Democratic Town and Ward Committees reorganize every four years. Beginning today, nomination papers for this process are available at the Election Division in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and some city and town clerk’s offices.
The process is really very straightforward, but for officers who have not been through the process before, I’ll mention a few items.
– Under the Mass Dems Charter, people who have been members for twenty years are automatically members and do not need to be on the ballot. This is a great way of getting more people involved.
– The ‘first signer’ is the contact name with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, so committees should ensure that this person is someone who will pass on any communication to the appropriate person. Many committees select the chair or secretary.
– Once all the signatures have been collected, the signatures need to be submitted to the Town/City Clerk for certification. Deadline is Friday, November 9.
– Once they have been certified, town and ward committee nomination papers must be submitted to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Deadline is 5 PM, Tuesday, November 20. Please note that this is not done by the Clerk’s office. Much like in any campaign, the candidate, in this case the candidates, are responsible for filing with the Secretary.
Get more detail on the MassDems site.
Use this reorganization period as an opportunity to reach out to Democrats and get them involved.
The M&W Dems will be devoting our August meeting to reviewing the process and sharing hints on how to recruit new members.
M&W Dems Meeting
Tuesday, August 14 at 7:00 PM
Hudson Portuguese Club
13 Port Street, Hudson, MA
RSVP to KateDonaghue@aol.com
We just meet informally in the restaurant. So look for us there.
kate says
You can also get information on this from the Secretary or the Commonwealth site.
jimc says
We really need this in places like Walpole. At a recent convention I met a woman who told me she’s the only Democrat in — I forget; Norfolk, maybe? — but those of us in the Red Belt need to get more organized and more active.
pablo says
Friends, remember when you went to your local caucus to support your favorite candidate for governor?
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If you found a group of Democrats who welcomed you, and did everything possible to facilitate the process, go make friends with the local town or ward committee.
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If you found a group of party hacks who were offended at your mere presence, here’s your chance to do something about it. The town or ward committee seats are four year terms, so organize now or don’t complain at the next caucus!