volunteers win elections, not candidates

There's a landmark piece at Interesting Times blog on the mechanics of precinct organization that is essential reading for anyone who has the free time to devote more time to helping Dean win the nomination. The most critical excerpt:

As so many Dean supporters are new to active politics I thought there might be some interest in a primer on precinct operations.

I encourage Dean supporters to join their local Democratic committees. Especially those living in New Jersey and Virginia. Both state legislatures, along with municipal governments, are up for election. Because these states are located right beside the nation’s media centers, New York and Washington, and because these are the only elections this year, results will be closely watched by the nation’s power elite. I can tell you, there are few things more satisfying than beating Ken Starr in his own precinct.

If you have the skills to be a volunteer webmaster for a campaign, or assistant webmaster for the local committee, that is the same as donating $1,000 to the candidate or committee. If you have data base skills, and can maintain the list of identified supporters, that is the same as donating $10,000 to the committee. That is how valuable such skills are and I encourage the digirati to donate their time and skill.

Local Democratic committees consist of precinct captains and at-large members. I want to talk about the work of precinct captains because no other individual has more impact on election results. Precinct work is year-round and driving up the Democratic vote begins months in advance. If you want to shift your precinct by November 2004, you need to begin now and devote not less than one hour a month to political work.


There's a lot more to read and I encourage anyone thinking about volunteering to take a look at the whole thing, as its critical information. I;ve received a lot of email inquiring about how to help volunteer for the Dean campaign. Remember, always let the campaign know directly that you are interested: email info@deanforamerica.com. However, as this article points out, there is a real and desperate need for volunteers to act on a self-organized basis in their local comunities - not all volunteer efforts need to be nor should they be directly coordinated from Burlington. As Alice wrote above, join your local Democratic committee and get involved at the grassroots end to make the most impact!

(and - don't forget to donate! the Dean Nation Rally is at 46% of its goal!)

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