Why Get Involved With Your Local Democratic Party?
Voters
are hungry for change, and Kansas Democrats are ready to deliver!
There has never been a more exciting or historic time to be involved
with the Democratic Party than in 2008. Everyday, new Democrats
are calling our office to get involved, Independent voters are
signing up to volunteer for Democratic campaigns, and disgruntled
Republicans are coming in our doors to change parties.
The 2006 Election proves that Democrats can run and win competitive
races in Kansas and Sedgwick County. Just look at the results—
• Governor Kathleen Sebelius was re-elected
with 58% of the vote statewide, and expanded her winning margin
in Sedgwick County.
• Paul Morrison became the first Democratic Attorney General
in decades, also receiving 58% of the vote statewide as well
as in Sedgwick County.
• Sedgwick County Democrats now hold 10 of the county’s
22 State House seats, having picked up two seats this past November.
• Sedgwick County Democrats hold several county offices,
including the District Attorney’s office, several judicial
positions, and two seats on the Sedgwick County Commission.
None of these victories happened by chance or luck. Hundreds of
volunteers gave thousands of hours walking door to door, making
phone calls, and passing out flyers to promote our candidates
and boost Democratic performance. Democrats win in Kansas, but
only with help from grassroots activists, and in 2008 we can work
to make even more Democratic victories possible!
Your involvement will help continue to turn Kansas
blue! By helping elect Democrats at lower levels of government,
you will be helping to expand the number of Democratic elected
officials in this state. The Senators, Congress members, and Governors
of tomorrow are the state legislators, city councilors, and school
board members of today.
Need another reason to get involved? Meet other
people who think like you do! It can often be isolating being
a Democrat in Kansas. Getting involved with your local party will
allow you to meet and mingle with people who share the same values
and ideologies that you do.
Take a
Stand! Make a Difference! Get Involved!
Ways You Can Get Involved
With Your Local Democratic Party…
• Sign up to receive e-mails via
our Democratic Update E-List. We regularly send out information
about volunteer opportunities, campaigns, and upcoming events
and activities electronically. To sign up, simply send your name
and e-mail address to info@sedgwickcountydemocrats.com.
• Attend the monthly Warner Moore Democratic Luncheons.
If you are interested in getting to know other Democrats and learning
more about our candidates and relevant political issues, join
us for our Warner Moore Democratic Luncheons. Named to honor the
late Warner Moore, father of Kansas Congressman Dennis Moore and
long-time Democratic activist and chair who helped build and shape
the local party, these luncheons provide Democrats with an opportunity
to meet and socialize with other like-minded people.
These luncheons are held on the last Friday of every month at
The Larkspur Restaurant & Grill, located at 904 E. Douglas
Ave., on the northeast corner of Douglas & Mosley. A lunch
buffet is available for $11, with the price including drink, tax,
and tip.
• Become a neighborhood leader. Elections
are won through direct voter contact—door-to-door visits,
phone calls, and conversations with friends, relatives, acquaintances,
and neighbors. Neighborhood leaders facilitate all of this as
well as help register voters, work in candidate’s campaigns,
and get out the vote for Election Day. The only way to build a
lasting Democratic majority in this country is to do it neighbor
by neighbor. If you are interested in signing up, contact Loren
Belew at (316) 210-8865 or lbelew@ksdp.org.
• Volunteer. There are plenty of volunteer
opportunities and ways to make a difference in the Sedgwick County
Democratic Party. We are one of only a few county parties that
operate and staff a year-round headquarters that is open even
in off-election years. We need volunteers to help staff the office,
make phone calls, work on mailings, and walk their neighborhoods.
Additionally, candidates are always looking for eager activists
to plug into their campaigns. Whatever your talents are, we can
put them to good use to make a difference!
Ways You Can Help Get Democrats
Elected...
Learn the names and addresses of voters in your precinct
by canvassing the precinct either by phone calls or personal visits.
Sign as many voters up to advance vote as possible. Register
anyone in your precinct not already registered to vote. During
such a canvass, it is hoped that you will learn the opinions of
the voters in your district on issues and candidates.
Accompany any candidate who wishes to meet the voters
in your precinct. “Walking a precinct” generally
happens on Saturdays, Sundays, or weekdays after work.
Identify persons willing to display lawn signs for candidates
– and get them such a sign. Your assistance in
the removal of signs after the election would be appreciated.
Be willing to participate, as your schedule allows,
in campaign activities such as phone banks, delivery
of campaign literature to your precinct’s doorsteps (“lit
drops”), preparation of mailings, and the planting of campaign
signs along the roadway or at important intersections.
Take off work on Election Day in order to act as a poll
watcher in your precinct. The most important duties of
poll watcher are to:
1. Challenge anyone you believe to be voting improperly in your
precinct,
2. Challenge decisions of the election judge and poll worker
about any individual's right to vote, and
3. Report at set times during the day to campaign headquarters
(usually by phone) the number (and possibly also the names) of
those who have voted so far.
How to Become a Precinct Committee Chair…
Each precinct of the approximately 260 precincts in Sedgwick
County is allowed one precinct committee chairman and one precinct
committee chairwoman. Precinct Committee Members are requested
to attend the approximate four Sedgwick County Democratic Central
Committee Meetings annually. They are the most important
part of grassroots organizing, working to turn out the
Democratic vote in their neighborhoods by making contact with
voters, registering them, and making sure they get to cast a ballot
either by mail or in person. They should also assist their candidates
running for state legislature and county offices in their campaigns
as their schedule allows.
Precinct Committee Members are also voting member of the Central
Committee, representing all Democrats in their precinct. They
vote on official business that arises before the Sedgwick County
Democratic Central Committee during their quarterly meetings.
Without hard working Precinct Committee Members, Democrats cannot
win elections! The term is two years– those elected in August
5, 2008 primary will serve until August of 2010. Many of the precincts
have no chairman or chairwoman. If this is the case, we can have
you appointed now and send you the form to file to be on the ballot!
We are working hard to fill each precinct spot in our
county, but we need you to accomplish this goal. To see
if there is a vacancy in your precinct, call Democratic HQ at
316-262-7534.
