Introduction
Precinct
Chairs are the grassroots foundation
of the Democratic Party. As Precinct
Chair, you are the personal contact between your neighbors and the
Democratic
Party; you are the face of the Party in your neighborhood.
In accepting
your two-year term as Precinct
Chair, you have agreed to take on numerous duties and responsibilities. This guide is intended to provide an overview
of those functions. It is not meant to
be an all-encompassing, detailed step-by-step manual.
In particular, this guide focuses on activities
necessary for success during the current election cycle.
This guide
makes references to online
resources prepared by the Precinct Chair Recruitment Committee and the
Texas
Democratic Party and others. It
would
be impractical for this guide to repeat all of the information found in
these
resources, but we encourage you to explore these materials on your own. If you do not have internet
access or if you are not computer literate, help
for online resources is available at the
Continuing
Duties and Responsibilities
As Precinct
Chair there are activities that
you are responsible for on a continuing basis:
Represent your precinct on the County Executive
Committee (CEC)
The CEC meets
the first Tuesday of each month. As a
Precinct Chair, you are a member of the
County Executive Committee, and you are central in the decision-making
process
for the Bexar County Democratic Party.
You attendance and participation are essential to the direction
and
function of the Party.
Act as the liaison between elected officials
and residents of your precinct
Few people
have an opportunity to meet and talk with elected
officials, and vice versa. As Precinct
Chair, you provide a conduit from your neighbors to elected officials
and from elected
officials to the electorate.
Understand
the County and State Party Rules and the
You don’t
need to be a
lawyer or legislator to read and understand Party Rules.
But you will be more effective as a Precinct
Chair if you spend a few minutes reading
through the “Standing Rules of the Bexar County Democratic Party” (http://www.bexardemocrats.org/Rules.html)
and the “Rules of the Texas Democratic Party” (http://www.txdemocrats.org/the_party/tdp_rules).
The Texas Election code (http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/el.toc.htm)
is more complex, and a law degree would facilitate a complete
understanding. Take a look at it on
evenings when you have
trouble falling asleep.
Serve your community and the Democratic
Party (and have fun doing it!)
You provide a
valuable service to your neighborhood and the party
by providing feedback to the party, by communicating party ideals to
the
electorate, and most of all by assisting in getting Democratic
candidates
elected.
It can be fun. You will
make new acquaintances and develop new friendships.
If you have co-workers who incessantly spout
right-wing talking points, you will find it refreshing to discuss
politics with
people who share your values.
Election
Year Activities
Organize your precinct and build a precinct
team
You cannot do
it alone, but you can recruit help from your family,
neighbors, and friends. Those who
attended your precinct convention are probably more active than those
who
merely voted in the primary, use the Precinct Convention sign-in sheets
for a
list of contacts. Don’t forget those who
always vote Democratic. Use the Voter
Activation Network (VAN) to locate neighbors who have consistently
voted in the
Democratic primary. See the presentation on the BCDP website: http://bexardemocrats.org/BCDPPctChairRecruitment.html
Initiate Your precinct convention
Did your
precinct convention begin with a quarrel over who was in
charge? As Precinct Chair, your name will
be on the packet next time. Your
pre-convention training will enable you and your team to conduct an
orderly precinct
convention. Your neighbors will thank
you.
Register new Democratic voters
Use VAN and
local voter rolls to determine who in your neighborhood
is not registered to vote. Talk with
them and see if they would tend to vote Democratic; if so, provide them
a
postage-paid registration card (available at Party Headquarters and the
Post
Office). You may not take the completed
card from them unless you are a deputy voter registrar.
To become a deputy registrar, contact the
Bexar County Elections Administrator at 335-VOTE.
Help to find election workers judges,
alternate judges, and clerks
Election
judges and clerks are needed for holding orderly elections. You help the Party and your neighborhood by
recruiting Democratic election judges and clerks.
Canvass your precinct
Research has
proven that face-to-face voter contact is the most
effective way to convince voters to vote for Democrats. No other
method, be it
television, mail, phone calls, or the Internet, comes even close. Walk
the
blocks in your neighborhood to get out the Democratic message and get a
pulse
on the attitudes in your neighborhood. Canvassing tips are available
from the
National Party at:
http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/02/neighborhood_le_3.php
Work for all Democratic candidates who represent
your precinct
The
presidential nominee is only the top of the ticket.
We also need to elect Democrats to the U.S.
Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate, State Legislature, and as
Election Day
Get out the
vote: The more
Democratic voters you can get to the polls, the better
the results will be. Turnout, turnout and
turnout are the three
most important ways to win elections.
Motivate your neighbors to vote. Remind
them.
If they are elderly or disabled, offer to take them to early
vote or to
the polls on election day. Better yet,
bring them an application to vote by mail.
Dress the
polls: Those signs
around your polling place don’t just spring up by
themselves. You help the Party most by
dressing
your polling place for ALL the Democratic candidates.
This frees their resources for other needed
functions.
Work the
polls: Have
your team set a schedule so that there are always two or
more people to greet voters as they arrive at the polls.
Hand out literature to make a last-minute
appeal for all the Democratic candidates.
Using
your team effectively
Eager
volunteers are an important asset to
any precinct, and they should be incorporated into planning in a
meaningful and
thoughtful way. Key issues to consider when engaging your volunteers:
Do not overwhelm your volunteers
Make sure
that you pass out tasks in meaningful and manageable
assignments. Ask them to canvass four apartment buildings, not four
apartment
complexes
Be specific with assignments and time frame
Ask them to
canvass a specific block by a specific time, not
simply “help me get out the vote.” Ask
them to make 20 calls by a specified date.
Provide the necessary resources
If you are
passing out pamphlets, provide them with the
pamphlets. Assign a team member to get
materials from specific candidates.
After Action Reports
Make sure
they report back to you when they have completed their
tasks.
Summary
You, as
Precinct Chair, are the grassroots
foundation of the Democratic Party. With
your effort, we have a chance to turn Bexar County Blue, an important
milestone
toward turning Texas Blue. The
Democratic Party is relying on you to turn your neighborhood Blue. This document is a preliminary guide to
get
you started and direct you to other resources.
You should make use of all the resources listed.
One resource
not yet mentioned is the most
valuable: other Precinct Chairs. Some
members of the CEC have been Precinct Chairs for several election
cycles. Seek them out and ask their advice. They will be happy to share their experiences.
Online
Resources
Of
particular Interest:
BCDP
Rules
Information
for Precinct Chairs
Building
and Training Your Precinct Team
Of Particular Interest:
Rules
of the TDP (under “The Party” Tab)
Grassroots
Handbook
Voter
Activation Network (VAN)
Democratic Party
www.democrats.org
Get a Map of Your Precinct:
www.bexar.org/elections/maps/Precinct/pctXXXX.pdf
Where XXXX is your
precinct number
Please note: If you do not
have internet access or are not computer literate (or do
not have access to a 10-year-old), help for online resources is
available at Bexar
County Democratic Party Headquarters or though members of the Precinct
Chair
Recruitment Committee.
List
of Clubs - A
list of Clubs and contact information, including web sites for meeting
information, can be find at this link.