Precinct captain

A precinct captain, also known as a precinct chairman, precinct delegate, precinct committee officer or precinct committeeman, is an elected official in the American political party system. The office establishes a direct link between a political party and the voters in a local electoral precinct. Their role is to build a relationship between those who hold public office and those who vote at the polls.

Election to the office is by ballot or by the county party executive committee. Voters file their declaration of candidacy with their party in their voting district. If elected during the primary, the Precinct Captain shall serve as long as one remains eligible, or until seeking reelection in the subsequent district primary. Requirements vary among states and counties.

Responsibilities of the post include facilitating voter registration and absentee ballot access; leading get out the vote outreach efforts; distributing campaign and party literature; promoting the party; and addressing voter concerns. In many states Precinct Captains are also eligible to establish party unit committees for fundraising.

The concept of precinct leadership is to provide a grassroots position with officials generally serving as volunteers, though in some states they receive a stipend. Positions of county captain have also been created, but are usually used for election campaigns rather than party organizing.

In Illinois, Michelle Obama got her initial introduction to Democratic party politics when her father served as a Precinct Captain and the then-Michelle Robinson accompanied the elder Robinson on his rounds through his precinct.

In the State of Washington, this office is known as the "Precinct Committee Officer". In Washington, in case of a vacancy in the state legislature, the precinct committee officers will nominate candidates to fill the vacancy, which then need to be approved by the county council. In the State of Oregon, this office is defined in state law under Oregon Revised Statue 248.015 as "Precinct Committee Person".

Office title designation by state
Titles may vary by political party.
Alabama - Unknown
Alaska - Unknown
Arizona - Precinct Committeeman
Arkansas - Unknown
California - Precinct Committeemen
Colorado - Precinct Organizer
Connecticut - Town Committeeman
Delaware - Precinct Committee Member
Florida - Precinct Captain
Georgia - Precinct Captain
Hawaii - Precinct Committee
Idaho - Precinct Committeeman
Illinois - Precinct Committeeman
Indiana - Precinct Committeeman
Iowa - Precinct Captain
Kansas - Precinct Captain
Kentucky - Precinct Captain (with allowances for a Co-Captain and a Youth Captain for at least the Republican party)
Louisiana - unknown
Maine - unknown
Maryland - Precinct Captain
Massachusetts - Town Committeeman
Michigan - Precinct Delegate (officially, but less commonly, referred to as Delegate To County Convention)
Minnesota - Block Captain
Mississippi - unknown
Missouri - unknown
Montana - Precinct Officer
Nebraska - unknown
Nevada - Precinct Captain
New Hampshire - unknown
New Jersey - unknown
New Mexico - Ward Chair
New York - District Leader
North Carolina - Precinct Chairman
North Dakota - Precinct Committee Person
Ohio - Precinct Captain
Oklahoma - Precinct Chair
Oregon - Precinct Committee Person
Pennsylvania - Precinct Committee Member (Republican) ~ Precinct Committee Person (Democrat)
Rhode Island - unknown
South Carolina - Precinct President
South Dakota - Precinct Committeeman or Committeewoman
Tennessee - Precinct Committeeman or Committeewoman
Texas - Precinct Chair
Utah - Precinct Chair
Vermont - unknown
Virginia - Precinct Committeeman
Washington - Precinct Committee Officer
West Virginia - unknown
Wisconsin - Community Captain
Wyoming - precinct committeeman and committeewoman

References

Sources
 Lincoln, Abraham and Don E. Fehrenbacher. ''Speeches and writings. page 66. Online Google Books. June 19, 2008.
Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics Online. June 19, 2008.

Political parties in the United States
Elections in the United States