Calling all Texas DU'ers! RUN FOR PRECINCT CHAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Smarty Pants Liberal]

One of the most important reasons to run for precinct chair is that the precinct chair serves on the County Executive Committee. The County Executive Committee approves the County Party budget. A $10,000 grass roots line item was removed from a County Party budget in 2004 by a vote from the County Executive Committee that would have provided the county with the largest voting population in Texas with a very valuable tool for organizing.

The County Executive Committee also votes for or against resolutions. If your County Executive Committee continues to be dominated by moderates, resolutions that are important to you will probably never be passed. A resolution expressing dissatisfaction with a legislator's vote against the Party platform coming from a County Executive Committee is a very powerful statement.

It has been said that an SDEC member in Texas turned progressives away who came to the November 2003 County Executive Committee meeting to file to run for precinct chair in 2004. I don't know if this is true as I was not present.

If you don't know which precinct you live in go to Who represents me? and type in your address. Your precinct number is to the right of your county.

Now head to your county Party website and find out who your precinct chair is. If there is no information on the website call the Party office. If there is no website, call your county chair.

If there is no precinct chair, ask if you can be appointed. If there is a precinct chair, find their contact information, contact them and volunteer to help organize.

If you are appointed chair your term will end the day after the primary if you do not run for chair in 2006. Be sure to file to run as well.

If your precinct chair and/or county Party or chair is non responsive, file to run for chair in 2006. Candidates for precinct chair can file between now and January 2, 2006. A link to an application for a place on the primary ballot is at the bottom of this post. It must be notarized and received at your county Party headquarters no later than Monday, January 2,2006. If you are waiting until the last minute you ought to make sure you hand the ballot to someone at headquarters and get their name.

The requirements for Democratic Primary voting are waived in odd numbered years. One must have voted in the last Democratic Party primary to be appointed chair in even numbered years.

The SE Texas meetings of the Progressive Populist Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party and Democracy for Houston will have applications and the services of a notary available at their November and December meetings.

Download an application at http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/a2-1pm.pdf

[crispini]

1. I *am* a precinct chair.

All other DU'ers who are PC's or who are planning to run, check in!

[NoPasaran]

5. I am running

[VelmaD]

13. Me too...

Went to the Travis County Dems webpage to look up my precinct chair to volunteer to help them out. Found out I didn't have one. Next thing I knew...it was me. :)

[derby378]

15. Woo-hoo!! Congratulations!!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

:bounce: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :bounce:

[theboz]

2. I found who is listed, but I have another question

What does one need to do to "move" where they vote if they moved addresses? I still am using my old mailing address on my driver's license, but it's pretty far from where I live and I'd like to be able to vote near where I live. Any idea on what I need to do, and whether or not it's too late?

I've been a residence of Texas for a couple of years now, but don't know where I need to go to vote anyway since I was out of state last year and voted through the mail.

[WestHoustonDem]

3. You need to register tomorrow! It's the last day. n/t

[Smarty Pants Liberal]

4. HOWEVER, you can still register to vote after tomorrow...

if you want to run for precinct chair. Your voter registration needs to be the same as the precinct as you plan to run in no longer than January 2, 2005.

A link to a request for a voter registration application and everything you want to know about voting in Texas can be found at:

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/index.shtml

[crispini]

6. Get it in the mail today and you should be ok!

Good luck!

[theboz]

7. Thanks

If I don't have the time to get it done today, I will still be able to vote where I used to live, which is about 30 to 45 minutes away. In any case, I'll try to change it purely for the convenience factor.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

9. Not just convenience factor, but legal factor?

Don't quote me on this because I'm not an expert; maybe someone who has a definitive answer will chime in. But in much the same way you're "required" to change your driver's license and auto registration within 30 days of a move, there may be a similar statute with voter registration. It may be one of those laws on the books that's overlooked, but we don't need to make it easy for an asshole republican election judge to disqualify a ballot.

[theboz]

10. I would still be a grey area

I still have the other address and in fact most of my mail still goes there, it's just that I got an apartment closer to work recently and am not yet fully moved in.

[NoPasaran]

11. You're not "required" to change your voter registration

Unless you want to continue voting!

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

8. Did you mean January 2, 2006? n/t

[Smarty Pants Liberal]

12. Yes, January 2, 2006

Sorry about that.

2004 was such a shock that I can't get it out of my mind.

[newyawker99]

33. Hi Smarty Pants Liberal!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Smarty Pants Liberal]

34. Very nice to be here

Ya'll (that's 'you guys' in New York speak) are so nice! :pals:

[derby378]

14. I'm considering a run for precinct chair

Been talking with ginbarn and TexasThoughtCriminal about the idea and what would be required of me.

And I agree with SPL in the OP - Texas Democrats need to turn the county parties more progressive so that our state will not just turn blue, but deep blue!

[Lisa0825]

16. That's what I am curious about... what would be required of me....

I just completed my grad school application! YIPPEE! So, I will be fulltime employed and part-time student. I just don't know how much time I could commit to. It's easy to do whatever activities I want on my own schedule, but I don't want to commit to something and then feel like I've let someone down if it gets to be too much.

[WestHoustonDem]

17. It's a lot of what you make of it. HCDP will be having another

precinct development workshop. Even though you're not in Harris County, you should attend and then decide. I'll post when the next one is scheduled.

[Smarty Pants Liberal]

18. Throw a Democratic Party

The chair is responsible for getting out the vote and should attend the County Executive Committee meetings. Most counties hold about 4 County Executive Committee meetings a year.

Working the election is not a requirement and I'm kicking myself for not asking one of the former judges to work the election for me this year.

If you can find 4 good volunteers in a precinct of about 2,000 your job will be easy. If you can find 10 good volunteers in a precinct of about 2,000 you've got it made. If you can find 25 you'll really shake things up in your precinct.

Throw a party in your precinct, call it a Democratic Party and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the people who turn out. They want change but don't know where to begin.

If you don't want to have the party at home (like me - I don't have much furniture and am presently in a state of unpacking boxes) look for a city or county building with a meeting room. Libraries and parks are great because people can bring their children.

I don't know where you live, Derby but if you're not close to Harris County check with the Texas Democratic Party to see when a Grassroots Training will be conducted in your area.

[derby378]

19. After giving it some serious thought...

...I'm holding off on entering our PC race. Instead, I'm going to offer my services to our current PC and see if there's anything I can help him with. I can get my feet wet with precinct organization and local GOTV initiatives this way.

This is probably the best thing for me to do. Alan's a good guy, a good Democrat, and a faithful Chair who never missed an EC vote. But if for some reason he decides not to run again, I am so back in the race.

[WestHoustonDem]

20. No Pasaran will probably kill me, but my precinct is being

combined with another and the chair that will remain is a decent guy, so I too am going to start as an Organizer and consider running for Chair at a later date.

[derby378]

21. You and me, getting in on the ground floor

And that's a good thing, indeed.

I can only hope to catch up with my wife, Ms. State Delegate. Woo-hoo!

[WestHoustonDem]

22. Yeah, but I promised NoPasaran that I'd run if he did, and then

it turns out it's kind of out of my hands.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

25. Oh noooo! Is Tom DeLay redistricting Houston precincts?

It's mid-decade. Time to pull out the map and pen, and carve up neighborhoods.

[CitySky]

23. Oh my Gosh it's SMARTY PANTS LIBERAL!!!

Welcome to DU!!!

(I think I recognize you from your bumper sticker as well as from that drum you're beating. ;) Will PM you to let you know who I am.)

ON EDIT: Well la-di-dah. You're not set up to take PM's yet. So I'll have to make you guess. :P Here's your clue: my current precinct chair is running for something else. And you owe me the phone number email address of somebody named Michael so we can get together and arm-wrestle for it.

But it is GREAT TO SEE YOU HERE! Please PM me. You do that by clicking on the little "memo" symbol next to my name. I still don't have your dang email address anywhere I can find it.

-C

AND ON FURTHER EDIT -- PS: HEY TEXAS DU'ERS! If this is who I think it is (and I REALLY think it is), then Smarty Pants Liberal is seriously good people. Not that anyone NEEDS a referral letter to hang out with us, but I'm whipping one up anyway. "Seriously. Good. People." There. Done.

[WestHoustonDem]

24. I do know who Smarty Pants Liberal is and my guess is

that it's who you're thinking of. PM me if you want to confirm it.

[CitySky]

27. SPL's identity is confirmed.

Rec'd an email last night. Thanks to both of you!
Will keep you posted re discussions with Michael, decisions...

-Sky

[Smarty Pants Liberal]

26. Yep, it's me

CitySky, I've misplaced your card but I'll dig around in a database I keep on another pc and find your e-mail address tonight. I don't have enough posts to PM :shrug:

Can't keep up with my e-mail and telephone calls very well these days because of a special election for SD chair in my SD that will be held in November.

Yet another reason for progressives to run for precinct chair. We've made a lot of progress in this SD and it could seriously backslide if the wrong person is elected.

Derby and WHD, if you have a good chair I agree, organizing is a great way to get your feet wet. OTOH, if your chair is too busy to work their own precinct - like CitySky's - you might want to consider running for chair.

Did you get that hint, CitySky?

And thank you for the wonderful complement, CitySky. :hug:

[derby378]

28. Well, folks...I'm back. AND IT'S ON!!

I'm running for Precinct Chair after all. This time, it's for real.

Our current PC is not seeking re-election. Hate to see him go, but at least it means that yet another Texas precinct may have a DUer tending to its needs before too much longer.

:patriot:

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

29. And a fine Precinct Chair derby will make!

I hope to be there at your swearing in! :toast:

[derby378]

30. Aw, bless your heart...

I just hope enough folks think I'm worthy enough to fill the current PC's shoes. It's gonna be exciting!

[Lisa0825]

31. Hey y'all.... check in here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=4156791&mesg_id=4156791

[texanwitch]

32. I am already one.

Good idea.:toast: