Party Structure and Resources

Overall information about the structure of the national, state, and county party organizations, including ways for club members to become more involved, can be obtained from the SDCDP office. A chart at

www.sddemocrats.org/orgchart⁠

shows the structure and relationships among the federal, state, and local Democratic entities.

Following are aspects of Democratic Party organization and resources relevant to clubs.

San Diego County Democratic Party

With a full-time staff of two and hundreds of dedicated volunteers, the SDCDP maintains a year-round office in Kearny Mesa and works on behalf of Democratic candidates at all levels, from President and Governor down to local elected offices. The County Party’s principal activities include voter education, voter education and mobilization, public communications and outreach, candidate recruiting and training, and Democratic organizing, including club development.

In addition to this Manual, the SDCDP offers a number of resources for clubs:

Publicizing Club Events

Each chartered club’s website and club email address, along with a calendar of scheduled club meetings, is posted on the Clubs page of the SDCDP website (

www.sddemocrats.org/clubs⁠

). Clubs should name a designee to add and edit events, including regular meetings, on the Party’s calendar (

www.sddemocrats.org/calendar⁠

). The Clubs page of the SDCDP website has a downloadable list of all chartered clubs along with their websites, phone numbers, and email addresses.

Use of Office and Equipment

The Party’s office is available for club meetings or other activities by appointment. Clubs can borrow various equipment from the Party office for meetings and other activities, including a projector, screen, tables and chairs, pop-up canopy, sound system, and campaign materials.

Insurance

The SDCDP’s insurance policy can be extended to cover to one-time club events; make sure to allow several days to process a request and provide a certificate of coverage. While the policy does not allow SDCDP to cover a club’s regular meetings, clubs can obtain their own basic coverage through the CDP for an annual premium of $550.

Voter Registration

SDCDP works with clubs to ensure representation at community events and festivals, providing opportunities not only to register voters, but also to recruit club members, promote candidates, and raise visibility. SDCDP staff can provide help with event applications and the use of supplies as well as training and volunteers for voter registration. After registration forms are returned to the SDCDP office, they are checked for completeness and any missing information is collected from registrants before turning them in. SDCDP also calls the Democrats to welcome them to the Party, and offer information about upcoming elections and local Democratic clubs. The information is also entered into VoteBuilder, enabling SDCDP to confirm that all those people are added to the rolls and later target them to make sure they vote.

Voter Data

The County Party obtains frequent updates of the countywide voter file and manages that data through VoteBuilder (VAN), which includes enhancements added by the DNC and campaigns that have used the system. SDCDP can provide types and formats of data tailored to meet a club’s needs for recruiting or voter contact, such as Excel files for mailing, PDF lists for canvassing, or a Virtual Phonebank for making calls. SDCDP works with clubs to develop effective outreach programs using voter data. Clubs return any data they gather (wrong numbers, prospective volunteers) back to the Party so that future users can benefit from the information. Each club can access a “Quick Lookup” VoteBuilder account to verify registration of members and their voting districts.

GO Team Coordination

The Party’s ongoing precinct program – the Grassroots Organizing (GO) Team – coordinates Democratic volunteer-driven voter contacts countywide. GO Team members reach out to voters on behalf of all endorsed Democratic campaigns in election seasons. Each club is asked to have a dedicated GO Team liaison to ensure club participation and representation. The GO Team provides the materials and support for club members to “adopt” precincts in their community. GO Team volunteers are trained to actively promote and recruit for clubs in their conversations with voters.

Technical Assistance and Advice

To the best of their ability, SDCDP staff will advise clubs on technical issues, finance and compliance questions, recruiting and organizational development, and more. The Party also facilitates trainings that address club needs, usually in partnership with the California Democratic Council. SDCDP’s biennial County Democratic Convention includes a full track of club oriented breakout sessions, and club meeting presentations by Party representatives can be scheduled by request.

Club Development Committee

SDCDP has a standing Club Development Committee to identify and address the needs of clubs and to support the organization of new club. Updating this manual is the responsibility of the Club Development Committee.

Council of Democratic Clubs

The Council of Democratic Clubs is an informal assembly of Democratic Club and Democratic Coalition presidents, or their designated representatives. The Council’s purpose is to foster communication and cooperation between Council members, to assist in building the organizational capacity of Clubs and Coalitions, to develop and implement projects that are beneficial to Council members’ operations, and engage in other activities as the Council deems appropriate. The Director of the Council of Clubs is an Ex-Officio member of the SDCDP Central Committee and an officer on the Executive Board. The Council of Democratic Clubs is not a governing body for the entities represented. See Appendix E for its Standing Rules.

California Democratic Council (CDC)

The California Democratic Council (CDC) is chartered by the California Democratic Party as a statewide association of Democratic clubs and county committees. Clubs may opt to charter as members of the CDC; this is separate from their SDCDP charter, which is county-based. The CDC website is at

www.cdc-ca.org⁠

and has many resources for clubs. They do have sample bylaws available; these may not meet all SDCDP bylaw requirements.

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.

Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (

CtrlP

) instead.