Surveys and Publications

Economic Info

Small Business

Economic Links

Publications & Posters

General Business Services

Lean Sigma Institute

Grant Funding

Workforce Development

Insert graphic here:
width: 175px
height: 64px

continued from page 1

The run-up to November

Town committees

One of the most effective ways to have a say in who gets nominated to run in the primaries for local, state, and federal office is to become active in your party’s town committee.

Town committees are the grassroots organizations of political parties and serve as the local branches of the state party organizations.

Town committees have several important roles, including

• Nominating and endorsing candidates for local elected and appointed offices
• Selecting delegates for local and regional political caucuses and conventions, which nominate candidates for the U.S. Senate and House, governor, and state Senate and House.
• Supporting candidates’ campaigns through fundraising, event coordination, leafleting, generating publicity via social media, and other grassroots activities.

Attend a meeting

Every town in Connecticut has a Democratic and/or Republican town committee, and many have committees representing third parties. Members are elected via party caucus, but any voter registered with a political party can attend that party’s town committee meetings and get involved—voice opinions, volunteer on behalf of endorsed candidates, or simply engage in political discourse about the issues.

Attending town committee meetings and volunteering on behalf of candidates can often lead to being elected to the committee if that is your interest. And it can be a good way to get to know more about candidates, since many of them are now making presentations to town committees in an effort to gain their endorsements.

Keep in mind, however, that unaffiliated voters cannot serve on town committees or vote in primaries. (In Connecticut, unaffiliated voters outnumber those registered as Democrats or Republicans.) So, if you want to give yourself the best opportunity to have an impact on the political process, you may want to consider registering to vote under one of the political parties. Registering as a Republican, Democrat, or with one of the minor parties would not, of course, obligate you to vote along party lines in general elections, but it would allow you to vote in your party’s primary and become active in its town committee.

Involving your employees

You can multiply the impact you have on the 2010 candidate selection process by sharing information with your colleagues and employees and encouraging them to get involved. An easy way to start is to remind new or existing employees who may have moved (even within the same town) to register to vote. You may want to include a voter registration card in your company’s new-employee orientation packet, and employees often appreciate having a few extra cards for family members. If your company is big enough, consider holding an on-site voter registration drive. (CBIA can help. Contact Adam Ney at 860-244-1933 or adam.ney@cbia.com.)

Invite candidates to visit your company and meet with your employees to hear firsthand about their concerns and the issues that affect them. “Inviting candidates to your workplace is an important employee benefit,” says McGuire. “Employees appreciate being able to meet candidates at their workplace, because they might otherwise never get the opportunity to interact with them and express their views in such a direct, personal way.”

Hosting candidate visits also gives your business a chance to showcase your products, services, and impact on the community and express how elected officials—especially state legislators—can help businesses like yours compete in a tough economy. CBIA can help arrange candidate visits to your workplace no matter how small or large your company. For information, contact Liz Krueger at 860-244-1169 or elizabeth.krueger@cbia.com.

For more information on ways you can become active in Connecticut’s candidate selection process, contact CBIA’s Public Affairs Department at 860-244-1900.

previous