Precincts: The Foundation of Political Organization

A precinct is just the smallest geographically defined area established by the government for the purpose of organizing and administering elections. But for the Democratic Party, the precinct is where “grass roots” political organization happens. This is where we win or lose the “ground game.”

Nothing happens without individual voters being involved, and as a reenergized Democratic Party, we are actively building our network of like-minded people to prepare for the next elections – and in this tremulous time, to also actively resist against the ongoing Republican push toward authoritarian leadership.

A precinct usually comprises neighborhoods or subdivisions averaging 2,300 registered residents who all vote at the same location. Precincts are the smallest unit into which larger electoral districts are divided, like county council, statehouse, and congressional districts. Precincts are the same for both parties so your precinct will be a mix of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and others.

To be effective, the Democratic Party needs to know

  • Who our voters are in each precinct,
  • Current and accurate contact information for them,
  • Who is registered
  • If they are likely or persuadable voters.

And the Party has responsibilities to ensure:

  • Voters are informed about races, candidates, and upcoming elections.
  • We provide information about advocacy for legislative actions, as well as upcoming protests, rallies and other events.

That’s the role of the precinct leadership and other volunteers.

Getting out the Vote

A critical job for precinct leaders is utilizing the knowledge they have about their districts around election time. When a candidate begins work in a precinct, the Precinct Leader can make their work more efficient by informing the candidate which voters might be persuadable, which voters may post a yard sign, and which voters the candidate should not lose time courting. More on what precinct leaders do.

At election time, the Precinct Leader should be contacting voters with reminders to vote, and ensure that they have a way to get to the polls. Then, on Election Day, they could be working the polls – monitoring poll workers’ interactions with voters, protecting the vote, and counting the votes as they come in. In a highly organized precinct, you might get a call from the Precinct Leader if you haven’t voted by mid-afternoon.

Your Precinct Leader should know you – and you should know them. Being able to effectively ensure the highest possible Democratic turnout on Election Day is directly related to how well they know their voters.

Precinct Leadership Renewal

In 2025, the GCDP began a countywide effort to strengthen the 151 precincts in Greenville County. We are continually adding new leaders, while we are providing training and resources to support these volunteers. We have added a degree of flexibility to the role of Precinct Leaders to make the effort quite achievable.

The dangerous ongoing events with the current federal US administration and the subservient state and county leaders, are causing many people to ask, “What can I do to help?” This is when Precinct Leaders can get them engaged, and maybe even get them started as a Precinct Leader.

We are the leaders that we’ve been waiting for.

Want to learn more? Contact our precinct coordinator.