(From the Grassroots 101 series)
I've mentioned previously, the best way to impact politics is to organize at the precinct level [2]. And the best way to organize is to put someone in charge. In terms of precinct organizing, that means a "precinct captain".
So what is a precinct captain? Put simply, a precinct captain is someone who serves as a point of contact between the people in their local neighborhood and outside conservative political groups and activities.
By distributing petitions, getting political information to conservative neighbors, making get-out-the-vote phone calls on or before an Election Day, a precinct captain can mobilize a large bloc of people to influence political and legislative activities.
It is also important to understand that many of the activities of a precinct captain are seasonal. Depending on what elections are approaching or what's happening in Congress, your state legislature or local council, your focus and activity levels will vary.
The primary goals of a precinct captain
1: Identify ten other conservative activists
In order to put the meat on the bones of any organization, you need people. Which means you should try to identify others who are willing to help. Try to identify at least ten. This is the primary job of a precinct aptain. These will be the people who are the most interested in what you are doing.
The goal is to be able to quickly line up volunteers when a major project comes up and help is needed. Keep in mind that different people enjoy doing different things. Make note of what they're willing to do and use hem accordingly. There will be many different things to do and plenty of work to go around.
2: Identify as many other conservative voters in the precinct as possible
A good goal is to find enough pro-family voters to equal 10% of the total number of registered voters in the precinct. This would normally be done in conjunction with your organization's leadership (if any) as part of a "voter identification" project.
3: Inform and mobilize precinct volunteers
This could include distributing voter education materials on candidates or ballot issues, making sure identified conservative voters actually vote on Election Day, or lobbying your local school board, council or legislature. In addition, it's important to help identified conservatives to get involved in a local political party - preferably the Republican Party.
4: Stay informed
Keep up to date on current and future projects, activities and opportunities for activism. And pass the information on to others.
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When you've done this, you've got an organizational infrastructure that can be activated and make a difference when it's needed.
Recent Entries:
- Why conservatives should focus on precinct organization [2]
- The four rules to winning an election [3]
- A menu of effective grassroots activities [4]
(You can find tips like this and much more in my "Grassroots 101: Grassroots Training Series) [5]
