What is a Precinct Committee Person?

The most overlooked elected office is that of a Precinct Committee person (PC). Most people who consider themselves politically active and well-informed have never heard of them.

PC’s are responsible for voter registration, gathering signatures for candidates and ballot initiatives — just to name a few. PC’s are where the power for the political party is based. It is a simple process and requires only the amount of time you want to put in it. Like anything else, you will only get back what you put in.

Attending meetings is paramount, and the norm is monthly. Apathy wins out. “Someone else will do it, I don’t have time.” In Maricopa County in 2016, Democrats were allotted 5,003 PC’s, yet they only managed to muster 880.

Apathy is like having a matador defense. Corruption runs wild and controls our lives.

Having become an elected PC myself thanks to Richard Gooding PH.D, I can say it is one of the most important things I have ever done. Because I am PC, I was eligible to and did work the polls as an Observer.

Civic engagement is the backbone of a civilized society. PC allotment is based on population, so as a community grows so will the need for PC’s. This is my soap box asking everyone to consider serving as a PC.

There are two ways to become a PC in Arizona. You can be appointed by the Legislative District (LD) Chair, or be an elected PC and gather 10 signatures on your petition to become one. It is not hard.

So clearly, Democrats had no ground game in Maricopa County. In my LD s of the November 2016 election, there were 16 PC’s. But something changed. That election awakened the soul of the country. Currently we have 45 elected PC’s in my LD, with much more room to grow. The total PC count in Maricopa County now 468 Democrats serving as PCs.

Originally published at primepolitical.com on November 27, 2018.