Arizona Democratic Party
State Party Structure COUNTY DISTRICT NATIONAL STATE State Party Structure
INTRODUCTION Our primary mission is to elect Democrats to public office by building an organization of capable and experienced leaders and volunteers. The challenge before us is to structure and institutionalize a Party that will complement this mission by, but not limited to: •
Organizing at the precinct level •
Registering voters •
Recruiting viable candidates •
Raising funds through various activities •
Participating in public events •
Communicating our message •
Developing local issues •
Supporting Democratic candidates and office holders •
Supporting the party principles and/or platform •
Involving committee members in social activities State Party Structure
OVERVIEW OF PARTY STRUCTURE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: The Democratic National Committee is the governing body of the Democratic Party with general responsibility for the affairs of the Democratic Party between National Conventions. The DNC was established in 1848 by the National Convention to "promote the Democratic cause" between the conventions and prepare for the next convention. Now over 150 years old, the DNC is the oldest continuing National Party Committee in the U.S. and in the world. The DNC plays an essential role in the Party's affairs and elections. In very general terms, the functions of the DNC include the following: •
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Planning for the Party's quadrennial nominating convention, including setting guidelines for the selection of delegates; Issuing the Call∙ for the Convention; Determining the allocation of delegates to the states; Establishing the rules of procedure for the Convention; Conducting the Party's Presidential Campaign; Providing both technical and financial support to State Party organizations and to federal, state, and local candidates; Expand party development in every state. State Party Structure
ARIZONA DEMOCRATIC PARTY: The Arizona Democratic Party is responsible for developing and executing strategy to elect Democrats at federal, state, and local levels. The State Party is also a voice for Democrats and Democratic values across Arizona. The Arizona Democratic State Committee is the governing body of the Arizona State Democratic Party. The establishment of the State Committee is provided for in the Arizona Revised Statutes (Par. 16‐825). The operations of the State Committee are governed by those Statutes and by the Bylaws of the Arizona Democratic Party. (See Bylaws in "Directory of Resources) The membership of the State Committee consists of persons elected by the Precinct Committee members in the various County Committees and Legislative District Committees in the following manner: Each County Committee is entitled to select one State Committee Member for every three elected Precinct Committee Members. These State Committee Members are chosen at State Party Structure
the biennial organizational meeting of each County Committee. In addition to these elected Members, each County Committee Chairperson is a member of the State Committee. COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Arizona’s 15 County Democratic Parties are the local constituents within the State Party. The mission of County Parties is to elect Democrats to school board, town or city council, county, state and federal offices. Each County’s Democratic Party must provide the infrastructure to win diverse elections across their respective Counties. LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT PARTY COMMITTEES: Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS 16‐823) provides for the establishment of Legislative District Party Committees which consist of the Precinct Committee members registered within the District. These Committees elect their own District officers, choose representatives to the County Executive Committee, and nominate members to serve on the Arizona State Committee. Their function is to foster, encourage, and promote the aims & objectives of the Democratic Party; and to aid in the election to office of Democrats, particularly within the respective Districts. Legislative District Committees normally hold monthly meetings at which the Committee's business is conducted. Interested persons, who might not be elected or appointed Precinct Committee members in the District, are welcomed at these meetings and encouraged to participate in achieving the goals of the Committees. The District Committees hold their Biennial Organizational Meetings every two years after the General Election. These meetings are scheduled according to a window provided for in the Arizona revised Statutes cited above. CAUCUSES: State and County Party Caucuses represent communities within the Democratic family and encourage broad participation and diversity within the Party. Examples of Caucuses are: Veterans Caucus, LGBT Caucus, or Progressive Caucus.