RHINEBECK DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

Local Committees are made up of members of the County Democratic Committee (see below) within each town. The Rhinebeck Democratic Committee is made up of 18 members from our five election districts. These 18 representatives are expected to attend Democratic County Committee meetings and events, representing the Democrats within their respective election districts. They have a voice and a vote on party matters at the county level. They select the county committee officers and vote on procedural issues. They also endorse candidates at the town, county, state and national level.The Chair or Co-Chairs of the Town Committee are members of the Executive Committee of the County Committee. They work with leadership of the County Committee to make sure that:
• The county committee positions are filled
• The polls are run in an orderly fashion on election day
• That the party's required poll worker positions are filled
• That judicial delegate positions are filled

DUTCHESS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

The County Democratic Committee is comprised of members of town committees. They vote within that body: 

• to elect the county chair,

• to endorse candidates for elective offices within the county (including judicial offices), as well as state-wide and national offices and

• to work with other Democrats to help elect those candidates,   

• to develop and adopt platform policy and to promote that platform/policy to the State Committee.

All candidates for County Committee petition to be on the ballot. Because it is a party position, unless one is challenged in a primary, collecting enough signatures is sufficient. If the challenger(s) has also collected enough signatures, there is a primary election, and the candidates who have collected sufficient petitions appear on the primary ballot in June.

For more information, visit the County Committee’s website at www.dutchessdems.com.

Interested in Joining the Committee? Learn more here.

POLITICAL PARTIES IN NEW YORK

Under New York’s election law, political parties in the state are organized by county and within the county by town, and within the town by election districts. Each of the election districts is represented by two enrolled Democratic voters who have been chosen in a local petition/primary election process or have been elected by the Dutchess County Democratic Committee (DCDC) after recommendation by the town committee co-chairs.

Here is a description of the structure of the Democratic Party in New York, starting on the local--village and town--level.

NYS DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

State committeepersons are the Democratic Party's representatives to the New York State Democratic Committee.

In New York, the Assembly District is the central organizing entity. Each Assembly district within each county has a male and a female State Committeeperson.  Those Committeepeople attend meetings of the NYSDC and the State Democratic convention and vote on party policy and platform issues.  They also make endorsements of candidates for state office.

The Town of Rhinebeck's Democratic State Committee Representatives are Elizabeth Roth and Kristofer Munn

Similar to the County Committee positions, candidates for State Committee petition to be on the ballot. Because this is a party position, unless one is challenged in a primary, collecting enough signatures is sufficient. If a challenger(s) has also collected enough signatures, then there is a primary election, and the competing candidates appear on the ballot in September.

For more information on this, visit the NYS Democratic Committee's website at www.nydems.org.