You can earn your "A"

by California Democratic Party [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Many of you probably remember when Gov. Howard Dean issued his now-famous citizens' report card:

• If you vote you get a "D"
• If you donate money to your candidate you get a "C"
• If you do all of that and volunteer you get a "B"
• But if you do all that and run for office, then and only then do you get an "A."

Well, we'd like to start out by saying that our hat is off to all Democrats running for office, like Gary Pritchard for his "A" performance in California's SD-33.  

But Gary doesn't have to be the only Calitician to earn an "A" this year. We are in the midst of another electoral race, one that not very many people know about, but one which is of utmost importance to California Democrats.  

Now is the time for everyday Democrats across the State of California to make the decision to run for their County Central Committees; the filing deadline is March 7. Sadly, I know the most common response to the previous sentence is likely to be, "Huh."

So what, exactly, are Democratic County Central Committees? What do they do, and why is it important for you to run for a position on one of them? Well, the CDP has compiled a handy FAQ page to answer those questions.  

More on the flip.
Long story short, Democratic County Central Committees are the local organizing arms of the Democratic Party. From the FAQ:

What is a Democratic County Central Committee?

The County Central Committees encourage the growth and success of the Democratic Party within their county by coordinating and promoting Party activities. Additionally, they also recruit and work for the election of Democratic Party candidates throughout their county. Many County Central Committees open campaign headquarters; in fact, several County Central Committees establish permanent offices and hire staff.

What do County Central Committee members do?

During their term, County Central Committee members organize activities throughout their county. They hold informational meetings; they raise funds for their projects; they plan and implement voter registration drives; and they facilitate the different Democratic campaign operations within their county.   County Central Committee members are elected every two years.

Here's why it's important for YOU to run for your local Democratic County Central Committee:

Over the years, the Democratic Party has relied on the participation of committed Democrats in each county to conduct voter outreach and to build and invigorate the party.  Your local Democratic Party is only as strong as its members; so if you want to join with other active, hard-working Democrats and take on a bigger role in your community, roll up your sleeves and get involved!

Democratic County Central Committees fulfill other important obligations.  During each term, they elect delegates from among their membership to the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC). Those delegates then conduct the business of the California Democratic Party.  There are approximately 3,200 DSCC delegates, and about one-third of them are elected from the County Central Committees.  The formula that is applied is as follows:  each Central Committee elects four at-large delegates; then they elect further delegates at the rate of one per 10,000 registered Democrats in their county.

Those County Central Committee DSCC delegates then go to the statewide California Democratic Party conventions, where they vote on resolutions, candidate and proposition endorsements, and the party platform.

Members of the Democratic County Central Committees will be elected in the June 3 primary.  The Democratic Party needs active and committed Democrats throughout the entire state to fill these Central Committee positions.  So if you want to get involved and participate in your local Party, the deadline to apply to become a candidate and earn your Howard Dean "A" is on Friday, March 7.  Go to the California Democratic Party website to get the full rundown.

"Election by election, state by state, precinct by precinct, door by door, vote by vote... we're going to lift our Party up and take this country back for the people who built it."

-- Gov. Howard Dean, Chair, Democratic National Committee

Penny and Matt

Online Organizing Directors

California Democratic Party