Become A Neighborhood Leader!

 by Debby Garman, Co-Chair of the WashCo Dems Campaign Committee

You can help grow the grassroots of the Democratic Party by becoming a Neighborhood Leader or a House District Leader! The more we participate, the more we can succeed to shift our world to reflect our progressive values!

The focus of the Neighborhood Leader Program (the NLP) is to impact Democratic and Progressive leaning voters by staying engaged with our neighbors on the local level. As a volunteer Neighborhood Leader, you can educate and motivate fellow Democratic voters about Democratic candidates and issues. During an election cycle, Neighborhood Leaders work to make personal contact with about 35 of their neighbor households who are registered Democrats, informing them about current candidates, issues, ballot measures, etc., and encouraging them to vote. Neighborhood Leaders record their actions online, and are rewarded when they see their contacts have returned their ballots! Making contact with the same neighbors every election builds ongoing relationships in our community and helps create the habit of voting regularly. The NLP visit is often the most influential contact many voters will have during an election, making it an invaluable opportunity to win a Democratic vote.

Whether you are doing this for the first or the fifth time, it is fun to do it with a friend.  If everyone invited just one other person to get involved, think of all the people we could reach…

Direct contact with voters is the most effective way of increasing Democratic turnout during elections, and the best way to communicate our progressive values and accomplishments. It’s truly fun and easy to connect with your own neighbors to discuss candidates and the importance of voting in elections. It is a short term project around each election period, and it only takes a few hours to make a difference. Our Washington County Neighborhood Leader program is well respected nationwide and there is plenty of data that reflects how successful it can be, such as the following numbers in the May 2021 election:

  • 24% AVERAGE VOTER TURNOUT IN WASHINGTON COUNTY
  • 38% TURNOUT OF DEMOCRATS IN PRECINCTS WITH AN ACTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADER
  • 66% TURNOUT OF VOTERS CONTACTED BY NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS

We encourage you to check out how fun and fulfilling it is to volunteer as a Neighborhood Leader! And the Washington County Democrats also would like to grow the ranks of our House District Leader volunteers, too. House District Leaders act as resources and as a local connecting hub for registered Democrats in their respective districts. They are charged to provide leadership and support to the Neighborhood Leaders and voters in their district. They provide connections to local elected officials, and can coordinate voter registration drives, “get out the vote” efforts, and distribution of election literature.

Whether or not you help out with the May 17 election, we will NEED many neighborhood leaders in the general election in November. Please plan to help out then!

You can sign up to become a Neighborhood Leader on the Washington County Democrats website at https://washcodems.org/neighborhood-leader/

If you might like to explore becoming a House District leader, please email with your interest to campaign_chair@washcodems.org.