Calling all fellow Americans in the UK!

The 2018 midterms will be one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. Overseas voters can – and often do – determine the margin of victory in close races. Democrats Abroad UK needs to reach every voter we can, and we need all hands on deck to bring on the Blue Wave!

Join us for the Democrats Abroad UK Blue Wave Bootcamp: US Midterm Election Training on Saturday, September 15th, at David Game College in Tower Hill starting at 9:00am.

Learn how to mobilize and arm progressive Americans with the skills and knowledge to get out the US international vote for November. Topics include:

• Policy discussions of what’s at stake in this year’s midterms;
• Voter registration to help Americans receive and submit their overseas midterm ballots;
• Phonebanking, to reach out and encourage Americans abroad to vote; and
• Creative forms of citizen activism to transform a Blue Wave into a Blue Tsunami.

The day will also feature a video address from Governor Howard Dean and a keynote speaker panel with progressive thinkers and authors, including Alexia Latortue, Dr. Michael McQuarrie, Martha McDevitt-Pugh, and Geraldine Sharpe-Newton.

Event agenda:

• 9:00 Check-in and registration
• 9:30 Chair's Welcome and Strategy Talks: Expanding the Tent. Talks addressing mobilization, voter outreach and voter rights protection - presented by (among others) DAUK Policy Network, DAUK Black Caucus, DAUK Women’s Caucus and DAUK Action Team.
• 11:00 Activism 101: Introduction to voter registration, phonebanking, DA/DAUK States Committees and more.
• 12:10 Activist Mess Hall: Lunch, activist networking and policy talks (Immigration, Healthcare, Environmental Policy, Gun Reform and Taxation). Participants have the option to order a bag lunch along with a ticket at check-out.
• 13:30 Speaker Panel: “What is at Stake and How to Win.” Dr. Michael McQuarrie, Martha McDevitt-Pugh, Geraldine Sharpe-Newton and Alexia Latortue.
• 15:00 Boots on the Ground: On the ground fieldwork in voter registration, phonebanking and other forms of activism.

We welcome first time Democratic and progressive activists as well as seasoned veterans. No experience is needed, just the will and the passion to fight for our dearly held democracy and to make a change for the better.

Bag lunch (veg and non-veg) is available for pre-purchase along with a ticket.

About the Speaker Panel:

Dr Michael McQuarrie, previously Professor at the University of California at Davis, is currently Associate Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics. His research and teaching focus on issues related to politics, protest, and civil society, in particular howpolitical values and practices, such as community and participation, have been transformed, and how these changes are linked to the changes in the nature of governance, the ecology of organizations, and the outcome of political conflicts. Dr. McQuarrie has conducted extensive research on ‘Rust Belt’ cities. He has also worked as a labor and community organizer in Ohio, West Virginia and New York City. His analysis of the 2016 election, “The Revolt of the Rust Belt: Place and Politics in the Age of Anger,” was recently published in the British Journal of Sociology.

Martha McDevitt-Pugh is Co-Chair of the Democrats Abroad LGBT Caucus and an elected representative in the Democratic National Committee. Martha founded the Love Exiles Foundation, successfully campaigning for immigration rights for LGBT families in the USA. She is a board member and past chair of Gala, the LGBT employee network at ING Bank, and serves as Program Manager for Women@WorkplacePride, a program of the Workplace Pride Foundation. Her commitment is to a world that works for everyone, with no one left out.

Geraldine Sharpe-Newton is a Public Relations Executive, Journalist and TV Producer, who has worked at the heart of media relations and corporate communications on both sides of the Atlantic for more than three decades. She has been head of communications for three of the world's major news organizations, CBS News in the US, ITN in the UK and CNN International. Geraldine was a long-time President of The Media Society, and now is a specialist business Mentor for The Prince's Trust, on the Advisory Board of The Global Thinkers Forum, an Associate for Editorial Intelligence and has been named as the Chairman of Ei’s Comment Awards. She is deeply involved in ‘mentoring’ and conducted media training for the Clore Leadership programme, is also a Critical Eye Associate and was latterly UK chair of the International Women's Forum and is a Board Member at Theatre 503, in Battersea. Geraldine is committed to mentoring young people, from diverse backgrounds, and advises across generation on issues of leadership, and communication challenges.

Alexia Latortue has 20 years experience in international development and financial systems development. Since April 2017, she is Managing Director for Corporate Strategy at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and serves on the EBRD Executive Committee. Prior to joining the EBRD, Ms Latortue was a political appointee with the Obama Administration from 2013 to 2017, serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Development Policy at the Department of the Treasury. She oversaw the United States’ participation in the multilateral development banks (MDBs), the G20 Development Working Group, and the Paris Club as well as Treasury’s engagement in Financing for Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Before Treasury, Ms Latortue spent 10 years with the World Bank, where her last assignment was Deputy CEO of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a unit dedicated to advancing financial inclusion and prior to that worked in international development consulting. Born in Puerto Rico, Ms Latortue grew up in Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Austria. She has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, France, Haiti, and the United States. Ms Latortue received her M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and her B.S. from Georgetown University.

Venue and transport links: David Game College, 31 Jewry Street, London EC3N 2ET.

Underground: near Aldgate, Aldgate East, Tower Hill stations. Good links to rail services: Tower Gateway DLR, or from Liverpool Street, Kings Cross, Fenchurch Street.

Note: This event is closed to the press

In compliance with U.S. federal law, Democrats Abroad UK can accept contributions only from U.S. citizens or active permanent U.S. residents. By buying a ticket or making a contribution for this event, you are confirming that you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Democrats Abroad UK reserves the right to request and hold on file a copy of your U.S. passport identification page to assure compliance with the law.

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