PCO

What Is A PCO?

A Precinct Committee Officer (or PCO) is the official elected or appointed Democratic Party official for an electoral precinct under state law. Their primary responsibility is to knock on their neighbors’ doors prior to each election to remind them to vote and provide materials on endorsed candidates, but they also serve as leaders and organizers for voters in their precinct. All Democratic PCOs in the 46th are part of the King County Democratic Central Committee (KCDCC), and participate in electing the leadership of the 46th District Democrats, including the chair, vice chairs, treasurer, secretary, and other officers. In short, PCOs are the backbone of our Party.

Who is my PCO?

You can look up who your PCO is here.

Becoming A PCO

Contact our PCO Committee Chair, to confirm an open precinct and fill out a PCO appointment form.
We will vote to appoint you as a PCO at the next monthly meeting.

Three Types Of PCOs:

Elected PCO: During the Primary Election of every even-numbered year, an individual may file with King County Elections to be elected as PCO for the precinct in which they are registered to vote. If more than one person files in a precinct, those names will be placed on the ballot and the Democratic voters in that precinct will choose whom to elect. If only one person files, they are automatically elected. They serve a two-year term beginning December 1st of the year they are elected.

Appointed PCO: An Appointed PCO is appointed by the other 46^th LD PCOs to the precinct in which they are registered to vote (if there is no Elected PCO). They serve from the date of their appointment until the end of the two-year PCO term (November 30th of each even-numbered year.)

Acting PCO: Someone whose precinct already has a PCO may be appointed as an Acting PCO to a precinct in which they are not registered to vote. They serve their adopted precinct until the end of the two-year PCO term, or until an Appointed PCO is found for their adopted precinct.

Please note that if you were an Appointed or Acting PCO in 2016 and you were not elected as a PCO, you need to refile to be a PCO. Please fill out a PCO appointment form and email our PCO representative, Anna Borris, at [email protected]

Special Voting Rights of Elected and Appointed PCOs:

Under state law and Party rules, Elected and Appointed PCOs have special voting rights in some areas.

Reorganization Meetings: Elected PCOs play a special role at the biennial Reorganization meetings of the King County Democrats and 46th District Democrats. Only Elected PCOs may vote for the Chair of these organizations, some other officers, and on bylaws amendments of each. The King County Democrats reorganization meeting occurs in December of an even-number year, and the 46th District Democrats reorganization meeting occurs the following January.

Legislative Vacancies: In the event of a vacancy in one of the three legislative seats in the middle of a term, a special meeting will be called by the Chair of the King County Democrats where Elected and Appointed PCOs will nominate three individuals to fill the vacancy. The King County Council will then appoint one of these three individuals to complete the rest of the legislative term.

Please Note: Unfortunately, Acting PCOs do not have any of the special voting privileges noted above. All PCOs of any type and all dues-paying members of the 46th District Democrats may vote on other decisions, including endorsements, resolutions, and most officer positions.

Appointed PCO & Election Captain (Acting PCO) Applications

If you are interested in becoming a PCO in the 46th District, follow these steps:

Find your precinct on King County Elections by entering your address, clicking Find, then taking note of the Precinct under My Voting Districts.
Using that precinct, check the list of PCOs at King County Democrats to see if your precinct already has a PCO.
1. If you see a PCO listed for your precinct, it means your precinct is filled, but you can still file to be an Acting PCO of a nearby, vacant precinct by filling out the Election Captain Acting PCO Application.
2. If your precinct isn't listed, that means your precinct is vacant! You can become an Appointed PCO by filling out the Appointed PCO Application.
Fill out your appropriate paperwork, and submit to our PCO representative, Anna Borris, at [email protected]
If it's approved, we can appoint you at the next monthly meeting, where you may have an opportunity to speak about your goals as a PCO.

For Full-Sized Map, Click Here

Additional Resources

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