Precinct Action A Guide for Precinct Leaders Developed by Ruth Cain ELECTION YEAR CALENDAR 2004 1 VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT 3 VOTER IDENTIFICATION 4 Lists 4 Priorities 4 Phoning or door-to-door? 5 GET OUT THE VOTE 7 Factors to be considered in GOTV planning 7 Coordination with DFL and candidate organizations: 8 Implementation of GOTV Plans 8 How To Estimate The Potential DFL Vote In The Precinct 9 Organization Of Precinct Workers 9 GOTV Phoning 10 GOTV Doorknocking 11 “Knock and Drag” 11 COORDINATING WITH CAMPAIGNS 12 FUND RAISING 13 RECRUITING ELECTION JUDGES 14 ELECTION YEAR CALENDAR 2004 Jan 1-Feb 10 Arrange precinct caucus locations and conveners Feb 11 Report caucus locations to the County Auditor [20 days before caucuses] (State DFL must issue Caucus and Convention Calls) Feb 3-28 Caucus workshops for conveners and the public March 2 Uniform Precinct Caucus Day 7:00 PM [First Tuesday in March] March Township Meetings March 2-April 4 County Unit Conventions March 2-July 11 Senate District Conventions April 17-May 22 Congressional District Convention May 22-23 State Convention June 1- Sept 14 VOTER IDENTIFICATION July 1 New election laws sent to County Auditor (available for reference) July 1 List of DFL nominees for election judge to County Auditor July 6 First day to file for office [70 days before primary] July 20 Last day to file for office (5:00 PM deadline) [56 days before primary] July 22 Last day to withdraw from primary (5:00 PM deadline) [2 days after filing closes] July 20 Last day for municipalities to appoint election judges August 24 Voter registration for the Primary closes [21 days before primary] CHECK ON ELECTION JUDGES FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION August 25 Election judge teams begin absentee voting in health care facilities [20 days before election] Sept 7 Updated voter registration lists available from the County auditor [7 days before primary] Sept 1 Public accuracy tests of electronic voting begin [14 days before primary] notice posted 2 days prior Sept 4 Campaign finance reports due (10 days before primary) Sept 10 Delivery of absentee ballots to health care facilities starts (4 days before primary) August 31-Sept 14 PREPARATIONS FOR PRIMARY ______________ LITERATURE DROPS (for DFL endorsed candidates only) ______________ ______________ DOOR KNOCKS ______________ ARRANGE RIDES TO POLLS AND POLL WATCHERS ______________ DISTRIBUTE DFL VOTER LISTS TO GOTV PHONERS ______________ DROP DFL SAMPLE BALLOT& ELECTION-DAY REGISTRATION INFORMATION ______________ Get Out The Vote phone checks INVITE VOLUNTEERS TO PARTY Sept 14 PRIMARY ELECTION ELECTION PARTY __________________________________________ ______________ THANK-YOU’S Oct 1-12 VOTER REGISTRATION FOR GENERAL ELECTION Oct 1 Absentee ballots available [30 days before election] Oct 8 Last day to appoint election judges Oct 12 Voter registration closes [21 days out] Oct 26 Final updated voter registration list available from the County Auditor [7 days out] Sept 15-Nov 2 PREPARATIONS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION ______________ LITERATURE DROPS (for DFL endorsed candidates only) ______________ DOOR KNOCKS ______________ ARRANGE RIDES TO POLLS AND POLL WATCHERS ______________ DISTRIBUTE DFL VOTER LISTS TO GOTV PHONERS ______________ DISTRIBUTE DFL SAMPLE BALLOT & ELECTION-DAY REGISTRATION INFORMATION ______________ Get Out The Vote phone checks INVITE VOLUNTEERS TO PARTY NOV 2 GENERAL ELECTION [First Tuesday after the first Monday in Nov] ELECTION PARTY __________________________________________ ______________ THANK-YOU’S **MISCELLANEOUS DATES** CANDIDATE FUND RAISERS DATE TIME PLACE _________________________ _________ ________ ________________________ _________________________ _________ ________ ________________________ WORK PARTY _________ ________ ________________________ _________ ________ ________________________ OTHER EVENTS _________ ________ ________________________ _______________________ _________ ________ ________________________ County Convention _________ ________ ________________________ Committees meet _________ ________ ________________________ City Convention _________ ________ ________________________ Committees meet _________ ________ ________________________ Additional information about the statutes governing elections http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/200.html. A complete calendar is available at http://www.sos.state.mn.us/election/2004calendar.pdf VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT (or Don’t try to do it all yourself!) Spreading the work around may seem like more work than doing it yourself the first time, Especially when work assignments are small, but each task accepted gives that person a stake in the campaign. You can and should go back to the same people again. Ask each one to recruit another worker, and get people working together whenever possible. Be positive about the value of the work. Elections have often been won or lost by one vote per precinct! Don’t be afraid to ask An amazing number of people want to help and will respond if they are asked to do a short term, clearly defined, immediate task which can be completed easily. 35 phone calls or 25 homes to visit are plenty for a first time volunteer. Each precinct chair should have a copy of the registration sheet for the 2004 precinct caucus. This is a prime source of volunteers! Teenage children often enjoy working on campaigns as well. Never be reluctant to ask for help. If you get a turndown, accept it cheerfully and ask if you can call another time. Provide a variety of opportunities Different strokes for different folks – some people hate phoning, but will work on lists or mailings; others would prefer going door to door or pounding lawn signs; some give rides, others give money. Some really love to work on food committees. Almost everyone prefers working with others: it’s a lot more fun going door to door with someone than alone. A little social get-together afterwards lets people compare results and get acquainted, as well as indicating appreciation for the work done. This also works for phoners bringing in lists. Work in groups Working with a group to get a job done provides social rewards as well as personal satisfaction. Thank- you notes and volunteer parties with candidates (or complimentary tickets to fund raisers) during the campaign are good morale boosters. (A case of beer or a coffee pot will replenish itself many times if you put out a contribution “kitty”.) Keep records of volunteer activities Electronic records and communication can be a great way to track and organize volunteers. If you can get everyone who attended the precinct caucus into a easily sorted computer list, it will be very cheap and fast to communicate with all those who have e-mail. There may be a few to be called or contacted by mail, but you can sort by volunteer job preferences, track those who respond and those who never do, make list for lawn signs, etc. Keeping volunteers informed helps to keep them motivated. If you aren’t familiar with data bases, you can set up a table in MS Word or Excel. You can set up groups of e-mail recipients which will allow you to fire off notices, thank you notes with one key stroke! Keep a card (or computer) file on your volunteers, and an assignment sheet for each project. Your job should focus on recruitment, coordination, supervision and follow-up. DON’T FORGET THE THANK YOU’S! Every volunteer needs to feel that the work is important and appreciated. Make sure that each candidate receives a list at the end of the campaign so they can thank the people who helped elect them. Most candidates are eager to acknowledge help, but for their own sake, don’t be shy about reminding them. VOTER IDENTIFICATION Identification of DFL, Independent, Green and GOP voters is the first important step to see that the vote we get out will be favorable to our candidates. It also saves money and effort for our candidates and volunteers: why waste campaign literature, postage or phone calls on Republicans? How to do it? Get a list of precinct residents and call or visit them, ask their party preference and KEEP A RECORD. Do not attempt to work from lists in heavily transient areas- the lists will be too out of date. Lists Voter survey If the DFL has conducted a voter survey recent enough to be of any value, it should be available to any DFL endorsed candidate. Voter registration lists These lists should be include everyone who has registered or voted in the precinct during the past 4 years and should be available from the County auditor for a “reasonable cost of reproduction”. Updated lists must be available 7 days before an election. Street Address Phone Directory In many areas, a telephone directory listing names and phone numbers in order of street and house number is available for purchase. The directory can usually be used without charge at the telephone company office and sometimes is available at the library. This is usually the most comprehensive and up to date list available. Phone directories A plain old phone book may be most appropriate in rural areas. Organize to avoid long distance charges. Party and candidate lists You can often save a lot of time and effort by taking the most complete list you have and comparing it with candidate and DFL lists from past efforts, fundraising, etc. No List Recruit help and go door to door. This will probably be a highly transient area. The census indicates that in some low income places, people move twice a year! Go to American Fact Finder in the US Census and click on “Housing” . Identify & keep track of the census tract numbers for your precinct. Check “Tenure” to see how transient your precinct is, noting especially the “renters” and the number of units relative to “homeowners” Priorities DFL index less than 40% Identify your strongest DFL candidate, one with the widest appeal, and select DFL positions on issues which are likely to have strong support. Always be honest about why you are calling. Stress that you are a volunteer from the neighborhood and not a paid campaign worker. Identify DFL and independent or Green voters. As you do so, stress the candidates and issues which you think will best motivate DFLers to get out to vote and which will best persuade Independents and Greens to vote DFL. Independents in precincts with a DFL index of less than 40% tend to vote GOP. Marginal precincts (40-60%) These precincts are the most productive use of voter ID efforts. These are the swing precincts which win or lose elections. We need the DFL votes and often the independents, but we do not want to expend DFL resources to get Republicans out. You may wish to heck percentages in your completed survey to see if you want to get independents out. Heavy DFL precincts (over 60%) Precincts with over 60% DFL index do not absolutely require voter identification, since the odds are in our favor if we blanket the precinct. However we can save money and effort and cut the GOP total if we avoid contacting Republicans. You are canceling out the effort of a worker who is eking out DFL votes in a GOP precinct if you turn out Republicans here. Unfortunately, in many cases, areas that have a high DFL index are also highly transient . If you survey, do it 20-30 days before the election, as a part of a door to door voter registration effort. Spend your time recruiting help for an all out blitz in the fall! You may be able to work a trade of early help on voter ID and registration in a stable area in return for help in your precinct in Sept- Oct. Real estate agents and postal or utility workers are also good sources of information about transience. Phoning or door-to-door? It depends on your precinct and the workers available. Door-to-door canvassing is ideal, but you can often accomplish more by phone. Consider: Are distances between houses prohibitive? Can you get into security apartment buildings? Will people open their doors after dark? Has everybody got cell phones? Keep the assignments reasonable and send people out in pairs to avoid procrastination and discouragement: Assign 25 calls or 25 visits and offer your volunteers lots of THANKS! Suggested door knock message: “Hello Mr/s. ___________ (verify name) ? I’m (your name) , and I’m trying to locate neighbors who might vote for (most popular DFL candidate) . I’m a volunteer for the DFL party. This will only take a minute – are you registered to vote? Would you consider yourself more of a Democrat or Republican?” (If Democrat, “ Would you or anyone in your household be interested in helping our candidate in any way? Is anyone here an unregistered voter?”(If so, ask if they’d be interested in filling out a voter registration card or if you could leave a voter registration card for someone who’s not home.) If there is no phone number on your list, try to get one so the voter can be reminded of election day. “Thank you for talking with me. Goodbye!” Make sure your workers have good instructions and uniform codes for recording results, and that they carry voter registration cards when going door to door. The Record: If you are working from lists, you may wish to divide up the list for canvassers and ask them to record results right on the list. To make sure the work gets done, have the lists turned in to you. (You can offer to return them for GOTV work after the results have been recoded in the central database. DFL voter surveys are valuable, and should be maintained as well as possible from one election to the next. Put your name and address and phone number on each list distributed in case they don’t get returned to you at the end of each shift. This will enable you to copy results for a master precinct file, and to organize lists for voter registration and Get Out The Vote. Keep track of assignments and keep in touch with workers. You may wish to chart progress on a precinct map. For door-to-door work, a regular work night, precinct maps with assignments colored in, and a party afterwards is a swell way to keep happy, active volunteers. Ask you local candidates to join you, and don’t forget thank you’s! If you can get volunteers to take ongoing responsibility for specific blocks for voter identification, registration, and turnout, they will wind up with a pretty good mental record as well. VOTER REGISTRATION Information On Absentee Voting People who are unable to go to the polls on election day can cast absentee ballots in person by going in to the local elections office or by mail. All absentee ballot request forms should be filled out and mailed or delivered in person to the County Auditor or municipal clerk as soon as possible to permit time to mail the ballot to the voter in time for ballots to be returned by mail and received by election day. Requests are taken year-around. Absentee ballots are available 30 days prior to each election. Special absentee balloting procedures are available to voters in hospital or health-care facilities. Absentee voting requires a witness: a. anyone who is registered to vote in Minnesota including a spouse or other relative: b. a notary public; or c. any person having authority to administer oaths. Instructions for Absentee voting can be found at: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/election/InstregAbs.html. A good campaign will have a number to call if there are questions or if a witness is needed for absentee voting. If the absentee voter is not registered, a registration form will be mailed out along with the ballot. Try to keep track of your absentee voters. GET OUT THE VOTE The most important job the party does for its endorsed candidates is to get the DFL vote to the polls! The whole process – from precinct caucuses through all the conventions and campaigns – stops here unless we win. You can calculate your precinct’s voter turn out rate using the number of delegates allotted at your precinct’s caucus. Each delegate position allotted to a precinct represents 25 average DFL votes (averaged over the last 5 major statewide elections). Develop a Get-Out-The -Vote plan, and work backwards from your goal to structure the resources you need. Set GOTV priorities to be carried out according to the work force available. Re-evaluate 10 days before the election to avoid spinning your wheels on the impossible, and let your county unit officers know what you can and cannot do. Most people vote the way their friends do and/or because their friends ask them to. Know your precinct, its residents and its issues, and take the time to cultivate key workers in each area or block – bring them into the development of your precinct plan. Factors to be considered in GOTV planning Each precinct has its own characteristics – as does each campaign. The rules of thumb listed here must be adapted to your precinct and work force: DFL strength in the precinct: We use all resources best and get a better vote by avoiding known Republicans. In a 60% DFL or better precinct, the odds are with us if we turn out every voter. Independents will ten to vote with the majority in the precinct. In a 40% or less DFL precinct, selectivity is imperative (see voter identification section). Check with past and present party officers to make sure you get the benefit of past voter identification work. Transience: The shape and timing of the campaign depends to a great extent on the stability of your precinct. Most phone lists for areas where people move frequently will be out of date, and door-to- door work is more effective. In transient areas common moving dates should be considered and voter registration becomes a high priority. You will need a quantity of election-day registration information. Voter Registration should be programmed into every step of the plan. Unregistered voters tend to be DFL, and they represent the best means of raising the DFL percentage in the precinct. Make sure everyone carries voter registration cards, until 20 days prior to the election, when instructions for election day registration are more appropriate (see voter registration section). Work Force: The precinct caucus registration list is basic. A network of key workers, to “block captains” - each working his/her own area and recruiting their own help - will make voter turnout easy and effective. Develop these key workers early and include them in your planning, even if it’s only 2 or 3 people at first. Volunteers will be easier to get as the election gets closer. As additional workers are recruited, make sure they understand your plan and the importance of your objectives: strong grass roots organization is the only way the party rank and file can continue to keep candidates accountable. The nature of the precinct: Where do the voters live? In apartments? Farms? Trailer courts? Nursing homes? Single family homes? What are the major constituent groups? Unions? Seniors? Minorities? Church or other local organizations may have helpful lists. Caucus attendees who live in security buildings can be very valuable. One large apartment building well worked may be worth a block of single family homes. A sense of the concerns in the precinct will help. Coordination with DFL and candidate organizations: Will you be on your own as a precinct or will there be a wider coordinated effort (we hope!) Will rides to the polls be centrally organized? If so, how will requests be made? (It’s still a good idea to have back-up rides available in the precinct if possible). When are other organizations planning literature drops, voter registration drives, GOTV phoning, etc. Will they be competing for workers to do special phoning, door knocking, etc? Coordination of efforts is often difficult. It will be easier if other organizations have confidence that you are well organized and will perform reliably. Candidates going door-to-door should be accompanied by local workers, who can introduce the candidate and save time by locating the doors where folks are at home. As much as possible, eliminate overlap in phoning lists--this is a real test of organization. Candidates working from centralized phone banks may panic & throw any list they have into the effort without regard for duplication OR, lacking a complete list- keep calling the same people over and over. This tends to make the voters surly. There can be disputes over phone scripts: it is NOT effective to mention six candidates by name! Mention a maximum of 3 candidates, chosen on the effectiveness of getting folks to the polls and the importance/closeness of the contest. Implementation of GOTV Plans How many households do you need to cover to achieve the vote goal for your precinct? (see potential DFL vote section) How many can you reach by phone and how many have to be door-to-door? How many sure DFL voters can you target for election day voting reminders (one in the morning and one at about 6:00 PM if possible). Will DFL sample ballots have to be delivered in the last few days? If you have important primary contests for endorsed DFL candidates, plan for the primary with a focus on identified DFL and independent voters who vote in primaries as indicated in voter registration records. A general rule of thumb – if the precinct is: Number Over 60% DFL – contact all but known GOP households _____________ 40-60% -- contact DFLers and possibly Independents _____________ 40% or less -- contact only known DFL voters _____________ Number of Households/workers needed SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY ELECTION DAY Door knocks / / / / Home phone calls / / / / Literature drops / / / / Phone bank workers / / / / Drivers / / / / Number of registered voters in the precinct prior to election day ________ Goal for election day registration _________ MAKE YOUR BEST ESTIMATES NOW AND RE-EVALUATE 10 DAYS PRIOR TO ELECTIONS: How To Estimate The Potential DFL Vote In The Precinct 2002 VOTE GOVERNOR Attorney General Sec of State State Auditor US Senate Total /5 =Average vote DFL GOP other 2002 State House 2002 State Senate 2000 President 2000 US Senate 2000 State House 2000 State Senate DFL GOP other Vote totals may be obtained from the County Auditor or at: http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/ The DFL Index for your precinct can be calculated by averaging the percentage of DFL votes for the 2002 State Auditor and Secretary of State races. Considering CHANGE FACTORS such as new or torn-down housing, estimate the number of households_____ and the number of individuals over 18 (about 2/3 of the population) _________, estimate your goals: President_______; US Congress _______; State House _______. Organization Of Precinct Workers 1. Keep volunteer assignments to 2 hours or less of work. 2. Make instructions CLEAR, in writing, and include polling place, precinct boundaries, election day registration information, and phone numbers to call for rides to the polls and babysitting. If lists are distributed, make sure there are good instructions on uniform coding and RETURNING lists to you. Make sure your workers know who to call if questions arise. 3. Distribution of materials to volunteers: Date Phone lists Door knocks Sample ballots Other Retrieval of lists 4. Keep lists of volunteers and assignments and plan for follow-up calls or reporting back of work completed. Try to be in touch with the polling place on election day re turnout. 5. Recognize and thank precinct workers! Send each candidate a list of workers. Send thank you’s and remind candidates to do likewise! Since “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom”, we’re going to need these volunteers again. GOTV Phoning Phone calling is the only realistic means of reaching voters in many parts of the state. As more people switch to cell phones and unlisted numbers, this becomes more difficult—be creative! The object is to contact the maximum number of friendly voters during the last three days prior to the election with a reminder to vote, mention of key candidates, and information on polling places, election day registration, rides to the polls, etc. as appropriate. Ask voters to remind others to vote. No more than three candidates should be mentioned: the two highest priority and the most popular candidate on the ticket. Be sure to coordinate with campaigns and party officers to avoid duplication! Callers should have numbers to call for questions on candidate positions. Use common sense, and always be polite. If there is no answer, mark the time of day and call back at different times (3 tries). Calling is completed when all voters have been contacted. If a worker can’t complete an assignment, the list should be returned so someone else can do it. If you need help ask your candidates or party officers. SAMPLE MESSAGE: “Hello, Mr/Ms (confirm name) , this is (your name) , calling for (most popular candidate) to remind you to be sure to vote in the election Tuesday! We hope you’ll remember (key candidate) for (office) and (2nd key candidate) for (office). If you know anyone who is not registered, please tell them that this precinct votes at (polling place) and they can register there on Tuesday with a drivers license or a witness who is registered in the precinct to prove residence in the precinct.” (If appropriate, offer phone numbers to be called for rides or babysitting) “Thank you for talking to me, and please be sure to vote.. Goodbye.” ELECTION DAY PHONING IS ESSENTIAL AND LEGAL! You CAN mention party and candidates. Other kinds of electioneering such as advertising and persuasion phoning is prohibited on election day. Calling can begin as early as 9AM on election day with a reminder to vote. If a voter says s/he plans to vote at 4:00. call back at 5:00 and ask how the turnout was. Encourage voters to remind others. Be aware that other entities may be calling the same voters. Keep thinking, “This could be the vote that wins the election!”, and ignore anyone who tells you the election is in the bag. Offers of rides and babysitting are useful in offsetting excuses for not voting. If you will be working from a central phone bank, try to take your workers as a group, and have fun! Phone bank calling is usually carefully planned to get the best results. Lists may to be separated by precinct, but if you have a good, up to date, well identified list for your precinct, inform the phone bank manager in advance, and try to arrange to call your own precinct (keep track of your list and make sure to get it back). In large phone banks, such detailed coordination may not be possible. Give the phone bank a copy of your list. Phone bank messages must ALWAYS be cleared with the State DFL office to avoid problems with campaign finance and ethics laws. Use of the wrong candidate’s name in a phone bank can cause a violation of state and federal law. GOTV Doorknocking A face to face request from a neighbor is the best possible means of getting a voter to the polls. You’re all set if you can cover the entire precinct this way during the last three days prior to the election – especially since sample ballots and/or candidate literature will be most effective with personal contact. However, it’s a good idea to have priorities well in mind: door knocking is most important in transient areas where phone lists will be out of date. Tenants, students and others who are not well established in the neighborhood often need special encouragement to vote. Make sure door-to-door workers have clear instructions and plenty of material about election day registration and the polling place location. No partisan literature can be distributed on election day! Assignments should require less than 2 hours per worker and should be mapped out for each volunteer. Working in pairs is safer and more fun. Rules for door-to-door workers: ? Be enthusiastic, courteous and brief – avoid lengthy discussions be explaining that you have a big assignment to finish and move on. Offer to have someone call with answers to difficult questions, but always be prepared with information about voting procedures and basic info about your candidates. ? Except on election day, leave literature if no one is home. Stop back if you can. ? Remember that you are representing your candidates: don’t walk on the grass, lose your temper or insist on talking to someone who is busy, and never leave political materials in a mailbox (it’s illegal). “Knock and Drag” Cover as many doors as quickly as possible to remind people to vote. In apartment buildings with intercoms in the foyer, just buzz every tenant with your reminder and move on. If you have trouble getting into a security building, try to catch someone going in or out, remind them to vote, and ask them to let you in so you can remind others. Be sure to mention election day registration. If a person needs a witness, a babysitter or a ride to the polls, take the name and number and check with the neighbors as you go to see if someone will help. A well organized campaign will have numbers to which you can refer people. Ask everyone to remind others to vote. Do NOT distribute party or candidate identified literature on election day! If possible, use voting procedure leaflets produced by the League of Women Voters, the government or some non-partisan organization. COORDINATING WITH CAMPAIGNS In 2004, we have presidential, US House, Minnesota House races some local and county campaigns. Ideally, all campaigns will coordinate through the County or Senate District DFL organizations, and each precinct chair, as a member of the central committee, will function as a member of a well coordinated team. However, candidates, campaign managers and party leaders often have different game plans. Candidates tend to believe that their own campaign is the most important and that the political world should function accordingly. As a party officer, your formal obligations are to the endorsed candidates (including the party’s presidential candidate). The functions laid out in this handbook: voter identification, registration and turnout, along with distribution of the DFL sample ballot and other campaign literature – represent the value of having the endorsement of our party. Each candidate may want his/her literature dropped separately, usually wants her/his name mentioned in GOTV phoning. These are difficult judgments, and sometimes the precinct chair must simply tell the candidates that literature distribution is planned for certain dates (coordinated at the County or SD level) for all endorsed candidates who request it. This is an important item to discuss with your precinct workers early on. Get their participation in planning, or you will lose them to candidates and the overall effort will become less well organized. Name recognition is important to all candidates, but strategies depend on the precinct: in heavy DFL areas, identifying candidates for nonpartisan office as DFLers may be the best use if phoning. In heavy GOP areas, emphasis on the most popular DFL candidate will probably help all our candidates. In 2004, candidates for president and the Minnesota House will be the prime concerns almost everywhere. The precinct chair may face demands from many “bosses”, and it will take strong leadership from the SD/County level to minimize it. You will be in a good position if you have a reasonable work schedule and workers who are committed to it. Workers who are approached by candidates can help improve coordination of efforts if they know what the plan is. You can figure out a schedule now. Set up a general timetable with your own precinct team, let the SD/County know your plans, and be prepared for a reasonable amount of cooperation and flexibility as the campaigns develop. Conflicting demands should be addressed to the SD/County Chair. This strengthens the party and leaves you free to get the work done. If you can’t handle or don’t have time for a job, say so! Never be afraid to ask for help or to let someone share the load. On the other hand, don’t be surprised if someone else shows up doing the same job in your precinct. Campaign managers are overworked and some aren’t taking any chances, so duplication is not uncommon. Sometimes it’s just an overlap from a neighboring district, but you should report it to the SD/County chair and make a reasonable attempt to get it coordinated, but proceed with your work! All the candidates ultimately depend on the precinct chair. FUND RAISING The Sustaining fund is the backbone of the Minnesota DFL Party. It comprises a large part of the budget of the state party. Sometimes a portion of the sustaining fund is rebated to local party organizations. State tax refunds are available for contributions to the DFL party as well as to candidates. The maximum refund is $50 per person ($100 for a married couple filing jointly) See http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/290/06.html , subdivision 23 for more information. No refunds are available for contributions to federal campaigns. The second major source of public money for Minnesota candidates is the income tax check off. Immediately following the state primary in September, all candidates who have signed a spending limit agreement, filed an affidavit of private contributions, have an opponent in either the primary or the general election, and whose names will appear on the ballot in the general election receive a payment from the State. Encourage DFLers to use the check-off! See http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/departments/scr/treatise/campfin.htm#_1_1 for a discussion of public campaign finance. Any fund raising should be done under the supervision of a well instructed treasurer to avoid getting your candidate in trouble! Contribution limits for individuals and groups are cumulative, so good records must be kept. Even passing the hat in a precinct meeting could put the party or an individual over the legal limit if the money is given to a candidate. However, it’s always a good idea to pass the hat for precinct expenses or to have a contribution kitty out to help pay for coffee and refreshments. Never sell drinks without checking on the applicable laws and procedures. If you want to raise money for a candidate, check with the campaign treasurer in advance. “Refreshments of food or nonalcoholic beverages of nominal value consumed on the premises at a private gathering or public meeting are not prohibited,” according to MS 211B.13. The following quotes are from Minnesota statutes: “211B.11 Election day prohibitions. Subdivision 1. Soliciting near polling places. A person may not display campaign material, post signs, ask, solicit, or in any manner try to induce or persuade a voter within a polling place or within 100 feet of the building in which a polling place is situated, or anywhere on the public property on which a polling place is situated, on primary or election day to vote for or refrain from voting for a candidate or ballot question. A person may not provide political badges, political buttons, or other political insignia to be worn at or about the polling place on the day of a primary or election. A political badge, political button, or other political insignia may not be worn at or about the polling place on primary or election day. This section applies to areas established by the county auditor or municipal clerk for absentee voting as provided in chapter 203B. . . . Subd. 3. Transportation of voters to polling place; penalty. A person transporting a voter to or from the polling place may not ask, solicit, or in any manner try to induce or persuade a voter on primary or election day to vote or refrain from voting for a candidate or ballot question. Subd. 4. Penalty. Violation of this section is a petty misdemeanor.” Copyright 2003 by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota. The Bribery statute says, “Refreshments of food or nonalcoholic beverages of nominal value consumed on the premises at a private gathering or public meeting are not prohibited under this section.” RECRUITING ELECTION JUDGES County unit chairs have the right to submit a list of DFLers for each precinct to the County auditor by July 1 each year. Half the election judges must be chosen from this list. Election judges are paid varying amounts per election. They should expect to take a few hours’ training and should expect to work a long day on election day. [Time off from work with no loss of pay is provided by law for people serving as election judges.] Good, well informed election judges are essential for proper instruction of voters, good administration of election day voter registration, and a fair election. Abuses in the polling place can lose an election or cause an expensive recount. The town or city clerk can tell you who has served as election judges previously. We should all bear in mind Ben Franklin’s words, “ It’s a Democracy, if you can keep it!” 12