Precinct Chairs:
Term of Office and Qualifications
The precinct chair is a publicly elected party official and is elected by precinct voters in the Democratic Primary Election (or in the runoff election, if no candidate gets a majority in the first primary). The term of office for a precinct chair is two years, beginning on the 20th day following the Primary runoff election. The County Executive Committee fills vacancies for unexpired terms.
A precinct chair should be an outgoing, self-motivated person who likes people. To be eligible for the office of precinct chair, an individual must meet these requirements:
Be 18 years of age or older
Be a qualified voter who has voted in the latest Democratic primary (not counting runoffs) in the voting year
Be a resident of the precinct from which he or she is seeking election
Not be a candidate for or holder of an elective office of the federal, state, or county government
(Optional, but highly desirable) have Internet and e-mail capabilities and basic computer skills
Filing for Office
A qualified individual interested in running for precinct chair must do the following:
Download a filing form, or obtain one from your county chair or county party secretary
Complete the application
Sign the application before a notary public
Have the form notarized
Submit the application in the period that begins in late October and ends at 6:00 PM on the first business day in January
Check the filing deadline when you pick up your application. The completed, signed, and notarized application may be mailed to the county chair, but it must be received by the filing deadline.
Only contested candidates for Precinct chair appear on the Democratic Primary ballot. Write-in votes for precinct chair are permitted in the primary, whether or not there are other candidates on the ballot, but not in a runoff. Write-in candidates must have filed their write-in candidacies.
