The County Central Committee is the formal governing body of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party and is composed of members who are elected every four years—during gubernatorial primaries—at the precinct level by registered Democrats. These members represent the people of their precinct to the Central Committee and serve as a link between the party, elected officials, and the precinct’s residents. To effectively meet these roles, Central Committee members, also known as Precinct Committee members, should engage in a variety of political and community activities to promote the Democratic Party, its candidates. and voter turnout broadly.

Central Committee Members’ Responsibilities As a Central Committee member, you have the following responsibilities:

• Represent the Democratic Party on behalf of your precinct, engage Democrats in your precinct, and focus on voter turnout.

• Organize your Executive Committee Members to ensure high participation rates in elections and the endorsement process on behalf of your City / Ward.

• Encourage and participate in consistent meetings for your local Democratic Club.

• Be an informational resource and campaign liaison concerning your City / Ward for endorsed Democratic candidates.

• Coordinate your even-year local party campaign activities with the staff from the county Party and state Party. Organize your City / Ward Democratic Party campaign effort.

• In conjunction with the Board of Elections, recruiting Election Day Poll Workers where needed.

• Support the fundraising efforts of the county Party.

• Notify the Executive Director of the party of any changes in address or phone number as well as any development that forces a member to resign.

Activities for Central Committee Members To successfully maximize the Democratic vote in your precinct, you should engage in the following activities, as well as any other ones that you consider helpful for the promotion of the Democratic Party:

1. Learn as much as possible about the party’s candidates to promote them to voters.

2. Attend relevant training sessions held by the Party.

3. Support the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party through your volunteer work, direct contributions to the Party or its endorsed candidates, or organize fundraisers for the Party or its endorsed candidates.

4. Attend the meetings of civic organizations to discuss the key issues in the precinct and to promote the Democratic Party. Inform the appropriate elected officials of these issues.

5. Recruit, organize, train, and manage team members and volunteers.

6. Liaison between Democratic Party and community residents.

7. Liaison between Endorsed Democratic Candidates and the community residents

8. Distribute campaign material at meetings, events, and during canvasses.

9. Work with team on voter outreach, party visibility, and other events.

The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party will offer as much help as possible to perform these activities. We have detailed voter databases and information to make your work as easy as possible. Do not hesitate to call or email the Party headquarters at (216) 621-9750 or info@cuydem.com for the assistance that you need. Go to our website often to see what is going on by visiting www.cuydem.com.

The Executive Committee of the CCDP is the 750-member body responsible for endorsements and appointments to boards, split up amongst the cities and political subdivisions of the county based on the number of registered Democrats in each area. Among the responsibilities of the Executive Committee are evaluating and endorsing Democratic candidates for office. However, an Executive Committee member’s greatest impact on elections is through his or her political leadership on the ground.

Executive Committee members are chosen in two ways. One, slightly more than half the members of the whole EC are elected by that city’s Central Committee. Two, the other, slightly less than half, members are chosen via appointment by the elected Democratic Leader of the city and the Chair. The maximum capacity for the countywide Executive Committee is 400 elected members and 350 appointed.

As an Executive Committee member, you will be expected to:

• attend all local and county-wide endorsement meetings

• attend all meetings required to fill Central Committee openings

• participate in local Democratic club meetings and events

• attend and vote in meetings for members of boards outside the party, including the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections

• support only Democratic candidates, and especially those endorsed by the CCDP at all levels

• vote in every primary and general election

• adhere to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Party (www.cuydem.com)

• notify the Party Headquarters of any address or telephone change, or resignation

• pay annual dues of $25 for Elected Executive Committee members and $50 for Appointed Executive Committee members

With the power to endorse comes the responsibility to honor other Democratic Party endorsements,  and  Executive Committee members should be familiar with the Party Unity clause as outlined in the CCDP Bylaws Article 7.1 (cuydem.com/about/bylaws/).

Updated 4/4/26