What are Precinct Chairs and Party Delegates? Why Do They Matter?

In case you haven't heard, 2026 is an election year. It's a big one. Maybe the one that turns the tide away from autocracy and back toward democracy.  Or, maybe, our last.

So don't sit it out!

In January, Indivisible Central Indiana will work with our partners to encourage you and everyone in our network to get involved in the electoral process in 2026, perhaps in ways you have never considered before.

The general election may be 11 months away, but there is a critical deadline in early February. We want to ensure you don't miss the enormous opportunities to protect our nation's democratic values.

February 6, noon, is the deadline in Indiana for filing with the county election board to run for office in the May primary. And "running for office" includes two little-known "offices" that are the basic building blocks of the political process:

• Precinct committeeperson

• Delegate to each party's state convention

Maybe you have never been interested in getting involved in local politics, and perhaps the toxicity of the political process in recent years has made you feel even more strongly than ever. We get it. Trust us, we get it.

But you care enough about the direction of our nation and our state that you subscribed to this newsletter because you want to DO SOMETHING. And so today, we are urging you to consider: be the change you wish to see in the world, and in the political process in particular.

Precinct committeepersons (PCs) in both parties are the basic building blocks of grassroots organizing. Every county in central Indiana is organized into geographic blocks of 600 to 1,200 eligible voters. Historically, organizing within each party has revolved around having one or two people, a precinct committeeperson and a vice-PC, assigned to be familiar with their neighborhood, identify likely voters, keep those voters informed and engaged -- and Get Out the Vote.

The PC's significant role is as a neighborhood organizer. For decades, both parties across America have allowed this role to wither, allowing talk radio, cable news, and social media to take the place of in-person communication.  

Historically, a precinct committeeperson had … well, a whole committee to help them stay in touch with party voters in their precinct. Highly effective, that model should be revived by the parties. But in the meantime, Indivisible and our pro-democracy allies want to fill these positions with people who are motivated to do the work of community- and democracy-building.  

PCs are also the foundation of the political parties themselves. PCs are the people who elect the County Chair for each party. County Chairs elect the District Chairs, who then elect the State Chair. Significantly, they are also the body that votes to fill vacancies in many offices between elections. PCs can have critical responsibility!

Indivisible (or your county party) can give you lists, based on public records, of the people in your neighborhood who vote consistently in your party's primaries. For example, if you live in a precinct with 1000 voting-age adults, you might have 100 to 300 neighbors who regularly vote Democratic, 100 to 300 neighbors who regularly vote Republican, 200 neighbors who never vote, and 400 neighbors who vote sporadically but never in primaries. You start by meeting the consistent Democrat voters in the three months leading up to the primary. You can do this by going door to door, by phone, by text, or by letter. Invite them to a regular coffee hour at a local coffee shop. And find a few voters who are willing to volunteer with you.

Between the primary and the general election, move on to meeting the non-voters and inconsistent voters in your neighborhood, with the help of one of your newly-recruited volunteers. Indivisible or your party can provide you with fresh lists of who those people are, and you will use your newfound comfort level to develop your own personalized version of a script for engaging them. (Or we can help you devise one!) 

The failure to do this kind of work is why Indiana, in general, and Indianapolis in particular, has some of the lowest voter turnout in America. Getting people to do this work is how we re-engage the citizenry in the democratic process.

In the 2026 primary, the Democratic Party will be electing new precinct committeepersons to four-year terms. The Republicans elect new PCs in 2028.

Officially, Indivisible is a non-partisan organization. Although, admittedly, most of our members tend to vote Democratic, and we are united in opposition to an authoritarian regime that has taken over the historic "Republican" brand. 

Our mission is to restore/rebuild democracy. And we love it when any voter from any party comes to us and says, "I agree with what you are doing, and I would like to get involved."

Delegates to the state conventions – Democratic and Republican alike  – give up one Saturday next summer to attend a meeting at which the party approves a platform, but more importantly, selects its candidates for certain offices! That's right. The voters in the May primary don't get to choose who will be on the November ballot for Secretary of State, State Treasurer, or State Auditor. Those decisions are made by a few thousand delegates to the party convention. And, to be perfectly honest, in many cases, neither party really encourages the general public to become a delegate. Why? Because if no one files to run for the position in the May primary, county chairs or other political officials appoint the delegates from among people they know.  

This is how we ended up with Diego Morales as Secretary of State, and Micah Beckwith as Lt. Governor. 

Indivisible Central Indiana is not backing any mysterious shadow candidates. But we do believe that it is critical for the future of our republic that everyday people with open minds fill these positions in both parties, not handpicked by the defenders of the status quo.  

So, get involved. In either party.  

Next week, in this newsletter, we will discuss in more detail the process of filing to run for precinct committeeperson, and how to get a good start on being great at the job by campaigning for the office.

The week after that, we will do a deep dive into being a Delegate to the State Convention for either party.

In January, we will work with our partners to offer virtual and in-person meetings where you learn more about these roles, meet people who have done it right, and ask questions so you can thrive in the role yourself. If you can't wait that long to get started, email us at info@indivisiblecentralindiana.org

Photo by Thriday on Unsplash