Teller Democrats Announce Caucuses

Dear Editor:
 
On March 6, 2018 all major political parties in our state will re-organize as directed by Colorado’s Secretary of State Office.  To participate in Teller County, each voter is encouraged to check your voter registration information prior to the March 6 Caucus by Precinct.  To do this, look online in the Secretary of State’s voter data base at  govotecolorado.com .  Follow the instructions to confirm your voter registration information.  Confirming your voter registration including the Teller County Precinct in which you live/vote/Caucus prior to March 6 will ensure each voter the opportunity to arrive at the correct Caucus location on time, ready to participate.  It is suggested you do this early – prior to March 6 since in Colorado voters registered to major political parties attend their Caucus at the same time on the same day.  This means all voters are expected to use the same Colorado Secretary of State’s data base to confirm their registration prior to the start of their party’s Caucus. Arriving at your correct Caucus by Precinct location with your current voter registration information confirmed assures your participation.
 
In Teller County, this is the schedule & list of sites for the Democratic Party’s March 6, 2018 Caucus by Precinct:  
         6:00 pm = doors open, sign in / voter registration confirmation starts.
                        7:00 pm = caucus begins.
                        9:00 pm = caucus concludes/sites vacated as soon as Caucus agenda is completed.
 
Precincts 1, 2, 3   @ St. David’s Episcopal Chapel, 36 Edlowe Road at Hwy 24 (west of Woodland Park, CO) 80863
      (Enter at the Church’s front entrance only)
 
Precincts 8, 9, 10  @ Woodland Park Library, 218 E. Midland Ave. (ground level) entrance, Woodland Park, CO  80863
      (Enter at the Midland Avenue entrance only)
 
Precincts 5, 6, 13  @ Teller County’s Centennial Bldg, lower level (parking lot level) in the County Commissioner’s Conference room,  112 N. “A” St.,  Cripple Creek, CO 80813
      (Enter at the lower level / parking lot entrance)                                                                                                             
 
Precincts 4, 7, 11, 12   @ Florissant Library, ground level meeting room, 334 Circle Drive, Florissant, CO   80816 
     (Enter at Library’s main/front entrance)
 
Caucus by Precinct is organized to meet the State Legislature’s requirement that each major political party within our state re-organize each local county party for the next two year period.  As instructed by our Secretary of State, the Colorado Democratic Party’s caucuses will take place on March 6th, 2018 beginning at 6pm in local precinct caucus locations in each county.  Coloradans are eligible to participate if they were affiliated with the Democratic Party by January 8th, 2018 and registered to vote at their address within their precinct by February 5th, 2018  (unless the voter turns 18 or becomes a naturalized citizen after these dates but before March 6th caucus).

“Democracy is not a spectator sport, and if we want a government that serves hardworking Coloradans … we need all hands on deck,” shares Pilar Chapa, Colorado Democratic Party Executive Director.  “Caucuses are a vital tool for organizing in 2018, and the more people come out to caucus, the better chance we have of electing Democrats up-and-down the ballot in November.”  Democrats share core beliefs of fairness, opportunity, independence, freedom and responsibility; voters use these as their basis for forming party organization at precinct caucuses once every two years.  Each voter in each precinct has the opportunity to participate:  every registered voter needs to set aside the evening of March 6, 2018 to attend their Precinct’s Caucus for their political party.

The basic level of political party organization in Colorado, Caucus by Precinct allows each registered voter the opportunity to participate in shaping his/her local political party as well as impact their party’s state and national organization.  Participation in Caucus by Precinct is the most local and the most personal and therefore the most impactful part of democracy as the political process in Colorado.

 
During Caucus by Precinct, local voters help choose their party’s nominees, can become a precinct leader, volunteer as an election judge, and help shape their local political party for the next two years.  At this grassroots level of the election process, voters have the power to voice their support for candidates and launch ideas within their local community, building up enthusiasm and infrastructure for candidates as each county’s political parties head into the midterm election cycle. In the weeks following their caucus, county parties and congressional districts will hold assemblies to elect delegates to their party’s state assembly, determining candidates for primaries in June and the general election in November. These assemblies also help build community representation within each political party’s structure. 
 
If you thought that Coloradoans have voted to change the Caucus process, you are right.  For more on changes to the Colorado caucus process, how it impacts the March 6, 2018 Caucus by Precinct go to the following resources for detailed information:
Teller County Clerk & Recorder Elections Department http://www.co.teller.co.us/CR/ElectionsDept.aspx                     
 
Ellen Haase
Teller County Democrats