An Update from the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

There are only 65 days until the election. In Minnesota, early voting begins September 18, which is 19 days away. We are currently in a statistical tie: Trump (47%) Biden (47%) (FiveThirtyEight, Added August 19, 2020), which means we have to turn out every eligible voter possible for Biden and Harris. This can be accomplished by registering every eligible voter, ensuring folks understand the vote by mail process and request their ballots, and work with our youth to get out the vote. Apathy is not an option; there is too much at stake for tribes this election. When you have a president who refers to Indigneous people as “untamed” and “savages,” he shows that he is incapable of honoring this land’s first inhabitants. He also shows zero recognition of our political status, lack of acknowledgment of treaties and tribal sovereignty, and little interest in working with tribes on a government-to-government basis. We deserve leadership that sees us, hears us, and will work with us. Vice President Biden has a long history of doing so in Indian Country and has pledged to continue to be a friend, an advocate, and a partner.

Voter Protection

This week, the voter protection team welcomed onboard a new regional organizer, Robert Nunn, to help recruit poll challengers and voter protection hotline workers for November 3rd! If you know people who are interested in volunteering as a hotline worker or poll challenger, please email rnunn@dfl.org . The Deputy Voter Protection Directors recruited 39 county liaisons for the general election. We are still recruiting liaisons for counties in Greater Minnesota; please reach out Susie Marshall at smarshall@dfl.org if you're interested or have questions.

Voter Contacts

● We broke 1.5 million voter contact attempts;

● We had about 15 new staff members start; and

● We had a successful statewide all-staff fall program training.

Voter Engagement

This Thursday, September 3 at 7pm, we will have a training on Voting 101: Registration and Vote by Mail Processes with Secretary of State Steve Simon! We will walk you through the voter registration process, both online and on paper, as well the vote by mail process, from applying for your ballot to tracking it all the way to being counted. With the presence of COVID-19, we want to ensure the safety and health of our communities by having alternatives when it comes to voting. Registering online and voting by mail keeps everyone safe. We will have special guest Secretary of State Steve Simon on with us to share some insight and to help answer questions that voters may have. Share this with family and friends, because everyone should have access to accurate information, especially around the voting process.

To RSVP for the training, please visit: https://www.mobilize.us/mn2020victory/event/314307/

Register to Vote: Online or by Paper Application

Request Absentee Ballot: Online or by Paper Application

Ballot tracking: Where is My Ballot

Biden HQ

Joe Biden believes that as a nation, we have many obligations, but we have only one truly sacred obligation: to properly prepare and equip our troops when we send them into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families–both while they are deployed and after they return home. As the parents of a son who deployed to Iraq, Joe and Jill Biden understand the gravity of this promise. Our service members ensure our freedoms, our security, and the very future of our country. They are willing to sacrifice everything. Many do. And each of them deserves our respect and enduring gratitude, both while on active duty and after separating from service.

There is nothing partisan about improving support for service members, veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. As president, Joe Biden will unite the country and restore the VA as the premier agency for ensuring our veterans’ overall well-being by:

● Providing Veteran World Class Health Care to Meet Their Specific Needs;

● Driving Progress to Eliminate Homelessness and Bring Down Suicide Rates;

● Create Meaningful Employment and Educational Opportunities; and

● Improving VA Management and Accountability.

To support the VA mission, a Biden Administration will ensure coordination with the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), state agencies, and the thousands of non-governmental organizations that support this vital community. It will work faithfully to restore public trust in the VA so that no one in the military community or beyond will ever again question whether the United States of America keeps its promises to those who serve our country.

To learn more about the Biden Plan for Veterans, go to: https://joebiden.com/veterans/

Chi miigwech!

Rachel Banks Kupcho (Leech Lake)

Native Engagement Director

rbankskupcho@dfl.org | 612.222.0355