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.
Over the last week, several stories focused on the state of their local county organization have drawn significant attention. In light of that, I’m going to take this week to talk about our county parties, one of the building blocks of the Democratic party and how you can make yours better.
It is easy to throw up our hands and say, “well, this isn’t working” and walk away, but a big part of making the party as a whole better is building an understanding of what county party organizations can do, should do, and don’t do for candidates and members. Settle in and let’s fix your county organization.
What is the purpose of a county party?
Many people think the purpose of a county party is to have set meetings by which members can discuss Democratic politics or get guidance on what to do next. While that happens in some county parties, it really isn’t the purpose of the organizational unit at all.
County parties (or Parishes in Louisiana), have two chief roles: support of a candidate, and recruit and maintenance of precinct captains who can be called upon to replace outgoing officers or elected officials should someone step down in office.
The second stated purpose is the root of why county organizations are a statutory unit, one created by state law in virtually every state.
As a result, some of the biggest complaints about county organizations fall into one of these three categories:
- Meetings are boring.
- Too much attention to content that doesn’t matter to attendees.
- Lack direct action plans.
So, we’re going to tackle some steps that have been used effectively to improve your experience with your local party.
Rule #1: Divorce business meetings from social meetings.
If your county party is subject to low attendance at meetings, it is often because people don’t want to sit through a meeting governed by Robert’s Rules that becomes a run down of your current treasurer’s report, secretary’s minutes, and duty reporting. County officers are often required to give this information in their meetings, and as a result, the public tends to sit through a long period of information they rarely care about.
Divorcing the business meeting of the county party from a social meeting allows people who want to attend the business meeting to still go, but it provides the broad majority of people, who just want to hear a guest speaker or a discussion of what to do next attend a far more social function.
Rule #2: Outside organizations are often better fits for direct action.
I often hear: “Why can’t my county or state organization get on board and actively get behind an event by XYZ.” Well, there are several reasons for this, but most important is that several of these organizations can be state or national PACs. Saying an event exists is fine, but they are a bit cautious about actively promoting or being seen as putting resources behind outside partners, out of fear it could get them in trouble later.
Outside organizations, like PSN, Indivisible, MoveOn, etc. are built on a different model. Unlike county parties, their membership can spread across county lines, and they are not obligated to set voting members. County parties, governed by law, have specific limits and guidelines that are placed on them.
County parties do not have a direct choice in who their precinct members are—if you run for PCO, and you are elected, the county party must deal with you, good or bad. Meanwhile, outside advocacy groups can promote and choose their membership with the ability to exclude those who may not be helpful.
These differences make it difficult for a county party organization to ever look like outside influencers like Indivisible. This is not because they have no interest in doing so, it is because specific guidelines often prevent the diverse membership and activity that would make that possible.
Rule #3: If you are having meetings just to have meetings, you are wasting your time.
The other frequent complaint I hear is: “We have meetings, but it is mostly bitching about Republicans and then we leave.”
County party meetings sound functional and important, but if you are not actually accomplishing things, or you have no business at hand, then schedule fewer meetings. A county that meets four times a year with something significant to discuss or a reason for people to attend is better than a county that meets monthly and turns off membership.
Rule #4: County party really bad? Take. It. Over.
If you are really unhappy with the leadership of your county party, if nothing is getting done or you feel it is being done incorrectly, you are free to try and take the organization over. Every few years the county must re-organize officers. If you have elected more PCOs who believe in your view of the party, you can change your county party leadership.
Before you embark on overthrowing a county or state organization, try to have a plan as to what you would do if you succeed. If you manage to take over a piece of party organization and you have no plan what to do next, you won’t hold it very long, and you will likely alienate yourself from a lot of the membership that keeps the county party going.
Rule #5: Build friendly outside voices.
County parties are at their best when outside voices are built that have weight. You can accomplish that by setting up outside activities associated with, but not directly linked to, the county organization. These often include:
- Drinking Liberally
- County Democratic Women’s Organization
- County Minority Caucus organizations
- County Business Leaders groups
- and yes, even Connect! Unite! Act! local meetings.
Some individuals may never feel at home in a county party meeting, but they might feel at home in a Drinking Liberally or a Democratic Women’s meeting. Building ancillary organizations that handle the social and information needs of the membership that can occur outside of a county meeting isn’t about making the local organization weak, it is about making sure that the local organization remains focused on the main task of recruiting and supporting candidates.
Final Thoughts
County and state organizations often tend to be occupied by much older members who are accustomed to the meetings working in a set way and are often tied to routine. Shaking up that routine can be difficult, but not impossible.
If you think your county party needs reform, feel free to talk to your chair and try to shake it up.
Next week on Nuts & Bolts: OK, I’m on the state committee. What now?
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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.
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