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 try to tackle issues I’ve been asked about, and with the help of other campaign workers and notes, we tackle subjects about how to improve and build better campaigns.
Every few months, however, we cover issues of the party. Very few issues are as important to the operation of our national party as the development of Delegate Selection Plans. The public is free to make comment on state plans that are presented, which determine how individuals may be chosen to go to the national convention and how the party nominee is selected. After an opening period with the states, these plans are forwarded to the national rules and bylaws committee.
These plans will face questions about how they will function, as well as questions about making sure that we empower the largest number of Democratic voters to participate.
The DNC Rules & Bylaws committee is officially tasked with the job of reviewing these plans and asking tough questions determined to make sure that our process truly provides for the voter to have an opportunity to express their intent and for their vote to be heard.
Understanding changes to Caucus
Thanks to the Unity Reform Commission and a vote of the DNC, the party will have fewer caucus states than ever before in 2020. Many states are moving ahead with primaries or honoring the primary as their delegate selection method. Still, there are states where the state House will simply not pay for or provide a state-run primary. With caucus states working to address issues of security, data maintenance and how to make sure that candidates have a way to review the process.
Many of the candidates have campaign representatives at the meeting today, in large part to make sure that they understand the rules of each state contest, and if they have feedback they feel as though the state organizations work cooperatively with campaigns to make sure that the process is done fairly.
Caucus states are going to need to provide a much broader, detailed plan. This will mean better voter education will be a requirement for states that are changing their process in 2020.
Why does delegate diversity matter?
One of the elements that has to be answered in all plans is our commitment to address diversity within our voting base and within our chosen delegates for the national convention. Rules members will point out the need to show that they are doing their due diligence to make sure that all communities feel welcome and represented.
In order to do this, each state must submit a plan that effectively outlines its effort to hit diversity goals and to provide opportunities for a delegation that matches the general diversity present within a state.
At the beginning of the meeting, the committee is provided data that represents our expected diversity, equity, and inclusion targets in each state—showing what the party believes makes up the demographic breakdown for a state and how we can hit those targets for each state.
What is conditional approval?
This is only one step in the 2020 election process for the Democratic party, and it is far from the last step. Most states will receive a “conditional approval,” this approval gives the state back their submitted plan with a series of questions that state parties must answer to make sure that their final plan actually reflects our overall goal of encouraging participation.
As states receive conditional approval, they go back to their state executive committees and begin to work on answering the questions the Rules & Bylaws committee asks of them. This back and forth is created in order to help us try and create a better overall experience.
Is this it?
The meeting in Pittsburgh, PA, is a big one for Democratic states looking to assemble their plan, but it is not the final opportunity. The Rules & Bylaws committee will have another meeting in July, and a meeting in August at the full DNC meeting, where continued reviews and feedback will be provided to states to make sure that every chance is available to represent the voters.
Want to know where your state sits for a plan?
Do you want to know how your state is coming along in their own delegate selection plan? Feel free to leave a comment in this diary, and I can give you a breakdown of what your state plans to do in 2020 as well as submitted reviews by party staff and the Rules & Bylaws Committee today if it was among the 21 states reviewed.
What other issues come up in a Rules & Executive Committee Meeting?
Executive Committee meetings are often used as a way to notify and involve the party in updates about the ongoing work of the party and to preview future activity the party plans to undertake. Like any board meeting, these regularly scheduled gatherings are a chance to bring issues to the big table for discussion.
In Pittsburgh, the petition for a climate change debate came to the executive committee. Christine Pelosi moved the motion, a resolution submitted by over 60 DNC members at this point. Gary Shay and Jess Durfee provided the seconds.
Trav Robertson, the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, moved for the creation of a climate change forum, and welcomed the revision of what constitutes a debate and what constitutes a forum.
In the prior day’s meeting, it was pointed out that DNC members had not taken a vote or approved any debate rules of any kind at this point, and that the rules right now were being led exclusively by Chairman Perez and staff. Members voiced an interest — both those who supported Chair Perez position and those who wanted revision — in being able to vote in favor or against any debate plan proposal.
The issue will now come forward at the summer DNC meeting in San Francisco in August.
Have Questions?
Feel free to ask ANY questions about what comes ahead for the party, our primaries, caucus, planning, voter engagement and resolutions in the comments.