Thursday, September 16, 2004
Central Committee and Precinct leaders
From: Rod Sullivan
Precinct Leaders vs. Central Committee Members
There have been several discussions as to the similarities and
differences
between "Precinct Leaders" and Central Committee members. This E-mail is
intended to address this issue.
First, Central Committee. The Central Committee is the governing body
of the
County Democratic Party. Each precinct elects two people at Caucus to
represent that precinct for the next 4 years. (The Central Committee may
vote to fill its vacancies when there is no Caucus; many Central
Committee
members were elected at other times.)
The duties of a Central Committee Member include:
* Coordinate with other leaders in her precinct.
* Contact registered Dems in her precinct and introduce herself. Ask
these
folks to vote early, serve as volunteers, etc.
* Serve as a liaison between the IDP, JC Dems, and voters in her
precinct.
* Help with absentee requests within her precinct, and later assist with
ballot chasing within her precinct.
* Register voters within her precinct.
* Help put out yard signs and deliver newsletters within her precinct.
* Attend meetings and trainings.
* Assist with satellite GOTV efforts.
* Assist with Election Day GOTV efforts. (Arranging poll watchers,
callers,
knockers, drivers, etc.)
* Perform other duties as needed.
This sounds like a big job, and it is. But no one is in this alone. You
have
staff support, and many wonderful Democrats in all 57 Johnson County
precincts.
Obviously, every precinct is different; the job of Central Committee
member
will vary slightly from precinct to precinct. The above is just a
start- we
hope it helps!
If this looks familiar, it is because I recently put forth the same
list of
duties for Precinct Leaders. There are only a couple of differences;
these
differences are important, however.
Central Committee members, by virtue of having been elected, are
officials
of the Party. As such, they can introduce motions and vote on matters at
Central Committee meetings. Precinct Leaders (like all Democrats) are
not
only welcome at Central Committee meetings, but encouraged to attend.
Precinct Leader is an unofficial term for the person or persons who have
agreed to do this same work, despite not having been elected.
So if we have Central Committee members, why do we need Precinct
Leaders?
There are several reasons for this.
First, some precincts are so large that the Central Committee members
need
help.
Secondly, some precincts have a wealth of volunteers.
Thirdly, there are some vacancies on the Central Committee.
Fourth, some Central Committee members are unable or unwilling to
fulfill
their duties.
Finally, some Central Committee members are unwilling to sign the IDP
pledge
form.
I hope this has helped to clear up some of the many questions we have
fielded on this topic. I encourage each of you to not only continue to
volunteer, but also to learn as much as possible about the Democratic
Party
and its structure and function. The health and strength of the Party
depends
upon having people involved.
Thanks, and Go Dems!
---Rod
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- posted by John @ 6:47 AM
