Take 5 for 5B!
Dear Friends,
Wow, the election year is upon us! Joe did a terrific job with his State of the Union speech last week. Republicans have had their caucus and ours is coming up May 23rd! In the meantime, Blaine County Dems are gearing up and working hard for our local candidates.
Not sure what you can do? Take a look and Take 5 Actions for 5B!
Make your voice heard! Attend our BCDs’ meeting March 25 at the Blaine County Courthouse at 5:00 pm.
Provide an auction item for the Clint and Michelle Stennet Social in May.
Follow our incumbents Ron Taylor and Ned Burns on social media. They provide terrific updates on what’s happening in the legislature!
Volunteer for the caucus on May 23.
Tell five of your friends what you are doing to support Blaine County Democratic candidates and invite them to join you.
The Idaho Open Primaries Initiative has qualified for the ballot in District 26!
Great News! This means that 6% of the voters in this district signed a petition to get the initiative on the ballot in November.
The initiative will end closed primary elections and create a non-partisan primary system. This will ensure that the winner enjoys support from a broad coalition of voters which is what we need in Idaho!
Congratulations to Becky Klassen, Team Leader for District 26. This doesn’t mean that Becky’s work is done. Her team will still be collecting signatures to ensure the state total is achieved. Thank you, Becky!
We look forward to seeing you all as the election season heats up. Thank you for your support!
—Deborah Silver, Blaine County Democrats Chair
Speakers at the Blaine County Democrats' sponsored event on Reproductive Healthcare
Speakers at the Blaine County Democrats sponsored event on reproductive healthcare: Jen Jackson Quintano, founder of the Pro Voice Project; Mikayla Sundquist, board member of the Pro Voice Project; Ned Burns, District 26 legislator; Sheridan Britt, storyteller; and Dr. Julie Lyons, Wood River Valley physician and plaintiff in Adkins v. Idaho.
This past weekend, many in our Valley were buzzing about several events sponsored by the Blaine County Democrats. Three events, with over 100 locals attending, highlighted the critical need for reproductive choice in our state and country.
Jen Jackson Quintano of The Pro Voice Project was a featured speaker and also led a writing workshop, all with the aim of supporting women, and giving voice to their stories about abortion and reproductive healthcare.
Jen, based out of Sandpoint, has travelled the state conducting these workshops and turning women's stories into powerful stage productions. She reminded her audiences why these stories are so important, that this is not a political issue, but a healthcare issue that crosses political lines and that it is important for women and men to stand up and be heard on issues surrounding reproductive choice.
One of the most powerful speakers was Sheridan Britt, a local mother of two, who told her own story of pregnancy, a fatal medical diagnosis and the incredible roadblocks she faced to get a necessary abortion. Many commented that this is only one of hundreds of similar stories that are happening in our state and the resulting cost to mothers, families and communities as maternity clinics close and obgyns flee the state.
In all, more than one hundred men and women attended these events and left empowered to talk more openly about this too often taboo subject. As The Pro Voice Project says, "The healing is in the sharing. Both personally and politically. Dare to bear witness. Dare to be heard."
Participants Elizabeth Cashin, Jima Rice and Carol Gullstad
