HOW CAN YOU HELP?  "GET OUT THE VOTE" BEGINS WITH YOU!

 

You have probably heard the phrase, "All politics is local."  It's true!  Grassroots activism at the local level is the bedrock of any political endeavor.  To aid in that grassroots activism, the Texas Democratic Party knows that for it to be successful politically, it must have a solid cadre of volunteers functioning as block or neighborhood captains, precinct chairs, pollworkers, county chairs, and district representatives. 

 

Precinct Chairs

In Washington County we have 21 voting precincts.  We need 21 precinct chairs; each must reside in his/her respective precinct.  Precinct chairs are elected by the voters in their precincts. 

 

A precinct chair plays many roles in an election cycle, ranging from voter registrar to organizer.  As precinct chair, you are the party leader in your voting precinct.  Precinct chairs have a direct impact on local, statewide and national elections.  One of their most cirtical duties is to GET OUT THE VOTE on election day.  With an active, effective precinct chair, we can succeed in electing Democrats in all levels of public office.

 

Block/Neighborhood Captains

Voting precincts are usually too large for one precinct chair to manage effectively.  Often times, precinct chairs select volunteer assistants to help manage and oversee a portion (e.g., block,  neighborhood) of the precinct.  These block/neighborhood captains perform an invaluable service to the precinct, the county and the sate.

 

County Chair

The county chair is the overall manager of political activity within the county.  He/she works with the precincts chairs, block/neighborhood captains, pollworkers, and others to ensure each citizen has the opportunity and the information to make an informed decision before casting a ballot.

 

Pollworkers

As we have 21 voting precinct, we need at least 63 precinct pollworkers.  Additional pollworkers are needed for authenication of early voting ballots and to count the ballots on election night.

 

Precinct pollworkers are responsible for managing and exercising the voting process when the voters get to the polling location.  They are responsible for verifying the identify of the voter, ensuring the voter is able to cast his/her ballot with minimal distractions, securing the ballots beforeand after voting, and turning the ballots in to proper authorities after precinct voting is complete.

 

To do this, a minimum of three pollworkers is required at each polling location: a presiding judge, an alternate judge, and a clerk.  Additional clerks may be authorzed, based on the number of citizens typically voting at that precinct location.