Here is a FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions) on Mass Meetings. Click on a question you might
have or just read through the whole thing. It should answer
your questions, but if you still have some please contact us.
What is a Mass Meeting?
Who can go to a Mass Meeting?
Okay I can go, where am I
supposed to show up?
But how do I know which
Legislative District I am in?
Okay I have
the information I need now where do I go on Mass meeting day? (date TBD in 2010 - it will take place in March)
Great! I'm excited to go, but
nervous. What should I expect to see when I go?
You've said a lot about delegates
and Precinct officers. I want to get involved but what do
they do?
Where do delegates fit in the
party structure?
But I'm a
nobody. I want to be really involved but don't know anyone
and haven't done this before.
What is a
Mass Meeting?
Can you imagine the organization that would need to take place if the
seven executive committee members needed to energize and organize the
entire County every single election? We'd get no where!
That is why we have party structure and leadership to keep
the organization in place from election to election so we can build our
Party every year.
The mass meetings or neighborhood caucuses are the most basic process
in our Party organization. These are the meetings where
delegates to the county convention are selected. It is where
we select our Precinct officers and eventually our Legislative District
leadership. It is our neighborhood leaders we use to help
Democrats win in November!
Who can go to a Mass
Meeting?
Anyone who qualifies to vote in the November election can attend and participate
in a Democratic caucus.
Okay I can go, where am I
supposed to show up?
The way we have set up the meetings for Salt Lake County is by
Legislative District. Basically you gather with all the
people who live within the area represented by the same House
Legislator (not Senate, but House). You can get the location
of your Mass Meeting
here.
But how
do I know which Legislative District I am in?
If you don't know which district or precinct you are in then Sherrie
Swenson to the rescue! She is our County Clerk and keeps
amazing records concerning this issue and has a great website where you
can quick find out.
Go
here to find your district.
Put in your information and then select "My Polling Location"
Then you will get something that looks like this:
Precinct Number: 2144
U.S. Congressional District: 1
State Senate District:02
State Representative District: 24
County Council District: 1
All this information if very important, but the most important for the
night of the Mass Meetings is your Precinct Number and the State
Representative District. So in this case Precinct Number 2144
and Representative District 24.
Okay
I have the information I need now where do I go on Mass Meeting day (in 2010 the date will be determined - but will be in March)?
We have a list of the locations organized by Representative District .
You can see that list on the main page of the County Website
by clicking here (link deactivated until 2010 the next date of the Mass Meetings).
Simply find your State Representative District (also called
your Legislative District). That is where you are to show up.
Great!
I'm excited to go, but nervous. What should I expect to see
when I go?
When you show up you will probably see a bunch of tables labeled by
precinct. Find the table that has your precinct number and go
take a seat (for information on finding your precinct number
click here).
You might also be gathering in one large room. You will just need to wait for instruction from your meeting facilitator. You can mingle with other Democrats and find out who in your
neighborhood is also excited to elect Democrats in November.
Your current Legislative Chair (or other facilitator) will call the meeting to order.
Business will be read and donations will be asked for (hey
this process isn't cheap. We pay for many of the facilities
we use for these meetings, our convention, office material, employees
when we can, and to help candidates win - so bring some money!)
Then a bunch of mini elections will take place. There will be
information on the table as to how many delegates each precinct is
allowed. It is based on a formula that includes how
Democratic leaning the area is. Between you and the people at
your table you will elect a Precinct Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary.
You will then select the delegates. Often times the
number of people that show up will equal this number so everyone gets to be something. Sometimes, and we like this because
it means people are participating, more people show up. You
then need to have a small vote to vote in your delegates and precinct officers. Come with some good arguments as to why you would represent your precinct well or how you want to be involved in organizing your neighborhood to help Democrats win.
You've
said a lot about delegates and Precinct officers. I want to
get involved but what do they do?
Delegates and Precinct officers are very important to this democratic
(yes, small 'd') and grassroots process. Here is a short description of the
people involved in party structure and a graphic showing the
leadership. If you have more questions, please don't hesitate
to call us.
Delegates:
These are the voters. They are representing the
Democrats in a precinct. They represent their precinct by
voting for the candidates that are going to represent our Party in your
Legislative District and Senate District. They will attend
the County Convention and cast a vote. They are also called
upon to vote in a special election to replace legislatures who have resigned or left their office for
some reason. It is a very important position to be in - you
are an elected representative of your precinct. You will also
be called upon for volunteering and organizing for elections.
Precinct Officers:
These are the elected representatives of a
precinct. Now within each Legislative District there are
around 20-30 precincts. This is decided by the County Clerk.
As a Precinct Officer your job is to keep in contact with
your neighbors. Have a Democratic presence as new people move
in to your neighborhood. You are the connection from your
neighbors to the Party. When an elected official on the
Democratic ticket is running and their area includes your precinct they
will call on you to help organize volunteers for walking, phone
banking, envelope stuffing, whatever! You are the most basic
and arguably more critical part of our entire structure.
Legislative Chair:
A few days after these mass meetings all of the
precinct officers who were elected at that mass meeting will meet and
elect the
Legislative Chair. This person will work very close
with their state representative especially when it is time for them to
run again. They are one step below our Regional Directors and
one more beneath our Executive Committee. They are our
contact with the district and a very important part of the process.
They will be called on to volunteer and help organize
volunteering in their district.