Elections are almost upon us!  They will be in the Satow Room on the 5th floor of Lerner Hall on Wednesday, May 1st at 9 PM.  Food will be provided.  Electing our board is incredibly important, so please come!

• The application packet of all the candidates is in the following google doc link:  https://docs.google.com/file/d/11Gyr43ZiEWoORngElVYDpXt8j_iZIcIr9EUUemhv0XlBN1ttzXn9nlmVhCtJ/edit?usp=sharing . All the candidates put a lot of thought into these, so please read them to be the most informed voter you can be!
• In order to vote in a certain election you must hear all the candidates give speeches.  If you miss one speech in the Events Coordinator election, for example, then you will not be permitted to vote in that specific election.  We want to make sure all candidates are able to have their speeches heard by voters and able to answer audience questions, so please come on time and stay for the whole election!

• The list of eligible voters is in the following google doc link:   https://docs.google.com/file/d/1w4JUEsML-DnqclGhAs0wzPNDVfUJd30FeZx1R9eVx3O9prHyDX8SFK1m7pt-/edit?usp=sharing. If your name does not appear on that list, but you’re a Dems member and want to vote in elections, don’t worry!  Just fill out the voter registration form at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1arfj0E8lSKM6j3pEYc5TVUexvNB8TzpAcI3XAWM04Do/edit?usp=sharing,  and email it to demselders@gmail.com before noon on Wednesday, May 1st.

Feel free to email the current Board at dems@columbia.edu or the Council of Elders at demselders@gmail.com if you have any questions.  Otherwise, see you at the polls!

We’ve already gotten President Obama re-elected (Yea Ohio Campaign Trip!), so lets bring the rest of of our election fervor to electing the new Board for Dems!  The Columbia Democrats elections will be on Wednesday, May 1, at 9 PM in the Satow Room.

We strongly encourage everyone considering running to do so.  Feel free to email dems@columbia.edu with any questions, and to talk to any board members about their positions.

Applications are live here.  If you are planning on dropping down, you do not need to fill out more than one application.  To run, you must submit your completed application by 11:59pm on April 28 by emailing it to the Dems Council of Elders (they oversee the elections) at demselders@gmail.com.

Best of luck to all candidates!

Planning for Earth Week: Circle Leaders Sarah Weinstein (smw2164@columbia.edu), Ryan Morgan (rcm2140@columbia.edu), and Swara Salih (swara.salih@gmail.com)

This April 18-24, Columbia University is having its annual Earth Week!  We’ll be tabling on Monday and Tuesday of that week to tell people about Environmental Issues circulating the political arena, like the Keystone Pipeline, Hydrofracking for Natural Gas, and how we can go about tackling Climate Chang, that demand public attention.   We’ll be making buttons to sell at our table, so come with ideas for slogans!  Come help us plan the Democrats construct our game plan, and please bring laptops!

Discussion: The Status of Evolution in Concepts: Circle Leader Evelyn Jagoda (evelyn.jagoda@gmail.com)

Are you frustrated by the lack of political acceptance of Evolution in the US?  Do you subscribe to the scientific method or the findings of other scientists and want more public acceptance of evolution?  Evvie’ll be running a discussion circle exploring these issues, and will attempt to reach conclusions with the

Stop & Frisk Lobbying: Circle Leader Sejal Singh (sejal.singh.11@gmail.com)

This Friday the 12th we’ll be going to NYC Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio’s office to lobby for a change in the city’s Stop & Frisk policy.  If you’re interested in joining or contributing your knowledge on the issue or on lobbying, come join!  Bring laptops!

Planning for Earth Week: Circle Leaders Sarah Weinstein (smw2164@columbia.edu) and Ryan Morgan (rcm2140@columbia.edu)

This April 18-24, Columbia University is having its annual Earth Week!  We’ll be tabling to tell people about Environmental Issues circulating the political arena that need attention.  Some potential examples include the Keystone Pipeline, Hydrofracking for Natural Gas, and how we can go about tackling Climate Change.  Come help us plan the Democrats construct our game plan!

NYC Mayoral Campaign: Circle Leaders Evelyn Jagoda (evelyn.jagoda@gmail.com) and Samantha Gilbert (sag2193@barnard.edu)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s final term as mayor finishes at the end of this year.  Which progressive democrat do we want to succeed him?  Christine Quinn, Bill de Blasio, or someone else? We’ll be having the first in a series of discussions on which candidate each of us prefers and why.  Come and make your case for which candidate you like!

National Security Policy Discussion: Circle Leaders Sejal Singh (sejal.singh.11@gmail.com)  and Janine Balekdjian (galadriel391@gmail.com)

Has the Obama Administration continued to step over civil liberties as the Bush administration did in the name of national security?  How should we be conducting it?  For one example, the issue of drone policy has surged in the news media and public discourse.  One of our liberal sparrings was on the question of whether we should use them at all.  What do you think?  Come let us know your opinions on a range of issues of national security.

Columbia Students’ Immigration Stories to Present on Lobby Trip: Circle Leaders Melissa Quintana (mgq2102@columbia.edu) and Nikita Ash (nea2120@barnard.edu)

On our Lobby trip to DC we’ll be pushing for further immigration reform.  If you have a personal immigration story, then we ask you to come and contribute to our circle.  We’ll be compiling all of them into a booklet that we will present to Congressional members on our trip.  Let our legislative body know the importance of this issue to you and reformers everywhere!

Environmental Activism: Circle leader Sarah Weinstein (sarahweinstein93@gmail.com)

Passionate about protecting the integrity of our natural resources and our environment?  Come to our circle to discuss issues like the Keystone Pipeline, how the US stands compared with other countries on the issue of sustainable development, and what legislation at the state and federal level we should be supporting.  We’ll be circling these ideas, covering the basics for an activist campaign, and discuss what environmental issues we may want to lobby for!  Let’s protect the Earth!

Stop “Stop & Frisk”! : Circle leader Sejal Singh (sejal.singh.11@gmail.com)

If you’re infuriated by the continued practice of “Stop & Frisk” by New York police officers, or if you just have a steadfast commitment to civil liberties, come join us to see how you can help plan our protest!  We’ll also be planning how we’re going to lobby the issue so come with ideas for how we can do this!

Women’s Equality Act! : Circle leaders Janine Balekdjian (galadriel391@gmail.com), Austin Heyroth (austinemc2@gmail.com), and Samantha Gilbert (sag2193@barnard.edu)

Governor Cuomo has recently given his support for the Women’s Equality Act in New York!  Help us keep up the momentum by taking part in the making of our video in support, which we’re going to put up on our YouTube page!