What is a Precinct Committee Officer (PCO)?

A Precinct Committee Officer is the elected official that represents the voters of a precinct within a major political party in the State of Washington. By state law, the PCO is the highest elected party official. Candidates must run for the office representing a party. Each precinct elects one PCO for each major political party during the primary election held in even years. Once elected, they serve two-year terms. In December following the election, the political party structure and leadership is literally organized by the newly elected PCOs. They form the party central committee, which is like a board of directors.

What should a PCO do?

The primary job of the PCO is to attend and participate in the organization meeting in the December following their election. Their secondary responsibility is to host the precinct caucus, a mini-convention in every neighborhood that holds the power to choose the party Nominee for President. In recent years, that secondary responsibility has generally been lost to Republican party leadership.

What is a Precinct?

A precinct is the smallest geographical “neighborhood,” on the political map. All voters in a precinct are in the same city, same legislative district, and same congressional district. A precinct must be physically contiguous and contain less than 1,500 voters. Washington State’s precincts, in 2012, averaged 455 registered voters each although they can be as small as a single building in Seattle or an entire town in more rural areas.

Why haven't I seen the PCO on my ballot or in my voter guide before?

The vast majority of PCO seats go unfilled. Only a few thousand have candidates file and only a few hundred are contested across the state. Due to cost saving measures passed in 2012, uncontested PCO races do not appear on the ballot. PCO is also not considered a public office, so it does not appear in the local voter guide.

Which parties have PCOs?

There are currently two political parties legally defined as “major” in Washington State: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In 2000, the Libertarian Party attained major party status in Washington, but lost it in the 2004 election.

*Borrowed from http://www.pcorevolution.com/faq