Roles and Duties of the PCO
Your job as a Republican Precinct Committee Officer is an extremely important one. In many aspects, you are the Republican Party within your neighborhood. You represent the Republican voters in your precinct. You play a pivotal role in selecting and electing Republican candidates for a wide variety of responsible positions, ranging from United States Congress to city council to school board. You are the first and in many ways the most important link in the chain that makes up our representative form of government.
Although this can sound daunting, our goal it to educate and help facilitate your role as Precinct Committee Officer. These links provide everything that you should need to get started, but the most important thing you can do right now is to get plugged in! Get to know other PCO's and draw on those with experience and find out how much fun, and how important your role is in getting our candidates elected!
Have a question? We are ALWAYS available to help, so just send us your questions and/or concerns and we'll get back with you.
Each officer is a member of the County Central Committee. The committee has the authority to nominate persons or fill vacancies for a state, legislative or county office. Also, they may elect members to the State Central Committee. They participate in party activities and represent the party.
Each officer is a member of the County Central Committee. The committee has the authority to nominate persons or fill vacancies for a state, legislative or county office. Also, they may elect members to the State Central Committee. They participate in party activities and represent the party.
The Precinct Committee Officer is the representative of the Republican Party at the grassroots level.
At a minimum, a PCO accepts certain responsibilities, including:
• Distribute candidate information to neighbors
• Engage in Get Out the Vote (GOTV) activities in preparation of Election Day
• Maintain and update the list of registered voters in your precinct (using the GOP Data Center)
• Select officers of the county’s Central Committee
• Nominate precinct election officials
• Conduct a Precinct Caucus
A strong and effective party looks to its PCOs to perform at least the above tasks. These duties may take a minimum of only ten hours per year, but accomplishing additional tasks will make all our efforts even more effective.
This link to the WSRP PCO Manual will describe the “nuts and bolts” of how to create a successful precinct organization.
There are things you can do every month of the year, and each task takes very little time. A few hours a month is all it takes to create a strong precinct. These few hours will allow you to build a rapport with your neighbors such that they will come to you for advice on political issues and candidates, whether they are preparing to vote or writing to their representatives in government or to the local newspaper.
There are a number of things a good PCO will do:
Are you unable to doorbell but you don't mind making phone calls? If so, maybe you can help another precinct make calls and we'll have other precincts help with doorbelling in your precinct. We just want to make sure every precinct in Pierce County if covered to be successful!
The term of office is two years. Should a vacancy occur in the office (caused by death, disqualification, resignation, or failure to elect), the chairperson of the County Central Committee fills the vacancy by appointment. Precinct Committee Officers will be elected at the August 5, 2014 Primary Election.
Since write-in candidates are not allowed for PCO races, if only one person files for office, he or she is deemed elected. If no one files for office, the position is filled by the county chair of the County Central Committee of the appropriate political party.
Anyone who is a registered voter and a member of a major political party may become a candidate. A candidate must file an online Declaration of Candidacy form. Since voters do not register by political party in Washington, a candidate declares himself/herself to be a member of a political party at the time of filing.
At a minimum, a PCO accepts certain responsibilities, including:
• Distribute candidate information to neighbors
• Engage in Get Out the Vote (GOTV) activities in preparation of Election Day
• Maintain and update the list of registered voters in your precinct (using the GOP Data Center)
• Select officers of the county’s Central Committee
• Nominate precinct election officials
• Conduct a Precinct Caucus
A strong and effective party looks to its PCOs to perform at least the above tasks. These duties may take a minimum of only ten hours per year, but accomplishing additional tasks will make all our efforts even more effective.
This link to the WSRP PCO Manual will describe the “nuts and bolts” of how to create a successful precinct organization.
There are things you can do every month of the year, and each task takes very little time. A few hours a month is all it takes to create a strong precinct. These few hours will allow you to build a rapport with your neighbors such that they will come to you for advice on political issues and candidates, whether they are preparing to vote or writing to their representatives in government or to the local newspaper.
There are a number of things a good PCO will do:
- Represent the precinct voters to the Republican Party; and represent the party and its candidates and officers to the precinct voter.
- Attend District, Club and County Party meetings, events and stay informed of issues in your area.
- Help formulate policy, and recruit party volunteers and candidates.
- Help register voters, update the voter list, urge voters to turnout, pass out absentee ballots to those who need them,
- Support all Republican candidates after the Primary Election
- Assist with fundraising events when possible.
- Doorbell and/or telephone your precinct before each election with literature on candidates and issues.
Are you unable to doorbell but you don't mind making phone calls? If so, maybe you can help another precinct make calls and we'll have other precincts help with doorbelling in your precinct. We just want to make sure every precinct in Pierce County if covered to be successful!
The term of office is two years. Should a vacancy occur in the office (caused by death, disqualification, resignation, or failure to elect), the chairperson of the County Central Committee fills the vacancy by appointment. Precinct Committee Officers will be elected at the August 5, 2014 Primary Election.
Since write-in candidates are not allowed for PCO races, if only one person files for office, he or she is deemed elected. If no one files for office, the position is filled by the county chair of the County Central Committee of the appropriate political party.
Anyone who is a registered voter and a member of a major political party may become a candidate. A candidate must file an online Declaration of Candidacy form. Since voters do not register by political party in Washington, a candidate declares himself/herself to be a member of a political party at the time of filing.
Letters to the Editor
Below is a list of media outlets that publish letters to the editor. These letters are free and provide a huge impact in elections and public opinion. What greater way than the media to promote our ideas and candidates. This is a great FREE way that you can be an arm chair warrior straight from home. Just think what we can accomplish if we all just send in one letter to each of these media outlets just once a month?
Thank you for your support!
The Tacoma News Tribune - The Herald - Puyallup
Submit a letter to the editor.
For verification purposes, please include your name, e-mail, home address and daytime phone number. Only your name and city will be published.
Letters are subject to condensation and may be edited for clarity. Letters should be limited to 200 words; those less than 150 words will be given priority.
Tips for writing an effective letter
Writers may also submit longer pieces, up to 500 words, for consideration as Your Voice op-eds. Your Voice pieces are based on personal experience or expertise and must be of unusual interest to readers. E-mail them, along with a JPEG head shot of the author, to [email protected].
Please acknowledge all letters submitted become the property of The News Tribune. Letters may be edited and republished in any format by The News Tribune.
Thank you for your support!
The Tacoma News Tribune - The Herald - Puyallup
Submit a letter to the editor.
For verification purposes, please include your name, e-mail, home address and daytime phone number. Only your name and city will be published.
Letters are subject to condensation and may be edited for clarity. Letters should be limited to 200 words; those less than 150 words will be given priority.
Tips for writing an effective letter
Writers may also submit longer pieces, up to 500 words, for consideration as Your Voice op-eds. Your Voice pieces are based on personal experience or expertise and must be of unusual interest to readers. E-mail them, along with a JPEG head shot of the author, to [email protected].
Please acknowledge all letters submitted become the property of The News Tribune. Letters may be edited and republished in any format by The News Tribune.
