About Adopt Your Precinct

Adopt and Nurture Your Precinct to

Massively Grow the Green Party Into

A Powerful Political Force

Introduction:

Organizing in your own precinct is a proven way to register voters and get them to the polls. In California,16.8 million eligible voters did not vote in the 2014 election. GROW is currently implementing the Adopt Your Precinct program to go after these 16.8 million disaffected voters, precinct by precinct. Using proven and easy to learn marketing and organizing skills, Greens in each of California's 25,000 precincts, will be able to register and retain Greens, and get them to the polls on election day, 2016. The Adopt Your Precinct plan is ambitious and bold. If you are willing to get on board and, along with fellow Greens in your precinct, work your precinct, we will elect large numbers of Greens in 2016 so we can move to:

a Healthy Democracy
a Healthy Environment
Economic & Social Justice
Peaceful Coexistence with our Fellow Nations

This plan will answer following questions:

Why hasn't the Green Party become a powerful Third party?
How we can grow the Green Party into a powerful political force?
How can we select and elect candidates?
How can we do this without a lot of money?

Background

In the 31 years of it's existence, why hasn't the Green Party become a powerful third party? Some reasons might be:

Greens believe that only with huge amounts of money can we compete with the major parties.
Greens believe that the Green Party is more about consciousness raising that will, over time, (maybe in 50 years) make the Green Party into a strong political party.

The Plan

If we don't want to wait 50 years, and we don't have gobs of money, how can we can grow the Green Party into a powerful political force?
- Convert disaffected voters to Greens precinct by precinct
  - With almost two thirds of eligible voters not voting, the disaffected voter is the best source of third-party members.
  - Disaffected voters are the best target market because, generally, they do not have the “waste your vote” or conservative opposition arguments.
    - Unregistered and non-voting registered are the most likely to be disaffected voters who have lost confidence in the system.
    - The Green Party is for clean government and takes no money from corporations. Disaffected voters are looking for the empowerment that clean government provides.
  - The precinct is the key to political power.
    - If you win enough precincts, you win elections.
    - Richard Daley, 20 year mayor of Chicago, knew this.
      - His Cook County Democratic Party was organized around the precinct.
        
        Each precinct had a precinct captain that was charged with delivering the vote on election day.
        
        Here's an excerpt from a Chicago Tribune article on a current precinct captain Doug McLaughlin:
        
        The precinct captain is American democracy writ small. Presidents and speakers of the House may act more or less like statesmen. But here in the 8th precinct, as in hundreds of precincts around Chicago and in hundreds of thousands of precincts throughout the nation, the precinct captain meets the voter face-to-face. Here, at this level, there is little room for debate and confrontation. Accommodation-cooperation-is the rule. Here, the political process is a form of neighborliness. "I'm a good listener," McLaughlin says. "The more you talk, the more trouble you get into."
        
        Daley's system was inherently corrupt because he paid precinct workers with city funds so they could spend much time working the precinct.
        
        We have a similar, non-corrupt situation with the large numbers of retiring baby-boom seniors who can be mobilized to help at the precinct level.
  - Everyone of us lives in a precinct. Mine is precinct 409730.
  - We can register as many Greens as possible by having Greens, everywhere, adopt their respective precincts, and work them between now and the 2016 June and November elections.
- How can we register all of these needed Greens?
  - By knocking on doors and connecting and registering disaffected voters in your precinct.
    - Canvassing is the most effect way to reach voters ( )
    - In my precinct alone there are almost 500 out of 1000 that are not registered. Also, many registered voters did not vote in the last election.
      - This information is contained in a precinct voter list that can be purchased from the registrar of voters for around $4 and change and gas money.
        
        Ask for registered voters who didn't vote to be included.
        
        You might be able to send them a check and have them email the list to you.
        
        Also, my list was a pdf which is hard to sort. Ask for an Excel document, if they will provide it in that format.
        
        Also, ask if email addresses can be included in the list from the registrar of voters.
    - Before going out:
      - Create a script (use the Final Script.doc as a guide)
      - Create objections-handling talking points (use the Objection Sheet.doc as a guide)
      - Create a “Welcome to the Green Party” package for newly registered Greens.
      - Create an information brochure for those thinking about joining. (See sample at http://mpgoldbeck.wix.com/empathcomm )
      - Prepare for canvasing by learning about door-to-door sales
        
        Have your script and objection-handling talking points well rehearsed before going out so it sounds natural, not canned. Role play them a lot.
        
        In the near future maybe we could have sales training at the county level.
        
        Here is a door-to-door training link:
        
        http://www.wikihow.com/Sell-Anything-Door-to-Door
        
        Also you can find lots of door-to-door training info and videos on Google and YouTube
        
        Ask your Green Party County Committee or nearby established Green Precinct Committees to help you start up the process of adopting your precinct
        
        Here are links to precinct training manuals:
        
        http://www.nassaudems.org/resources/precinct-captain-responsibilities/
        
        https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.democraticgain.org/resource/collection/20F43CFC-920D-48FC-8D8A-6D3C49ED7A7B/voter_main.pdf
        
        http://aldemocrats.org/images/uploads/ADP%20Precinct%20Manual.pdf
    - After you've prepared, go door-to-door and:
      - Use your script to introduce yourself, the Green Party, and why you're at their door.
      - Handle any objections.
      - Explain that we are for clean government, take no corporate or PAC money. We will actually represent the voters instead of monied interests. (In this corrupt age, this is our strongest selling point for the Green Party)
      - Explain that we are engaged in a massive campaign to register Greens and we need their help to become an effective 3rd party for the 2016 elections.
      - Register them to the Green Party
        
        If they don't sign up on the first visit, 3 visits is usually provides enough time for undecided voters to think about it and join, if they're interested.
        
        Have them register for mail-in ballots to keep voter fraud down.
    - Keep the Connection among Green strong:
      - Most people think that field organizing takes place in the last two months of the campaign. However, effective organizing is the result of year-round efforts that culminate in activities designed to register and mobilize voters.
    - After registering, keep the connection with Green voters strong by:
      - Staying connected and offering services to voters in the precinct to help turn the precinct into a sort of progressive village.
      - Green Party of my precinct 409730 or GP409730 will eventually offer many of the following services:
        
        A monthly precinct newsletter to inform, educate, and connect by providing:
        
        News about the precinct, local government issues, Green party news, etc.
        
        Factual information in the face of lies and distortions put out by the opposition.
        
        Links to relevant and informative websites, YouTubes, etc.
        
        A lending library of progressive books, DVD's, CD's, etc. (such as Howard Zin's “People History of the United States”).
        
        Citizen Classes such as:
        
        A computer literacy class
        
        So that Greens can stay connected, informed, and vote over the internet
        
        A logical fallacy class
        
        To teach Greens how to look at critically at deceptive and misleading speeches, news stories, ads, articles, etc.
        
        A Toastmasters club
        
        For precinct Greens to learn public speaking, critical thinking, leadership, confidence
        
        A compassionate communication practice group
        
        To promote harmony in the precinct.
        
        Activist classes
        
        To help Greens in nearby precincts organize their precincts.
        
        Precinct services such as:
        
        Tech savvy Greens can provide tech support for tech-challenged Greens.
        
        Helping to arrange rides for seniors and/or disabled in the precinct.
        
        Helping Greens with problems working with their local government officials.
        
        Generally being ready to help out in the precinct.

- So, now that we've registered a whole bunch of Greens, how do we select and elect candidates?
  - Nominate Candidates
    - Internal Primary Voting System (Internet voting system to be explained in another document that will be released later)
      - Along with other precincts in your area, internally nominate Green candidates for all offices that your precinct will vote on. (local, state, federal)
        
        Select candidates internally using an Internet voting system (to be developed)
        
        Candidates campaign over the Internet using YouTube, emails, Facebook, etc.
        
        Only one official Green Candidate for each office to defeat the “Top Two” primary system (no Green against Green races)
    - Officially Nominate each candidates using petitions in lieu of filing fees
      - For example: 3000 signatures replaces a $1740 filing fee for a US congressional seat.
    - In your precinct, ensure that all Green candidates win their official primaries.
      - Connect with voters through knocking on doors, emails, websites to get out the Green vote
      - Reach out to voters in other parties in each precinct to join the Greens in winning the the June 2016 primaries.
        
        knock on doors, emails, websites to get out the Green vote
    - Elect all Green candidates in November 2016
      - Connect with voters through knocking on doors, emails, and websites to get out the Green vote
      - Reach out to voters in other parties in each precinct to join the Greens in winning the November 2016 elections.
        
        knock on doors, emails, websites to get out the Green vote.
How do we do this without a lot of money?
- As mentioned above, the Registrar of Voters precinct voting list cost a little over $4 and gas money. In San Diego, Lyn Cardoza (858-505-7219) at Campaigns and Candidates can help you with the lists.
- I plan to distribute fliers to the homes of disaffected voters in my precinct.
  - A laser printer that can be purchased for around $80. After you have registered a number of Greens, ask them to participate by helping to pay for the printer and other small expenses incurred at the precinct level.
  - It cost as little as two cents a copy for black and white handouts.
  - Maps of precincts are free from the registrar of voters (in San Diego)
- As mentioned earlier, candidate filing fees can be avoided by using petitions. Since we intend to have thousands of Registered Greens, it will not be a problem to collect these signatures.
- Candiates can use free websites, youtube, and email for campaign speeches and literature. Precincts can distribute links to these candidate resources.

We Can Turn this Plan into a Reality

Let's all join together to adopt and nurture our precincts so that the Green Party will elect large numbers of local, state, and national candidates in the 2016 elections.

So we can move from: