5/14/2012

Tomorrow: Filing deadline for precinct delegates and candidates!

Would YOU like to help make the Democratic Party more responsive to your concerns? Here's your chance!

Many Democratic activists like myself are precinct delegates. What is a precinct delegate?

The role of a precinct delegate is one of the most important yet least understood of any elected office. It is the active precinct delegate who wins elections for the Democratic Party. Precinct delegates are elected directly by the voters of each precinct to serve as a bridge between voters and the Democratic Party in your neighborhood and you represent your neighborhood at Democratic Party meetings.

So basically you will appear on the August 7 primary ballot in your precinct. While each precinct has a certain number of precinct delegate spots, many of them go unfilled. Result? If you file to run for Precinct Delegate, you are almost certain to win.

It's easy to run for Precinct Delegate. Fill out this form, get it notarized, and turn it in to your city/township clerk's office by 4PM tomorrow.

But wait... there's more! The Democratic Party is also looking for nominees for various offices at the state and county level. We can't let the Republicans go unopposed! If you want to run for office (even if it's just to put your name on the ballot), fill out this form, get it notarized, and turn it in along with a $100 filing fee (you'll get the fee back after the August primary if you're nominated). You will also need to fill out this form regarding campaign committees, but note that if you don't expect to spend much on the campaign, you can file for what's called a reporting waiver.

To find out who has filed to run for certain offices, or to determine where to file for office (which varies depending on the office and whether the district crosses county lines), call your county clerk's office. 
As the Democratic nominee for an office, you get the same rights as a precinct delegate, but you also get to serve on your County Party's Executive Committee for the next two years. (Nominees for certain offices constitute 1/3 of the County Democratic Executive Committee; the other 2/3 are selected by precinct delegates in November.)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Those interested in being write-in precinct delegates for the Kent County Democratic Party are welcome to join us for a meeting at Aberdeen Park in Grand Rapids, Wednesday, August 1, at 7 p.m. We will be done by 7:45.

Also if anyone knows of a notary public willing to donate their time for notarizing documents at the meeting, that would be awesome.

For more information, email politicog@yahoo.com