Aroostook County Democrats will gather for caucuses Sunday, Feb. 26 at various sites around the County from 1-8 p.m.
Attendees at the caucuses will cast votes for their party’s presidential candidate.
Approximately 71 communities will comprise 23 different caucuses in an effort to include the entire county and make these events as accessible as is possible. Local Democrats say the goal is to shore-up the organization of municipal Democratic committees, to cast votes for delegates to the state convention, and to participate in the reaffirmation of President Obama as the Democratic nominee for President.
“If you’re an Aroostook County Democrat or tend to lean that way it’s extraordinarily important to participate in these caucuses in a few weeks,” said Chace Joe Jackson, chairman of the Aroostook County Democratic Comittee. “The caucuses are a chance for folks to discuss issues that are important to them and also an opportunity for our candidates up and down the ballot to collect nomination signatures. Legislative candidates will attend many of these gatherings and are looking to discuss current events with attendees.”
However, in a presidential election year the main purpose of a caucus is to select state convention delegates that will in turn choose delegates to the Democratic National Convention. The Maine Democratic Party State Convention will occur in Augusta from June 1-3 this summer. Individual communities will decide who to send their delegates to the state convention in support of for president and in June those delegates will determine who’ll represent Maine in September in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Barack Obama is expected to accept nomination for reelection.
“We expect a turnout we’ll be proud of for a few reasons,” said Jackson. “These caucuses are on a Sunday afternoon, making it easier for working folks to participate, and without a doubt, working folks vote for Democrats. They are the heart and soul of our party and what we stand for. Besides that, Governor LePage and the Republican majority have pursued an agenda that’s created a rural Maine backlash. Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike have been calling us and asking what they can do, how they can get involved, and who our candidates are. Enthusiasm is building on our side, and we believe that, as a state party, in our uncontested caucus we’ll approach the 5,524 votes cast in the hotly contested Maine Republican Caucus on Saturday.”
Delegates to the state convention also have the opportunity to vote on the party platform, which will determine what direction the Democratic Party will take in Maine over the next few years. While not as meaningful or binding as they once were, party platforms reaffirm or modify what a political party stands for and what policies it will pursue.
“Aroostook County can send over 200 delegates to the state convention – that’s a huge share of the vote,” Jackson noted. “Up here in northern Maine, we always feel at the mercy of what the more populous south decides but this is a chance to really influence the future and to bring the Democratic Party back to basics, back to what we know it to be here in Aroostook County. In the end, it should all come down to the issues working people deal with on a day to day basis.”
The following is a listing of caucus times and locations for Aroostook County:
• Caribou, Connor, Stockholm, and Madawaska Lake, Limestone and Caswell meet at 1 p.m. at the Caribou Recreation Center. The convener is Jessica Feeley (498-3310 or e-mail j.g.feeley@gmail.com).
• Mapleton, Washburn, Chapman, Castle Hill and Wade meet at 2 p.m. at the Mapleton Town Office. The convener is Pat Sutherland (764-1490 or psutherland@sutherlandweston.com).
• Woodland, New Sweden, Westmanland and Perham meet at 2:30 p.m. at Woodland Elementary School. The convener is Stan Maynard (498-8541 or orchhill@ainop.com).
• Presque Isle meets at 1 p.m. at the Edmunds Center, Northern Maine Community College. The convener is Martha Grant (764-5636 or e-mail mgrant01@maine.rr.com).
For more information on these caucuses, contact Jackson at 207-398-4081 or e-mail chacejoejackson1@gmail.com.
