Question about local Dem Party orgs....

[Hannah Bell]

Mine is run by some business owners, union heads & local administrators, plus a handful of upper class older women.

They don't publicize their meetings. If you call to volunteer, you don't get a call-back. To get info, you have to know somebody. It's basically a little social club, except in election years.

My question is, how would you go about getting different people into the leadership?

[OhioBlue]

1. run for Central Committee

talk to the Board of Elections - get a petition and get on the ballot. In my County, elections are in May. Central Committee members serve 4 year terms. Central Committee members vote on leadership. You'll probably have to put in a few years before you can make a successful run for leadership. Get other progressives to run for Central Committee too!!! do it now!

[Hannah Bell]

2. So who votes for the central committee? I've never seen elections for local

dem org positions on local public ballots.

now i'm really confused.

thanks for your help, btw.

I was hoping I could just show up at a meeting with 50 pissed off Dems & say "we're taking over, youse guys!"

[OhioBlue]

3. what State are you in? You should post this in that forum

your rules might be different than Ohio.. I don't know? But in Ohio, you get on the ballot and your name appears for Central Committee on the regular partisan primary ballot. In my County (a rural one) it isn't very hard to get elected - there is usually only one name. But I do know in more Urban areas that several people may run for a seat.

Best of Luck to you!!! I hope you get on the Committee by whatever means are appropriate. I'm happy that you're interested in getting involved. In my County, it is very hard to get people involved.

[Hannah Bell]

6. wash. thank you.

[Larkspur]

4. Get a copy of the group's bylaws as well as the state Dem Party's bylaws first

I live in Connecticut. Meetings for Connecticut's Democratic Town Committee (DTC) meetings have to be published publicly. My town's web site publishes the Democratic and Republican Committee meetings on their event calendar. I suppose they would also do other legit parties as well but for now the Democratic and Republican Parties are the only 2 active parties in my town.

Your state's Secretary of State's office should have some information on the political parties including the bylaws, which should tell you that the meetings are open to the public and any Democrat in that local area can attend. Town clerks may also have a copy of the party's bylaws. In Connecticut, the DTC's file their bylaws with the Town Clerk, who sends a copy to the Secretary of State. If you can find your state Democratic Parties web site, they may have information on meeting dates, etc, but I would trust your town or the Secretary of State's office first. The State party's web site could be out of date.

Once you find out when the meetings are you can attend. The bylaws should also tell you when the Caucus to elect new members should happen. Ours happens every 2 years and is held sometime around mid-January. The Caucus meeting has to be published publicly because any registered Democrat in town can vote in it. The Caucus is when you can either add your name to an existing slate of committee members or you can find friends who will make a slate to challenge the incumbents. Connecticut's DTC elections are in March if there are competing slates of committee members.

Outside of the Caucus, if there are spots open, you would need to be voted in my the incumbent members with a simple majority.

Unless you take over your local Dem Committee with a lot of new blood, you will have to be patient about fitting in and changing your local party from within. I joined mine in 2003. Currently, I'm serving as secretary of my DTC. In 2005 I was voted secretary after the incumbent had to move out of state to get a new job. Also, be willing to volunteer to help with party events, like fundraisers. It shows the other members, who don't know you, that you care about the local party. Quite often, local party committees are understaffed, so that may add to a feeling that it is run as a social club, but most of the time you will find that they are excited when new people are interested in joining.

[Hannah Bell]

5. thank you. maybe my local org is an anomaly, but i've tried to volunteer 3 times

& never gotten a response. in election years, no less.

but i'll follow your recommendations.