A precinct captain is an individual who links his political party with the voters in his precinct. A precinct captain can be responsible for helping his party with registering voters, distributing literature about candidates and helping to get voters to the polls on Election Day.

Precinct

A precinct is a voting district within a city, town or village. Each registered voter is a part of a certain precinct. Precinct captains, also known as precinct delegates, are elected by the voters of their precinct.

Precinct Captain

Each political party is allocated a certain number of precinct captains in each precinct. These precinct captains are on the ballot during their party's primary election in even-numbered election years.

Becoming a Precinct Captain

To run for precinct captain, you must first be a registered voter. In many states, to have your name put on the ballot for precinct captain, a certain number of signatures are required. If you miss the initial deadline to be on the ballot, you can file to be a "write-in" candidate. To become an elected precinct captain or precinct delegate, talk to your local elections office about the filing requirements for your area.

Political Parties

A precinct captain works with her local political party to organize campaign activities within her precinct. Once elected, a precinct captain acts as the link between her local political party candidates and the voters in her precinct.

Responsibilities

At the local level, political parties conduct precinct activities to get their voters to vote for their candidates on Election Day. Precinct captains help identify their party's voters within their precincts, help with voter registration and assist with absentee ballot applications. On Election Day precinct captains organize a group of volunteers to ensure that the voters in their precinct get out and vote.

Source:

State of Michigan: Precinct Delegate Information

Idaho Democratic Party: Precinct Captain Information