Orange County Democrats (Florida) registering voters

Since the shocking outcome of 2016’s Presidential Election, I get a lot of people wondering how they can get involved and help win elections. That’s a fair question, as there are many options and the ways to participate aren’t always clear. You could volunteer directly for a candidate, work with an issues based organization, form or work with a PAC, or decide to go solo as an activist and community organizer.

While any of those options are far better than doing nothing at all, my answer always remains the same; reach out to your local county Democratic Party (like the Orange County Democrats) and see how you can get involved. Now, you might ask, what are the advantages of this route as opposed to the others I mentioned?

Primaries: Many county parties (or DECs) can’t or won’t endorse one democratic primary candidate over another. This is good news as it allows them to focus on gearing up for a general election. Non-Partisan Races: Candidates in non-partisan races (such as judicial races) can’t self-identify what party they belong to. County DECs can and do identify which candidate either most closely aligns with ours on issues or is a member of our party. Helping the DEC helps every Democratic Candidate: Oftentimes when you volunteer for a candidate, you’ll either be making calls or handing out materials relevant solely to that candidate. When you work with party, we reach out to voters on behalf of all local, state and federal democratic candidates.

Now, that is by no means an exhaustive list, rather some of the highlights. Also, it’s important to note that volunteering for a DEC doesn’t preclude you working with a favorite candidate, or vice-versa, in fact it’s encouraged! I also want to emphasize that there is a role for everyone. If you are unable to go door to door you can phone bank, if you prefer to not have to reach out to strangers you can donate or do data entry and of course, donations are always needed!

If you are unsure where to find your county party chapter the best places to start are google and facebook. There is a good chance the DEC has a website or facebook page with a calendar listing monthly meetings. These meetings are a great way to meet people and get started!