What is a Precinct Chair?
A Precinct Chair is a party official, elected by the Democratic voters in your precinct during the March primary to serve a term of 2 years. Precinct Chairs must be registered to vote in their precincts, must have voted in the most recent Democratic primary, cannot have voted in the last Republican primary, cannot endorse another party candidate in a race where a Democrat is on the ballot, and must be at least 18 years of age. If the precinct chair race is uncontested, it will not show up on the ballot.
Each Precinct Chair serves as a member of the County Executive Committee (CEC). The County Executive Committee is the governing body of every local Democratic Party across the state of Texas. In addition, CEC canvasses the results of primary and primary runoff elections, confirms appointments to precinct chair vacancies, votes on Party resolutions between County Conventions, and plans and coordinates your county’s general election year campaigns.
As precinct chairs, you serve as the liaison between your neighbors and the local Democratic Party. It is your job to foster a relationship between the voters in your precinct and the Democratic Party you represent. This involves get out the vote (GOTV) efforts during elections, but it also involves keeping in touch with the democrats in your precinct outside of elections as well.
Democrats don’t want the only time they hear from us to be when we want their vote or when we want them to make a donation. Your job as a precinct chair is to be a conduit of local democratic party knowledge for your neighbors regardless of the time of year.
The truly critical party-building work you will do as a precinct chair happens between elections, as that tends to be when the majority of people are the most disengaged from their local democratic party. There are no off-years for elections, contrary to popular belief. Most people have elections every single year, whether they be local, state or federal. They are all equally important. It is especially important to be plugged into your local political scene, as these elections typically receive the least amount of attention.
Interested? Great! Below is what you do next
If you would like to have more of an impact on your local Democratic Party, becoming a precinct chair is a great way to get your voice heard and have an opportunity to make real changes on the local level.
All precinct chairs positions are open for filing in the Democratic Party Primary Elections. If more than one person files for a position, the contested race will be decided via eligible voters in your precinct on the primary ballot. Even if your precinct currently has a chair, we encourage you to file and run. Competition is healthy for the party and it helps us grow.
To find out what precinct you live in, click here
Look up your voter registration and find your Voting Precinct number.
Download the precinct chair application here
