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.
