The Democratic Town Committee is an elected body, serving a two-year term. The DTC represents the enrolled Democrats of the Town of Westport. The responsibilities and roles of the DTC include:
- Selecting party-endorsed candidates for municipal offices and delegates to state and district conventions of the Democratic Party of Connecticut (in other words, helping nominate Democratic candidates at all levels)
- Supporting the principles of the Democratic Party
- Promoting the candidacies of the nominees of the Democratic Party for municipal, district, state, and national elective public office
- Providing for Democratic election campaigns in Westport in support of these nominees
- Ensuring that all Westport Democrats the opportunity to participate fully in the electoral process, by affording them information and assistance in the exercise of their voting rights.
In short, the DTC is the official local branch of the Democratic Party.
The 2026 – 2028 term of the DTC begins in March, and the DTC endorsement caucus to elect the “new” DTC is being held January 13th. If you are an enrolled Democrat living in Westport, you can participate. Simply come to the Town Hall Auditorium, 110 Myrtle Ave, at 6:45 on January 13th. The caucus will start at 7 pm. If you’re a Westport Democrat, you can participate by listening to candidates and voting, or you can choose to be a candidate for a seat (and also vote, of course).
Candidates run by RTM District, and fellow Democrats from that district elect members to be endorsed for seats on the DTC. There are also at-large DTC seats. Candidates will have an opportunity to speak with the voting participants from their RTM district and make a case for election before the voting takes place. Unless a slate of opposing candidates files to contest the results of the caucus (this is very rare), everyone endorsed on January 13th will begin their term on the DTC in March.