Our 2025 Holiday United Way Campaign is Underway
During this holiday season, we are once again hosting a fundraising drive for Lakeshore United Way, which provides support to local Oceana County families.
The United Way helps our community in so many ways, including, but not limited to: early childhood education and youth programs, backpacks and school supplies, college and career readiness programs, job search assistance, career training, credit counseling, programs that help people achieve financial independence, emergency assistance for utilities and other critical needs, health and wellness outreach programs, initiatives aimed at ending homelessness and providing housing solutions, and disaster response and recovery services. Please consider supporting their services this year, especially when costs are rising at an exponential rate and government services in so many areas are being reduced or discontinued.
Donations can be made one of three ways:
Cash at our December Holiday Party on Dec. 9, at 6 pm, at Stony Lake Inn
Check made out to “United Way of the Lakeshore”, submitted during our December Holiday Party, or mailed to: Oceana County Democrats, P.O. Box, 145, Hart, MI 49420
United Way of Lakeshore website: https://agencyportal.unitedwaylakeshore.org/epledge/ocdp.
The drive will continue through Christmas. Thank your for considering a donation to support struggling folks in your community.
Please join the Oceana County Democrats for a holiday community gathering. All are invited to enjoy dinner with other community members (at your own expense) and a conversation with the Executive Director of the Lakeshore Food Club, O'Nealya Gronstal. After we have ordered our food, O'Nealya will talk to us and answer any questions you may have about the Food Club's Oceana County operations. Feel free to invite friends and neighbors.
Please consider bringing donations to pass to the Food Club. The following items are among the most requested by families, and some of the most expensive to source:
Cereal
Soup
Canned pasta
Paper products
Hygiene & personal care items
We are also accepting contributions this night towards our United Way Campaign which provides support to local Ocean County families who may be experiencing an emergency or crisis in their lives and need additional support. Donations can be made by cash, check (made out to “United Way of the Lakeshore”) submitted during this event. You may also donate online.
This event takes the place of the regular general OCD monthly meeting, but note that the date and time have changed, due to scheduling conflicts. We hope to see you there.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
The Oceana County Democrats are happy to announce that their annual High School Senior Scholarship application is now available.
Each year the OCD awards $1,000 to a deserving Oceana County high school senior who plans to continue their education beyond high school. This year, due to a generous anonymous donor, the group is excited to be able to award two scholarships!
The Oceana County Democratic Party values community involvement. The criteria for the scholarship prioritizes involvement in service on a regular basis. Service can include on-going projects or one-time events. While the service can be within the student's school and extracurricular activities, community service is a primary consideration.
The scholarship criteria (which includes submission information) and the application form are both available for download here. Applications and information are also available from each Oceana County high school counselor.
Students can submit their completed application by mail or email, as long as the application is received by the OCD no later than April 30, 2026.
Please be sure to share this information with high school friends and their families.
Pictured is last year’s scholarship recipient, Hart High School senior, Julia McTaggart. We can’t wait to announce two recipients in 2026!
Petitions are Out and About
We are currently supporting and asking for signatures on three different ballot initiatives:
1) Initiative Petition Amendment to the Constitution
Invest in MI Kids...
Initiate a Constitutional amendment to: Beginning in 2027, an additional 5% tax on annual taxable income over $1 million for joint filers and over $500,000 for single filers. This tax is in addition to existing state income taxes, and is to be deposited into the State School Aid Fund and required to be used exclusively on local school district classrooms, career and technical education, reducing class sizes, and recruiting and retaining teachers; and subject funds to annual audits.
https://investinmikids.org/coalition#d4f544ae-7de6-431b-bf2a-b3e866b534b8
2) Michiganders for Money Out of Politics
Initiation of legislation to: restrict contributions, directly and indirectly, from state regulated electric or gas utilities to certain elected state officials or candidates for those offices, a political party, a member of the Michigan public service commission, or an entity that is affiliated with any of them; restrict, beginning in 2028, contributions, directly and indirectly, from a state or local government contractor with aggregate contracts exceeding $250,000 annually with a jurisdiction to elected officials or candidates for office in that jurisdiction, a political party, or an entity that is affiliated with any of them; define and regulate electioneering communication.
https://mopupmichigan.org/petition-language/
3) Rank MI Vote
Constitutional amendment to: require ranked-choice voting (RCV) for federal offices, Governor/Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State, allowing voters to numerically rank candidates by voter preference starting in 2029; count votes in rounds, eliminating lowest-ranked candidate and reallocating their votes to remaining ranked candidates until candidate with most final-round votes is declared the winner; allow voters to rank at least 4 more candidates than positions to be nominated/elected unless insufficient number of candidates; authorize local jurisdiction to adopt use of RCV in local elections; move August primary to June or earlier in even year elections; require legislative funding and implementing legislation.
If you are interested in asking your neighbors and friends to sign any or all of these, please let us know. Message us here, or at oceanacountydems@gmail.com. Thank you!
BEWARE these petitions
Don’t sign any petition that mentions CITIZEN VOTING. There are some nefarious petitions going around that you definitely want to avoid signing. They may have inviting titles, but beware, they work to SUPPRESS VOTING. Please read everything you see very carefully. Here is information you NEED TO KNOW. Please share and warn others!
Our "Resist" Yard Signs are Now Available!
We have 8 designs you can choose from. That's eight different ways you can say NO to the current corrupt regime. Suggested donations are $15 per sign, or two for $20. Message us at oceanacountydems@gmail.com to let us know which one(s) you want, and we will work out how to get them to you. You can also donate via ActBlue at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ocdp-signs-2025 if you prefer, but just let us know by message or email if/when you have done this, so we can be prompt about getting you your sign(s). The signs do come with metal frame-stakes for putting them in the ground.
Your donations will fund our efforts to support Dem candidates in the midterms and hopefully taking over the House, the Senate or both! Thank you, in advance for supporting Dems!
2 Easy Ways to Use Your Voice to Effect Change. We are stronger than we think!
Download the ‘5 Calls’ app to your phone and start calling your congressional members with your concerns. The app gives you categories/issues to call about and your reps’ phone numbers, and a tracking system to record what you’ve done.
Check out https://www.goodsuniteus.com, the blue handbook on how to fight back with your dollars.