Frequently Asked Questions

Your Neighborhood Is a Building Block of Democracy

How Is the Democratic Party Organized Locally?

The Democratic Party starts in your neighborhood—technically referred to as your precinct. Precinct Committee Persons represent the Democratic Party at the neighborhood level and provide support and assistance to Democratic neighbors.

The smallest Democratic Party organization is by “Area” — locally, your Area is represented by the Abington–Rockledge Democratic Committee (ARDC). There are 15 Areas in Montgomery County, and these Areas make up the Montgomery County Democratic Committee (MCDC), which represents and supports the Democratic Party at the county level. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party represents and supports the Democratic Party at the state level, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) represents and supports the Democratic Party across the entire United States.

What Is the Democratic Party Doing in My Neighborhood? Committee Persons lead party organizing and party building within their home precincts. There are two Committee Persons from each neighborhood or precinct.

But What Is a Committee Person, Really? A Committee Person is really a local Democrat, just like you, who has volunteered to be the contact for Democrats in his or her neighborhood (precinct), to provide Democratic support and assistance to voters in their own neighborhood, and to oversee Block Captains (see below).

Committee Persons are there to greet you when you come to vote, help you or a friend get registered to vote, and answer any questions you might have about upcoming elections or the voting process. Committee Persons help Democratic Candidates on every level get elected to office. Although every precinct has different needs and goals, the ideal Committee Person gets to know their Democratic neighbors, is a point of contact for questions about voting, and recruits Block Captains and other volunteers to help them reach voters in the neighborhood. At the ARDC, we have put together “Levels” for Committee People involvement, so you can commit to only what you are comfortable taking on.

How Do I Become a Committee Person? In Pennsylvania, elections for Democratic Committee Persons are held every four years (Same year as Governor’s election). If a Committee Person position should go unfilled, a volunteer may be appointed by their Area Chair (locally, that’s the Chair of the ARDC).

The elections are won or lost based on whether or not Democratic voters have support in their neighborhoods. If you are interested in becoming a Committee Person for your neighborhood, contact us via our website at www.abingtondemocrats.com.

Not sure you're prepared? We provide free training and all of the resources you need to become a Committee Person. Sign up today!

How Else Can I Volunteer in My Neighborhood? What does a “Block Captain” Do? Block Captains help Committee Persons reach a smaller section of each neighborhood. Block Captains can volunteer to help with as small or large an area as they'd like. If you choose to become a block captain, you can support just your street or block or a handful of streets in your neighborhood.

Block Captains get to know everyone in their area or “Block” — this encourages and gives you the opportunity for the neighbor-to-neighbor contact that is, frankly, missing from our modern society. You can informally educate in a social atmosphere and/or find out who is interested in getting involved or just receiving our newsletter via email.