In 2012, I wanted to help the election, but I had no idea how to start. I contacted Buncombe County Democratic Party headquarters [avl.mx/5d9], and they contacted my “cluster leader.” The cluster leader is the person who is chair over five local precincts.
That February, I went to my first precinct meeting. It was on a Saturday, lasted about three hours and consisted of people from all five precincts. The cluster leader chaired the meeting and gave us pertinent information about the expectations once we broke up into our individual precincts.
And here is the most significant responsibility of these meetings: This is the place where resolutions are born. These [are] formal expressions of opinions, by an assembled group (that’s this precinct meeting); submitted to an assembly for adoption. These resolutions are first submitted in a structured resolution form found at [avl.mx/5gv]. They are then voted on by the people from your precinct at the meeting; then the entire cluster votes.
If they pass, they are then sent onto the Buncombe County Democratic Convention, generally held late April. They are voted on at this convention, and those that pass go on to the North Carolina Democratic convention. The final step is the Democratic National Convention, where a resolution that started in the cluster meeting can go on, with Democratic support, to be part of the Democratic platform. This is where the key issues that we all care about are brought to national prominence, promoted by all of our votes, if we participate.
There’s the key — participation. Promote and support your ideas; join the precinct meetings in February. If you don’t know which precinct you are in (I didn’t) call the Buncombe County Democratic headquarters and just give them your name, number and address, and they will look it up and get in touch with your precinct chair. February isn’t too far away. Please participate.
— Teri Stahara
Marshall
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