History of Edmond Democratic Women
The Edmond Democratic Women began with a group of eight like-minded women in a suburban Oklahoma living room shortly after the November 2016 election and has since exploded into a community of women passionate about changing the political outcome for the better.
Those original eight women left that November meeting with hopes of putting together a group of 35 to 40 like-minded women who could make a difference in the future of Oklahoma politics. Their goal was to host a January meeting at a community member's home, inviting anyone in the Edmond area who shared similar political views. So, with only a word-of-mouth movement, fifty-two women packed into that living room on January 23, 2017.
Many were driven by frustration with elected officials and the momentum sparked by the Women’s Marches the weekend before. Each person attended with the hope of learning more about a group they believed could make a meaningful impact on the political landscape. Everyone was invited to share their hopes for the group’s future. With that, they set another meeting date and were charged with recruiting even more women for the February meeting.
From the January 23rd meeting to the February 12th meeting, the group's size increased to 110, and subsequently to 150. Word spread quickly about this women’s group in the very red community of Edmond. Many came from outside Edmond because they had no such resource – or support group – in their part of Oklahoma County or adjacent Logan County.
All the organization's infrastructure was put in place with officers elected, by-laws written, committees created, and dues established. Speakers were recruited for the meetings, and the word of a large and active group of Democratic Women in Edmond, Oklahoma was spreading throughout the state. Committee members were actively reaching out to legislators about specific issues and concerns, while others were working on behalf of Democratic candidates facing upcoming elections.
Hundreds of women and men have officially joined and paid their dues, turning what was once a dream shared by just eight women into a thriving reality. The rapidity of the growth has, at times, been challenging, but the size of the group continues to be impressive and rewarding for all those who have joined.
There is no question that the timing was right for such a movement in Edmond. The founders just had no idea that so many would be eager to be a part of it. When one of the members was asked why she joined, her response was, “This is a group that doesn’t just meet. It acts.”
Like fish swimming upstream, they are a blue force in a very red state. This group is positively impacting our community, state, and country, and they are only getting started.
Edmond Democratic Women’s Priorities and Initiatives:
1) Initiate and support voter registration efforts.
2) Support and elect Democrats and progressives to local, county, state, and federal offices.
3) Support precinct work to activate Democrats and get out the vote.
4) Advocate for progressive issues at the local and state levels.
EDW Impact
2018 – EDW endorsed winning candidates Congresswoman Kendra Horn and Representative Chelsey Branham, providing hands-on support throughout their campaigns.
2019 - EDW was featured in a New York Times video where credit was given to groups in deep-red Oklahoma for getting Kendra Horn elected to US Congress in 2018. EDW provided voter registration and petition gathering training, with members registering voters at Pride events and the OK State Fair while collecting signatures to stop permitless carry and support Medicaid expansion.
2020 - EDW hosted a Presidential Campaign Forum with five leading Presidential candidate campaign representatives. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, virtual meetings enabled EDW to host speakers from across the state, including former Democratic House Leader Scott Inman, who commended EDW’s growth.
2021 – EDW’s activism helped elect two Edmond school board members, one City Council member, and the Edmond Mayor. The group also supported events like the UCO International Women’s Day, OKC Pride Volunteers, the Pride Parade, Edmond City Council’s Pride Month Resolution, the ODP Candidate Forum, the OK State Fair ODP Booth, Sally’s List Luncheon, and the Women’s March at the state Capitol.
2022 – Throughout the year, EDW gained invaluable experience through training efforts and activism. Members volunteered for numerous events, such as the Clean Up Oklahoma Candidate Filing, Moms Demand Action Welcome Legislature, virtual phone banking for ODP, four Abortion Rights Marches at the Capitol, Pride OKC 39th, voter registration at Common Sense Gun Laws March at the Capitol, the Pride Scissortail float, the Bethany Liberty Fest Parade, Habitat Women Build with Senator Julia Kirt, voter registration training with Senator Mary Boren, the Indian Nations Cheyenne and Arapaho Powwow at Concho with a joint voter registration event with Canadian County Dems, and the Sunny Days Downtown Edmond Mural Festival with Let’s Fix This, amongst others.
2023 - Post-US Supreme Court Dobbs case Abortion Stories meeting with four women telling their stories directly or anonymously through another’s retelling. Guest speakers included Oklahoma ACLU Director Tamya Cox-Toure, J.D., Obstetrician Dr. Dana Stone, and We Are Rising Interim Director Chelsey Abney, who challenged us to keep the abortion conversations going. Watch and listen to the video and audio recordings (filmed by a local high school film student.
2024 – EDW worked to encourage voter turnout, including reaching out to Gen Z and other local Democrats. A Project 2025 committee coordinated key speakers, developed outreach materials, and led a social media campaign to raise awareness of this plan’s potential threats to democracy.
Community Participation
Local Charity Support: Project 66 Edmond Food Resource Center, UCO Food Bank, Regional Food Bank, UCO LGBTQ and Women’s Resource Center, For The Village, YWCA OKC Domestic Abuse Division, CAIR for Afghan Refugees, World Central Kitchen.
Community Activities/Volunteering: Edmond Pride Festival, UCO International Women’s Day, OKC Pride Volunteers, Pride Parade on 39th, March for Our Lives, OKC Women’s Marches, Moms Demand Action events, MLK Holiday Parade, OKC Juneteenth celebrations, Clean Up Oklahoma, Abortion Rights Marches at the Capitol, Black Lives Matter rallies, Bethany Liberty Fest Parade, Habitat Women Build with Senator Julia Kirt, Common Sense Gun Laws March at the Capitol, state visits by Presidential candidates, phone banking for the ODP, Oklahoma Young Democrats, and the Inaugural Latinex Convention.