How to Involve in Local and National Politics
By Talat Khan, MD
Delegate & Executive Board Member
California Democratic Party
CA
Some time ago, I was voted as a delegate of the California Democratic Party and have been working as one since. The biggest thing I have learned from my involvement is: the more people we run, the better it is. This is why I am writing this piece today.
The impact seems small, but it is amazing how much of a small but significant influence one person can make. Imagine how much it is multiplied each time we get one more person involved. And if you are a person who doesn't see the point of voting because perhaps you are disenchanted with the system or you don't like any of the presidential candidates, remember this: voting influences far more than the president. Our political system influences our educational system. It influences our children. It influences where our money is spent. It influences the laws that govern our families. It influences our local communities as well as our states. It influences just about everything that affects our families and ourselves, from the air we breathe to how our money is spent, to what kind of material our children are reading in their textbooks. As Muslims, it is our duty to be involved in our community. If we consider ourselves to be Americans wishing to make life better for our communities and family, let's start acting like real citizens.
It's true that I may not single-handedly change the entire American political process. But I do see the difference a person can make. I have the chance to make my voice heard and, even more importantly, all of the delegates in my area and beyond, as well as many politicians, all know and respect a Muslim. I am there when Muslim issues come up, I am able to write my own resolutions about issues important to me, and I am there to simply be one of the only Muslims these people know. When one considers that the mayor of my city up until a few years ago could not differentiate between a Muslim and a Hindu, we can realize how important it is for our local politicians to at least know one Muslim. We can do this extremely easily by getting involved as delegates. It is the first step of many that we as Muslims in America need to start taking.
More importantly, it is easy. I was amazed at how many people helped me get familiar with the process, and how easy it is to learn once you start getting involved.
First, for those who I hope are now interested, I wanted to explain how all of this works. In each state, there are several Assembly Districts called AD's. They are the districts Assemblymen run in. They are almost the same size as Congressional Districts, encompassing several cities, but somehow they are not the same. The delegates are voted from the Assembly District (AD), not the Congressional District. There are also Senate Districts, but those are the districts from which we select senators, not delegates.
From every AD, six men and women are chosen. So, around 4000 people are voted throughout California. To win, you need to find or register 100 members of the Democratic Party in your Assembly District. You must also make sure you are registered as a Democrat. You should confirm this by calling the Registrar of Voters in your county, as should others. You should be aware that many you will find think that they are members of the Democratic Party because they have voted for Democrats previously, but they often are not. They should call the Registrar of Voters right away to check, and then submit another application right away. Voter registration forms are available at the post office, or you can have about 50 forms by calling the Registrar. It takes about two months to get yourself registered. Keep a copy of the contact info of your voters with their emails so that you can call them to remind them to come at the time of elections.
After you get about 100 people to agree to vote for you, around 40 will probably show up. In most cases, this is enough to win. And as easy as that, you are a delegate.
For more information, visit the California Democratic Party website at www.cadem.org . Go to the section on the delegate selection process and read the information contained when you file to be a delegate. This should be done around August. However, be ready with registered voters earlier, because those who register after October will not be allowed to vote for you that year.
At the mentioned website, you can also visit the Assembly District area, where you can find information about your Registrar of Voters office or your city hall. You can also find out about the Assembly District cities in your district, so you can get people registered for you. If your friend is in another district, he can start for his own AD.
In the CADEM website, you can also find out about the Democratic clubs in the cities in your AD. Try to join one club, which costs only $15-20 a year. Get involved in a committee as well. I would suggest the voter registration committee, since you have already done all the work and getting our community to vote is an important priority. As a delegate, you have to spend about $250-500 a year to attend the convention, including transportation, hotel stays, and convention fees. You have to attend the convention, which is generally in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles or San Diego, once a year on a weekend.
If you have many votes, you can run for the Executive Board of Delegates as I did. For this position, you have to attend a convention four times a year, but they are not mandatory. At the convention time or before, you can join caucuses there which meet at the time of the conventions and you can vote for caucus board members. For instance, with our votes, we elected Bassim Elkarra for the Arab American Caucus. They cost $40-55 a year per caucus. I have joined the Asian Pacific Islanders Caucus, the Arab American Caucus, and the Progressive Caucus. I have now developed relationships in each one of them. Later on, if you want to involve further, you can run for elections or run for the Democratic National or County Committee.
I hope all of this information can make the process of becoming a delegate or simply more involved easier for us. Please spread this information to those are concerned and want to start making a change. Every person counts, and you would be amazed at how many people one person can influence.
Important Contact Information
Registrar of Voters - San Bernardino County
909.387.8300
www.sbrov.com
Registrar of Voters - Los Angeles County
562.466.1323
800.815.2666
www.lavote.net
General information - California Secretary of State website
www.sos.ca.gov
Online Voter Registration
www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform
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