Precinct Captains Program

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Precinct Captains Program

• by California Grassroots Champions
  Coalition(Santa Cruz, San Diego,
• and Santa Clara Counties)
• -- winner of Westly DEMS 2.0 Contest --
• modernize local efforts and coordinate party
  activities

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Presentation Outline

• What is a Precinct Captains Program?
• Why Precincts Capts?
• Program Goals
• How to Get Started
• Recruiting
• Training
• How to Organize
• Precinct Captain/Team
• Area Lead
• Support Committee
• County Coordination

• Tools to Use
• Startup Packet
• Welcome letter
• Precinct info
• Literature Forms
• Web Tools
• Legalities
• Structure
• Reporting
• Contacts
• References

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How Does Existing System Work with Precinct
Captains Program?

• Leadership and Existing System of Politics(good
  ideas control assumed to flow from top to
  bottom)

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The Precinct CaptainsParadigm Shift

• Precinct Captains Enliven the Process(good ideas
  and control happen neighbor-to-neighbor)

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What is a Precinct Captains Program?

• Local Democratic Grassroots Action
• One on One
• Person to Person
• Face to Face
• Community Building
• Talk Neighbor to Neighbor
• Discuss issues together
• Fulfillment of the Promises
• All politics is local
• Think globally, act locally

Community
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Why Precinct Captains?

• Politics has Radically Changed
• Remote Impersonal
• Big Politics (like big business)
• Run by Consultants
• Politics Produces Voter Dissatisfaction
• Election Campaigns --gt mass marketing
• Political mailings --gt junk mail
• Political emails --gt spam
• Political phone banking --gt telemarketing
• Shown to be ineffective
• Voter turn-out not improved

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The BEFORE Picture for Dems
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Accomplishments - AFTER
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Accomplishments AFTER
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Accomplishments - Precincts with Captains
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Program Goals

• Encourage Democrats to Vote
• Improve Democratic Election Turnout(get higher
  proportion to vote than Republicans)
• Voter Registration
• Convince likely Democratic Voters to Register
• Inspire Voters to reRegister as Democrat
• Highlight Democratic Values Issues
• Promote Democratic Candidates
  Measures
• Win Elections!

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Precinct Area Organization

• The Cycle of Strength

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Precinct Captains Organization
area lead
area lead
6
31
A
E
1
26
5
30
County support committee
29
4
2
27
3
28
precinct captains
precinct captains
area lead
area lead
D
12
B
21
25
7
11
area lead
24
22
10
23
8
C
9
precinct captains
15
precinct captains
14
13
16
17
precinct captains
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County Coordination

• Contact the Democratic Leadership in your
  community to make sure you're all on the same
  page about Precinct Captains
• Clubs,
• Central Committee,
• Assembly District Committee.
• Give presentations and propose that you work
  together.
• Ask for support from environmental, labor, and
  ethnic organizations in your county.
• Coordinate with GOTV activities so efforts aren't
  duplicated.

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Legal Reporting

• If Precinct Captains Program raises or earns more
  than 1000 per year, its organizing group must
  report to the State (FPPC) and Federal (FEC).
• Create an organizational infrastructure that
  makes sense in your area
• Club
• Subcommittee of the DCC

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The Support Committee

• INVITES, WELCOMES, EMPOWERS
• Recruits new Precinct Captains
• Conducts outreach to other organizations
• Trains leaders and volunteers
• Develops program tools and materials
• Prepares, maintains and disseminates voter data
  (and access codes for online tools)
• Coordinates with the United Democratic
  Campaign
• Maintains the volunteer database
• Handles finances

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How to Recruit Captains

• Start with your friends.
• Contact known volunteers from past elections.
• Review voter lists in each precinct to find
  either known potential volunteers or those who
  have a strong voting record. Get help from local
  elected officials who know voters in their
  district.
• Give presentations to our constituency groups.
• Encourage students to form clubs. Call high
  school civics/social studies teachers to see if
  you can give a presentation on voter
  involvement.
• Once a leader is identified, it becomes their job
  to find other volunteers in their precinct.
• From there it snowballs!

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Precinct Captain Startup Packet

• Cover Letter with suggested menu of activities
• Walking List
• Contains names/addresses/phone numbers of
  registered Democrats in precinct. (Other voters
  could be available later.)
• Map of the Precinct
• Alphabetized List of Democrats (with phone
  numbers)
• Statistics or other analysis of voting history
• Voter Registration and Information Packet
• Voter registration forms.
• Applications for permanent absentee ballots.
• Information about candidates in national and
  local races.
• Information about initiatives that will appear on
  the ballot.
• A first contact script
• Door hanger, business cards, or other hand-outs
• Sample invitations to precinct coffees and other
  events

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Training New Precinct Captains

• Regular meetings with pre-meeting training
  sessions for new volunteers.
• More frequently during campaign season, less
  frequently during the off-season.
• Volunteers receive packet with materials.
• Briefing on roles
• Role-playing training
• Have scripts available on issues and candidates
• Precinct Captains often establish a neighborhood
  committee to subdivide the precinct.
• Under Development The Online Self-Help Center
  for Precinct Captains (data tools, materials,
  neighborhood web-site, scripts and on-line
  training)

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The Neighborhood Team

• The Precinct Captain facilitates introductions
• The neighborhood team becomes a resource for
  electoral issues
• Create a web site, yearly event, safe house
• Provide Constituency Services
• Address their concerns
• Foster local get-togethers
• Mutual Support Action
• Facilitate rather than boss
• Develop your own style
• Engage young people

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Web Tools
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The Online Self-Help Center for Precinct Captains
- Options

• Range from Dem Freeware to Proprietary Products
• Each has features pros/cons
• VISION Inexpensive data tools
  using single database

• VAN

• Astro

• Orchid (AdvoKit)

• The Activist

• Freeware - (AdvoKit)

browser-based Mac/IBM friendly cheap
tested in states - not integrated - needs
modification
integrated inexpensive tested over cnty.
elections - desktop install - IBM only
integrated tested - cost
integrated tested - centralized - cost
tested in states compatible - cost
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Voter Lookup Screen
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Voter Input Screen
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Voter Mgnt Screen
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Precinct Walking List
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References

• Grassroots Champions Coalition http//www.Precinct
  Captains.org/
• AdvoKit Demonstration site http//demo.voter2voter
  .org/advokit/index.php
• Santa Clara Volunteer Mgnt Systemhttp//sccdp.org
  /volunteer_comm.php
• Get Out the Vote! How to Increase Voter Turnout,
  by Donald Green and Alan Gerber.
• CONTACT Barbara Graves, PO Box 1682, Capitola,
  CA 95010 831-462-4303Captains_at_dancin.biz