North Coast Democratic Delegates Worried as Eureka Voting Place Eliminated.

Letter to the editor

[Background Image from By Johnny_Spasm via Wikicommons]

Call to Action from local Democratic Delegates:

Democrats living on the North Coast and inland may now have to travel up to 7 hours one-way to vote at the upcoming California Democratic Party ADEM (Assembly District Election Meeting). In a recent surprise move, CADEM Regional 1W Chair Debra Broner notified local State Central Committee members that voting will be held in Santa Rosa only – at the southernmost boundary of District 2. “Sonoma County has 50 % of registered democrats in AD 2 and has not had a location for the ADEM since the redistricting in 2011,” explained Broner.

ADEMs are held every two years to elect 7 women and 7 men to be Assembly District Delegates to represent the Assembly District in which they are registered as a Democrat. AD Delegates are elected by registered Democrat voters and vote on behalf of the community they represent at CDP Regional Meetings and the California Democratic Party Convention.

A sole meeting site is a radical departure from the two polling places we have come to expect in our large district – the 2017 election was held simultaneously in Ukiah and Eureka. Our Assembly District is one of the largest in California – reaching from the Oregon border to Santa Rosa, and east to Trinity County. Thus, Party bylaws specifically allow multiple meeting sites for “good cause” including “the necessity of traveling very long distances, traveling in heavy traffic through dense population centers, or traveling in hazardous weather conditions.”

We all know how difficult and unpredictable travel in January can be – and climate change isn’t making our winters any milder. What happens if the passes are closed or there are slides? Who can afford to drive to Santa Rosa and back in a day? Once again, rural California is left behind and rural voters disenfranchised.” Helene Rouvier, AD-02 delegate (Eureka).

All Democrats are called to action to let our Regional Chair Debra Broner [email protected] know that we need a meeting and voting place up here in Eureka. Our Democratic Party must provide easy access to voting and not put roadblocks in the way of our more rural communities and citizens. As Humboldt County Central Committee member Michele Walford noted in reply to Regional Director Broner: “Hi Debra, You only have one location listed for AD 02. With a District so large physically, surely there will be one in Humboldt County as usual? I am hoping this is an oversight. We certainly don’t want to be the Party that disenfranchises our own, do we?”

Helene Rouvier
AD-02 delegate

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Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

She’s right. Yet the irony of a Democrat, typically believing in the rights of a majority to impose laws about morality on a minority, complaining that the place with the most voters gets consideration over areas with lower population, is not lost those believing in individual rights.

I suggest a center of mass of Democrats be determined and the meeting be held there. That would mean that almost no one will be conveniently close but the largest number of Democrats will have less distance to travel. If they all have to meet at Gus’s Discount Gas and Food on the highway and eat 2 week old convenience store hot dogs, so be it.

Concerned Trinity County Resident
Guest
Concerned Trinity County Resident
5 years ago

We here in western Trinity County have been voting by mail for years; no polling place available for a very long time and I haven’t missed a single time to vote. The only thing I miss about a polling place is not being able to visit with people that I haven’t seen for a while, otherwise, not an issue at all. Democrats are just so quick to find offense at everything and anything.

Amimissingsomething
Guest
Amimissingsomething
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Thank you Kym for reading and understanding the comment you wrote. Dems just want to argue for no good reason and this shows it perfectly.

Jaekelopterus
Guest
Jaekelopterus
5 years ago

There’s some crazy projection and lack of self awareness going on here.

TRUMPTASTROPHE for the GOP in November 🏌️‍♂️🍄
Guest
TRUMPTASTROPHE for the GOP in November 🏌️‍♂️🍄
5 years ago

WTF, GOP?!? ⁉️ Kym was being awfully nice and attempting to enlighten you Republicans, to no avail apparently, because somehow your inability to grasp the subject material here is somehow the Democratic Party’s fault? Yeah, right. Why not blame the Greens or Libertarians while you’re at it, Republicans! 🐘🤪

Trolltastrophe
Guest
Trolltastrophe
5 years ago

Keep it up. Alienate just as many as you can lest they forget why they saw Trump as the lesser of two evils in the first place.

Flatgirl
Guest
Flatgirl
5 years ago

Suppression of representation…is generally thought of as Republican strategy. I am astounded that democrats find this acceptable, particularly at this level. SHAME ON THEM

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Flatgirl

Jaw dropping ! You only think that because Democrats rule in California therefore see little need for vote diddling. Where the margins are closer Democrats are notoriously inventive at suppressing unfavorable votes and creating favorable ones out of thin air.

As Mayor Daily was reputed to say “Vote early and often.” https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/10/27/2-investigators-chicago-voters-cast-ballots-from-beyond-the-grave/

Bozo
Guest
Bozo
5 years ago

IMHO: People in rural counties don’t ‘count’ for much in political processes.
People in Southern California/SF/Sacramento ‘count’ a lot.

THC
Guest
THC
5 years ago
Reply to  Bozo

And why not, when one City out of the entire country can decide a popular vote because of sheer numbers.

TRUMPTASTROPHE for the GOP in November 🇸🇦💰🏌️‍♂️💰🇸🇦
Guest
TRUMPTASTROPHE for the GOP in November 🇸🇦💰🏌️‍♂️💰🇸🇦
5 years ago
Reply to  THC

That’s not applicable here. Close, but no cigar. What’s at play is one COUNTY (Sonoma) dominating the district vote.

Trolltastrophe
Guest
Trolltastrophe
5 years ago

Counties don’t vote. People who live in counties do, so THC is the one who understands.

Billy Cook
Guest
Billy Cook
5 years ago

One can not vote by mail in this election. One can not insult people on this site, but that does not prevent people like you from making uneducated and false statements.

Anti troll league
Guest
Anti troll league
5 years ago
Reply to  Billy Cook

Or people from berating other posters over nothing because it satisfies their egos.

Moviedad
Guest
5 years ago

No such thing as conspiracies, just policy. We can beat the fascists easy. Beating the “democrats,” who are trying to shut out the “Radical Left,” is going to be way more difficult. Not to imply that’s the situation here. But the moderate-republicans in the democratic party are going after progressives all over the country.

Jane's had it with Dick
Guest
Jane's had it with Dick
5 years ago
Reply to  Moviedad

The radical left has always failed as soon as they are expected to organize a working government or pay the bills. They then turn on each other, accusing each other of being not being far enough left. Until then they just are stuck in adolescent angst and acting out. Good at destruction but never construction. Sounds good to angry people until then though.

Rayanne Leedom
Guest
5 years ago

Rocket Surgeon????

Helene
Guest
Helene
5 years ago

To be brutally honest, the progressive ADEM slate winning up here (and throughout California) in 2017 caught the old guard by surprise. Additionally our elected delegates have been both working inside the Party to effect positive change and have also spoken truth to power. Disenfranchising local voters will help shift power back to the establishment Dems; they will be running their own slate this time around and their power base is in the south of our assembly district. The game is all too obvious.