Let’s talk about connecting with our voters!
There are a lot of elections we need to work on this year! Time flies, and it won’t be too long until the November elections are already upon us. We wanted to share a list of ALL the elections in Ada County this year that we will be working on:
Boise: Mayor, and ALL 6 City Council Districts are up for election
Meridian: Mayor, and City Council Districts 2, 3, and 5
Garden City: two City Council Seats
Eagle: Mayor and two City Council Seats
Kuna: School District Zone 3, Mayor, and two City Council Seats
Star: Mayor and two City Council Seats
West Ada School District: two seats on the WASD, Districts 2 and 4
And a huge list of Fire Districts and Cemetery Districts too!
There’s going to be a LOT to do! Keep your eyes on this newsletter for more information about who is running, and don’t forget to tell your friends to read, too!
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Upcoming Training – Relational Canvassing!
I’m happy to announce the subject of July’s Training: Relational Canvassing!
Relational Canvassing is a very unconventional form of voter outreach. Instead of relying on the organized, methodical approach of contacting all the voters we can target, it focuses on utilizing the power of already existing relationships.
How does it work? And how can we use it here in Ada County? Join us on July 19th at the Ada Dems Central Committee Meeting at 6:00 PM and find out! You can join via zoom via this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86505203284 or come in person to Meridian City Hall!
How the Dems Work and How to Get Involved!
How do the Ada Dems work? I’ve been asked this question a number of times, and I think I can come up with a way to simplify it, though don’t hold me to that.
Precincts are essentially the standardized blocks of elections, and the Democratic Party bases our structure on that. In a Precinct, voters have the opportunity to elect a Precinct Captain, their representatives to the Party. Those precinct captains form the committees – both the County Committees and the Legislative Committees are made up of the elected (or appointed) Precinct Captains (PCs) that make up those areas. In Ada County, our Legislative Districts are the smaller groups, made up of around 20 precincts each. Those PCs form the Legislative District (LD) Committees, and vote for their LD Chairs and other officers. The County Party here is the bigger organization, made up of 197 precincts, a number which will only grow over the coming years. All the PCs in Ada County form the Ada County Central Committee, and vote on its Chair and officers. After that, certain people go on to make up the State Central Committee – County Chairs, Legislative District Chairs, and State Committeepeople.
Whew! That’s a lot to get into! But how can I get involved with the Dems? Luckily, it’s not that complicated. If you’re interested in joining the ranks of the Precinct Captains, you can find all the local meetings on our calendar here: https://www.adademocrats.org/calendar
If that sounds like a bit too much, there are tons of other things to get into! We host regular phone banks every Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 – Click here for details
Door knocks every Saturday from 10:00 AM to Noon, including tomorrow morning! – Click here for details
…and regular Office Hours where you can come and help with miscellaneous tasks, every Wednesday from 1:00 PM to 3:00. Click here to RSVP!
Sound interesting? Come check it out, or email me at field@adademocrats.org with any questions!
The Youth Vote
A lot of people wonder what we can do to reach out to the younger populations in our areas. Have you ever wanted to know the specifics about the age breakdown of voters in Ada? Well, I was, and I just wanted to share a little bit about it. But first, I thought it might be fun to go through the Generations, who they are, and how they fit in.
The Silent Generation – Born between 1928 and 1945
The Baby Boomers – Born between 1946 and 1964
Generation X – Born between 1965 and 1980
The Millennial Generation – Born between 1981 and 1996
Generation Z – Born between 1997 and 2012
Generation Alpha – Born since 2013
These numbers are argued over and changed ALL THE TIME! However, any source you look at will come up with something at least relatively close to this. What this means, however, is that the youngest Boomers are now 59 years old – getting closer and closer to retirement age. Generation X are now in their 40s and 50s, Millennials are leaving their 20s, 30s, and some are over 40, and half of Gen Z are now voting, with the rest quickly approaching.
They don’t vote the same! Data shows that the average voter doesn’t start voting until they are 28 years old. By the time they are in their 50s, most of them have made a solid habit to vote in every election. In Ada County, both Millennials and Gen Z vote in less than half of every election – whereas the Baby Boomers vote 80% of the time.
There are plenty of reasons this disparity exists – information, free time, and motivation. If you belong to any of these generational groups (kinda hard not to!) and want to talk about your generation and your thoughts on your peers’ voting habits, we’re going to spend some time in this newsletter exploring this topic! Just email me at field@adademocrats.organd we’ll be in touch!
Events
Fourth of July Parade!
Join us to march in Boise’s 4th of July Parade at 10:00 AM!
Door knock with the Ada Dems!Join us tomorrow morning at 3085 N Cole Road, Suite 105 at 10:00 AM!
District Meetings & Other Events
Check out our events calendar for local district meetings and other events: adademocrats.org/calendar
Thanks for supporting local Democrats,
Lily Pannkuk,
Field Director
Ada County Democrats