Neighborhood Headquarters
Democratic Party Headquarters Opening Soon in Your Neighborhood!
A Neighborhood Headquarters (NHQ) is a way that you can help to establish a visible presence for North Carolina Democrats in communities across the state. Having a neighborhood headquarters sign at your home or business not only means a great deal to our candidates, it is also an incredible resource for other Democrats in your community looking to get involved. As a Neighborhood Headquarters, you’ll be joining other Democrats across the state in putting up a sign to let your neighbors know where they can get voter registration information, yard signs and candidate materials.
If you live where most of your neighbors vote Democratic, it’s important that we get everyone registered and turn them out to vote—they need to understand what’s at stake in this election. If your neighborhood is one where most people vote for candidates of both parties, we need to be sure everyone gets the Democratic message over and over between now and Election Day. Even if many of your neighbors vote only for Republicans, it’s essential to identify even those few Democrats and remind them to vote.
STEP 1 – Visit www.ncdp.org/neighborhoodhq to learn more and to sign up to be a neighborhood headquarters.
STEP 2 - Participate in an optional webinar and/or teleconference to learn more and ask questions about the NHQ team in June and/or July.
STEP 3 – Beginning in June and going through early August, NCDP will work with your local county party to deliver a neighborhood headquarters sign along with voter registration and candidate information to you!
Your Neighborhood HQ kit will include:
- A Yard Sign (or poster for businesses) identifying you as a Neighborhood HQ
- Frequently asked questions information sheet
- Voter registration forms & information
- County Board of Elections information
- Absentee voting information
- Yard signs (will vary based on local candidates and county)
- Bumper stickers
- Campaign contacts
- District and County Democratic Party contacts
- A flyer that you can personalize and copy to deliver to your neighbors’ doors if you want to. It will let them know where their nearest HQ is located.
FAQ
Q. What do I have to do at my Neighborhood Headquarters?
A. All that’s required is that you put out a yard sign (or a window poster in a store) and provide space in a closet, garage, or spare room for a limited supply of candidate signs, voter registration forms and handouts for your neighbors who want them. Materials will be provided to you. We hope you’ll stay up-to-date on the campaign and the issues so that when you’re asked a question or happen to be talking to friends, you’ll know the answer or where to get it. You will be added to the NCDP email list to receive action alerts, daily news clips and talking points.
Q. I’ve never been involved in campaigning, and I don’t know much about it.
A. We’ll never ask you to do anything without giving you the tools, training and resources to support you along the way. Most of it is just being friendly with your neighbors. NCDP will also host an optional webinar and a conference call in April for those who have signed up and have more questions.
Q. Is this just for the Presidential and Governor’s campaigns?
A. Not at all. We have great Democratic candidates at every level. Your local candidates need your help in making their materials available to your neighbors. You will receive a list of local candidates so you can contact them for yard signs, etc.
Q. Is my local Democratic Party involved in this program?
A. This program won’t succeed unless our district and county parties participate! We’ve included a list of district and county Democratic Chairs. If you need materials from local campaigns, or have other questions that your district and/or county chair can answer, please contact him/her. These chairs appreciate your involvement!
Q. Do I have to stay home all the time?
A. Absolutely not! Go about your normal routine. Anyone who stops by for a yard sign or brochure will be a neighbor who’ll come back when you’re home. If you don’t want to be bothered, post a note on the door letting folks know when you’re available.
Q. Do I have to let strangers into my house?
A. No! You don’t need to let anyone into your house at all, unless you want to. Your address and contact information will not be advertised by NCDP. NCDP will only share your contact information with Democratic campaigns and your local district and county party so that they can provide you with up to date materials.
Q. Will there be more than one headquarters per precinct?
A. We hope so! One per block isn’t too many. Many precincts take in several very different neighborhoods. This campaign is about reaching out to people who live nearby.
Q. What if I want to do more than just have a sign and some materials?
A. As a Neighborhood Headquarters you will receive information on different grassroots projects going on. It is also a good idea to reach out to local campaigns so that they can let you know different ways to help their efforts as well. Here some examples, you can do some or all of these things, or come up with your own ideas:
Voter registration— We have provided forms for you to have on hand for anyone who asks. If you’d like to knock on doors and register people, you should first reach out to your local county party. You can also contact Kara Hollingsworth, NCDP Political Director at khollingsworth@ncdp.org using “Voter Registration List” in the Subject line of your email.
Hosting a House Party- You and your neighbors know the best ways to reach the people around you. Invite other Democrats to a meeting. NCDP can provide you with materials from our “What’s at Stake” voter education campaign. You can sign up to host a house party as part of the “What’s at Stake” voter education campaign at www.ncdp.org/whatsatstake. We will provide you with a short video and kit about what is at stake in this election and what you can do to get involved.
Canvassing— Democratic candidates may be going door to door talking to voters in your community. You can help by allowing these candidates and their volunteers to gather at your home before they go out. You can contact their campaigns using the contact information that we will provide in your Neighborhood HQ packet.
Volunteer recruitment—you’ll hear from neighbors who want to help, and you can work with them on neighborhood campaign projects.
Meet-the-candidate opportunities—one or more of your local candidates would be delighted to attend a drop-in or other social function to get to know voters in your neighborhood. You can host the kind of event you feel comfortable with, and we’ll provide tips to help make it a success.
Phone calls—if you’d like to call your neighbors to talk with them about voting for Democrats, we will provide you with a list of names and phone numbers, and a suggested message to use when you call them.
Voter turnout—by Election Day you will have a good idea which of your neighbors will be voting Democratic. You can call them or knock on their doors to remind them to vote.
For any additional questions or information contact Kara Hollingsworth at khollingsworth@ncdp.org and put “Neighborhood Headquarters” in the subject line of your email. Thanks!
