I would like to thank both of our District 4 Indian River School Board candidates, Anita West-Werner and Joshua Hudson, who both stood up to answer the call to get involved in our schools for our students and for our community, and to make a difference in our small part of the world. These two candidate exemplify what is good in our community. Anita and Josh both ran clean campaigns, displayed outstanding principles and motives. They put in the effort, time and personal funds to connect with voters and put themselves out there. We applaud them and congratulate them both. Well done Anita and Josh!
Anita, we look forward to seeing you join the Indian River School Board, to continue to speak out for better education, teacher and local principal authority and autonomy, and to get politics and divisiveness out of our school systems where it does not belong. In your own words, Anita, it's time to get Back to Basic! Congratulations!
Joshua, we also look forward to seeing how you will continue to put your passion and dedication into practice and to continue the work you started on supporting our children, our teachers and our community with the strong efforts you have just demonstrated.
And as poll workers, challengers and volunteers, we learned a lot this election day too in this small local election, that we can build from and continue to improve on the voting practices in our district and State, and to bring what we learned on Tuesday forward for the upcoming elections, the 2024 primary and general elections!
One, I cannot stress enough the need for republican poll workers. We had many this election, and it made a difference! We need volunteers who can work the polls, learn the system, be comfortable and knowledgeable with the rules, and help the voters have the best voting encounter possible. Through this experience of being solid poll workers, our republicans can become poll judges and inspectors. Too often, poll workers, judges and inspectors do not have the experience to make correct decisions and calls when it comes to the nuances of voting laws. We as republicans have put this off for too long, letting others (democrats) take on this responsibility of running our elections and it's time to retake the task of this vital civic duty again.
Challengers are also vital in this process. But only challengers who know the voting laws can make the best contributions, again ensuring the best voting experience for voters, so that voters are not inappropriately turned away from the polls, or directed to an incorrect polling location, and also, to be a presence, to be those watchful eyes that need to be there. And the best challengers have been poll workers!
And it takes a team. As Challengers, we leaned on a support network outside the polling locations, to independently look up voting registrations and addresses and sometimes phone numbers to track down a voter who was turned away at the polls. Our system came together on the fly, but it did come together!
You may be wondering what issues we had at the polling locations, all two polling locations for this election.
The first issue was inexperience of some of the poll workers. This is to be expected, as poll workers are regular people who volunteer their time, and we are grateful that they do! They did their best, and they did well.
Another issue was at our Indian River School District, ALL Indian River registered voters were registered as district 4 voters by default, whether that was their true voting district or not. Confusing! The voter's registered school district was required to be verified using a secondary online system, separate from the usual electronic poll book. Unfortunately at the Indian River High School voting location, internet access was not reliable, which caused confusion, delays and sometimes mistakes in confirming eligibility to vote.
Another issue was that if a voter did not have identification or a piece of mail which showed their address of residence, they were still allowed to vote, with a signed affidavit affirming their address. This practice was upheld at one polling location, but not at the other. Our Challengers challenged that!
Our Challengers also challenged poll workers who turned away voters deemed not eligible to vote. One polling location allowed the challengers to to do this, and the other polling location did not. We finally got a resolution by the Sussex Board of Elections that challengers could in fact challenge, or ask for a review, of the status of voters who are turned away, but not until 4pm.
So it's little issues like these, but in my opinion, no voter issue is a small issue, and one voter turned away is too many and should never happen. I will continue to encourage all of our 38th republican members to answer the call, to be a poll worker, be a part of the solution, and let's make Delaware better, together!
For Delaware,
Michelle Parsons
38th Representative District Chair
From BOE Website: Voting Identification Requirement
You must provide proof of identity and address. This includes:
Delaware driver's license
Delaware ID card
Work ID card with photo and home address
U. S. postal material with street address
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Services for Wayne Carmean
The 38th District Republican Club will be honoring the memory of our beloved friend, Wayne Carmean, at our upcoming meeting, May 28th. Please see information regarding services for Wayne below. We will have more information and a dedicated post to honor the loving memory of Wayne Carmean, husband, father and friend to all.
Visitation & Service Friday the 17th at 10A.M.
St Mathews by the Sea Methodist Church, Fenwick Island.
When Wayne retired as an educator and moved full-time to Fenwick Island in 2001, he became involved in the early organization of the 38th Republican Club along with Loretta Alberti, a longtime supporter of Gerald Hocker who was then a State Representative. Wayne first served as a Co-chair for the informal 38th Club where he was instrumental in writing the By-laws and organizing the "official" 38th Republican Club. Later he was elected and served as the President for this group. Along with participation in numerous activities and committees for the 38th, Wayne was selected to be a Delegate for several State Conventions. As a former military officer and history teacher, Wayne remained passionate about supporting good government and leadership. His funeral visitation and service with military honors will be held beginning at 10:00 a.m. on May 17th (his 85th birthday) at Saint Matthews By The Sea Methodist Church in Fenwick Island, DE.
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Do you want to get more involved locally? The 38th District includes Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Selbyville and Frankford. YOU can make a difference! Email info@38thdrcp.com for more information. Also, sign up for the State GOP e-Newsletters here.
Listen to WGMD 92.7 and 98.5 for local news!
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Join the GOP - Good Ordinary People who have common sense and will put an end to the nonsense!
Join the 38th District Republican Club and Subscribe to our e-Newsletter. If you like what we do and stand for, consider sending us your financial support.
To Donate Make check payable to:
38th DRCP
PO Box 184
Frankford, DE 19945
We meet the fourth Monday of the month, excluding holidays. For questions please
Email: info@38thdrcp.com
Upcoming 2023 Meetings
State Republican Party Convention, May 17-18th
Julianne Murray Speaker, 38th Club Meeting, Tuesday, May 28th, Fenwick Crab House, 5pm
June 1, Trump Boat Parade - postponed
State Primary Election, September 10, 2024
General Election, November 5, 2024
We welcome your support as we support conservative values and responsible government.
This newsletter is intended for informational purposes only. The content provided is for general information and entertainment purposes, and should not be construed as professional advice. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Club. Readers are encouraged to seek professional guidance or conduct their own research when making decisions based on the information provided in this newsletter. The Club does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented in this newsletter and will not be held liable for any errors or omissions. Website paid for by the 38th District Republican Club PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
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