WHAT do you do as a Precinct Committee Officer (PCO)?
You work to build the Democratic party in your own neighborhood by:
- Registering voters
- Reaching out to voters to gather information (What issues are most important to your neighbors?) and give them information (about elections, candidates, and party events).
- Finding fellow Democrats in your neighborhood to help you! This is the “committee” part. You don’t have to do everything alone!
HOW do you do this?
There are lots of ways to fulfill your duties as PCO. Many people walk their neighborhood. Others prefer to call their neighbors on the phone. Some people collect their neighbors’ emails and send email updates. Some people like to have house parties and invite their neighbors to talk about local issues and events. You can decide which way works best for you!
In all these cases you’ll start by using voter data on the online platform VoteBuilder or its accompanying app MiniVan. There are regular trainings for how to use this software, either for groups or one-on-one.
WHEN do you do this?
Again, there’s a lot of flexibility! However, here’s a rough suggested timeline:
- By the end of June: Canvass your precinct (either doorknocking or by phone) and do vote ID (ie, collecting info about what issues your neighbors care about and which party they tend to vote for – info campaigns desperately need!).
- By the end of July: Canvass again to remind your neighbors to vote in the August primary! Ask them if they’ve received their ballot, help them print another ballot from the Secretary of State website if theirs has gone missing, and help them plan when they will fill out their ballot and when they will mail it in or drop it off. You may have candidate literature to hand out as well.
- By the end of October: Canvass one last time to remind your neighbors to vote in the November general election! Again, you’ll ask them if they’ve received their ballot and help them plan when to fill it out and return it.
- The day after the election: Feel good about a job well done!
Sounds great! HOW do you become a PCO?
In even-numbered years, you’ll file during filing week to become an PCO. If you’ve missed the deadline or it’s an odd year, fill out an application for the appropriate county and return it to the district chair.
For more info about being a PCO, come talk to Chair Brian Gunn or one of our other officers, or visit our PCO page on this website.
