Assembly District Election Meetings (ADEM)

At our January 10 meeting, PDB member Susannah Delano took us to school about our 2023 ADEM election. Borrowing from her notes, here is all you need to know. We are adding a full list of our District 11 candidate names with their ballot numbers (needed to fill in your ballot), and a few of our members’ recommendations on preferred candidates. >> PLEASE DO REGISTER AND VOTE! There is still time!

>> QUESTION: What’s an ADEM election, and why is it important?
Many are still learning about our ADEM election – if that’s you,
see below, after the list of candidates. <<

ADEM election – you must REGISTER to vote!

YOU HAVE TO REGISTER TO VOTE and BE A REGISTERED DEMOCRAT. Some of you registered early enough to get a mail-in ballot (and we will come back to that momentarily). Others can still register online at https://ademelections.com/register/person, but then you will have to vote in person at the Assembly District Election, which will be held in Fairfield at the CA Teachers Assn, 4751 Central Way on Sunday Jan 22, 10 AM – 2 PM (look for the white CTA sign). If anyone would like help reaching the polling location please contact us to coordinate (safe!) carpooling or transportation options. Please don’t let the in-person requirement prevent you from registering! YOUR votes will help strengthen the progressive caucus in our party. Don’t miss this chance to really push the needle left! Live registration is also possible in-person at the Fairfield voting event Jan 22, 10am-2pm. (Strangely, we are told that registration remains open until 6pm on Jan 22, 4 hours after the voting event closes, not sure how or why.)

The Ballot – How to Vote

The mail-in ballot arrived at home addresses on January 9 and many who received it will probably be frustrated with its less than impressive/frankly appalling design.

Ballot Front: For mail-in ballot voters – your Participant ID number is the 10-digit PIN sent to you in a confirmation email after you registered. The confirmation email was sent to you on the same day you registered. (You can search for the email from CADEM called “ADEM: Registration details.”) Your PIN can also be found online at the ADEM website. Go to https://ademelections.com/register/person – and look for “FIND MY PIN” at top right.

Ballot Back: The back of the ballot ONLY shows candidate NUMBERS (without any names)! Crazy! To fill in the ballot, you will need to access the number assignments for candidates. We will list the matched names and numbers below, or you can go to https://www.adem.cadem.org/candidates-results/ad-11. You will have to deal with this clumsy situation in order to successfully fill in your ballot.

There IS a detailed document online, How to Fill Out and Return Your ADEM Ballot Instructions, with all the info you need, but you will probably find everything you need right here.

More information

• Last day for receipt of mail-in ballots is Jan 31, so you should probably mail it out no later than Jan 22.
• IMPORTANT: You can vote for up to 14 candidates. There is no requirement to gender-balance your votes on the ballot and it’s ok to vote for fewer than 14 overall.
• Full information is available for review at https://ademelections.com
• Volunteers are needed on Jan 22: if you have volunteered to assist or would like to do so, please confirm with Margie Olson at [email protected] for all the details.

Here’s the Big List of Candidates, and a few recommendations

PDB has not organized for endorsements or interviewed candidates, but PDB voters should know that among the 20 candidates are two who are members of PDB: Monica Brown and Susannah Delano.

There is one District 11 SLATE promoting itself, the “Progressive Workers Alliance” (Napa-Solano Labor Council), endorsing their 14 candidates.

RECOMMENDATIONS: While the Club is making no formal endorsements, several PDB members have emailed their support for various candidates (see summary below). Again, you do not have to vote for 14 candidates (feel free to leave a bunch of spaces blank). You must NOT vote for more than 14 or your ballot will be disqualified. Keep in mind as you prepare your ballot:

• Two candidates are members of Progressive Democrats of Benicia: Monica Brown #3 and Susannah Delano #5
• 8 PDB members have expressed personal support:
  • 5 for Susannah Delano #5
  • 4 for Cassandra James #11
  • 2 for Karen Rogers #9
  • 1 for Julia Routson-Thomas #20
  • *1 for Steve Quinlan #2 (already secured delegate position)
  • *1 for Monica Brown #3 (already secured delegate position)
  • *1 for Verneal Brumfield #12 (already secured delegate position)
• * Note that Steve Quinlan #2, Monica Brown #3, and Verneal Brumfield #12 have already secured their positions through the Solano Dems Central Committee and so they don’t need your vote. If they win an ADEM seat they will have two seats, and will give up one. We suggest you vote for someone else. (Monica, Verneal, and Steve are ok with this.)

THE FULL LIST OF CANDIDATES AND THEIR BALLOT NUMBERS – There are 20 candidates who have filed to run in our Assembly District 11. Voters cast votes for up to 14 candidates. The top 7 SIF (Self-identified Female) and top 7 OSIF (Other than Self-identified Female) candidates will be declared winners. You can vote for up to 14 candidates. There is no requirement to gender-balance your votes on the ballot and it’s ok to vote for fewer than 14 overall. This same list appears at https://www.adem.cadem.org/candidates-results/ad-11

What is the ADEM election , and why is it important

The California Democratic Party– arguably the most powerful state party in the US– holds regional election meetings for Democrats to select delegates to serve 2-year terms. Those delegates help shape and vote on the Party platform, elect Party leadership, and elect Democratic National Committee delegates from CA. The election is held in each State Assembly district – 80 of those statewide. Rank and file Dems in each District elect 14 delegates, 7 self-identified females and 7 other-than self-identified females.  (Additional appointees are named as well.) Many times, candidates run in “slates” with really great sounding names, pool their resources, and win more often than unaligned candidates.

Delegates have a lot of influence, particularly in the Democratic Party, influencing endorsements for state and federal offices like the CA Assembly, CA State Senate, CA Governor, US House of Representatives, and the US Senate. Delegates weigh in on ballot proposition positions, and (in even-numbered years) vote to establish the official California Democratic State Platform. They elect 16-25 CADEM Regional Directors who function as our liaison between the California Democratic Party, County Central Committees, and Democratic Party Clubs. Delegates also elect Party Officers: Chair, two Vice-Chairs, Secretary, and Controller (in odd-numbered years after presidential elections). Delegates can join caucuses within the Party to advocate for specific agendas or platforms. The bare minimum for a delegate is to attend the Democratic Party Convention– really no limit to how active a delegate can be in the Party.

Yes, all this is “inside baseball,” but the bottom line is that the ADEM is a high-impact, low-turnout election. And it’s happening now!

We are in Assembly District 11, a new district, 87% of which is here in Solano County, along with tiny bits of Contra Costa & Sacramento Counties. Solano is now the main event in Assembly District concerns – second fiddle no more! It’s exciting and a great time to get more engaged.

---

Most recent email from CADEM – January 6, 2023

Democrats,

Due to weather conditions, some ADEM meeting dates have been delayed. To stay up to date with the most current ADEM meeting dates, please visit www.adem.cadem.org/where-to-vote.

In the meantime, there is still time to register for in-person voting. The in-person voter registration closes January 22, 2023 at 6 p.m.

Here’s what you should know about ADEMs for the month of January:

January 6, 2023
Vote-By-Mail ADEM ballots will be mailed out on January 6th. Individuals who have asked for a vote by mail ballot may drop their ballot off at any in-person voting location or mail their ballot to:
California Democratic Party
℅ Redstone Print and Mail
910 Riverside Pkwy Ste 40
West Sacramento, Ca 95605-1510

January 22, 2023
4th Day of ADEM Meetings
In-Person Participant Registration Closes at 6 p.m.

January 31, 2023
Deadline to verify Voter Registration
Last Day for Vote by Mail Ballots to be received

You may vote at any ADEM location in the State, regardless of whether you are registered in that district.

As a reminder, if you registered to vote in-person, there will be at least one ADEM location in each Assembly District. All locations should be open for 4 hours, opening to the public no earlier than 10 a.m. but no later than 2 p.m. At the in-person voting location in your specific Assembly District, voters may access their voting PIN and a ballot and cast your vote.

Again, find your specific in-person voting location in your district, please visit www.adem.cadem.org/where-to-vote. Please note: This page will be updated frequently due to weather conditions and other unforeseen changes to locations. Please check back often, even right before going to the location to ensure that you have the correct date, time and address details.

Before finalizing and casting your ballot, make sure that your ballot is filled out CORRECTLY. There are 3 ways that a ballot may be considered invalid:

1. 1. Duplicate PIN – If two or more ballots have the same PIN number, then both ballots will be rejected.
   2. Invalid PIN – If the PIN is not a valid number, then the ballot will be rejected. This may include that the PIN entered is missing numbers or is not a valid number.
   3. Too Many Selections – If a ballot has 15 or more bubbles filled in, then the ballot will be rejected.

The Scantron Company determines whether a ballot is considered Valid or Invalid. CADEM staff WILL NOT overturn a decision made by the Scantron Company.

WHERE DO I VOTE? >> 

VOTING PROCEDURES >> 

For more information on the 2023 ADEMs visit: https://www.adem.cadem.org/
If you have questions please email [email protected].

Onward,

Team CADEM

---