Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 09:05:47 -0000
From: auvenj@mailcity.com
Subject: [lpaz-discuss] Re: The fate of the Maricopa Co. LP?
To: lpaz-discuss@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: lpaz-discuss@yahoogroups.com


Thanks to Paul for providing the legal definition.  Since I have been 
a PCM for 3 years now, let me put it in everyday terms:
(1) You fill out a couple of forms.  These need to be turned in to 
the county elections department and one of the forms has to be 
notarized.  So it's best to hold a few (at least 2) meetings where 
there's a notary and have one person collect all the forms from the 
meeting and turn them in all at once.  I suggest someone go down to 
the election office and get the forms all at once in the first 
place.  I think each PCM needs a "nominating petition" and 
a "candidate submission" or some such bureaucratic nonsense.  Just 
ask the person in the elections office what you need.
(2) You vote for yourself on _primary_ (not the general) election 
day.  If you turned in your forms early enough you will actually be 
on the ballot in your precinct, just fill in the bubble.  If you 
turned your forms in late you'll have to write your name in.
(3) You'll receive a certificate of election in the mail.  You're now 
a PCM.

As you can tell by the legal definition, the duties are vague.  If 
you're an activist you're already doing more than most PCMs in ANY 
party ever do anyway.  It was suggested at one point that PCMs call 
all the registered LBTs in their precinct (between 1 and 25 people, 
most precincts around 10) but very few PCMs even did that and no one 
ever gave them any crap about it.

One other note:  the nature of the PCM system, particularly the 1 
state committee for 3 county committee ratio, rewards PCM 
recruitment.  If you have 30 activists that want to be on the state 
committee, you need to have at least 90 PCMs elected.  To be blunt, 
you need to find 60 people who care enough about the party to "help" 
by becoming PCMs but don't want to be involved in the state 
committee.  Pima County has an active PCM recruitment drive every 
election cycle for this purpose.  As mentioned above they hold 
multiple meetings with the forms and notaries ready where all you 
have to do is show up and fill out the forms.  They publicize these 
meetings in advance via letters, email, and phone calls.  They call 
folks (I have done this too) to ask them to come to the meetings and 
be PCMs.  Some who are also notaries have been known to drive to 
people's houses to get them to become PCMs.  Through the course of 
this drive people should be reminded to vote for themselves on 
election day (otherwise they still won't be PCMs).  Even doing all 
that you will have 10%-20% of people who will forget and won't vote 
on primary election day and so won't be PCMs.  So plan for it and 
recruit enough PCMs to have a few spares.

To reiterate, I've never defended this gawd-aweful PCM system.  It 
sucks, it's stupid and it's un-Libertarian.  Why any Libertarian 
would be in favor of requiring it isto this day beyond me.  But it 
is manageable and as Tim says it is unfortunately the price of 
admission.

--Jason Auvenshine


--- In lpaz-discuss@y..., Paul Schauble <pls@t...> wrote:
> > Why doesn't someone post the requirements to become a MCLP PCM and the expectations (duties) of

> > active PCMs.

> >  

> 

> Easy.

> 

> ARS 16-822. Precinct committeemen; eligibility; vacancy; duties

> 

> A. Any member of a recognized political party who is a registered voter

> in the precinct is eligible to seek the office of precinct committeeman

> of his party in that precinct.

> 

> B. In addition to other provisions of law regarding removal from office,

> a vacancy shall exist in the office of precinct committeeman when the

> precinct committeeman moves from the precinct from which elected or

> changes his political party from the party in which he was elected.

> 

> C. The minimum duties of a precinct committeeman shall be to assist his

> political party in voter registration and to assist the voters of his

> political party to vote on election days. Additional duties shall be as

> provided for in the state committee bylaws of the party of which he is a

> member.



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