The goal of the Democratic Party is to win elections. Regardless of what level of the organization you are involved in you need to repeatedly ask yourself one question, “Is what I’m doing going to help elect more Democrats?” In some communities defining success can mean identifying just a few more Democratic voters.

Precinct captains have certain duties that the party depends on them to perform.

• Attend legislative district and/or county central committee meetings. 

• Elect county and legislative district leadership during the re-organization meeting.

• Nominate a replacement if any Democratic elected official should resign in your area.

• Contact the people in your neighborhood at least once a year.

• Volunteer on Election Day for the Get Out The Vote effort.

Should a move or change of circumstances make you unable to perform your duties as a precinct organizer for a prolonged period of time, please submit an email or letter of resignation to your legislative district or county chair. Through your work as precinct organizer you may know a person who can take your place so please make your leadership aware of this person as soon as possible. 

Effective Precinct Organizers:

Know their neighbors: Get acquainted with the people in your precinct. Make sure you know homebound citizens or people in the military who need to vote by mail. Make an effort to welcome all newcomers with a personal visit or note and, if they are Democrats, inform them how they can register to vote. Get young people who will be 18 years old before Election Day registered to vote.

Know their precinct: Your state party or legislative district organization can help you obtain information about your precinct. Get a map of the area and study it. Know the boundaries, the number of houses, apartments, churches, businesses, schools and the location of your polling place.  Get to know the economic makeup, number of union members, veterans, students of voting age, total Democratic population, ethnicities represented, and voting history of your precinct. 

Know local issues: Read your local paper to learn about major concerns of your county, district and precinct. Know the hot button issues in your community and how the people in your precinct feel about them. Learn about important state issues. Familiarize yourself with Democratic Party values and talking points.

Toolkit

A large part of being an effective precinct organizer requires walking or driving your precinct and contacting voters. To do this effectively and efficiently, it’s important to be prepared. The following list of items may be obtained online from your state party or from your local Democratic organizations and will make your job easier:

• Precinct map. 

• Voter registration forms. 

• Absentee voter forms. 

• Party Affiliation forms. 

• Extra copies of literature about Democratic elected officials and candidates in your voting district.

• Walking or calling lists of voters in your precinct from Votebuilder.

• Clipboard and pen.

• A sense of humor!

Know where to find answers: You don’t have to have all the answers you just need to know who you can call to find them. Call the Idaho Democratic Party at (208) 336-1815 any time you need information.

If you are interested in becoming a Precinct Captain please reach out to your county party for more information!