Notes from the Chair
March is Precinct Organization Time
March 6 - 20
All of you as Union County Democrats have another chance to grow the party through our precinct organization time. The mighty force of organized precincts can topple the “red” one precinct at a time. It starts with each one of us helping to form strongly organized precincts.
Remember Union County was one of only 5 counties in NC that had increases in their democratic voter turnout and named by the NYT as heading to BLUE. We are on the right path and now we can begin again by adding more organized precincts and precinct leaders.
LET’S DO THIS!
PRECINCT ORGANIZATION
The following is an excerpt from the 2020 NCDP Precinct Guide put together by Karen Turner and her UCDP Gang of Volunteers.
What is a Precinct Organizational Meeting?
Every year, each precinct across the state is asked to meet at least once. The purpose of the meeting is to elect precinct officers, collect small donations to fulfill the sustaining fund, select county convention delegates, discuss resolutions, and make plans to GOTV in upcoming elections. Not all Democratic Party precincts are organized, but MCDP has made it a goal to organize as many as possible. We currently have over a hundred organized precincts — more than ever before.
Who comes to the meeting?
To be officially considered organized, a precinct must have a minimum of five registered Democrats at their organizing meeting. That’s also known as having a quorum. Up to two of these people may call into the meeting. Any Democrats who live in the precinct may attend. Attendees are encouraged to bring like-minded friends to the meeting, but only Democrats are allowed to vote in the proceedings.
When does the meeting take place?
Typically, the annual meetings are held within a two-week window established by the County Party, usually in February. The Precinct Chair selects the location, date, and meeting time and notifies the County Chair who posts it online on the county website and Facebook page. This notice must be posted at least seven days prior to the meeting. Weekday meetings must start between 6:00 and 7:30 PM, and weekend meetings must be held between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM.
How do people find out about the meetings?
Due to COVID restrictions, all meetings will be via zoom.
In addition to the posting on the UCDP websites, precincts are expected to help get the word out. Posting on social media, Nextdoor (a community website), posting flyers, and making phone calls to neighbors are great ways to reach voters. You can ask the party for a targeted list of phone numbers and addresses of likely attendees in your precinct.
- In odd-numbered years, the members of each organized precinct elect precinct officers and select delegates to represent the precinct at the county convention. Precinct Officers serve two-year terms and are the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and two at-large members. Each precinct can have one delegate per each 100 Democratic votes cast for governor.
- In even-numbered years, precincts meet to fill open vacancies, discuss resolutions, and plan how to get out the vote in their neighborhoods in the coming election.
These meetings are a great opportunity to see grassroots organizing in action, and participate in strengthening the Democratic Party! All registered Democrats are encouraged to attend to help the party grow and represent the neighborhood in the year to come.
Precinct Organization: Key Things to Know
These are a few highlights you may want to know. Before conducting any precinct meeting, refer to the PoO for full details and requirements.
Notes on Precinct Officers and County Convention Delegates
- Precinct officers may not work for the Board of Elections.
- The vice-chair should be of the opposite gender of the chair and should, where possible, be of a race other than that of the chair.
- No officers of the precinct committee shall be from the same immediate family residing in the same household.
Chair
Duties of the precinct chair include:
- Presiding at precinct meetings
- Establishing reasonable political goals for the precinct
- Organizing and executing a voter organizing plan
- Attending meetings of the county executive committee (there are at least 3 annually)
Vice-Chair
Duties of the precinct vice chair include:
- Presiding at precinct meetings in the absence of the chair
- Serving as the publicity chair for the precinct
- Establishing reasonable political goals for the precinct in conjunction with the other officers.
- Organizing and executing a voter organizing plan
- Attending meetings of the county executive committee (there are at least 3 annually)
Secretary/Treasurer
The duties of the precinct secretary/treasurer include:
- Keeping all records of the precinct committee
- If there is a precinct treasury, maintaining it at a chartered financial institution
- Preparing and filing reports as required by law
- Presiding at precinct meetings in the absence of the chair and vice-chair
- Supporting the chair with establishing reasonable political goals for the precinct
- Supporting the chair with organizing and executing a voter organizing plan
Due to COVID restriction this year all precincts are meeting via zoom. If you are a precinct chair, or a dedicated person in an unorganized precinct, have you contacted Kevin to schedule your meeting?
All meetings must take place between March 6 - 20
Contact: kdaniels@ucdemsnc.org to schedule
Sustaining Fund Program
At your annual organizational meeting, you will start collecting funds to meet your Sustaining Fund Contribution. It’s like annual dues owed to the party, and the amount owed varies for each precinct, currently based on a calculation of $0.02 per registered voter in each county. Cash donations up to $50 are accepted, as well as donations of any amount by check, and must be recorded on the sign-in sheets.
The Sustaining Fund truly lives up to its name because it is the money that keeps our party functioning. These funds are used by the state to provide services like these:
- Provide VoteBuilder to county parties
- Maintenance and updating of Party’s website
- Organize and conduct training for party officers and activists
- Develop literature on Democratic issues and message
- Provide materials for precinct meetings and county and district conventions
- Mailing of meeting notices and other important party information
- Rental of facilities for executive committee meetings and state convention
COUNTY CONVENTION APRIL 10
START TIME 11 AM VIA ZOOM MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW SOON!
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