The Precinct People Newsletter
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Who are Precinct People?
By Jerry Fennell  

"The whole state must be so well organized that every Whig can be brought to the polls. So divide the county into small districts and appoint in each a committee. Make a perfect list of the voters and ascertain with certainty for whom they will vote...Keep a constant watch on the doubtful voters and have then talked to by those in whom they have the most confidence...On election day, see that every Whig is brought to the polls!"
                                                                                                              --Abraham Lincoln

In this time of computers, television, mass mailings and the like, these words of Abraham Lincoln still hold a truth for us, the Precinct People! Organize, keep records, and keep organizing! Find that last Republican that has not registered to vote or voted on Election Day and get him to the Polls! Make the difference!

Not much has changed in the last 150 years or so except some on our tools! Still, only those who take the time to vote will have their votes counted, in an honest election. As Precinct People, it is still our job to see that every Republican is registered and goes to the Polls and votes on Election Day! Its that simple! Sometimes too simple!

How many campaigns have I volunteered in only to go the campaign headquarters the day after the election, win or lose, to help cleanup, and witness someone take all the campaign records, canvasing records, polling records, list of volunteers, list of donators, budgets, contacts and suppliers and throw them in the trunk of their car and drive off, never to be seen again?! All that work, months of work, gone! Each election, it seems we start over from scratch to reproduce the foundation we had a few months ago! What a frustrating waist of energy, resources, and people’s time and talents!

"If only we had the records from the last election," we would say. "Where are they? Who has them?"

"The seeds of political success are sown far in advance of election day!"
                                                                                                                    --Theodore Rossevelt

Now is the time to get organized for the next time! It may seem like you are working for the upcoming election, next November, but, your real goal is always the election after the upcoming election! Think in two-year-cycles and four-year-cycles! Always think of what we could or should be doing "next time," better. What did we miss this time? We must retain the volunteers and the records we have and build on this foundation! One of the purposes of this website is to recruit, encourage, and train precinct volunteers and leaders: Precinct People! It’s a good way to stay in touch with each other, ask questions, offer suggestions, dialog with each other! We must make long term commitments to our precincts, parties and communities! We must find volunteers to fill the vacancies in the open precincts and volunteers to work in all the precincts! Every leader must have at least one or two assistants trained to take over when the time comes for the present leadership to step down or move up!

"Nothing in politics just happens. There is always someone who sets the stage for it, writes the dialogue, rehearses the actors, prompts them from the wings."
                                                                                                                       --Harold Lavine

I suggest that we each get a big three ring binder, if you have not done so already and a two drawer filling cabinet. In it keep all your precinct records, your delegate papers, the list of precinct volunteers, a map of the precinct, etc. Make this your permanent records of the precinct. If ever you decide not to run again, pass these records on to the next precinct president. Hopefully, someone you have hand picked and trained.

"Ten men working together can make a thousand tremble apart."
                                                                                                              --V.I. Lenin

We could be those 10 working together! That’s what Precinct People do!

www.PrecinctPeople.com
 Dedicated to helping you build a better precinct!