The 254 counties in Texas are further divided into election precincts, each led by an Election Precinct Chair.   Democratic Party Election Precinct Chairs are the grassroots lifeblood of the Democratic Party; collectively they serve as their County’s Executive Committee to conduct party business and they play a critical role in organizing Democratic party activists and voters in their respective election precincts. There is no more important job in the Democratic Party than serving as precinct chair.

Responsibilities of a Precinct Chair

A Precinct chair is a publicly elected official of the Democratic Party at the local level. When precincts are organized, the Democratic vote is maximized and our candidates win elections.

The primary job of a Precinct Chair is to identify Democrats living in their precinct and encourage them to get out to vote in the Democratic Primary and General Elections.  Precinct Chairs may have the option of serving as an Election Judge, but Precinct Chairs are generally encouraged to instead focus on getting out the Democratic vote in their precinct, and find someone else to serve as an election official in their area, as the primary goal of every Precinct Chair is to increase the number of people voting Democratic in their precinct.  A Precinct Chair does often help to find judges, alternate judges, and election clerks for primary and general elections and, under Texas law serves as acting Precinct Convention Chair on the night of the Primary Election.

The Precinct Chair is responsible for canvassing the precinct and coordinating campaign work in that precinct, arranging meetings, recruiting volunteers, and training and directing those volunteers. The Precinct Chair carries out all of the Party’s strategies in the precinct. A good Precinct Chair is the backbone of the Party.

Collin County Precinct Chairs are encouraged to support the financial viability of the Party by becoming a sustaining donor and encouraging others in the precinct to provide financial support.

As a member of the Collin County Executive Committee, each Precinct Chair should attend every meeting of that body of elected party officials.  The Collin County Executive Committee usually meets the fourth Tuesday of every month  

Becoming a Precinct Chair for the Democratic Party in Collin County

Precinct Chairs are the foundational level of party elected officials and must live within an election precinct to serve as the Party's Precinct Chair. Each Democratic and Republican county party organization elects a Precinct Chair to serve as the party's representative in each election precinct defined for their respective county in their primary, which is held every two years. Candidates for Precinct Chair file for a spot on the Primary Ballot in even-numbered years.  If unopposed, the Precinct Chair’s name does not appear on the ballot. Once elected, Precinct Chairs serve a two-year term from May of an even-numbered year to May of the next even-numbered year, and each represents their precinct on the County Executive Committee (CEC). The CEC is made up of the Precinct Chairs, County Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. The CEC is the main voting body of the county party organization and attendance is important.

If a precinct has no chair, it's considered to be “vacant.” Qualified Democrats who would like to fill a vacant precinct chair seat during the time between primary elections may submit an application to the Democratic Party's County office, for consideration by the party's Precinct Chair nominating committee, called the Precinct Chair Steering Committee.  Under Texas law, only if a candidate to fill a Precinct Chair vacancy receives an affirmative vote of a majority of current Precinct Chair members of the County Executive Committee can that candidate be appointed to fill a Precinct Chair vacancy in between primary elections.

A precinct chair should be an outgoing, self-motivated person who likes people. To be eligible for the office of precinct chair, an individual must meet these requirements:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be a qualified voter who has voted in the latest Democratic primary (not counting runoffs) in the voting year
• Be a resident of the precinct from which he or she is seeking election
• Not be a candidate for or holder of an elective office of the federal, state, or county government
• (Optional, but highly desirable) have Internet and e-mail capabilities and basic computer skills
• You can find this and other information about becoming a precinct chair on the Texas Democratic Party website under the party rules.

Precinct chairs are "elected officials." Your contact information will be posted on the DPCC web site. Some folks are reluctant to post their address and home phone. You may use a P. O. Box, cell phone or email alias. An important part of being a precinct chair is being accessible and visible as a Democrat in your community.

The party is required to provide a Precinct Chair list to the state party, county commissioner's court and county clerk's office. If you resign or move out of the precinct, you must notify the County Chair and submit a letter of resignation.

Filing To Appear On The Democratic Primary Ballot Every Even Numbered Year

A qualified individual interested in running for Precinct Chair must do the following:

• Download a filing form, or obtain one from your county chair or county party secretary.
• Complete the application
• Sign the application before a notary public
• Have the form notarized
• Submit the application in the period that begins in late October and ends at 6:00 PM on the first business day of January of the primary year.
• Check the filing deadline when you pick up your application. The completed, signed, and notarized application may be mailed to the county chair, but it must be received by the filing deadline.

Only contested candidates for Precinct Chair appear on the Democratic Primary ballot. Write-in votes for precinct chair are permitted in the primary, whether or not there are other candidates on the ballot, but not in a runoff. Write-in candidates must have filed their write-in candidacies.

Please contact the DPCC office any time if you need help or have any questions.

Democratic Party of Collin County
2504 K Avenue, 
Suite 200, 
Plano TX 75074
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
972-578-1483
972-633-9453 (fax)