Become a Committee Member

What is a Committee Member?

A Committee Member (CM) is the representative of the Democratic Party in your district or precinct. A CM is a volunteer who works to support Democratic candidates and elections. A CM is at the core of grass-roots local politics. Elections can be decided by a handful of votes in a single precinct and your enthusiasm and effort makes a difference in whether we win or lose.

What does a Committee Member do?

There are many different things that a Committee Member may do over the course of a year.

Support Elections & Local Democratic Voters

  • Get to know the Democrats in your precinct.

  • Inform voters in your precinct about upcoming election timetables and upcoming election information

  • Help increase voter registration (new neighbors, children turning 18, unregistered neighbors) in your precinct

  • Promote mail-in ballot applications

  • Help find volunteers to work outside your precinct’s polling place on Election Days

  • Educate voters in your precinct about candidates endorsed by MCDC or the Delaware County Democrats

Support the Mid-County Democratic Committee

We always have a need for skills to organize/manage mini-projects or activities, write and edit printed communications, help with data analysis and reporting, to record and edit basic videos, or create graphics for social media using tools like Canva or Adobe Creative Cloud Express.

**Committee Members must attend a minimum of 3 out of 12 meetings on a rolling basis

^^Committee Members must buy or sell* at least 4 tickets for our annual fundraiser (*sell to their friends, family, or neighbors in the MCDC area).

Assist in Finding and Electing Local Democratic Candidates

  • Keep an eye out for potential candidates for local office

  • Circulate nominating petitions for candidates

  • Help organize and distribute candidate signs

  • Volunteer for candidates by canvassing and/or phone banking

The Committee Person Handbook, written by the PA Dems, is an important guide to understanding the function of a Committee Person.

The Delaware County Democrats also wrote a shorter Committee Member Guide for our County.

What are the Types of Committee Members and how does someone become a Committee Member?

Elected

  • The voters in each precinct elect two CMs every four years, at the spring primary. The next election will be held in May of 2026. Each CM serves a four-year term, and there are no term limits.

  • To run for Committee, you must be a registered Democrat in the district or precinct you want to represent. You must also have not openly supported or donated to a Republican candidate in the prior 2 years.

  • In order to be on the ballot, you must file a petition with the County, like any other candidate for office. MCDC provides training and assistance with this.

  • Elected Committee Members have all the rights of a Committee Member as defined in the bylaws.

Appointed

  • After the May 2022 election, if a district or precinct has fewer than two elected CMs, the open CM position(s) may be filled by appointment with the approval of the Chair of the Delaware County Democratic Committee, upon the recommendation of the MCDC Chair.

  • Appointed Committee Members have all the rights and responsibilities of an Elected Committee Member.

At-Large

  • Each municipality is allowed a certain number of additional At-Large Committee Members. A municipality is allocated 2 At-Large positions for every voting precinct in the municipality. At-Large Committee Members are appointed by the MCDC Chair after they are approved by a committee vote.

  • At-Large Committee Members have all the rights and responsibilities of an Elected Committee Member except they may not vote for the Chair of the Delaware County Democratic Committee or the Chair of the Mid-County Democratic Committee.

If you are interested in becoming a Committee Member, contact our Co-Chairs at chair@midcountydems.com.