THE TIME TO REMAKE THE PHILLY DEMOCRATIC PARTY INTO AN ENGINE OF PROGRESSIVE CHANGE IS NOW
EACH OF US CAN PLAY A PART
The Philadelphia Democratic Party is ineffective for so many reasons. Let us begin to count the ways:
because it does not stand for anything, much less a progressive platform;
because it endorses and promotes candidates based on loyalty and wealth, not their values and ideas;
because it utterly fails in its prime mission, to get out the vote and defeat right-wing Republicans.
We need an energized Democratic Party that actually stands for things people care about, and that has the ability to get out the vote for candidates who courageously stand for those things.
No one else but us is going to create the Party that we need. There will be no saviors from afar. That’s why, if you care about the direction of our city, state and nation – and we know you do — it is important for you to get involved at the hyper-local level where all power in the Party begins – in your voting division. The election for Committeepeople representing the 1686 divisions in the City happens next May. If hundreds of us run and capture those seats, we will take a major step toward creating a renewed, revitalized and responsive Democratic Party that we can all be proud members of.
Exactly how can you take that step? Come and learn about the process for electing committeepeople, their duties and responsibilities, and how you can fit into this picture, either by running yourself or becoming a supporter of a neighbor who throws their hat in the ring.
Committeeperson Training: All You Need to Know
Sunday, October 22, 3 PM
First United Methodist Church of Germantown (FUMCOG)
6001 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia 19144
PLEASE REGISTER HERE FOR THE TRAINING
WANT MORE INFORMATION? HERE ARE THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT NN’S COMMITTEEPERSON PROJECT
WHAT IS THE WARD & DIVISION STRUCTURE IN PHILLY? Philadelphia has 69 wards. Each ward is divided into 20 or so divisions made up of 800-1200 potential voters. There are two committeepeople elected in the May primary every four years to represent Democratic Party voters in each division. The committeepeople meet periodically within their ward to consider electoral candidates, get out the vote and elect Party leadership in their ward and city level.
WHO ARE COMMITTEEPEOPLE? They are just regular people like all of us who live in our neighborhoods, shop at our stores and live within a few blocks of everyone in their division. You can be one of them if you run in 2018.
WHY IS IT SO URGENT NOW TO ELECT COMMITTEEPEOPLE? Every single Committeeperson post will be filled in the May 2018 primary – that’s 3372 positions throughout the city. It will be 4 more years until we can vote again for committeepersons to represent us. Either we change the makeup and direction of the Party next May or we must wait until 2022 to do so. We can’t afford to wait.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A COMMITTEEPERSON? It’s easy, fun and rewarding! It’s easy to become a committeeperson – you only need 10 valid Democratic Party voters’ signatures on your petition to get on the ballot. It does not have to take a great deal of your time. Participation will enrich your life as you will know your neighbors better and feel a greater sense of shared community with them. And you will also feel a renewed hope that important things can still get done as progressive committeepeople organize for change all across the City.
HOW WILL NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKS HELP COMMITTEEPEOPLE? We will provide training and resources. We will also create a support network for all progressive committeepeople to help us become a powerful force for our values within the Party, and by extension, in the City, state and country.
IF I DON’T WANT TO RUN, IS THERE A WAY I CAN SUPPORT THIS PROJECT? We are also creating a corps of support people to help those that are running. Support people would help the candidate to do outreach in their divisions, help to get petitions signed and help them after election to do the work of reforming the Party.
SHOULD I COME TO THE TRAINING? Yes. If you are interested in running for committeeperson, supporting a committeeperson, or just want more information in order to decide, then our training on Sunday, Oct 22 is the place for you. In addition to the nuts and bolts of the committeeperson project, we will have a panel of NN-member committepeople talking about how they have actually carried out their roles and then break down into wards so we can get to know other neighbors committed to this vital project.
REGISTER HERE FOR THE TRAINING.