Saturday, September 15, 2018

I’m a Democratic Precinct Committeeman, so what should I do now?


I’m a Democratic Precinct Committeeman, so what should I do now?

By Chris Hotchkin

Here are some things a PC should be doing this month…

1.      Register voters in Democratic households in your precinct. You may do this in several ways:

a.      If you signed your PC petition to be a Voter Registrar, and have registration materials from the DuPage County Election Commission, you may register voters using the county registration form. However, when you do this, you may not present yourself in a partisan manner—no campaign literature, buttons, or stickers. Be sure to mail the registration forms back to the Election Commission right away in the envelope they provide.

b.      Hand the voter an Illinois Mail-in Voter Registration form. You may obtain one at our office at 906 Curtiss, Downers Grove, or download one from the DuPage Election Commission website or the Illinois Election Commission website. When the voter has completed the application, you can offer to mail it for him or her.

c.      Encourage the voter to register on-line on the Illinois Election Commission website.

2.      Canvass your precinct to identify Democratic voters. You can write a Precinct Letter (see article on precinct letters) to distribute as you go door to door. You can also take candidate literature if you wish. You can ask Kim Savage or Chris Johnson to print out a list of voters for your precinct, or you can use a list from the DuPage County Election Commission. You do not need to go to the doors of voters who tend to vote Republican, although you can if you have time. In this election especially, it is a good idea to canvass Independent voters or voters for whom you do not have much data.

When you talk to your voters, ask them if they plan to vote for Democratic candidates in November. Most will tell you yes or no. Be sure to record what you find out. If voters tell you they will be voting Democratic, ask them if they have a plan to vote. Ask them if they

would like to vote by mail and give them a Vote by Mail application (available in our office, or you can download from DuPage Elections website.)

3.      Stay informed about issues, including some important local issues.

4.      Canvass or phone bank for a candidate of your choice.