Van Buren County Democratic Party Meeting Minutes for August

August 4, 2026

Call to Order

Chair Sandy Bondelier called the regular monthly meeting of the Democratic Party of Van Buren County, Arkansas (DPVBCoAR), to order at 6:03 p.m. A quorum was present.

Members recited the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a moment of silence for prayer or reflection.

Sandy offered signs and other materials from Kelly Grappe’s campaign, and encouraged everyone to make a donation to Kelly’s campaign to help cover the costs.

Approval of Previous Minutes

The minutes of the July 2026 meeting were presented. Taneya Eubanks moved, Dan seconded and the minutes were approved unanimously.

Treasurer's Report

The Treasurer reported balances of $3,577.53 in the checking account and $4,939.93 in the certificate of deposit.

Sandy will work with Pennie to determine payment for the billboard.

Susan Moore moved to approve the Treasurer's Report, Dan Bondelier seconded the motion, and the Treasurer’s report was carried unanimously.

Membership

Marcus and Amy Hutto joined at our July meeting. Welcome!

Election Commission

Janet Scott, Commissioner gave these updates:

Polling locations

• Alread has been added as a voting precinct

• Damascus is asking for a precinct for 2028 election.

• We will use the annex instead of Petit Jean.

• The state requires 4 poll workers for each location. Janet recommended that we have 6 to cover any backup needed.

• Voters in Van Buren County can vote at any location, regardless of what is listed on your voter registration card.

Janet noted that many people who volunteered to be a poll workers were not registered to vote.

There have been several elections this year:

• Primary

• Sherriff runoff

• Sherriff recount

• Special election Mike Berry’s passing

• Runoff for Mike Berry

The commissioners are busy shredding old ballots. This takes a court order. Janet wanted us to be aware of this for future Commissioners. The process is laborious because it’s being done manually. The Commissioners were told by Pam Bradford that they did not have the budget to hire professional shredding.

Old Business

• All signatures for the ballot initiatives were thrown out due to title issue.

• The billboard is up! Kelly Grappe took a selfie and posted it to her social media, recognizing our county committee.

• Kelly’s event Aug 2 at Bramletts was well attended, approximately 20.

• Chris Jones’ event is September 1 at Game on Main, 5:30-7:30 We will consider this our September meeting. We thanked Maurice Passmore for arranging for a special reduced space rental fee of $120. As this expenditure exceeds $100, according to the bylaws, it required a vote by the membership. Ross Moore moved we should pay the fee, Taneya Eubanks seconded and the motion passed.

New Business

• Postcards to Swing states – 300 to Michigan send by October 15; 100 news boosting for James Talarico in Texas and 100 for Mary Peltola in Alaska; these go out in September Sandy will confirm dates with Carol Hutto to host at her house

• Richard Sayner suggested we do “get out the vote” postcards for our county. Sandy will double check with the campaigns to see if they have postcards; if not, we will explore design and printing them. Richard says he is interested in helping to make this happen.

• Future planning. The members had a lively and creative discussion about activities we can do to further democracy. The executive committee will adjust the 2027 draft budget to include estimated costs for activities, events, etc. based on these ideas.

2. Our activities on 2026 and 2027 should fit into one of these three goals:

• Increase visibility

• Increase membership

• Register voters

2. Decisions: Plan for booths at Scare on the Square, Christmas in Clinton, also possibly multi-class reunion, write letters to the editor, look for partnerships with local organizations, write letters to the editor, try new location with virtual option

Discussion notes

2. Increase visibility

A: Community presence:

• The group emphasized: presence at every festival and coupling booths with voter registration / civic engagement and visibility-building (branded materials).

• Events and festivals: Scare on the Square, Clinton HS multi-class reunion, Christmas in Clinton

• Partner with community groups like Hospital Foundation, Volunteer Fire Department, Veterans, local schools, senior center

B. Approximate costs (ballpark ranges)

• Branded tent/table setup: $150–$600

• Tablecloths / branded display items: $30–$200

• Booth “entry fee” / vendor fee: $25–$250 per event
  (some are free, some are higher for major events)

• Basic supplies (signage, handouts, voter registration materials): $25–$150

• Seasonal decorations ($100-300)

• Insurance/security or power fees ($0-$200)

C. Decisions: Plan for booths at Scare on the Square, Christmas in Clinton, also possibly multi-class reunion

2. Letters to the editor: Use local letters to address concerns in our community, including school funding, food insecurity, hospital funding. Katie will develop an editorial calendar and Marcus and Cynthia offered to write some letters.

• 2. Increase membership

2. Why do members attend our meetings?

• Feel less alone: “I’m not alone.”

• Find belonging and validation: “This is my Tribe” and “I’m not crazy.”

• Build camaraderie: Community connection is a core benefit.

• Know what’s next: They come for clarity, momentum, and future plans.

• Support getting there: Personal invitations are an effective driver of attendance.

2. Ideas

• Add a social window before the “main meeting” (social time 5:45–6:10).

• Use personal invitations to boost turnout.

• Create stronger “tribe” energy by emphasizing community, support, and shared purpose.

• Revisit the meeting location to improve accessibility and comfort.

• Consider simple, fun participation elements (e.g., BINGO?) to lower barriers and increase stay-in-the-room energy.

• TShirts to increase group identity.

• Change location and offer virtual option to increase attendance for those who cannot attend in person (injury, schedule, mobility, out of town()

Decisions:

• October meeting at the library with virtual option (Katie will investigate availability) and “social start” 5:45-6:10 to connect

• 2. Register voters

Discussions: See above under increase visibility, use events to encourage people to register to vote

2026 Proposed Calendar of activities and estimated costs

Adjournment

Pennie Lecompte moved, and Janet Scott seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried unanimously.

The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

Next Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Van Buren County Democratic Party will be held on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 5:30 p.m. at Game on Main