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Precinct Captains Program

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winner of Westly DEMS 2.0 Contest -- 'modernize local efforts and coordinate ... How Does Existing System Work with Precinct ... permanent absentee ballots. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Precinct Captains Program


1
Precinct Captains Program
  • by California Grassroots Champions
    Coalition(Santa Cruz, San Diego,
  • and Santa Clara Counties)
  • -- winner of Westly DEMS 2.0 Contest --
  • modernize local efforts and coordinate party
    activities

2
Presentation Outline
  • What is a Precinct Captains Program?
  • Why Precincts Capts?
  • Program Goals
  • How to Get Started
  • Recruiting
  • Training
  • How to Organize
  • Precinct Captain/Team
  • Area Lead
  • Support Committee
  • County Coordination
  • Tools to Use
  • Startup Packet
  • Welcome letter
  • Precinct info
  • Literature Forms
  • Web Tools
  • Legalities
  • Structure
  • Reporting
  • Contacts
  • References

3
How Does Existing System Work with Precinct
Captains Program?
  • Leadership and Existing System of Politics(good
    ideas control assumed to flow from top to
    bottom)

4
The Precinct CaptainsParadigm Shift
  • Precinct Captains Enliven the Process(good ideas
    and control happen neighbor-to-neighbor)

5
What is a Precinct Captains Program?
  • Local Democratic Grassroots Action
  • One on One
  • Person to Person
  • Face to Face
  • Community Building
  • Talk Neighbor to Neighbor
  • Discuss issues together
  • Fulfillment of the Promises
  • All politics is local
  • Think globally, act locally

Community
6
Why Precinct Captains?
  • Politics has Radically Changed
  • Remote Impersonal
  • Big Politics (like big business)
  • Run by Consultants
  • Politics Produces Voter Dissatisfaction
  • Election Campaigns --gt mass marketing
  • Political mailings --gt junk mail
  • Political emails --gt spam
  • Political phone banking --gt telemarketing
  • Shown to be ineffective
  • Voter turn-out not improved

7
The BEFORE Picture for Dems
8
Accomplishments - AFTER
9
Accomplishments AFTER
10
Accomplishments - Precincts with Captains
11
Program Goals
  • Encourage Democrats to Vote
  • Improve Democratic Election Turnout(get higher
    proportion to vote than Republicans)
  • Voter Registration
  • Convince likely Democratic Voters to Register
  • Inspire Voters to reRegister as Democrat
  • Highlight Democratic Values Issues
  • Promote Democratic Candidates
    Measures
  • Win Elections!

12
Precinct Area Organization
  • The Cycle of Strength

13
Precinct Captains Organization
area lead
area lead
6
31
A
E
1
26
5
30
County support committee
29
4
2
27
3
28
precinct captains
precinct captains
area lead
area lead
D
12
B
21
25
7
11
area lead
24
22
10
23
8
C
9
precinct captains
15
precinct captains
14
13
16
17
precinct captains
14
County Coordination
  • Contact the Democratic Leadership in your
    community to make sure you're all on the same
    page about Precinct Captains
  • Clubs,
  • Central Committee,
  • Assembly District Committee.
  • Give presentations and propose that you work
    together.
  • Ask for support from environmental, labor, and
    ethnic organizations in your county.
  • Coordinate with GOTV activities so efforts aren't
    duplicated.

15
Legal Reporting
  • If Precinct Captains Program raises or earns more
    than 1000 per year, its organizing group must
    report to the State (FPPC) and Federal (FEC).
  • Create an organizational infrastructure that
    makes sense in your area
  • Club
  • Subcommittee of the DCC

16
The Support Committee
  • INVITES, WELCOMES, EMPOWERS
  • Recruits new Precinct Captains
  • Conducts outreach to other organizations
  • Trains leaders and volunteers
  • Develops program tools and materials
  • Prepares, maintains and disseminates voter data
    (and access codes for online tools)
  • Coordinates with the United Democratic
    Campaign
  • Maintains the volunteer database
  • Handles finances

17
How to Recruit Captains
  • Start with your friends.
  • Contact known volunteers from past elections.
  • Review voter lists in each precinct to find
    either known potential volunteers or those who
    have a strong voting record. Get help from local
    elected officials who know voters in their
    district.
  • Give presentations to our constituency groups.
  • Encourage students to form clubs. Call high
    school civics/social studies teachers to see if
    you can give a presentation on voter
    involvement.
  • Once a leader is identified, it becomes their job
    to find other volunteers in their precinct.
  • From there it snowballs!

18
Precinct Captain Startup Packet
  • Cover Letter with suggested menu of activities
  • Walking List
  • Contains names/addresses/phone numbers of
    registered Democrats in precinct. (Other voters
    could be available later.)
  • Map of the Precinct
  • Alphabetized List of Democrats (with phone
    numbers)
  • Statistics or other analysis of voting history
  • Voter Registration and Information Packet
  • Voter registration forms.
  • Applications for permanent absentee ballots.
  • Information about candidates in national and
    local races.
  • Information about initiatives that will appear on
    the ballot.
  • A first contact script
  • Door hanger, business cards, or other hand-outs
  • Sample invitations to precinct coffees and other
    events

19
Training New Precinct Captains
  • Regular meetings with pre-meeting training
    sessions for new volunteers.
  • More frequently during campaign season, less
    frequently during the off-season.
  • Volunteers receive packet with materials.
  • Briefing on roles
  • Role-playing training
  • Have scripts available on issues and candidates
  • Precinct Captains often establish a neighborhood
    committee to subdivide the precinct.
  • Under Development The Online Self-Help Center
    for Precinct Captains (data tools, materials,
    neighborhood web-site, scripts and on-line
    training)

20
The Neighborhood Team
  • The Precinct Captain facilitates introductions
  • The neighborhood team becomes a resource for
    electoral issues
  • Create a web site, yearly event, safe house
  • Provide Constituency Services
  • Address their concerns
  • Foster local get-togethers
  • Mutual Support Action
  • Facilitate rather than boss
  • Develop your own style
  • Engage young people

21
Web Tools
22
The Online Self-Help Center for Precinct Captains
- Options
  • Range from Dem Freeware to Proprietary Products
  • Each has features pros/cons
  • VISION Inexpensive data tools
    using single database

  • VAN
  • Astro
  • Orchid (AdvoKit)
  • The Activist
  • Freeware - (AdvoKit)

browser-based Mac/IBM friendly cheap
tested in states - not integrated - needs
modification
integrated inexpensive tested over cnty.
elections - desktop install - IBM only
integrated tested - cost
integrated tested - centralized - cost
tested in states compatible - cost
23
Voter Lookup Screen
24
Voter Input Screen
25
Voter Mgnt Screen
26
Precinct Walking List
27
References
  • Grassroots Champions Coalition http//www.Precinct
    Captains.org/
  • AdvoKit Demonstration site http//demo.voter2voter
    .org/advokit/index.php
  • Santa Clara Volunteer Mgnt Systemhttp//sccdp.org
    /volunteer_comm.php
  • Get Out the Vote! How to Increase Voter Turnout,
    by Donald Green and Alan Gerber.
  • CONTACT Barbara Graves, PO Box 1682, Capitola,
    CA 95010 831-462-4303Captains_at_dancin.biz
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