How to become a delegate to the national convention

[dragonlady]

Here's a very brief description of what to do if you want to be a delegate or get in on selecting delegates to the convention in Denver. I've been studying the state party's exhaustive (or exhausting) delegate selection plan at this site:
http://www.wisdems.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/1117822 (charts on pages 28 and 30 are helpful). There are a lot of details about things like delegate allocation and affirmative action, but this is the basic procedure:

If you want to be a delegate to Denver, you must file a statement of candidacy and pledge to support your favored candidate with the state party by April 4. These forms should be available from the party now (www.wisdems.org). (Hint: then line up a bunch of your friends to go with you and vote for you at the county caucus, below.)

1. The primary on February 19. The proportion of votes each candidate receives relates to how many delegates he/she will get.

2. County level (first-tier) caucus open to anyone who wishes to participate as a Democrat. Sunday, April 6, registration opens at noon and closes at 2 pm. The county gets to select a certain number of delegates and alternates to the 2nd tier caucus depending on how many votes it turned out in the last election for governor. See here for how many:
http://www.wisdems.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/1126800. If the county is part of more than one congressional district, it splits into separate groups for each CD. Subgroups then form for each presidential candidate and elect as many delegates to the 2nd tier caucus as the candidate earned in the primary. Only the people elected here are eligible to be selected for Denver as a district-level delegate.

3. Congressional district (2nd tier) caucus for those elected at the 1st tier. Sunday, May 4, registration opens at noon and closes at 2 pm. The CD caucus elects between 5 and 8 delegates plus an alternate, depending again on prior election turnout. Candidate groups elect as many delegates as their candidate earned in the primary.

4. There are also add-on delegates, and party leader and elected official delegates, and at-large delegates. See the selection plan (link given above) for details. The due date for statement of candidacy and pledge for these slots is after the 2nd tier.

I hope this will help lots of DUers participate in the process. If you've been through it before, please add details or set me straight on how it works.

:kick:

[undeterred]

1. Thanks, dragonlady!

I was just about to ask.

This is such a critical year. It looks like the leading candidate has not much support from DUers in WI so we've got to be part of this!

[dragonlady]

2. The first priority is to help your candidate earn delegates in the primary

After that it's kind of like arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Although if there is a brokered convention, as some are talking about, who knows?

[undeterred]

3. The media makes it sound like the "late" states don't matter

but all of the candidates will still be on our ballot February 19th.

So if I vote for Kucinich I can still try to go to the convention as a Kucinich delegate (even though he probably has no chance to be president). But I can still be one of those people that the other campaigns need to win over to their candidate in order to win. That can only happen if enough people in Wisconsin vote for Kucinich on February 19 to earn a few delegates to go to the convention, though.

[dragonlady]

4. Yes, we can still vote for who we want

But everyone should know that if their candidate gets less than 15 percent in their congressional district, that candidate gets no delegates from that district. The candidates above that threshold get the delegates in proportion to their percentage of votes. (The number of delegates coming from the CDs range from 5 in the 5th and 6th to 8 in the 2nd.)

[undeterred]

5. Its really hard to project that for a CD.

Most of the high profile people have made endorsements for Clinton, Obama, or Edwards but I haven't seen any real CD polling.

[dragonlady]

6. Kick

:kick:

[jef4wi]

7. This is a great synopsis!

I hope you don't mind if I 'borrow' parts for our newsletter...!?!?

[dragonlady]

8. Certainly!

High praise coming from one so intimately connected with the workings of the state Democratic Party.

[dragonlady]

9. Kick n/t

:kick:

[Dinger]

10. Thanks dragonlady!

I think I'm gonna go for it!

[dragonlady]

11. Kick again

Because even if you don't want to try for Denver, you can go to the county caucus and help a friend get there. Mark your calendar for April 6 and contact your county party to find out where the caucus will be held.

:kick:

[midnight]

12. Is there a cap on how many people can apply to become

delegates?

[dragonlady]

13. No cap to apply that I know of

Anybody can submit the paperwork (due by April 4, see above). Then a certain (large) number of delegates are elected at the county caucus to go to the CD caucus. At the CD caucus a small number will be elected to go to Denver. The exact number depends on how many Democratic votes were cast in a prior election, which rewards the CDs that turn out Democrats to vote. Also, the split between male and female is set by the rules to make the delegation balanced. For example, in the 5th CD, 3 males, 2 females, and 1 male alternate will be selected.

The chances of getting a delegate spot are fairly slim, I must admit that. But I would encourage everybody to at least show up at the county caucus to see how things work and get involved in the party to that extent. DUers are the kind of people who want to take back our party and get progressive things done. To do that we have to find out how the party works so we'll understand what to do to seize power.

[dembotoz]

14. here is a link for county sites and all dat stuff

http://www.wisdems.org/ht/d/sp/i/1019195/pid/1019195



hope it works.

[dragonlady]

15. Thank you!

There is also a list of those who have already submitted their applications to be a delegate (the link is below the chart).

[Dinger]

16. I'm Going Forward With This

If anyone would like to come and support me at the April 6th 1st tier caucus, pm me, and I will give you more info,
thanks:)

[dragonlady]

17. Kick for those who are still deciding

:kick: