Democratic Candidates On Nov. 2010 Collin Co. Election Ballots

To review the Democratic Candidates On Nov. 2010 Collin Co. Election Ballots - click here.

Are You An Election Worker For The March 2nd Primary?

If you are an Election Judge, Alternate Judge, or Clerk for either the Democratic Party Primary or Republican Party Primary it is mandatory by law that you attend an "Election Law" training class. It is also highly recommended that you attend a "Machine Training" class.

Machine Training will give you hands-on experience on the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) touch screen voting booth equipment and the ePollBook laptop computers being used for this election.
[Note: In addition to the DRE touch screen voting booth equipment used at every polling location, 50 polling locations will use ePollBook laptop computers, in place of the old-style printed paper Poll Book binders, to qualify and sign in voters. The remaining 15 polling locations will use the old-style printed paper Poll Book binders on March 2nd.]

Election Judges should contact each member of your polling place team and make sure they attend one of the schedule election training classes. Election Law and Machine Training dates and times are given below the fold click:

Election Law Training	Machine Training
Election Law Training offered by the Collin County Elections Office This is the preferred training, as some issues specific to Collin County are covered in this live class. Dates and times for these classes: Thursday, February 18th at 1:00pm Thursday, February 18th at 6:30pm Saturday, February 20th at 10:00am. Location for these classes: University Drive Courts Facility Central Jury Room 1800 North Graves Street McKinney, TX 75069 You must notify your Political Party's County Elections Administrator to confirm your training class attendance.	Machine Training Training offered by the Collin County Elections Office Dates and times for these classes: Saturday, February 13th at 2:00pm; Wednesday, February 17th at 2:00pm; Friday, February 19th at 9:00am; Saturday, February 20th at 2:00pm; Wednesday, February 24th at 2:00pm; Thursday, February 25th at 2:00pm; Friday, February 26th at 9:00am. Location for these classes: University Drive Courts Facility Central Jury Room 1800 North Graves Street McKinney, TX 75069
Online Election Law training available on the Texas Secretary of State website. This online Poll Worker Training provided by the Secretary of State can be accessed at www.texaspollworkertraining.com. To participate in the online training, just register yourself, create a password and begin the class. This training satisfies the legal Election Law training requirement for election workers. Once you have successfully completed the course and receive your online certificate of completion you must save or print your online certificate of completion and send a copy to your Political Party's County Elections Administrator either by mail or e-mail. The entire course takes about two hours to complete.
The Democratic Party of Collin County will also provide Election Law training during the last week of February, and we will announce the dates, times, and locations in the coming days. This training will also cover practical tips on setting up your polling location for optimal flow, and we will also try to make the practical tips available on the party's website at www.collindems.us.

Democratic Primary Election - March 2010

In the March 2010 primaries Texas voters will choose which candidates will represent their respective political party in the November general elections. Texas is somewhat unique in that the Democratic and Republican political party organizations in each county are in charge of running their own primary elections with funding from the Texas Secretary of State.

State of Texas residents vote in what is known as an open primary. This means that as long as a qualified Texas resident registers to vote at least 30 days prior to the date of the primary election day, that person will be allowed to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary election. The voter is then affiliated with the party they select for the primary and restricted from participating in events of other political parties for the remainder of the primary year.

• The March 2, 2010 Primary Election Voter Registration Deadline is Monday, February 1st. New voter registration applications must be postmarked by midnight of that date. Click here for the Texas Secretary of State's voter registration form web page.


• The March 2, 2010 Primary Election early voting days and times at the usual early voting polling places around Collin County will be as follows:
  
  • 8AM to 5PM Tuesday Feb. 16, 2010 through Friday Feb. 19, 2010
  • 7AM to 7PM Saturday Feb. 20, 2010
  • 1PM to 6PM Sunday Feb. 21, 2010
  • 7AM to 7PM Monday Feb. 22, 2010 through Friday Feb. 26, 2010
  • Click here for full details on dates, times and sample ballots
    


• Click here to see the Democratic Candidates that will appear on the Democratic Primary Ballot In Collin County.
  

Texas does not register by party, rather one becomes “affiliated” with a party by voting in the party’s primary election. That affiliation then lasts for that entire primary year. As an example, if a person voted in the March 2008 Democratic Primary or April 2008 Democratic Primary runoff, that person's affiliation with the Democratic party did not expire until December 31, 2008.

The affiliation means that the person may not vote in another party’s primary or primary runoff, or participate in another party’s precinct, county or state convention or sign a for another party's candidate if the candidate’s position appears on the primary ballot.

A person who votes in the 2010 Republican Primary is disqualified from participating in the Democratic party’s precinct, county and state conventions, and vice versa. The Republican affiliated voter is also restricted from participating in other local and state Democratic Party activities, including being nominated by the Democratic Party to serve as an Election Judge, Alternate Judge or Clerk.

Note: In the November General Election voters may vote for whomever they wish, regardless of how or whether they voted in the primary or runoff primary election. All candidates of all parties appear on the same November General Election ballot.

Democratic Precinct Convention


On the evening of the March 2nd Primary Election Day, after the last voter has voted and the polls close, Democratic primary voters throughout Texas will meet at their respective Election Day Neighborhood Precinct Polling Locations to hold a Precinct Convention to do the following:

1. Elect delegates and alternates to the Democratic Collin County Convention and from thence to the Democratic State Convention

   2010 Collin County Democratic Convention
   Saturday, March 20th, 10:30 a.m
   Plano Centre (Spring Creek Parkway & Jupiter Rd.)

2. Adopt resolutions that will be submitted to the Democratic Collin County Convention.

The precinct convention may seem complicated at first, but it is very easy and quick to conduct. Here are some links to find more information about the Democratic Precinct Convention:

• Conducting Your Democratic Pct Convention
• Steps To Conduct Your Precinct Convention
• Pct Convention Check List Summary
• Resolutions in the Democratic Pct Convention

If you did not receive a new Blue and White voter registration card during December 2009 or January 2010, it may indicate that you are no longer properly registered to vote. You should call the Registrar's office to ask why you did not receive your new Blue and White 2010-2011 voter registration card. (Check your registration status online here.)

VOTER REGISTRAR
800-687-8546 / 972-547-1990
2010 REDBUD BLVD., SUITE 102
MCKINNEY, TX 75069
www.collincountytx.gov/elections/

For more information on the new Blue and White 2010-2011 voter registration cards, click here.

Conducting Your March 2nd Democratic Precinct Convention

Primary voters throughout Collin County will go to their 2010 primary election day polling locations after the polls close on March 2, 2010 to hold precinct conventions to do the following:

1. Elect delegates and alternates to the 2010 Democratic Collin County Convention.
   
2. Adopt resolutions that will be submitted to the county convention.

Sign posted by Democratic Judge at polling location

The 2010 Collin County Democratic Convention Convenes on Saturday, March 20th, 10:30 a.m at the Plano Centre. (Spring Creek Parkway & Jupiter Rd.)

Collin County residents must have voted in the 2010 Democratic primary in order to sign into one of the 179 Democratic precinct conventions, which convene shortly after the polls close on March 2nd, at the 65 polling locations around Collin Co. Republican primary voters will also conduct their own precinct conventions at different locations within the same 2010 primary election day polling locations.

March 2nd polling locations will have one to several separately convened Republican and Democratic Party precinct conventions, in different locations around the polling places' gym, cafeteria, lobby and so forth. People must locate and attend their party's precinct convention for their home address voting precinct.

Each Primary Election Day Polling Place Democratic Election Judge will contact the Democratic chairs of precincts voting at his/her polling location before election day to coordinate the election evening precinct convention hand off. Otherwise, for any precinct without a chair, the Democratic Party of Collin County Primary Administrator will give a list of 2008 precinct convention delegates to the Democratic Election Judge to contact for election evening precinct convention hand off. The Precinct Chair typically serves as the temporary precinct convention chair to organize the precinct convention, but, in the absence of a Precinct Chair, anyone who votes in the party's 2010 primary may serve as temporary chair.

Anyone who wishes to help organize the election evening precinct convention for their home voting precinct should contact the Democratic Party of Collin County office at either 972-578-1483 or elections@collindems.us and ask for the Primary Administrator.

Precinct Conventions Are Quick And Easy

The precinct convention may seem complicated at first, but it is very easy and quick to conduct. Here are the two basic rules that you need to know:

1. Voters who VOTED in the Democratic primary (either early, or by mail, or on election day) can participate in the precinct convention for the precinct where they are registered to vote. You can find your precinct number on your Voter Registration Card in the box titled "Prec. No." You can see your Registration Card online by clicking here.
   


2. The Democratic Party Precinct Chair of your precinct has priority in terms of convening the precinct convention and is considered the temporary chair of the convention; however, any registered voter from the precinct who voted in the 2010 Democratic Primary can start the convention in the event the precinct chair does not attend the convention, or the precinct chair position is vacant.
   
   The precinct chair, or other person intending to serve as the temporary chair of the convention, inspects the polling location to determine a good location for the convention. A large sign is placed at the polling place telling exactly when and where the convention will be held. Each voter should also be provided the information verbally and given a hand-out reminder.
   
   The county party provides a convention packet with instructions, forms, and an easy to fill-in agenda/minutes. The packet is typically kept at the Primary Polling Place by the Election Judge for the election day polling location. The packets are handed off to the temporary chair at the time that the Election Judge declares the Election Day Polling Place closed or at 7:15 P.M., which ever is later.