What is a Democratic Precinct Organizer?

An electoral precinct is the smallest, and most local, of political units. When you're a Precinct Organizer, a precinct is basically your neighborhood. In a nutshell, your primary task as a Precinct Organizer is to engage your Democratic neighbors in the political process—whether they choose to actively work with the party in some way, or simply to vote. As a Precinct Organizer, you do that by reaching out to your neighbors and inviting them into the process. 

 

How the Democratic Party is Organized

At the national level, the Democratic party is governed by the Democratic National Committee. Guided by the DNC, each state has its own party organization; here it's the Colorado Democratic Party. And locally we are the Mesa County Democrats. The DNC and the Colorado Dems have paid staff as well as volunteers; locally we are all volunteers. At each level of the organization there are elected and appointed party officials, as well as various committees—these all meet regularly. A party platform provides rules and guidelines, and a strategic plan looks to the future.

 

The Mesa County Democrats

The Mesa County Democrats are governed by an Executive Committee which includes the party Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and several at-large seats. All are elected and have voting privileges. There's also a Central Committee, including all the above plus all Precinct Organizers. Both these committees meet monthly and shape decisions about party activities. There are also several targeted committees, including Volunteers, Communications, Candidates and Issues, Strategic Plan, and District Precinct Organizers. The Mesa County Women's Group is also very active. 

 

Precincts and their Organizers

There are 67 precincts in Mesa County, and they are organized into seven districts. For each precinct, there is an elected or appointed Precinct Organizer (PO), selected at the semi-annual caucus. For each ten or so precincts, there is a District Precinct Organizer (DPO) who acts as liaison between the party and their POs. Three DPOs are included on the Executive Committee, on a rotating basis.

 

The main job of a PO is to communicate with Democrats in their precinct, providing information, offering resources, answering questions, and most importantly, ensuring they vote. The party provides the information, training, tools, and resources that every PO needs. POs also are involved in the every-other-year caucus (held in even-numbered years) where candidates are selected for local and state offices and the party platform is discussed.

 

Support When and Where It's Needed

The local, state, and national Democratic Parties are here to support you -- our Precinct Organizers—and every one of our Democrats! Each level of the party has an informational website you can refer to any time. Locally, we also have a full-time office. We keep in touch via the website, and through targeted email newsletters that provide information about local goings-on and opportunities to participate. These are great resources you can offer to your neighborhood Democrats! And as a Precinct Organizer, you always have an invaluable resource in your District Precinct Organizer.

 

We Welcome You to Become a Precinct Organizer!

Many people believe the Precinct Organizer is the most important person in the party. That's because we're the ones working locally, staying in touch with our neighboring Democrats and giving them every opportunity to stay engaged in the democratic process. So please join us and become part of the vital work of keeping our democratic process alive and strong!