Updated November 5, 2008
Chair Ivan Weiss' Message for November
Did you leave it all on the trail?
Only you can answer that question. Only you know if you did everything you could have done to help elect Democrats, from the top of the ticket to the "bottom," on the 2008 campaign trail.
By the time most people read the paper version of this newsletter, the election will be over, or there might be one day left to get our voters to the polls, or to mail in their ballots. If so, please make it count. Turnout in the 34th District might mean everything in a close statewide race.
After that, we'll have a week and a day until our November meeting to unwind and to deprogram ourselves from campaign mode. Let's please use that time to ponder the campaign and how it went. Please plan to discuss it at the November meeting.
No two campaigns are ever the same, but many of the "best practices" do not change very much between election cycles. It is all about relationships, after all, and if our neighbors in our communities have come to respect us and to trust our political judgment, then we should have quite a few success stories.
Please bring those stories to the November meeting, which we will devote to debriefing from the election. We'll talk about what we did right and what we did wrong, what we might have done better or more efficiently, how we might have allocated manpower, how we might have spent money, and so on. We'll take careful notes and will pass them on to the King County and state party organizations. And we'll use them again in future elections.
There's one thing we darn sure did right. We insisted that the Coordinated Campaign assign Kimber McCreery to her home District as a Field Organizer. Having been a Field Organizer in 2004, and working with the Coordinated since then, I know they are reluctant to do this, even when they can.
Kimber has exceeded all expectations and has distinguished herself as one of the best Field Organizers in the state. Whatever the outcome of this election, the 34th District has never been better served by the Coordinated Campaign. We put more boots on the ground, knocked more doors, and contacted more voters than this District has ever done before. Keeping Kimber close to home was an investment in the future strength of the 34th District Democrats. The relationships that she and you built during this campaign should pay dividends to this organization for years to come.
This campaign also saw the emergence of David Ginsberg as an Obama Fellow and the Neighborhood Leader coordinator for the 34th. David "earned his bones" by organizing his High Point precinct, SEA 34-1485, the fastest growing precinct in the 34th and the one with the most new voters. This was community organizing almost from scratch.
We'll set up some kind of "open mike" at which members can share their experiences of the campaign, and their thoughts about what lies ahead. We will be sure to have plenty of beer and wine on hand.
A note about PCOs
When the dust settled from the primary election, we had elected 150 precinct committee officers who had filed for election. We added another 23 through the write-in process, but the state party will not be recognizing them. State Chairman Dwight Pelz explains that in the past, to be elected a PCO, a candidate, whether on the ballot or a write-in, needed 10 percent of the vote of the highest Democratic vote getter in that precinct, according to the Washington Democratic Party charter.
Because PCOs under the Top two primary were the only candidates on the ballot who ran with party labels, Secretary of State Sam Reed ruled that one vote was sufficient to elect a PCO. The Democratic Party now says Reed had no authority to make this change, because the existing state law defers to the party's charter.
The 34th District had 23 PCOs elected as write-ins. Some had no idea they had even been on the ballot. Some said "hell, no!" Some don't live in the District. Some were unreachable by telephone. Some were our incumbent PCOs who had neglected to file, who have every intention of serving, and some are new people who are eager to serve.
We'll have to appoint those who want to serve, but that can't happen until February. Even so, our 150 elected PCOs out of 204 precincts is the second highest number of total PCOs for a Legislative District in King County, and probably second highest in the state. Our percentage of precincts filled, a whopping 74 percent, is the highest in King County by a comfortable margin, and probably the highest percentage in the state. That is because the 36th District has 237 precincts. Our neighbors in the 11th District filled 68 percent of their precincts and are in "second place."
That should get the 34th off to a roaring start in 2009. Until such time, please come on November 12 prepared to celebrate our victories and discuss the election, and let's get ready for our Holiday Party on December 10. We'll see you Wednesday November 10 for all the democracy you can handle.
--
Ivan Weiss, Chairman, 34th District Democrats
PO Box 860
Vashon WA 98070 206-463-4647
"When they're working, we're working
When they're sleeping, we're working."
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A Democratic Party Legislative District chairman is not some "insider" big shot. I am a volunteer, like every one of you. I took on these duties to help people, and that is, among other things, what your dues are paying for.
If you have a question about the District organization, or a problem that you think I might help solve, or if you want to talk about one issue or another, call me at 206-463-4647 or e-mail me. I'll do my best to help, or I'll do my best to direct you to some help. I return phone calls, e-mails, and voice mails. Thanks.
Updated November 5, 2008
