A
Precinct Committeeman Letter
By Chris Hotchkin
Now is the time for precinct committeemen to communicate
with the voters in your district who will likely vote for our Democratic
candidates. This is one of the more important functions of a precinct
committeeman—communicating directly and personally with your voters. The voters
may be identified as long-time Democrats or they may be Independents or even
Republicans who are fed up with their party.
The purpose of a precinct letter is to facilitate and
encourage your voters to vote in this election.
It is a good idea to start your letter by briefly describing the various
ways that voters can vote, including dates and locations. Mention that the
election will be November 6, times the polls are open, location of your polling
place. Do not assume your voters already know this. Also mention the
opportunity to Vote by Mail that is available to all voters, and how the voters
can obtain a Vote by Mail ballot. Finally mention the dates and locations for
Early Voting.
We have so many fantastic Democratic candidates that you
will not be able to talk about or even mention each one in your letter, but the
good news is that we have an excellent website to which you can refer your
voters that does tell about all of our candidates, www.dgdemocrats.org. You can
choose a couple candidates to highlight in your letter if you wish. Tell a
little bit about the candidate and why you feel strongly about supporting him
or her. Some PC’s like to attach a sample ballot to their letter, but you would
need to wait until the sample ballots are available on the county election
commission website – which should be around September 27, when early voting
begins.
You might want to conclude your letter with a strong appeal
about the importance of voting—especially in this election!
You should sign the letter and include your email or phone
number if you wish.
How you distribute your letter is up to you, the PC. If you
have the funds, it is okay to mail your letter. You can obtain address labels
from the DuPage County Election Commission. It is also okay to take your letter
door to door while you are canvassing. Just make sure it does not get buried in
a bag full of campaign literature or lost on a doorstep. Which households you
mail or take your letter to is up to you. You can use a list given to you by
Kim, our Township Chair, or you can create your own list from the list the
County Election Commission sends you or the labels you request.
Here is a sample precinct letter. It is just a sample and
you should craft a letter that is your personal communication with your voters.
(Sample
Letter)
Dear Neighbor,
I am the Democratic Precinct Committeeman for our Precinct
92. November 6, 2018 will be an
extremely critical election for our state and our nation. The environment, our
public schools, well-paying jobs, Social Security and Medicare, our health
care, are all at stake in this election.
There are several ways in which you can vote in this
election. It is a great idea for all of the voters in your household to plan
now how you will vote. You can plan to vote on Election Day, November 6 from
6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Darien-Woodridge Fire Department at 7550 Lyman
Avenue, Darien. All voters are now eligible to Vote by Mail. When you Vote by Mail, you vote at your convenience
in your own home where you can look up information as you vote in each race. To
apply for a Vote by Mail ballot, you can contact me or you can go to the
website www.dupageco.org/election.
You can also Vote Early at the Downers Grove Village Hall October 22 through
November 3, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. or Saturday 9:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m.
If anyone in your household needs to register to vote, you
can do that on the above-mentioned website or contact me and I will bring you a
voter registration form. Voter registration ends on October 9, but you can
still register at Early Voting polling places and even in our polling place on
Election Day. Any 17-year old can register as long as they will turn 18 by
November 6, 2018.
I am very proud to
say that we have a very strong slate of
Democratic candidates to vote for in this election at all levels from county through U.S. Congress. I encourage you to
visit our website at www.dgdemocrats.org to read about
all of our candidates. If you have any questions about your districts or these
candidates, please contact me.
This is a really great time for you to get involved in Democratic activities. If you contact me, I can
forward your email address to our Newsletter Committee. The Downers Grove Twp.
Democratic Organization publishes a very informative on-line newsletter each
month. Our organization meets the second Wednesday evening of each month at
7:30 at the Downers Grove High School District 99 Administration Building at 63rd
and Springside and your attendance would be most welcome.
The Downers Grove Township Democratic Organization has a
headquarters at 906 Curtiss in Downers
Grove, just down the street east of the post office. Please drop in any
Saturday morning for coffee, donuts, and conversation. We are also open every
afternoon. Campaigns are often in the office conducting canvasses or phone
banks.
Please contact me if you have any questions about voting or
our candidates. Most of all, PLEASE VOTE
in this election, which will determine the direction of our state and nation
for years to come.
Sincerely,
Chris
Hotchkin
Democratic
Precinct Committeeman, Precinct 92
CHotchkin@sbcglobal.net 630-341-3104
