• April 5 — Several Events!

• Check out our local government reports!

• Run for Something!

• May 17 — May Meeting

• Legislative Lowdown

April 5th Events

April Meeting

Doors open at 9:30 AM. Our special guest speaker will be Sheriff Noah Robinson, the second in our series of “What you Get When you Elect a Democrat”. Come and meet new members of the party and learn about ways to get engaged.

Conversations with your Councilman

Ben Trockman

Remove. Reverse. Reclaim.

In a time when national politics dominates the headlines, it’s more important than ever to stay informed about what’s happening right here at home. Decisions made at the local level—by our City Council, County Council, Commissioners, and School Board—have a direct and lasting impact on our daily lives, from education and infrastructure to public safety and community development.

That’s why we’re committed to keeping our community informed and engaged. Visit our website to read detailed reports and updates from recent local government meetings:

👉 https://www.vancountydems.org/issues

A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated team of local reporters: Cassie Jones, Dona Hall, John Yeley, and Paula Jernigan, for their work in keeping the public informed.

Stay informed. Stay involved.

Run for Something!

Are you ready to make a difference in 2026? We need passionate, dedicated individuals to step up and run for office. This is your opportunity to shape the future, fight for equality, and champion the issues that matter most to our communities. Join us in building a stronger, fairer community by running for office and becoming a voice for change. Together, we can create the progress we need.

If you are interested in running for office, please contact Cheryl at 812-459-7645. We are recruiting candidates for the following positions:

• State Representative District 76
• State Representative District 64
• County Commissioner, District 2
• County Auditor
• County Assessor
• County Council Districts 1 & 2
• Township Trustees – Scott, Union & Armstrong
• School Board District 2 (two people)
• Township Advisory Boards:
  • Center, German, Scott, Armstrong & Union (3 people for each township)
  • Knight Township – 1 person
  • Perry Township – 1 person

Save the Date — May Meeting!

We will meet at North Park Library for our May 17 meeting. Doors open at 9:30 and the meeting begins at 10:00 AM.

HB 1197 (Lawson – R): Requires a candidate to fill an elected office vacancy to have pulled a D (or R, for an R caucus) in the last two primaries in Indiana or get the chair’s certification. Allows the removal of a candidate seeking to fill an elected office vacancy from consideration at a caucus if they do not meet candidate qualifications to hold the office. Makes conforming changes to remove certain officeholders from office to ensure uniformity in application statewide.

HB1633 (Smaltz – R): Requires the Secretary of State in 2025 to hold three hearings to discuss moving all municipal elections to even-numbered years and moving all counties to a vote center model, as well as analyze and estimate cost savings on moving municipal elections to even-numbered years and the impact it would have on voter turnout.

SB1 – Taxes

This Republican proposed “tax relief” bill will cost nearly every county in the state 7+ figures and will devastate local economies.

SB2 – Medicaid

S.B. 2 attempts to downsize the Healthy Indiana Plan and create additional limitations for enrollment. Sign Hoosier Action’s petition against the bill here. There’s also a script to use when calling your representative: https://www.hoosieraction.org/stop-sb2.

SB10 – Voting Rights

This bill aims to strip students the right to use their public university-issued IDs to vote while instituting barriers for naturalized citizens at the polling booth. Contact our representatives to vote NO

SB518 – School Property Taxes

If passed through the Assembly and signed into law, S.B. 518 would force public schools to share revenue from property taxes with charter schools. Essentially, public schools would be defunded for the benefit of non-public schooling.

Special thanks to our In to Win monthly donors!

Blue — Glenn Boberg, Tamara Wilder
Gold — Jim Butler, Dona Hall
Silver — Cheryl Schultz, Jonathan McGovern, Noah Robinson, Ann Wallis, Janet Hollis, Melissa Vandeveer, Freda Vossburg, Jane Duesterberg, Sally Busby, Gina Robinson Ungar, Anne Butsch, Leah Dugan, Ulanda Sanders, Becky Heil, Paula Jernigan, Shannon Dierlam, Charles Conaway, Susan Meyer
Bronze — Edie Hardcastle, Connie Parker, Valerie Ewers, Kristi Roll, Nancy Higgs, Melissa Moore, Pearl Quartey, Hope Fussner, Nikki Webb, Mary Engelland, Cindy Carwile, Caroline Nellis, Jennifer Zoph, Katherine Rybak, Mary Ruthenburg