It sucks that we lost Michigan’s Electoral College votes last November. A mere two votes per precinct would have changed the outcome here. We have a lot of work to do to make sure we’re not just as miserable on November 7. 2018. For me, that work will be focused on rebuilding a solid Precinct Delegate structure for the Michigan Democratic Party.
Precinct Delegates constitute the grassroots of party membership. If we’re sufficiently strong, we can not only influence elections, we can influence candidates and office holders. I see our task not only to cultivate voters, but to empower voters — to support the development of small-d democracy all year round, election year or otherwise. We do that in part by making it possible for people to know they can effect change on their own behalf.
I am convinced that many of our non-voters stay home because they have no incentive to vote that’s strong enough to overcome the many hindrances there are to voting in Michigan. The only early voting we have (as we know but many don’t) is by absentee ballot; and absentee ballots are supposedly to be given only for “reasons.” Early voting is prohibitive because of our hyper-local voting system, and so far voting by mail has not gained much momentum. And this is to suspend discussion for now of the awkwardness of voter registration for large groups of citizens in our state.
The good news is that it is doable. It is possible for us to fight back, to organize, to cooperate in raising each other up and giving each other the tools of effective civic engagement. Are the barriers high and the obstacles forbidding? No question. Are our congressional districts gerrymandered to hell and gone? Absolutely. Will the DeVos cabal throw millions and millions and millions of dollars into campaigns for GOP candidates? Without a doubt. Am I overly optimistic for thinking we have a chance? No way to tell. Except that we will certainly lose if we don’t try.
My hardworking colleagues and I in Washtenaw County have been putting together some plans and strategies in support of these goals, some of which we discussed at the Michigan Democratic Party leadership summit last month. We already have tentative dates for presentations involving Democratic Party clubs, county parties, or CDs in the 1st, 6th, 7th, 11th, and 12th between now and the end of May. After the jump, I’ll explain briefly what we have in hand already — hoping that some of you will either A) want to arrange a meeting to discuss these topics in your own area; B) plan a Michigan Kos meetup in connection with such a presentation; C) both. 😎
It’s not magic, and it doesn’t take extraordinary skill or resources to accomplish what we need to do. It does take organization, and it does take time. The MDP staff can’t do much of this, though we have their blessing; the MDP committees aren’t largely set up to do this; and campaigns come and go. But we on the ground can make it happen, if we have the will and the interest in doing so.
In the past couple of election cycles, we have drafted some materials and methods to rehabilitate the precinct delegate infrastructure. They include everything from explaining what precinct delegates do, why they matter, and how one becomes a PD; suggestions for recruiting and developing local neighborhood and precinct teams; trainings for canvassers and phone callers at different stages of the campaign cycle; and detailed workshops about door-knocking strategies. We’re about to embark on a county-wide Listening Tour, so that we make it clear that we want to know what people are thinking and feeling about electoral politics and about the issues that concern them most.
We’re eager to foster horizontal communication with Democratic party groups across Michigan about topics like these, by way of skill-sharing and resource-development. We all have local issues of concern, and the specific approaches we take will vary. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to political organizing. I know that many Kossacks are also active in their local parties, one way or another, and there’s no reason we can’t collaborate on advertising and promoting this initiative.
So who’s in? Please let me know in the comments — which are also a great place to let us all know what you’re doing lately with your own local Dem party.
Please help us build this weekly Michigan thread so that it includes any information relevant to turning MI Blue again that you would like me to highlight. MI contributors are always welcome! You can reach me through kosmail at peregrine kate. Or say hi through email here: peregrinekate@gmail.com And please follow me on Twitter @peregrinekate
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