Caucus Voting Breakdown
http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/states/TX.html1) Locations for county conventions
2) Clinton Campaign assures Democrats in Texas that they will not make systematic challenges (Wednesday)
3) Clinton Campaign makes systematic challenges (Thursday)
4) Texas caucuses' frenzy looms large over next step in Democratic process
5) Texas Democratic county conventions still on despite misinformation, says state party chief
6) Frequently asked questions about the county conventions
1) Locations found here
http://www.txdemocrats.org/page/content/countyconvs/http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_Texas_Caucus.htmlImmediately after the polls closed that night were more than 8,000 precinct caucuses that selected about 88,000 delegates. Obama appears to be winning that step with about 56 percent to 44 percent for Clinton, according to the state party's unofficial incomplete count.
On Saturday, those 88,000 delegates will be winnowed down to 7,294 delegates to the state party convention in June, when the final 67 caucus delegates will be selected to go on to the national convention.
2)Clinton Campain assures Democrats in Texas that they will not make systematic challenges
http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/index.php/2008/03/26/clinton-campaign-its-all-good/“If I were dictator for the day, we would postpone the conventions for a week,” said Garry Mauro, who’s heading Clinton’s team in Texas. “I am not dictator. The chairman of the party made the decision that the current process could deal with all the confusion. We are dealing with the confusion very well.”
So everything is hunky dory? Not so much. In recent days, Hillary’s campaign rattled off emails calling all lawyers across the nation to converge on Texas and volunteer their time to scrutinize the county conventions.
But, Mauro said the Clinton campaign will not contest the convention process in any broad way, and won’t challenge the seating of any delegates at the county conventions. Individual Clinton supporters may file isolated challenges with each convention’s credentials committee. But, Mauro said, “We won’t be raising any
. There is no systematic approach that we are taking to challenge anybody on any level.”
3) Clinton's campaign makes systematic challenges
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/28/6743/74922/196/485932
Hillary Rodham Clinton's Texas campaign is challenging the seating of delegates from numerous precincts for Saturday’s Democratic county conventions, particularly in Barack Obama's strongholds.
State Senate District 23, which includes much of southern Dallas County, was a central target of the Clinton campaign.
Just before Wednesday’s deadline to file complaints before the county convention credentials committee, Clinton campaign officials delivered a large packet of challenges.
"There are numerous challenges," said Dallas County District Clerk Gary Fitzsimmons, who is temporary chairman of the District 23 credentials committee. The district went solidly for Mr. Obama in the primary, and there’s a question over whether Mrs. Clinton will reach the 15 percent threshold needed to receive delegates.
4) Texas caucuses' frenzy looms large over next step in Democratic process
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/national/stories/DN-conventions_28pol.ART.State.Edition2.463254e.html
Caucuses' frenzy looms large over Democrats' county conventions
The most compelling and confusing presidential contest in Texas history continues Saturday as an expected 88,000 delegates descend on the Democratic county conventions.It's the second step in determining how many Texas supporters Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama will send to the national convention in Denver in August.
The mayhem from the precinct caucuses March 4 could repeat itself Saturday. Clinton supporters are challenging the seating of delegates from numerous precincts, including some in state Senate District 23 in southern Dallas County, an Obama stronghold.
County convention leaders have the option to let precincts hold their caucuses over if they tried to convene March 4 but, for various reasons, couldn't send the correct amount of delegates to county conventions.Seventy complaints were filed by Wednesday in District 23, most by Clinton supporters. Earlier Wednesday, Clinton officials had said they wouldn't issue mass challenges to the process.
"Apparently the promise that the Clinton campaign made less than 24 hours ago ... was just another made-up story, because they now appear to be engaging in a calculated effort to block the counting of votes," said Obama spokesman Josh Earnest.But Adrienne Elrod, a Clinton spokeswoman, said the challenges were not issued by the campaign.
A volunteer walked the complaints from Mrs. Clinton's Dallas office and hand-delivered them to the district convention's temporary chairman.
"Let's be clear – not a single complaint has been filed by the Clinton campaign. Concerned caucusgoers across the state are looking to protect the integrity of the process, and are doing so by filing challenges to the credentials' committees," Ms. Elrod said. "We as a campaign support those willing to roll up their sleeves and join the process the Texas Democratic Party rules allow for."
Saturday's conventions will select 7,298 delegates for the Texas Democratic Party's state convention in June. At that convention, 67 delegates elected from the caucus process will join the 126 elected in the primary and 35 superdelegates headed to the national convention.
At least 750,000 people participated in the precinct conventions after polls closed March 4. The flood of participants created raucous scenes as new voters and seasoned politicos battled to win their candidates delegates.Both campaigns have left staff behind to shepherd delegates through the Texas process.
5) Texas Democratic county conventions still on despite misinformation, says state party chief
http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/listening_post/entries/2008/03/28/texas_democratic_county_conven.html
FROM WACO TRIBUNE
By David Doerr | Friday, March 28, 2008, 02:37 PM
All 260 or so county and senatorial district Democratic Party conventions are still scheduled to take place this weekend despite e-mails and “robo-calls” claiming to be from the party that suggest that they have been canceled, according to a Friday news release.
The Texas Democratic Party became aware of the misinformation Friday and is currently not aware of any conventions that have been cancelled, said state party chairman Boyd Ritchie in the news release.
“If any delegates receive information to that effect, I urge them to plan to attend their convention as scheduled unless they receive information about a postponement or cancellation from their local Democratic County Chair or the official Texas Democratic Party website,” he said in a prepared statement.
Ritchie said that “all eyes are once again on Texas” as the conventions are set to take place and people wait to see what the outcome of the delegate count will be.
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are trying to rack up all the delegates they can to make their case why they should be picked as the party’s nominee for president. Neither candidate is expected to obtain the 2,024 delegates needed to clinch the nomination before the national convention in August.
“I am confident that the vast majority of Democrats will conduct our convention business in the fairest, most professional, and most impartial manner possible, as we work to convert the enthusiasm driving the convention process into Democratic victories from the County Courthouse to the State House to the White House,” Ritchie said.
6) ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY'S COUNTY/SENATORIAL DISTRICT CONVENTIONS
http://www.lonestarproject.net/
When are the County/Senate District Conventions?
They will be held on March 29, 2008. (Texas Election code: § 174.063)
Who decides when the County/Senatorial District Conventions are held?
The date of the County or Senate District Convention is set by State Law.
What is the difference between a County Convention and a Senatorial District Convention?
Each County that lies wholly within one Senate District will have a County Convention. (Example: Webb County is wholly with Senate District 21, so it will have a County Convention for all precincts in Webb County.) When parts of one county belong to more than one senatorial district, there shall be held, in lieu of a County Convention, a Senatorial District Convention for each part of the county falling into a different senatorial district. (Example: El Paso County is split into Senate District 29 and Senate District 19. Two Senate District Conventions may be held in El Paso County made up of their respective precincts.)
Who attends the County/Senate District Conventions?
Anyone may attend the Conventions. However, only delegates who were selected at the precinct conventions held on Election Day, or their alternates if elevated to delegate status, can vote and participate in committees.
What happens at the County/Senate District Conventions?
Elected delegates and alternates from their respective precinct conventions sign in with their presidential preference. Committees of the County/Senate District convention make their respective reports and the Credentials Committee reports on credential challenges and submits its report before the body for ratification. Elected Delegates and Alternates then caucus with their precincts to elect their share of the County/Senate District Delegates. Once the precinct caucuses complete their business, the results are forwarded to the Nominations Committee, which is charged with balancing the delegation to mirror the results of the County/Senate District sign in sheet. The nominations committee will then give its report before the full body. Finally, other business, like passing resolutions, is then conducted.
Can the allocation of convention delegates change from the Precinct Conventions?
Yes. Delegate allocation can shift depending upon the attendance of each candidates supporters and/or whether delegates change their presidential preference from their precinct convention preference,
What is next?
The delegates and alternates elected at the County/Senate District Convention then go to the State Convention. The State Convention will be held on June 6 and 7 in Austin, Texas. Delegates and alternates elected at the State Convention will go to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, which will be held August 25-28.
How many delegates are awarded to candidates by the primary results and how many by the convention system?
* 126 Senatorial District Level Delegates allocated by primary results.
* 42 At-Large Delegates and 25 Pledged Party Leaders, Democratic Mayors and Legislators, all allocated by the presidential preference of delegates attending the State convention (with a 15 percent threshold).
* 32 Super Delegates made up of Members of Congress, Members of the DNC, past House Speakers and former DNC Chairs.
* 3 Unpledged Delegates (Add-Ons) elected through a three-tier, post-primary convention process.
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