If you would like to become a Precinct Chair this is the information you need to know from the Texas Democratic Party website:
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.
There is a serious problem, in Harris County, in the Houston and surrounding Districts, happening with the Obama and Clinton people that signed on as Precinct Captains thinking that they are the Precinct Chairs. This was a problem at many of the Precinct Conventions on March 4th. Nobody was able to understand that only if there was no Precinct Chair, or one that wasn't able or willing to Chair their Precinct Convention, then could any other person present, conduct the convention.
Many of the captains came in and tried to take over the conventions. This happened to mine with two underaged captains that were not even eligible to vote but signed up anyway at the convention. I've spoken to others that this happened to as well, but they didn't know what to do and thought that HCDP sent them, which is what they were telling people at the conventions. These people are not the Precinct Chairs!
If you are elegible to vote, and voted in the Democratic Primary on March 4th, you may fill out the paperwork to become a Precinct Chair in May. Other than that, if there is a Precinct Chair in your precinct, then this is the person that you must run against in May. You will have to campaign against this person in the election to become the Precinct Chair.
I'm still trying to find one more poll worker myself and saw the blog on the Travis Poll Workers and knew Harris County was in the same position. I couldn't get through to the HCDP so I e-mailed Martha and here is what Harris County needs you to know about Poll Workers:
Our phones are maxed out.
Either email april@hcdp.org or fax info to HCDP at 713-802-2082
We need this info:
Name:
VR#: You can find this on you Voter Reg. Card(must be registered voter in Harris Co!)
address:
part of town (very important---NE, NW, SE, SW, inside loop, etc.)
phones: home and cel
email:
willing to work: home precinct only, in immediate area, anywhere needed?
Note:
The SOS requires all workers to attend training for this election.
Online training available at:
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/ele...
Connecting trained workers with the judges who need them is very difficult at the last minute.
Best advice for trained workers--stay cool, if you aren't contacted before Tuesday, go to your nearest poll on March 4 and see if they need help. If the judge says no, move on. You may be needed somewhere else. Call HCDP at 713-802-0085 or check www.hcdp.org for last minute announcements.
If not needed inside the poll as a clerk, maybe you can help inform voters about the precinct convention process outside the distance markers. However, make sure you are a source of good information. Details on precinct convention process is on our web site (bottom of front page).
Thanks for doing this. It will be an election for the history books!
Martha Cottingham
Primary Director
Harris County Democratic Party
According to the article of the Houston Press, in the August 9-15 issue, and also online here: http://www.houstonpr... Harris County Librarians will have some new duties.
Presumably, the new duties assigned to them are that in the event of a major medical emergency, they would be required to go to a place the county has set up and pass out information, medicine or whatever needs doing. They are asked to make emergency arrangements for children and pets because they would be required to work 12 hour shifts for a total of 48 hours and spend the night at the facility on cots. They were also told that if they refused to attend to their new duties that they would probably be fired.
Can this be for real? Well, I guess it's good that Harris County is taking things seriously. Good lord, I wonder what they have in mind for the dog catchers?
