Recap from April 9 Business Meeting
Courtney Bruder, CCDC Chair
Hello, Cherokee Democrats! Here’s a quick recap of last Thursday’s meeting!
I want to give a huge shout out to all the volunteers who helped pull together the CD 11 debate last night and thank our candidates for participating!
Thank you to Julie and Sheree for coordinating with the candidates, Randy for so diligently keeping the time, David Roberts for the camera work and recording, our Membership team for so efficiently signing everyone in, our Young Dems for hosting a voter registration table, and Jimmy for helping organize the setup. Thank you also to our greeters: Shannon, Michael G, and Cody.
We couldn’t have pulled off such an event without all of you, and I am so grateful for your time and effort! 
I want to recap a few of our announcements for anyone who could not attend:
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Our annual fundraiser is May 2 from 4-7pm; come join us in a celebration of Latino culture! If you want to help with set up and break down, please volunteer HERE
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The Cherokee Young Democrats are hosting a Blue Wave Summer Kick-Off, a meet-and-greet for busy professionals and parents to meet local candidates at the Cherokee Veteran’s park on June 6 from 10-1
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We need some volunteers to walk in the Fourth of July parade. Please volunteer
HERE if you’d like to participate!
We have a very important election coming up; early voting begins April 27 and the election day is May 19. While this is mostly a primary election for our Secretary of State, Governor, and CD 11 representatives, this is the general election for two (2) Georgia Supreme Court justices. This is the first time in years that we have been able to vote for justices to join the bench, and we have the chance to put TWO Democrats on the Georgia Supreme Court! Let’s show up and put Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin on the GA Supreme Court!
CCDVets Committee
Ryan Nellums, Veterans Affairs Committee Chair
What an incredible evening at the CCDVets March Dinner!
The energy in the room was electric, and seeing 7 new faces join our family made the night even more special. Nights like this remind us why this community matters so much.
We were honored to hear from some outstanding candidates who shared their vision for serving ALL of their constituents. Angelia Pressley, candidate for Georgia Public Service Commissioner, and Anthony Aragues, candidate for House District 21, both inspired us with their commitment to the people they hope to serve. And we were thrilled by a surprise visit from Cam T. Ashling, who is running for Secretary of State — what a night!
Beyond the great conversations, our members showed up BIG for the community — collectively donating over 80 lbs of food that will go directly toward helping local families in need. That’s the veteran spirit in action.
The evening also held a very special moment: veterans featured in our ongoing highlight series were presented with military challenge coins by Matt Malhiot as a token of deep respect and gratitude. For those unfamiliar, challenge coins are a storied military tradition — small, medallion-like tokens historically carried by service members as a symbol of unit identity, honor, and brotherhood. Being presented with one is a meaningful gesture of recognition that carries real weight within the veteran community.
Thank you to everyone who came out, brought donations, and made this such a memorable evening. If you haven’t joined us yet, we’d love to see you at our next event!
From our table to yours.
At our last CCDVets dinner, our members came together and donated over 80 lbs of food — and we’re proud to share that it has been delivered to our partners at the Cherokee County Latino Outreach Group.
This food will go directly to local families in need, particularly those impacted by recent ICE enforcement actions in our community. No family should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, and our veterans know better than anyone what it means to show up for the people around you.
This is what community looks like. This is what service looks like, even after the uniform comes off.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who brought donations to our dinner. Your generosity is making a real and tangible difference for Cherokee County families right now, when it matters most.
If you’d like to support the Cherokee County Latino Outreach Group, directly reach out to Jessica Elejalde or Lou Alem. Together, we are stronger.
Membership Committee
Priscilla Nieves, Membership Chairs
Huge shout out to our membership team for the efforts in increasing our donors by 200 this year vs last and improving the recurring monthly donations from 46% last year to 63% this year. 
This will go a long way to supporting the full slate of outstanding candidates so we can flip Cherokee County.
To kick off our drive, Special thanks for the phone banking efforts from Jessica, Ludi, Marissa, Jordan, Sofia and Karen and for Pat Fagan for distributing cards at all events anywhere people are gathered in Woodstock or Cherokee County
We may do 1 or 2 phone banking sessions before the primary. However most of our outreach will be giving the Ambassador cards we have at every possible event and encouraging everyone to join, donate, volunteer and Sign up for the newsletter
I appreciate all of you so much! your efforts show! 
VoPro Committee
Linda Kaminski, Voter Protection Chair
May 19, 2026 – General Primary (Early Voting & Election Day Info)
Link to Cherokee Co Advance Voting Times and Locations
Advanced Voting (aka Early Voting):
4/27/26-5/2/26, M-Sat (voting hours 8:30 am – 5:00 pm)
5/4/26 – 5/9/26, M-Sat (voting hours 8:30 am – 5:00 pm)
5/11/26 – 5/15/26 M-F (voting hours 8:30 am – 7:00 pm)
ELECTION DAY: 5/19/26 (voting hours 7:00 am – 7 pm)
Voter Registration Services
Fundraising Committee
Julia Kang, Fundraising Committee Chair
The Fundraising Committee is finishing up planning for the annual spring fundraiser to be held in late April. We will need help with decorations, food, entertainment, getting sponsors and silent auction items. If you are interested in helping please complete our volunteer form and select Fundraising. Volunteer HERE
2025 Summer Picnic Fundraiser
Communications Committee
Stephanie Bolton, Communications Committee Chair
Website Updates:
Our Voter & Election Info page now links to a page that lists all the candidates running in Cherokee and includes links to their websites. Please visit their websites to learn more about them, then donate and/or volunteer. Check their pages often as many are having their campaign kickoff events and canvassing on a regular schedule. Get involved, we need everyone to help spread the word about our wonderful candidates.
Social Media Updates:
👍Like, Comment On, and Share our posts, this helps us spread the message farther. Be sure to also follow all our candidates on social media and Like, Comment On, and Share their posts to help more voters find out about them.
SM NOTE: All our official social media channels are open to the public. This means anyone, including Republicans, can see and comment on our posts. If you choose to engage with negative comments please remain respectful. Or, don’t feed the trolls.
Newsletter Updates:
The Communications Committee is looking for a volunteer to help put this newsletter together monthly. This will entail getting a short summary and photos from each committee covering recent events, accomplishments, and announcements. Experience using MailChimp helpful. If interested please complete our volunteer form and select Communications. Volunteer HERE
