On the way to the DCDP office this morning I stopped by and voted early. I was only one of several, but there was no line. It felt GOOD to vote for all those fine Democrats. Most of them had no opponent at all, but I still got to vote for them anyway. The list of Early Voting Locations and times is below. Go on by and join in the fun.

A list of the times and places for Early Voting in this year's Democratic Primary is available as a pdf at this page.

This is our chance to help decide the future of our party. Don't wait until the rush on Tuesday, March 4. Vote early and all those campaigns will likely stop robo-calling you.

The actual sample ballot, showing four propositions Democrats will vote on this year, is a pdf at this page.

For hilarious reading, see the wild answers of the statewide Republican candidates, trying to out-Tea-Party each other, on the League of Women Voters Guide, a pdf at this page. 

We have a list of all the Democratic candidates on the Dallas County ballot, with their websites, facebooks, or twitter links, and phone numbers and email addresses (when we have gotten them), posted at this page.

Notes at the top of that page detail the one filed candidate who withdrew, and four others that were disqualified or declared ineligible (for insufficient petition signatures or for residence).

As you can tell from her answers in the League Guide above (where she repeats her frequent call for impeaching President Obama), one of the five candidates for US Senator, Kesha Rogers, is a follower of convicted felon Lyndon LaRouche. None of the other candidates in our party seems connected to any totalitarian cult.

Precinct Chair filings are online at this page.

There are ten contests and the ballot order is shown.  When only one person filed for Precinct Chair they will win, but not be printed on the ballot. (There are no write-ins.) The terms of current Precinct Chairs run through June of 2014. Some incumbents who failed to get filed due to ice storms or whatever will likely be elected to another two year term at the June Executive Committee meeting.  

To see which of our candidates will face Republican opposition in November, see the listing for candidates of both parties at the Secretary of State's website at this page.

Choose Dallas County on the drop-down menu. The order is sometimes strange and unlike what will really be on our ballots, and it does not identify incumbents or list Libertarian or Green candidates, but it does show how few Republicans dared challenge our Democratic Judges in Dallas County.

Yes, there may be runoffs. In Texas a candidate has to get a majority of the primary vote, or there will be a runoff between the top two vote-getters. This year that will be May 27. We could have several: statewide for US Senator and Agriculture Commissioner, countywide for Judgeships in Districts 265 and 301 (with five candidates), County Criminal Court 5, District Clerk (with six), and Dallas County Treasurer (with four), and in district races for State Board of Education 13, State Representative 105, Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Pl. 1 and Pl. 2 (with four), Justice of the Peace Pct. 5 Pl. 1  (with five), and Constable Pct. 5 (with five). Just a few votes can make the difference in whether there is a runoff -- and who is in it. Your vote is very important in these contests.
The Democratic Party does not endorse opposed candidates in the primary, but some Democratic clubs and organizations and officials do, as well as various other groups. Just for fun, Democratic State Committee member James White has compiled an unofficial list of those endorsements he's heard of, as a GoogleDoc at this page. 

Be aware: several groups don't endorse, or still haven't endorsed yet, or let James know about them, and very often candidates win despite having few or no endorsements. Voters make up their own minds, and rightly so.  Study the candidates and issues and use your own judgment.  Let's pick the best ones so that on March 5 -- or May 28 in runoffs -- we can all come together and work for the whole Democratic ticket this fall. 

This year, there will not be Precinct Conventions on the evening of the March 4 primary. Instead, those who vote in this year's Democratic primary can attend their State Senate District Convention on Saturday, March 22, and hold precinct caucuses there. Information about those is posted on the party website and will be listed again in the Roundup before those Conventions.

This training is designed for Dallas County Precinct Chairs, especially those who may be newly elected/appointed. Experienced chairs who would like a refresher are also welcome. The Precinct Chair Matters Committee offers this free training to Precinct Chairs as part of its mission to prepare Chairs to successfully identify and organize Democratic activists and voters in their precinct. The training led by David Reazin will cover the organization of the Democratic Party, tools and methods to build a precinct team, and steps you can take now to get organized and be most effective for the March 4th Democratic Primary and the General Election in November 2014. There will ample opportunity to meet other precinct chairs, share experiences, develop plans, and get your questions answered.

RSVP Now by calling Carmen or other Party staff at the Party office -- 214-821-8331. Provide your name, precinct number, email address and phone number. It is important to provide this information so that an exercise can be tailored to your precinct.

Date: Saturday February 22, 2014
Check-In: 9:30 AM, Class 10:00 AM -- Noon

Location: Lancaster Chamber Of Commerce & Visitors Center, 103 North Dallas Ave, Lancaster Texas 75146
Directions: Lancaster Chamber Of Commerce and Visitors Center, Phone: 972-227-2579, www.lancastertexas.org, 103 North Dallas Ave., Lancaster Texas 75146. This restored red brick building is on the NW corner of Dallas and Main. From I-20, take Lancaster Rd/Dallas Ave Exit, go south into Lancaster. From I-35, take Pleasant Run Rd Exit, go east to Dallas Ave, turn right to go south on Dallas Ave.

(For the latest updates on local events, and links to more info about these, check out the DallasDemocrats on Facebook and Twitter, and the DCDP website Calendar. To add an event or make a change or correction, contact the party office or email the editor: BillHowellDCDP AT Yahoo.com.)

Contact:

Dallas County Democratic Party
4209 Parry Avenue, Dallas TX 75223
Phone: 214-821-8331     Fax: 214-821-0995
Website:  www.dallasdemocrats.org
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DallasDemocrats
Twitter:  twitter.com/dallasdemocrats