When you register with a political party, it’s more than a box you check on your voter registration card. You become the foundation of a core part of our political process. The Orange County Democratic Committee is the official arm of the Democratic Party in Orange County, New York. Under state law, party committees like ours play a major role in the values and strategies we advance in elections; provide the foundational infrastructure for local campaigns; and, at times even determine who gets on the ballot as the Democratic nominee in key races. Our members determine the kind of party we are, and in Orange County,

We strive to be an active, elbows up, political organizing network that is relentlessly committed to delivering election results that maximize progress and prosperity for our working-class neighbors.

Yes, that means running and winning tough campaigns in one of the most politically competitive regions of New York State, but our hundreds of District Leaders also strive to build action-oriented spaces where like-minded leaders can keep their neighbors activated and informed. The mission of our party is guided by the members representing you at the local level. Our county committee bylaws allow for each municipality to have their own town or city Democratic committee that works to address local issues, nominate local candidates, and power local campaigns. Every community—and committee—is different, but we strive to achieve the gold standard of grassroots organizing everywhere by welcoming a diverse range of members that represent the Democratic Party’s registrants in each of our 21 towns and 3 cities.

Each district in Orange County can have up to two representatives, meaning that our county Democratic committee could have well over 600 individual district leaders if all seats were filled. A petitioning process every two years determines who represents each district, and if more than two people carry petitions for the same district, a primary may occur. If an interested Democrat wants to join the Orange County Democratic Committee mid-term, they can be appointed to a vacant election district in their community by our Executive Committee. Appointees typically need to attend a few meetings of their local committee, read our county’s District Leader Handbook, and confirm that they’re committed to volunteering their skills and time to elect Democrats to local office. There are so many ways to be a valued District Leader on our committee, simply by applying your existing talents or professional skills to our projects and campaigns. Democrats can also be associate members of their local committee without having to carry petitions or be formally appointed. Just sign up here, and begin attending local meetings and events.

The Executive Committee of the Orange County Democratic Party is made up of the Party Officers, the Town Chairs, members of the New York State Democratic Committee, and appointees from Town Committee Chairs. The Executive Committee carries out the day to day business of the Democratic Party and meets every month. Members of town and city committees are encouraged to join county-wide efforts to support Democratic campaigns, do outreach to our neighbors, host events, and collaborate with Democratic elected officials. We also receive no guaranteed funding from the DNC, the New York State Democrats, or any other political entity—meaning everything we do here is powered by the grassroots investment of our neighbors.