Heads Up: I’m still feeling the Bern.
Here’s a diary post about my first experience voting for delegates to go to the Democratic National Convention. The Florida Democratic Party Caucus is held after the Florida Primaries, and is the method by which Floridians choose who will be their pledged delegates. It is an informal caucus. You get to talk to potential delegates, other voters, and local candidates (looking for volunteers and such) outside the doors of the polling place. Inside, you mark a paper ballot, fold the paper, and drop it in a box.
I live in the old (2014) 5th Congressional District, and I was excited to see so many Bernie supporters wanting to become delegates and represent our district at the convention. Then I get to my polling place... and there wasn't a single person running to be a Bernie delegate (at least while I was there). I can only assume that they were all talking to caucus-goers at the Jacksonville or Gainesville polls.
Before going in to vote, I got to meet and talk to several Hillary supporters, all of whom seemed like great people and loyal liberals, and I hope they win a delegate’s seat and go to Philly! In fact, while waiting in line to get my paper ballot, I wondered if I should state Clinton as my preferred candidate, if only to be able to vote for the people that actually took the time to show up at my polling place and discuss the issues with me.
In the end, I ended up voting for Miguel Valdez and Jennifer Powell. Bernie supporters in my district were able to vote for one male and one female candidate. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of my ballot!) Anyways, I have no idea who these people are, especially since they neglected to send a friend as a surrogate down to the Apopka voting location. (That’s really all you needed for my district; there were 3 locations, so a candidate just needed themselves, two buddies to be their surrogates outside the polls, and money for gas.) I picked Michael Valdez because he was on the LGBT short-list and has a Latino-sounding name. I’m assuming he’s a POC. I picked Jennifer Powell because she was endorsed by a redditor on r/FloridaForSanders, and because after looking her up I saw she’s a WOC.
In any case, I can only hope that those who win, are progressives who can represent my interests in Philadelphia this summer.