - Fri 8:30am - 5pm
County Office Building
110 North Street - Room 315
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
MORE INFO

Wilkes Municipal Elections
Tues, Nov 5^th
North Wilkesboro
&
Wilkesboro
*ONLY*

We talked to MANY people, the majority of whom were so kind and encouraging to us, and added their names to our list of contacts (we added 40+ names & email addresses!) While we only registered 2 Democratic voters, everyone else we spoke with was already registered, which is good news.

We handed out lots of "Proud NC Democrat" stickers, sold bumper stickers, hats and t-shirts and a few of our new yard signs! (YES YARD SIGNS! $15 EACH) We were all pleased with our results, so the long day was worth it!

YARD SIGNS!! - $15 each

Please read this letter from Wilkes Democrat, Larry Pendry, published in this week's The Journal Patriot.

Candidate Forum Held

Wilkesboro & North Wilkesboro candidates converged on the Wilkes Community College Bud Mays Pit Auditorium for Candidates Forum sponsored by Indivisible Wilkes on Tuesday, October 15th. Every candidate showed up, and the questions were thoughtfully moderated and answered.

Rest In Peace

US Representative

Elijah Cummings

January 18, 1951 - October 17, 2019

“No-vote sessions” are fairly common in a part-time General Assembly where lawmakers receive part-time pay and typically have other jobs. They allow the nonpartisan House Clerk to take care of routine housekeeping business without legislators having to be present. This was the first time in anyone’s memory that House leadership promised a “no-vote session” and then went back on that promise.

When the vote was held, Speaker Moore refused to allow the few Democrats there to debate the bill and he rammed the vote through.

The North Carolina General Assembly made national news last month, and once again, it is for all the wrong reasons. House Republican leadership held a State Budget vote after telling House Democrats not to show up because there would be no votes on the morning of 9/11.

NC House Dems decry the dirty tactics of Speaker Moore

What does it all mean? According to NC Representative Darren Jackson, it means:

First, House Republicans will do anything to avoid negotiating a better deal on public school funding and Medicaid Expansion. Governor Cooper vetoed the State Budget bill over two months ago. At that time we offered a compromise that would:

Republicans have never responded to House Democrats' offer to negotiate. Instead, House Republicans were so opposed to even negotiating over Medicaid Expansion, higher teacher pay, pay raises to more state employees, and a statewide education bond that they pulled a sneak attack during the morning of 9/11 remembrances.

What happened in the North Carolina House is wrong and not worthy of the people of North Carolina. We must change the leadership of the NC House so that these sorts of unethical behaviors are not recreated in the future. And we must not brush these dirty tactics aside as the news cycle continues at a frantic pace. Democrats and unaffiliated voters need to remember this behavior come 2020 at the ballot box. Never forget.

Monthly Meeting of the Wilkes County Democratic Party Saturday, Oct 19th 10:00 am Wilkes Democrat HQ 313 9th Street North Wilkesboro, NC 28659

Monthly Meeting
of the Wilkes County Democratic Party

Saturday, Oct 19th
10:00 am

Wilkes Democrat HQ
313 9th Street
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659