FAQ for Reorganization

Albemarle Democrats Biennial Reorganization

What is the reorganization?

Every two years, local Democratic party committees meet to elect new members and Committee leadership. It is a two-step process at a single meeting to be held on Tuesday, December 5th, 2023, from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Lane Auditorium of the County Office Building, 401McIntire Road.

All Albemarle County Democrats who are registered to vote in the County are invited to become members of the Albemarle Democratic Committee by filling out this candidate form before 6:00 PM on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Membership forms will also be available at the meeting. No fee is required to join.

At the meeting, attendees will:

  1. Break into magisterial district caucuses (6 districts in Albemarle) and elect district chairs or co-chairs. Precinct captains can be identified here or later. The district chairs/co-chairs become members of the Albemarle Democratic Steering Committee.
  2. After the district caucuses, all attendees join in a mass meeting. Everyone who is eligible and who has submitted a candidate form is then elected by those present to the Albemarle Democratic Committee.
  3. All the newly-elected Democratic Committee members then vote on the primary officers – chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, counsel. Other officers may be elected at this time or appointed in the future.

Wait, what?

  • The Albemarle Democratic Committee is the official Democratic Party organization in Albemarle County. It is made up of all the Democrats registered to vote in the County who are elected to the Committee at the reorganization meeting. (In practice, everyone who is eligible and who has applied is “elected”.) The maximum number allowed under current bylaws is 100 members per magisterial district. It typically only meets in a full mass meeting once every two years.
  • The Albemarle Democratic Party Steering Committee is the leadership of the Albemarle Democratic Committee, made up of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, District Chairs and other officers elected or appointed. The Steering Committee meets monthly (usually the 3rd Monday of month at 5:30 PM at Jefferson Madison Regional Library downtown) and is open to all who wish to attend and work to get Democrats elected in Albemarle.

I want to get more involved. How do I do that?

Apply to become a Member with this form. Come to the reorganization meeting.  If you can’t, you can still become a member by filling out the membership application form before 6:00 PM on December 5th.  You can indicate your interests on the form.

How long is the reorganization meeting?

The doors open at 5:30 PM and officially close at 6:00 PM when the meeting starts. We will finish by 7:30 PM.

What is the role of the nominating committee?

The nominating committee works to fill all Officer positions on the Steering Committee. Any Member is welcome to seek a leadership position. If you are interested, contact the nominating committee at chair@albemarledems.org or indicate your interest on the Membership application form.  (The deadline is 6:00 PM on December 1st.) Usually, there is only one nominee for each position, and these nominations are approved by the full caucus. Occasionally there are 2 or more candidates interested in the same role. If there is a contest for a position, the caucus will elect the leadership members by voting.

What are the responsibilities of the various Steering Committee positions?

  • Chair– the leader of the Albemarle County Democratic Party Committee and Steering Committee. Responsible for calling and running meetings, organizing nomination processes, complying with state and federal law and the bylaws of the Virginia Democratic Party, and leading the committee’s efforts to recruit candidates and elect Democrats.
  • Vice Chair– serves as acting chair when the chair is unavailable or if the chair were to resign. Assists chair in responsibilities as assigned.
  • Secretary– maintains official records of meetings (minutes) and other duties as assigned.
  • Treasurer– maintains financial records of the Albemarle County Democratic Committee and ensures that contributions and expenditures are processed in a timely fashion, and that the committee follows all procedures and requirements for political committees as set forth by the Virginia Department of Elections.
  • Counsel/Voter Protection Coordinator– The attorney for the Democratic Committee. Takes a lead role in monitoring election processes for the local party to ensure voting laws are followed.
  • District Chairs or Co-Chairs– The lead organizers for the party in each magisterial district. They recruit precinct captains and volunteers to organize canvasses, phone banks, meet & greets and Election Day operations to advance the work of electing Democrats in Albemarle.

Other non-elected roles include:

Vice Chair, Organization – This role helps to support the organizing work of district chairs.

Vice Chair, Outreach – Assists in outreach to various constituencies of the Democratic Party

Vice Chair, Communications – Leads communication team to support the web site, email newsletter, social media and other communications efforts of the committee.

Vice Chair, Finance – Leads fundraising efforts for committee including the dues campaign, and the fundraising components of our major events.

Vice Chair, Voter Engagement – Develops and implements voter expansion and engagement strategies and action plans.

Vice Chair, Events – Leads events team to support planning and execution for committee events including special events, and fall and spring fundraising events (with the finance Vice Chair)

Parliamentarian – Ensure meetings are conducted in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Newsletter editor – Manages committee email newsletter, works with Chair and Communications Vice-Chair

Precinct Captains – Primarily responsible for organizing volunteers for Election Day at their polling places. Also assists District Chairs in other organizing activities: canvassing, phone banking, etc.

Highway Cleanup Chair – Leads twice annual highway cleanup efforts along Ivy Road

Butler Scholarship Committee/Chair – Organizes efforts to award the committee’s scholarship to 4 high school students each year.

Data Captain – Assist in ensuring our data is captured and that we are fully utilizing the various tools and systems to track voters and voting trends and maintaining lists.

5th Congressional District Liaison –coordinates with other Democratic Party Committees in the 5th Congressional District

(Questions?   Email chair@albemarledems.org.)