Almost two years ago, SusanG posted a story that began this way:
Over this coming weekend, California Democrats will be voting in their Assembly districts to elect delegates to the California Democratic Party. After a couple of months of intensive recruiting and organizing, 29 progressive bloggers have stepped up to challenge establishment candidates statewide in order to "influence the decisions of the CDP and work their way up in the party structure," according to calitics.
Among the gate-crashing candidates are our own hekebolos and dday (and others, whom I trust will chime in to pitch their candidacies in comments below).
Before hekebolos and dday could take part in the election, though, they had to register to run.
The registration deadline for next month's election is Wednesday at noon. We've almost missed it.
I subtitled this diary "Take on the California Democratic Party!" I do not necessarily mean "take on" in the sense of "fight"; there is a lot to support about the current party. I mean "take on" in the sense of shouldering a responsibility for what happens in the party: becoming one of the people to whom party leaders most directly listen and answer.
I'd be happy to hear from hekebolos, dday, and others about their experiences as Assembly District Delegates (ADDs) -- I know that the former, at least, has held a position of influence on the platform committee. But we are a larger website now, with more people who may decide to run in more districts. It's time -- QUICKLY! -- to organize. Each of California's 80 Assembly districts chooses 12 residents (six women and six men) to serve as state party delegates. Delegates help to shape party policies; they can, in particular, foster grassroots and netroots activism.
I've excerpted the following from a form e-mail sent out by my local party Executive Director:
In 2008 California grassroots activists changed the nation! California Democrats from up and down the state volunteered their time, made phone calls, donated money, and knocked on doors in California and across the county as part of our largest grassroots effort ever.
The California Democratic Party's Assembly District Election Meetings will be held on January 10th & 11th, 2009. At these meetings, registered Democrats will elect 12 delegates from each Assembly District to be members of the California Democratic Party State Central Committee.
Now is your opportunity to help direct the future of Democrats in California! Delegates approve the platform of the Party, elect Party officers and endorse candidates for congress, state legislature, and executive office.
If elected, you will automatically become a delegate to the California Democratic Party's State Convention, which will be held April 24-26, 2009 in Sacramento , as well as the Convention in 2010. If you are interested in running you must file with the State Party by 12:00 noon, Wednesday, December 31, 2008. Be a part of change and run for Assembly District Delegate.
This is an odd time of year for such a deadline; I'm sure many who might have been interested will miss this notice. But if you are in California and are at all inclined to help shape and guide the state Democratic Party in this most critical time, just sign up. If you later decide that you can't go through with it, you can always resign. This is especially important if you reside in a "red" area of the state, where there may be a dearth of interested candidates. (To take one example: AD 64, at last count, had one man signed up to run and no women. This low number of candidate is bad; it allows fringe and anti-progressive candidates to waltz into office unimpeded.)
One important eligibility criterion: you must have been a Democrat registered by October 20, 2008 in the Assembly District in which you now reside, or else have become eligible to vote only after that time.
Despite what our detractors may fear, we netizens are a heterogeneous bunch; we don't come in with cannily crafted plans to bend the party to our will. However, we tend to share attitudes that are forward looking, that recognize a wide variety of legitimate interests, and that take seriously the need to energize people at the grassroots and netroots level. Even without having discussed state politics with those of you who might respond to this message, I feel confident that if we meet at a later convention, we will be able to work together productively.
So step forward and say "Put me in, coach!" Be the change you want to see in the world -- and in the party. Register to run for delegate from your assembly district before noon on Wednesday.
Read this excellent page for information on the ADD position, to check out who else is running in your district, and to register to run.