Waldo County Democrats are active all year round – every year!
We’re hard at work supporting our local legislators and other elected officials, building up our local Democratic committees, and getting ready for this year’s critical elections. There are LOTS of ways to be involved, and every one of them is important.
Join one of our monthly meetings
We usually have a busy agenda for our monthly WCDC meetings! We often hear from guest speakers on a range of topics (recent guests included Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and activist and former Legislator Emily Cain), as well as our own local elected officials and candidates. We also share ideas and information about all the activities available to be involved in campaigns and other initiatives. If you have ideas for a meeting, let us know!
We generally meet on the second Sunday of the month at 1pm. Some meetings are hybrid (in person and on Zoom), some are Zoom only; during the summer we may meet in person only. Check out our Calendar to learn about our next meeting and come meet some fellow Democrats!
Meet other Democrats in your town
Each town in Waldo County is part of a local municipal or regional Democratic committee, and many are actively organizing volunteers to support local candidates or take on community projects. Visit our Local Committees page to find out what’s going on with the Dems in your town or take a look at our Calendar to see if your town’s committee has a meeting coming up where you can meet up with your neighbors who share your interest in electing local Democrats.
Get involved in local elections
The WCDC Campaign Committee needs your help finding and supporting good Democratic candidates for school boards, select boards, planning boards and other local offices. We also want to do a better job tracking when these elections take place in each town, who is running, and where candidates are needed – is that something you can do? Please email us at info@waldocountydemocrats.com, or join the Campaign Committee when you fill out a volunteer form, if you want to do this important work in your town.
Help us bring our values to everthing we do
WCDC is determined to live our values through our committee activities. Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging Committee helps inform and motivate all of us about how to do that as an organization and as individuals. Recently, through the efforts of the DEIB Committee, WCDC adopted a statement on hate crimes and voted to join the Wabanaki Alliance. Visit our DEIB page and join the work by emailing info@waldocountydemocrats.com.
Advocate for legislation in Augusta
Our local legislators are eager to hear from you about proposed legislation! We have info to help you be an effective advocate on our Advocacy page.
Engage with fellow Democrats and the wider community
Our Engagement Committee makes sure members and volunteers have a good experience and know they are part of a team. We also give back to the community through volunteer work days and donations to nonpartisan organizations. If you want to be part of planning and hosting a wide variety of events and outreach, let us know at info@waldocountydemocrats.com or join the Engagement Committee when you fill out a volunteer form.
Learn how to talk to people across the aisle
Waldo County Dems want to bridge the partisan divide. We’ve held workshops and other activities to help people find ways to have productive and meaningful conversations about vital issues with people with very different perspectives. If this is something that interests you, visit our Every Conversation Counts page.
Join our volunteer team to make sure you hear about volunteer needs as they arise
Click the blue button below or use this link to fill out our Volunteer Interest Form to let us know where your skills and interests lie – you’ll see possibilities from knocking on doors to making signs to reaching out in the community to writing postcards. We’ll email you when we have a volunteer need that’s a good match for you. And we won’t share your contact info with anyone outside WCDC without your permission.
Here are some of the ways you can volunteer with Waldo County Dems and local campaigns:
Drive candidates door to door – these are typically 3-4 hour shifts using your car and fuel to help candidates talk to voters 1 on 1 at their homes. Candidates are doing doors from May through Election Day. Learn more about driving candidates.
Host a house party – in your home or at a rented location, inviting friends and neighbors to meet a candidate. House parties are best scheduled at times when the candidate would not need to be knocking on doors (evenings or during winter months).
Distribute yard signs – delivering signs to supporters who can’t come into the office, and placing them along public highways. Signs are placed on yards throughout campaign season, but only on public roadways for limited periods before Election Day. Here are state rules for placing signs in public ways.
Call or text voters (phone or text banking) – you’re provided with a list of people to contact, and sometimes set up on a computer system, with training provided. Volunteer shifts are flexible and can be done remotely or with others, from now through Election Day.
Canvass/knock on doors – Volunteers go out in teams (one canvasser, one driver) to have conversations with voters at their homes. Training and “scripts” are provided and shifts are flexible, but most often late afternoons and weekends, between now and Election Day.
Write postcards – addressing, signing, and stamping cards, either for WCDC or for a candidate. Cards are done from home at your convenience, although on a timeline depending on the project, and you decide how many cards you want to do.
Write letters to the editor – supporting a candidate or an issue. Letters are welcome any time, but contact the candidate to coordinate your message and timing. Check out the Maine Dems’ LTE Toolkit.
