The Manatee County Democratic Party Headquarters will be closed on Thursday July 4 and Friday July 5th in observance of Independence Day.

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must,

like me, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." Thomas Paine

Election 2024 - Special Events and Opportunities

Manatee Candidate Virtual Town Hall

Thursday, July 11, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm .... Online

Meet the candidates in the first of our virtual candidate town halls. From the comfort of your home, learn how candidates will address the issues in a one-hour panel discussion hosted by Manatee Democratic Party Chair Chris Wetherington.

The Candidates attending will be:

Jan Schneider, Democratic Candidate for US Representative, District 16. Trent Miller, Democratic Candidate for US Representative, District 16. Heather Felton, Candidate for Manatee School Board, District 1 (non-partisan race). Sari Lindroos-Valimaki, Democratic Candidate for Manatee County Commissioner, District 7 (At-large). Glenn Pearson, Democratic Candidate for Manatee County Commissioner, District 1.

Get Out the Vote Canvassing

Saturday, July 20, 10:00 am to 11:30 am

Manatee County Democratic HQ, 435 Cortez Rd W, Bradenton

Help neighbors get the voting information they are entitled to. Meet at the Manatee Dem office for training, walk lists and materials. We will give you tips to prepare you for success. Door knock at your convenience. You will be paired with an experienced volunteer upon request.

Write and Mail Postcards to Get Out the Vote

Did you know that most voters who have relied on Vote by Mail in past elections don’t know they need to enroll again this election cycle? Hand-address and add a personal note on Manatee Dem postcards with Vote by Mail information. Mail your cards with postage that you donate.

Postcards and address lists must be picked up at our Manatee Dem office. We will contact you with pickup information.

Volunteer to Serve in the August Primary as a Manatee Dems Poll Watcher, Poll Greeter or Ballot Curer

Primary Election: August 20, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Early Voting: Saturday August 10 through Saturday August 17, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. As information becomes available, we will contact you about dates, locations, shifts and training.

Poll Watcher:

This position requires some training. The volunteer is a credentialed silent observer. The poll watcher notes any potential irregularities or if a citizen is refused a ballot.

Poll Greeter:

No formal training is required. Staff an outdoor table that’s a minimum of 150 feet from the polling station and greet voters and offer slate cards or other information.

Ballot Curer:

Make phone calls to voters whose ballots were either returned as "undeliverable" or rejected by the Supervisor of Elections. This position requires training.

Event Highlights

Manatee LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus

Sunday, July 7, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

3 Keys Brewing and Gastropub, 2505 Manatee Ave E, Bradenton

Attend our Sunday Social. This is a great opportunity to spend time with other Democrats in a relaxed environment. Contact Rob Hall for more information.

All are welcome.

Lakewood Ranch Democratic Club

Monday, July 8, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Lakewood Ranch Library, 16410 Rangeland Pkwy, Bradenton

The Lakewood Ranch Democratic Club has always tried to present programs that are both timely and interesting. It has been decided to make our July meeting a round robin discussion about the Biden-Trump debate. Our goal is to have a calm and respectful discourse about how the presidential campaign should go forward.

To attend, contact Lucy Lapides.

Manatee Democratic Progressive Caucus

Wednesday, July 10, 6:30 pm .... Conference Call

We have planned a special program where the Housing Survey Results will be discussed. Please contact vrain1964@gmail.com with your email and name if you wish to attend or if you would like more information about the meeting.

Hispanic Democratic Caucus of Manatee County

Thursday, July 11, 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm .... Online

The Hispanic Democratic Caucus will conduct its July business meeting online. The mission of the caucus is to bring Hispanics together to actively support and promote causes that benefit the Latino community. New members are always welcome.

Anna Maria Island and West Manatee Democratic Club

Monday, July 15, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm .... Online

AMI/WM Democratic Club will host a Meet the Candidates Zoom for those candidates who will be on ballot in District 3. Interested Democrats who are not club members can contact Barbara Ehren for the zoom link.

Manatee Dems at the Food Bank of Manatee

Tuesday, July 16, 8:30 am to 11:00 am

Meals on Wheels Plus, 811 23rd Ave E, Bradenton

Help sort and pack bags of fresh produce for Mobile Produce Pantry distributions. These fruits and vegetables provide needed nutrients to Manatee County children and families. No heavy lifting. Seating is available if needed.

Manatee LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus

Wednesday, July 17, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Manatee County Democratic HQ, 435 Cortez Rd W, Bradenton

There will be 2 guest speakers at the July meeting:

Trent Miller, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives Congressional District 16, is running in the Democratic primary against Jan Schneider.

Leslie Villegas is with the campaign to get Amendment 4, the reproductive rights amendment, enacted. Leslie will address the importance of messaging in the drive to get the 60% approval needed on November 5. Contact Rob Hall if you would like to attend the meeting online.

Manatee Democratic Executive Committee Meeting

Tuesday, July 23, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Manatee County Democratic HQ, 435 Cortez Rd W, Bradenton

Democrats are welcome at the monthly business meeting of the DEC. If you are not a DEC member, please sign up to attend.

Manatee County Democratic Black Caucus

Thursday, July 25, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm .... Online

The purpose of the Manatee County Democratic Black Caucus is to ensure that Black voters are involved, engaged, elected and active participants in the democratic process. For more information contact glenn.mcdp@gmail.com.

Precincts Team Meeting for Districts 4 and 5

Saturday, July 27, 10:30 am to noon

Lakewood Ranch Public Library, Rm A, 16410 Rangeland Pkwy, Lakewood Ranch

Join us to discuss neighborhood networking strategies, goals and action items preparing us for the 2024 election. Open to all.

Note: The Manatee Democratic Environmental Caucus, the Democratic Women's Club, the Manatee Democratic Club and the Longboat Key Democratic Club will not be holding meetings in July.

Become a Voter Registration Tabling and Canvassing Volunteer

In this election year, it is critical that we be out in the community encouraging people to register to vote and showing them how it is done. This is essential to our election success in 2024. We work as a team. Training is provided.

Become an Office Volunteer

There are a wide variety of volunteer opportunities at our Party Headquarters. There is phone work, greeting walk-ins, doing data entry, helping with petition drives and preparing packets for tabling events and distribution. You can make your contribution to this critical 2024 election season by donating only a couple of hours a week.

Call Manatee Democrats for Vote by Mail

Make calls from home or at our Manatee Dem office. All you need is a phone and a laptop, tablet or PC at home, or come to our headquarters where we have all that is required. (See office location and hours below.)

Additional Information

Democratic Party Headquarters is located at 435 Cortez Rd. Office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 4:00 pm, Thursday from noon to 2:00 pm and Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Sign Up for the Mailing List

If you are not currently on our mailing list and would like to keep up with all that is happening with the Manatee Democrats, sign up for our mailing list HERE.

Donate to the Manatee County Democrats

Manatee County Democratic Party

435 Cortez Road W, Bradenton Fl 34207

941-301-4336 info@manateecountydemocrats.com

ManateeCountyDemocrats.com