ACTIVE DEMOCRATS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE! ​

It’s already February.

Join up with Calhoun County Democrats -
There’s something for any amount of volunteer time.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our January brainstorming on Zoom. 
As promised, we are following up with more opportunities for members and volunteers to support Democratic Values in 2023/2024.    

Shared ideas, talents, and resources come in all shapes and sizes.
Whether you have time to contribute one hour a year or several hours a week, we want to hear from you.

Getting started is as simple as clicking on one of the links below.

COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL
​
CCDP Communications Team
Monday, February 6 @5:30 pm

Register here to get the meeting Zoom link and a reminder before the meeting.


Chair Karen Weideman will lead a discussion on Key Messaging and the group will set a calendar to create content.  Example: Messaging could be "If you care about [environment/reproductive choice/LGBTQ rights/gun violence], you might be a Democrat."

Other points of discussion will include: translations to Spanish/Burmese, effective use of social media, a monthly newsletter. 

MEMBERS ARE ESSENTIAL

CCDP Membership Team
Tuesday, February 7 @7:00pm

The Membership Committee will hold its first meeting Tuesday, February 7th at 7:00 pm and is looking for new members to represent Democrats throughout Calhoun County.

Co-Chairs Miriam Holbrook (Marshall) and Rochelle Hatcher (Battle Creek)
will discuss plans for 2023. 

The first project is writing thank-you cards to our fabulous 2022 volunteers.

Sign up here to get the Zoom link and a reminder before the meeting.

NOT ENOUGH DEMOCRATS ON YOUR LAST BALLOT?
That’s because no Democrat was running.

 
Were you frustrated because you didn't have a Democrat to vote for in all races on your ballot in 2022? Help the Political Organizing and Candidate Recruitment Committee get off to a strong start! Join us at one of three (3) upcoming, in-person discussions. 

Finding qualified Democratic candidates to run
for county and local offices in 2024 starts N-O-W.

Help us move the needle on electing more Democrats in Calhoun County in 2024 by joining us at one (or more) of these important first brainstorming events.  Sign up below to show your interest and get further details on where to join us.
 
CCDP Meet Up in Marshall, February 23 at 5:30pm  (location TBD)

CCDP Meet Up in Albion, February 28 at 5:30 pm(location TBD)


CCDP Meet Up in Battle Creek, March 7 at 5:30 pm(location TBD)

VOLUNTEERS ARE PURE GOLD!
Outreach & Volunteer Engagement Committee
Monday, February 20 @6:00 pm via Zoom

It takes a Village certainly applies to CCDP Outreach efforts.
In 2022, over 140 volunteers covered 500+ volunteer shifts at community events. 

Join committee chair, Ryan Hoaglin-Jackson in setting our events calendar to ensure we are visible throughout the County at key events in 2023.

Sign up here to get the Zoom link and a reminder before the meeting

​St. Thomas Breakfast
Dems Help Feed the People

Saturday, March 25
Saturday, April 22

Can you share a couple hours? People are hungry all year long.

Please use the link below to sign up. Your help is
greatly appreciated. Please scroll down to see all future dates.

St. Tom's Breakfast: CCDP serving our community - tap here to sign up

Platform

Printable PDF version

The Calhoun County Democratic Party is focusing on the issues that matter most to working families in Michigan: creating good-paying jobs;  recruiting prosperous, socially responsible companies; preparing children for successful futures through access to a quality public school education; providing high-quality, accessible and affordable healthcare to all; promoting financial security through economic growth and secure retirement benefits; ending discrimination in all its forms; protecting voter rights; reforming government to be transparent and accountable; improving our state and local roads; improving public transportation; and protecting our priceless natural resources for future generations. 

Education:

Public schools are the foundation of our democracy. We support early childhood education and high-quality public schools and believe we should eliminate funding for charter schools and reexamine the impact of schools of choice.

Infrastructure:

Michigan’s infrastructure provides the backbone to its economy. The State of Michigan is responsible for raising the revenue necessary to repair and replace aging infrastructure, rather than relying on local communities to pass millages or special assessments. 

Job Training:

In an ever-changing economy, people need access to educational opportunities to prepare them for the careers of the future. We need to support retraining opportunities for people of all ages in our community and encourage students to enter vocational programs or apprenticeships to fill the increasing number of jobs available in the technical or skilled trades.  As part of this initiative we need to encourage businesses to provide co-op or apprenticeship to students.

Community Health Care:

The unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness should be at the forefront when communities think of health.  We need to promote healthy lifestyles through active community design, the consumption of fresh food, providing healthcare for everyone including teaching responsible sexual practices and support for drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.

Economic Development:

Our economy is local.  It is an eco-system of its own and needs to be supported by reducing blight; improving the appearance of the community; hiring locally; shopping locally; supporting and growing union labor; providing a living wage; supporting the educational development of local workers; and expanding entrepreneurial opportunities.  We need to make the built community more vibrant and attractive so that young people who pursue post-secondary educations will choose Calhoun County as a place to work and raise a family. 

Social Justice:

Societies are most successful when all citizens are valued and respected by their fellow citizens and all citizens receive equitable treatment by their government. Consequently, the CCDP and the candidates we support will advocate for policies that ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. 
​
Environment:

The planet Earth supports all life and therefore should be respected and cared for. We support policies that help protect our natural resources, green the economy, and allow citizens to adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles.

Voting: 

The CCDP is committed to ensuring a fair voting process that allows everyone’s vote to matter equally. We support fair districting policies, a county wide ID, and Chartered Commissions to review the ward and mayoral systems.

Government: 

Big money is having too much influence on our political system.  We support reducing the amount of money in the political process at the state level through legislation. We should hold our candidates to a high level of transparency and disclosure. Politicians and government officials should be held to the highest ethical standards, and held accountable when committing conflicts of interest.

Judicial System:

Our criminal justice system, while protecting society from violent individuals, should also increase opportunities for rehabilitation, especially for those who are non-violent first time offenders or lack access to adequate mental health services to manage their symptoms.