Welcome back, Saturday Campaign D-I-Y’ers! For those who tune in, welcome to the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic Campaign. Each week, we discuss issues that help drive successful campaigns. If you’ve missed prior diaries, please visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide.
This week we are taking on one of the most important roles you as an average citizen can take on within the Democratic party. That’s right, we’re talking about Democratic precinct persons and Democratic local committee persons.
Abraham Lincoln wrote this of precinct officers:
“The whole state must be so well organized that every Whig can be brought to the polls. So divide the county into small districts and appoint in each a committee. Make a perfect list of the voters and ascertain with certainty for whom they will vote... Keep a constant watch on the doubtful voters and have them talked to by those in whom they have the most confidence... On Election Day see that every Whig is brought to the polls.”
Abraham Lincoln, letter to a friend,1840
In his one letter, future President Lincoln defined the heart of national parties. Precinct officers, the smallest office within the party, would also reflect one of the most important aspects of a party organization. In order to really grasp why precinct officers matter, we have to understand what makes a good precinct holder.
Social Butterflies Welcome
If you've been following our weekly series, you know that our fictional state senate candidate Jessica Jones is busy running a campaign "in the trenches," working to turn out her votes. Representative Mark Takano, in our local elections panel at Netroots Nation, referred to these races as “hand-to-hand political combat.” In order to make these races effective, you need people who live within those communities who can provide you details about the issues and concerns their fellow neighbors have about their city and state.
In the modern era, state-wide candidates and federal candidates can use polling to help determine issues. Smaller races find that the nature of polling is too erratic in smaller districts, but having those who live within the district and know the issues can be an important asset.
This is why being a social butterfly is important for a precinct person. You will often hear discussions about the importance of walking and fundraising for precinct holders. These roles certainly can come into play, and often act as roles of a precinct member. Many great precinct persons may not be able to handle those tasks, due to disability, age or lack of funds. If they know their neighbors and issues, however, precinct persons can effectively provide those seeking elections a way to connect with more voters in an effective way.
If you are not interested in communicating with your neighbors, the role of precinct man/woman is likely not a role you should undertake.
Precinct Persons Have Real Influence
Out of roughly 181,000 precinct seats nationwide that vote at the county level, party estimates figure less than 90,000 of those positions are actively filled. Less than half of precinct seats nationwide have a member sitting in them.
“That’s OK,” you might say. “After all, what do they really matter?” They do not handle policy or procedures, but precinct persons have a significant role in selecting county party chairs, vice chairs and district officers nationally. These roles can influence how your county appropriates funds, backs candidates, and handles recruitment.
In other words, being a precinct person can have real influence over the party around you, especially in areas where many seats are unfilled.
If you have a local elected party official who decides to retire while in office, in many states, it is the precinct persons within their district who will select their replacement.
Candidate Recruitment
Candidate recruitment is often a long-term project. It can take time to cultivate candidates of the future. While state and national officers may help recruit for state and national races, the only way to really find people who will run for office at the local level, and often even in the state house level, is to get to know them. So, how do you identify candidates for the future? The easiest way is by having precinct officers and party officials actually have a personal relationship with someone who may have interest in running. Many great candidates have been found because someone had a friend, who knew a friend, who thought about running.
For state office holders and national party members, building those micro-relationships nationally is not a viable strategy. Heck, if I lost my phone I do not have all of the names memorized, and that is a small sample in comparison to the number of potential office seekers in a state like Kansas or Missouri.
Building those relationships also takes time. Having precinct officers, who live in the community, can identify and influence those who may consider running is an important piece to building the future.
This is something you can do.
While many of you have followed this diary series with good commentary about the roles that you have played in campaigns, helping to recruit and work in campaign offices, this week we focus on the race you run for yourself. Many who read this series think to themselves, or comment: “I will never run for office.” But while you may not be prepared to run for a state or local office, this is an office within the party that you can serve in and make a real difference. With more than half of the seats empty, your biggest obstacle is normally just the filing fee, which can range from free to a small cost. In many areas, you can also run as a write-in or be appointed by a county party chair.
If you think to yourself: “I wish my county party or state party was more effective,” this is your first step to make a difference.
Next Week: We return to Jessica Jones. With a week before the primary, we focus on Poll Monitors and GOTV.
Nuts & Bolts: Building Democratic Campaigns
Contact the Daily Kos group Nuts and Bolts by kosmail (members of Daily Kos only).
Every Saturday this group will chronicle the ins and outs of campaigns, small and large. Issues to be covered: Campaign Staffing, Fundraising, Canvass, Field Work, Data Services, Earned Media, Spending and Budget Practices, How to Keep Your Mental Health, and on the last Saturday of the month: “Don’t Do This!” a diary on how you can learn from the mistakes of campaigns in the past.
You can follow prior installments in this series HERE.