Precinct Captain Recruitment & Retention
Between February 28 and March 11, candidates and incumbents seeking to hold positions as Precinct Captains in our Central Committee must file a Declaration of Candidacy with the Kootenai County Elections Office. This process is necessary to have your name appear on the Democrat Ballot for the May 17, 2022 Primary Election. If you are new to this process, here is what you must do to comply with the election law.
- Confirm your precinct by using the Polling Place Look Up tool. In many cases, the precinct boundaries have changed so it is important that you confirm the precinct you currently live in before filing your declaration of candidacy.
- Call Phil Ward at 305 297 3361 to determine if the Precinct you live in needs a precinct captain. Because of shifting boundaries, some existing captains may end up in the same precinct. If two or more candidates live in the same precinct, they can compete for the position or one or more can step down. Talk to Phil about your options.
- Declaration of Candidacy. Complete the form and have it notarized. Then, return it to the Elections Office at 1808 N. 3rd St. in Coeur d’Alene. The filing deadline is March 11 at 5 PM. Please note that filing a notarized Declaration of Candidacy must be done in person.
Also, if you run for Precinct Captain, you do not have to file campaign finance forms unless you spend over $100 on your campaign. Plus, if you are not able to run for election in the May Primary, it is still possible to serve as a Precinct Captain. Check with Phil for details. Find out more about the role of a precinct captain.
For those who can commit to running and serving as Precinct Captains, thank you in advance for your service to the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee.
Canvassing IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
As I have mentioned before, please consider volunteering 2 hours per week to our canvassing effort. The work is easy. It entails calling likely-voters to confirm who we can count on in the coming elections. It is usually an easy job. However, you will encounter some folks who turn out to be solidly against our Party interests and they will let you know. Yet, canvassing voters through phone banking is a crucial element in gathering data about who we can count on in future elections. It can also help us to recruit more volunteers, and “Get Out the Vote”. Most of all, phone banking is a way of connecting with like-minded people and confirms that there can be a brighter future if we organize and bring it to fruition. So, contact our Field Organizer Brody Robbins by calling 208 704 2181or emailing brody@idahodems.org. Thank you in advance.
We don’t want to go down an extremist path
A recent article in the Spokesman Review explored the rationale some Democrats are using to switch party affiliation to vote in the Republican Primary (Idaho Democrats worried about extremism face tough choice: …). The rationale is that by registering as Republicans, Democrats can cast votes for moderates in the GOP primary. With unhinged conservative candidates like Janice McGeachin, the current Lt Governor who is running to unseat Governor Brad Little, it is easy to see why some Democrats would be tempted to switch Parties to vote against her.
Yet, the effort is fruitless. The fact is that the GOP majority is going to determine who represents them in the November General Election. For Democrats, it is up to us to vote for our candidates and then help them build a coalition of voters from across the political spectrum to get elected. Although it won’t happen in every case, there are candidates and elections that can be competitive if we work together in a committed way to identify and turn out the needed votes. That is the point of canvassing.
Regrettably, crossover voting is not the solution. For one, it distorts the voter registration rolls. In addition, it depresses voter turnout for the Democrats who have chosen to run. These efforts only further consolidate GOP one-party rule. So, stay strong and remain a Democrat. Or, if you are currently registered as a Republican or as an Unaffiliated voter, switch your Party Affiliation to Democrat. You have until March 11th.
Keep warm and have a superb week.
