It’s another Saturday, so for those who tune in, welcome to a diary discussing the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic Campaign. If you’ve missed out, you can catch up anytime: Just visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide. Every week I tackle issues I’ve been asked about, and, with the help of a lot of great minds, we put together a series aimed at helping small campaigns.
Through 2020, I’m going to shift Nuts & Bolts a bit to talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention in a campaign but is relevant to many Daily Kos readers: How do you become a 2020 Democratic National Convention delegate?
Delegate selection plans
Each state files a delegate selection plan, one that determines how its delegates will be chosen and provides diversity guidelines for making sure the diversity of the delegates chosen reflects the various communities in the state. This is to make sure that states do not send slates that are not representative of their overall population.
As each state caucus and primary comes up, I’m going to use Nuts & Bolts to highlight the rules of the contest in that state and the details of how you become a delegate to the convention. Many people pay attention to who wins nomination in a state, but finding out who wins a slot to head to the convention? Not as many people know the process or how to win a slot.
In many states, slots to go to the national convention are hotly contested. If you want to go and get into the arena in Milwaukee this year, knowing the rules of your state will matter significantly.
How much does attending the convention cost?
Delegates to the convention rarely receive any funding from a state party or political organization. So the cost of attendance is on the person attending. The most common numbers I receive for the cost to attend a convention range between $2,800 and $7,000. You’ll be spending about four days in the convention city or nearby, and the hotel rate will normally be on the high side. There will be food at parties and events you can attend for free, including your state party breakfast, but a lot of the meals, and of course any “swag” you wish to purchase, are paid for out of your own pocket. Local transportation and any nonconvention sightseeing, as well as travel expenses, such as the cost of plane tickets, will be paid for by the person attending the convention.
What kind of delegates go?
There are several categories of attendees, from DNC members to elected delegates, unpledged superdelegates (known as party leader and elected official delegates, or PLEOs), and even attendees who may not be delegates but are welcomed as part of a DNC committee, such as members of the Rules and Bylaws, Credentials, or Platform committees.The committees help develop the policies and procedures that will govern our convention. While you can be a delegate to the convention itself, you do not have to be one in order to be a member of these committees.
What does the convention look like?
A few years ago, our state party chair asked me and a few others to go to different areas of our state and explain some of the expectations of what people should do (and not do) as delegates. There are some levels of etiquette that are expected of delegates, and there are a few things that many delegates do not understand about the process. Understanding what you can expect to do at a convention can be really helpful in making sure that you have the best convention experience possible.
Next week: What can I do as a Delegate?