PC Tip Sheet #6, March 2002   

Action item:  Do a postcard or letter mailing to 100 high efficacy Dems and Independents in your precinct.  Choose voters who have voted in at east 3 of the last 4 elections.  (Look for someone whose voting record shows YYYY or YYNY or some other combination of 3 Ys – meaning yes they voted in 3 of the last 4 primaries or general elections – and only 1 N (for not voting).  If you are in a Democratic district, target your Dems.  However, if you are in a District with higher Republican registration than Dem, add Indies to your mailing list.

Why?  The GOP in Arizona are on the run -- and we can only hope it’s right off the same cliff they’ve been sending the state off of for the last 15 years.  What’s got them scurrying?  Some 400,000 swing votes.  One year ago, the State GOP issued a report listing the Republican party’s errors from campaign 2000.  This overview from the last election noted that Independents showed a strong propensity to support Democratic candidates, especially in legislative races.  Scottsdale Rep. Carolyn Allen, who is also House Majority Leader, admitted the GOP must  work harder to attract Indie votes.  She said, “We have a lot of work to do.  We're behind the curve.”  Yeah Carolyn, and we plan on keeping you there.

So, targeting Independents is a good idea, especially in districts where they are absolutely essential for electing Democrats.

In your card or letter, personally invite them to your next district meeting.  (If your district meeting is early in the month, you might want to get your mailing ready and then mail it later in the month to promote your April meeting.  Likewise, if your next meeting will be a re-organizational meeting, then hold the mailing until April.  However, you can still spend a little time THIS month creating a mail-merge list of your precinct walking list, addressing postcards, or writing the skeleton of your letter.) 

While you may choose to do a postcard, here’s the best idea:  A short one-page letter.  It’s more impressive than a postcard and, thanks to computers, it’s easy to personalize a letter.  (You don’t have to be an expert in databases or mail merge.  When I started doing this and had little mail merge experience, I simply created a letter, then blocked and copied it to 100 pages in a single file.  After that, it took me only about an 1 hour to give each letter an inside address and personal greeting:  Dear Jim and Mary:...)

How important is this action item?  Critical, especially during an election year.  Nearly 200 people receive this PC Tip Sheet.  That means, if we all took an hour or two to do this simple task, we would reach 20,000 Arizona voters!  During an election year, such contacts with voters is very important.  It reminds voters we’re here, we’re active, and committed to the Democratic cause.  BONUS:  Within those 20,000 contacts, I can guarantee there are perhaps hundreds of new activists and donors waiting to be invited to make a difference. 

What do you say?  Here’s an idea.

HI NEIGHBOR……

I am your Democratic Party precinct committeeperson.  I hope we’ll have a chance to get better acquainted between now and the November election.

I’d like to invite you to our next district meeting on (date) (time) at (location).  Our guest will be (your speaker for the month).  Come meet our special guest and discuss some of the issues facing Arizona in this critical election year.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me. 

Your Name   
Phone and/or e-mail

Your investment in postage will be well worth it:   There are thousands and thousands of would-be activists out there who aren’t involved because either they’ve never been asked or have not known how to get involved. Get people active by giving people access to the Democratic Party.

You might wonder:  Isn’t this the job of the State Party?  I hate answering a question with a question, but -- Do you know how much it costs the State Party to do a mailing to every Democrat in the state?  Depending on what’s being mailed, we’re talking about 35¢ to 50¢ x 850,000 Dems = $300,000 to $425,000.  Add in the Independents and that’s an additional $150,000 to $212,500.  That’s why YOU are so important and this month’s action item is so critical. 

Turning Tax Time Into Party Time

Your Arizona State tax form offers you 2 options to help candidates and the State Democratic Party.  Whether you file the standard, short, or EZ tax form, you can donate to the Citizens Clean Elections Fund.  (See below.)  You can designate $5 of your taxes to the fund.  NOTE: This does not increase your tax bill; you are designating money you’re already paying to the Clean Elections Fund. You also are allowed (and we encourage it!) to make a donation to the Democratic Party.  As the former treasurer of the State Party, let me tell you that this is a GREAT way to donate to the party and it cuts processing and bookkeeping costs!

Where are these opportunities on your Resident Personal Income Tax Return?

Remember, you can make a difference, starting right now.  (And, please, remember when designating a political gift on your tax form make SURE you mark the Party designation!)

ATTENTION COUNTY AND DISTRICT CHAIRS:  Please, include the above tax information in your newsletters.  These truly are the best and easiest ways to donate to the State Party and Clean Elections.  

The PC Tip Sheet is produced by
Rick McGuire
Ron Owen
and Joshua Weiss