Neighborhood Headquarters

Thanks for helping the Democratic Party bring the 2010 campaigns to your neighborhood! A Neighborhood Headquarters is a visible sign of our Democratic Campaign, and having a Headquarters at your home or business means a great deal to our candidates.

You’ll be joining other Democrats across the state in putting up a sign to let your neighbors know where they can get information and candidate materials. If you live where most of your neighbors vote Democratic, it’s important that we get everyone registered and turn them out to vote-they need to understand how critical the midterm elections are, for all parties.

If your neighborhood is one where most people vote for candidates for both parties, we need to be sure everyone gets the true Democratic message over and over between now and Election Day. And if most of your neighbors vote only for Republicans, it is still essential to identify even a few Democrats and remind them to vote. For answers to questions, to request additional information or to pass on information and ideas about making the Neighborhood Headquarters program more effective, contact our Neighborhood Headquarters coordinator at neighborhoodhq@scdp.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What do I have to do at my Neighborhood Headquarters?

A. All that’s required is that you put out a yard sign (or a window poster in a store) and provide space in a closet, garage, or spare room for a limited supply of candidate signs and handouts for your neighbors who want them. Materials will be provided to you. We hope you’ll stay up-to-date on the campaign and the issues-we’ll help you out by sending you information-so that when you’re asked a question or happen to be talking to friends, you’ll know the answer, where to get it, and where to show others.

Q. I’ve never been involved in campaigning, and I don’t know much about it.

A. We’ll never ask you to do anything without telling you how to do it, and most of it is just being friendly with your neighbors. If you want to know more about any part of the program, just call the SC Democratic Party at 1-800-841-1817. The Regional Director will get you the information you need. Or email neighboorhoodhq@scdp.org .

Q. What if I run out of bumper stickers, or need something you haven’t provided?

A. Email neighborhood@scdp.org or call the SC Democratic Party at 1-800-841-1817 and ask for your Regional Director. If materials are available, you will receive whatever materials you need.

Q. Is this just for the midterm campaigns?

A. Not at all. We have great Democratic candidates at every level, from Capitol Hill to the Governor’s Mansion. Your local candidates need your help in making their materials available to your neighbors.

Q. How can I stay up-to-date on the issues my neighbors might ask about?

A. All four of the web sites listed above allow you to sign up to get regular updates on campaign activities and issues. We suggest that you register at all of them. We’ll also send you information periodically.

Q. Is my county Democratic Party involved in this program?

A. This program won’t succeed unless county parties participate! If you need materials from local campaigns, or have other questions that your county chair can answer, please contact him/her. County chairs greatly appreciate your involvement.

Q. Do I have to stay home all the time?

A. Absolutely not! Go about your normal routine. Anyone who stops by for a yard sign or brochure will be a neighbor who’ll come back when you’re home. If you don’t want to be bothered, post a note on the door letting folks know when you’re available.

Q. Do I have to let strangers into my house?

A. No! You don’t need to let anyone at all into your house, unless you want to.

Q. Will there be more than one Headquarters per precinct?

A. We hope so! One per block isn’t too many. Many precincts take in several very different neighborhoods. This campaign is about reaching out to people who live nearby.

Q. What if I want to do more than just have a sign and some materials?

A. There are lots more things you can do to help our candidates, and we’ll tell you how if you want to do them-contact your Regional Director at 1-800-841-1817 or neighborhoodhq@scdp.org .

For example, you can do some or all of these things, or come up with your own ideas: Voter Registration--we’ve provided forms for you to have on hand for anyone who asks. If you’d like to knock on doors and register people, we’ll send more forms. Remember that October 2nd, is the deadline to turn in forms.

Literature distribution--you can drop off campaign handouts at as many or as few houses as you are comfortable doing. You can also organize some friends to do the same thing over a wider area. In some neighborhoods we’ll be sending in teams of volunteers to do this. You can help by allowing them to gather at your home before they go out. Let us know if you need handouts.

Volunteer recruitment—you’ll hear from neighbors who want to help, and you can work with them on neighborhood campaign projects. We’ve also give you some volunteer cards to sign up for other things. Send the cards in to your Regional Director at the S.C. Democratic Party.

Organization—you and your neighbors know the best ways to reach the people around you. Invite other Democrats to a meeting to come up with ideas for special things to do in your own neighborhood, or to discuss ways they can help you reach out to more voters.

Meet-the-candidates opportunities—one or more of your local candidates would be delighted to attend a drop-in or other social function to get to know voters in your neighborhood. You can host whatever kind of event you feel comfortable with, and we’ll provide tips to help make it a success.

Absentee voting—we’ve included some information for anyone who asks about absentee voting. You can also knock on the doors of your neighbors (or call them) who are over 65 to tell them they can vote absentee even if they plan to be in town. If you’d like, you can take them to the Voter Registration Office to vote.

Phone call--if you’d like to call your neighbors to talk with them about voting for Democrats, we can provide you with a list of names and phone numbers, and a suggested message to use when you call them.

Voter turnout—by Election Day you will have a good idea which of your neighbors will be voting Democratic. You can call them or knock on their doors to remind them to vote. And if they need a ride to the polls, you can either call the number we give you to have them picked up, or take them yourself.

The Neighborhood Headquarters program will kick off (and everyone will put out their HQ signs) the day after Labor Day. Until then, we’ll be keeping HQ managers informed about political activities.