Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Democratic Party County/Senatorial District Conventions On For April 21, 2012

The Democratic Party will conduct County/Senatorial District Conventions around the state on Saturday April 21, 2012 - five weeks before the rescheduled Democratic Primary Election Day of Tuesday May 29, 2012. Early voting for the May 29th Primary Election will run from Monday, May 14, 2012 to Friday, May 25, 2012 at the usual early polling locations around Collin Co.
Be A Delegate to the 2012 Collin Co. Democratic Convention at the Plano Centre in Plano, Texas! (map)

Any registered voter who signs an oath of affiliation with the Texas Democratic Party at convention check-in or during the convention may participate. To be a Delegate just check into the convention during registration from 8:00 am to 10:00 am on Saturday April 21 using your Voter Registration Card, Driver's License or other identification used for voting.

On March 1, the San Antonio U.S. District Court three-judge panel, which controls the state's interim redistricting maps and 2012 primary election schedule, issued an order that allows the Texas Democratic Party and Republican Party of Texas to hold their respective County/Senatorial District (SD) Conventions in April - before the Texas Primary Election that is now scheduled to occur on May 29.

In normal primary election years the state Democratic and Republican Parties conduct their respective SD/County conventions three weeks after primary election day and election precinct conventions, held immediately after the primary election.

Election precinct conventions normally kick off the three stage convention process by electing precinct delegates to attend the SD/County conventions. Delegates are then elected from the SD/County conventions to advance to each party's state conventions, which are held in early June. In presidential election years delegates from each party's state convention are selected to advance to the National Conventions to nominate each party's presidential candidates.

This year, drawn out court battles over the new redistricting maps have pushed primary election day from its usual first Tuesday in March date to Tuesday May 29. Since the Democratic and Republican Parties were already locked into holding their respective state conventions the weekend of June 9 - just over one week after the rescheduled primary date - they asked the San Antonio three-judge panel to issue an order allowing them to hold their respective SD/County conventions in April, five weeks before the primary election.

This year, the Texas Democratic Party convention and delegate selection process will skip preliminary Election Precinct Conventions and begin with County/Senatorial District Conventions on Saturday April 21, 2012.

This year, any registered voter who signs an oath of affiliation with the Texas Democratic Party at convention check or during the convention may participate in their County/Senatorial District Convention as a delegate. People who sign an oath of affiliation with the Texas Democratic Party -- which they would normally do when voting in the party's primary election -- cannot participate in another political party’s process, or vote in another party's primary election until after December 31, 2013, when the party affiliation cycle resets for the 2014 primary year.
From the Texas Delegate Selection Plan for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Issued by the Texas Democratic Party:
  1. Texas will use a proportional representation system based on the results of county/senatorial district conventions and a state convention for apportioning delegates to the 2012 Democratic National Convention. This Plan allocates senatorial district level delegates based on the presidential preferences expressed by participants on sign-in sheets at the county/senatorial district conventions, and it allocates pledged party leader and elected official delegates and at-large delegates and alternates based on the presidential preference expressed by delegates on the sign-in sheets at the State Convention.
  2. The first determining step of Texas’ delegate selection process will occur on April 21, 2012, with the county/senatorial district conventions.
  3. Voter Participation in Process
    1. Participation in Texas’ delegate selection process is open to all voters who wish to participate as Democrats.
      • Voter registration eligibility ends 30 days prior to the county/senatorial district conventions (March 22, 2012).
      • Voters affiliate with the Democratic Party by signing an affidavit (oath) of affiliation when signing in at the county/senatorial district convention or at some other time in the current election cycle (Rules 2.A. & 2.C & Reg. 4.3).
      Signing an oath of affiliation with the Democratic Party shall be the only qualification to become a delegate at any level; attendance or delegate status at any party convention shall not be required.
    2. At no stage of Texas’ delegate selection process shall any person be required, directly or indirectly, to pay a cost or fee as a condition for participating. Voluntary contributions to the Party may be made, but under no circumstances shall a contribution be mandatory for participation (Rule 2.D. & Reg. 4.4.).
    3. No persons shall participate or vote in the nominating process for the Democratic presidential candidate who also participates in the nominating process of any other party for the corresponding elections (Rule 2.E.).
Summary of the Proposed TDP County/SD Convention and Delegate Selection Process

The Texas Convention and Delegate Selection process will begin on April 21, 2012 with the County/Senatorial District conventions. There will be no precinct conventions.
The exact time and locations of these conventions will be set by local Democratic county executive committees in meeting February or March 2012. Should the CEC be unable or fail to act the time and location will be set by the County Chair. However, no county/senatorial district shall convene earlier than 9 AM or later than 8:30 PM CDT. The County Chair will notify the Texas Democratic Party and local media outlets as soon as the time and location of the convention is set. The TDP will provide the times and locations of all conventions on the TDP website as soon as they are available.
Counties totally contained within one senate district will hold county conventions. Counties having more than one or parts of more than one senate district will hold senatorial district conventions.
[Texas Democratic Party Rules - Article 4. Party Conventions - C. County and Senatorial District Conventions – sub 2. Conditions for Holding Senatorial District Convention – (b) Any county containing portions of two or more senatorial districts may elect to combine the Senatorial District Conventions of two or more adjoining senatorial districts into a single County or sub-county ―Regional‖ Convention; provided, however, that the resulting Convention shall not be composed of more than 2,500 delegates. The Precinct Chairs in each senatorial district involved must, by majority vote, adopt a resolution to hold such Convention at a meeting for which 30 days prior notice has been mailed to all members of the County Executive Committee.]
The Rules governing these conventions will be the standard county/senatorial district rules — TDP Rules Art IV, A. & C., Robert’s Rules of Order and the 2012 TDP Delegate Selection Plan. If any conflicts exist the Delegate Selection Plan supersedes the TDP Rules for these conventions. Standard delegate allocation formulas as outlined in the Rules and the Delegate Selection Plan will apply.
The Senate Districts to be used will be the 2012 districts. The precincts used will be the "best available". If new precinct lines are available they will be used. If some new precinct lines are available while others are incomplete the new ones will be used along with best local knowledge as to how partial precincts should be aggregated. CECs and County Chairs are encouraged to wait as long as possible for new precinct lines before grouping precincts.

The conventions will be open to any qualified voter who signs an oath of affiliation with the Democratic Party. Signing the oath is the legal equivalent of voting in the Democratic Primary. Signers cannot vote or participate in another party’s process during this election cycle. Every participant who signs in is entitled to participate as a delegate at the convention — to be seated and participate with their appropriate precinct delegation. On convention matters where precincts are entitled to full voting strength each participant shall cast whatever percentage of the precinct’s vote their individual participation represents.

The Convention can be called to order by the County/Senate District Chair or, should they not be available, any qualified Democrat. After the sign-in is completed and the Convention is called to order the delegates elect a Permanent Convention Chair and a Permanent Convention Secretary and the Chair announces the results of the sign-in. The Chair should also appoint chairs and members for Nomination, Platform, Rules and Resolutions committees.

Precincts (or precinct groupings) should caucus to select delegates and alternates to the State Convention. Once these selections are known the Nominations Committee will use the results of the precinct caucuses to allocate at-large delegates among preferences so that the delegation as a whole reflects the proportionate share of sign-ins for each preference. Caucuses receiving less than 15% of the sign-in are not awarded at-large delegates. The Convention should also hear and consider the reports of the various committees and pass those issues favorably recommended on to the State Convention. Upon completion of the committee reports the convention should adjourn.

The conduct of the State Convention will be standard for a presidential year convention.
The first order of County/SD Convention business is for every participant to sign-in and identify their presidential preference, or uncommitted status. The State Party organization will provide forms for this purpose.
The form will provide space for the signature, name, address, voter registration number and contact information of the participant as well as other information the participant may wish to provide (gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or other information relating to Affirmative Action delegate goals).

The form will also contain an oath of affiliation with the Democratic Party and a place for the participant to designate their presidential preference or ―uncommitted status.

The sign-in process may take place before or after the Convention is called to order.

Each sign-in at a convention will count proportionately towards the percentage of delegates to the State Convention that the participant’s preference shall be allotted.

Each sign-in at a convention shall also count as a single vote in the participant’s senate district of residence.

These single votes shall be tallied with all other votes in the senate district to determine the percentage of the senate district’s District Level Delegates to the Democratic National Convention that the participant’s preference shall be allotted.
Every participant who signs in is entitled to participate as a delegate at the convention as well as to be seated and participate with their appropriate precinct delegation. On convention matters where precincts are entitled to vote full voting strength, each participant shall cast whatever percentage of the precinct’s vote their individual participation represents.

After the sign-in is completed and the convention is formally called to order, the delegates elect a permanent convention chair and a permanent convention secretary. The Chair then announces the results of the sign-in. In addition to the operation of the convention, it is the responsibility of the permanent convention chair to ensure that the results of the sign-in are relayed to the State Party by phone as soon as they are available, to confirm those results by fax or email as soon as the convention adjourns, and to transmit the convention paperwork to the State Party so that it is received no later than noon on April 27.

Delegates caucus by precinct, or group of precincts, to elect delegates and alternates to the State Convention.

Delegates and alternates to the State Convention shall be elected in accordance with Art. IV, State Party Rules. Each precinct is allocated one delegate for every full 300 votes cast for the Democratic nominee for governor in the 2010 General Election. (Example: 299 votes in a precinct would not qualify for a delegate and would be paired with another precinct(s), and 599 only gets one delegate). If a precinct cast too few votes to be allocated a delegate by itself, it is grouped with similar precincts according to the Rules.
  1. State Delegate Election: Delegates to the state convention will be awarded at the ratio of 1 delegate per 300 votes for Bill White in the 2010 general election in your precinct (or group of precincts if combined). After signing in at the County or Senate District convention, voters will group by precinct to elect among themselves delegates and alternates to the state convention. This year's process calls for each person to cast one vote, with the tallies ranked in order, filling all available delegate and then alternate seats available to the precinct. Delegates or alternates to the state convention do not have to be in attendance at the County / Senate District convention to be elected.
The Nominations Committee of the convention uses the results of the precinct caucuses to allocate at-large delegates to the State Convention among presidential preferences (or uncommitted status) so that the delegation as a whole reflects the proportionate share of sign-ins for each preference. However, preferences that do not secure 15% of the sign-ins need not be allocated any at-large delegates.

The State Convention shall be held June 8 and 9, 2012, in Houston, Texas at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Delegates and alternates to the National Convention shall be elected in accordance with the TDP Delegate Selection Plan. Any person eligible to participate in the delegate selection process may qualify as a candidate for National Convention delegate and alternate by filing a National Delegate Statement of Candidacy form with the Texas Democratic Party State Chair, State Democratic Executive Committee, 505 W. 12th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Statements of Candidacy must be submitted no earlier than April 16, 2012 and no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 15, 2012 (Rules 12B & 14F).

Often overlooked because it is so early in the process, this form MUST be filed if you have any intention (even if you ultimately decline) to run for National Delegate. This isn't a change cause by redistricting, but it's worth highlighting.
Statements of Candidacy must be submitted on forms approved by the State Democratic Executive Committee and must contain the individual's name, mailing address, residence address, day and night phone numbers, email address, a pledge of support to the Democratic nominee for president, an oath of affiliation with the Democratic Party and a signed pledge of support to the individual's presidential preference (or uncommitted status) or an oath that the individual is currently uncommitted. To aid in meeting affirmative action and inclusion goals, the Statement of Candidacy or other application shall contain a statement to allow an individual to voluntarily indicate their status in historically underrepresented groups. The same form may be used to file for all delegate categories.

Read the full details @ Texas Delegate Selection Plan for the 2012 Democratic National Convention and The Rules of the Texas Democratic Party for 2012.

Click here to go to details for the Republican Party of Texas convention and delegate selection process.

Click here for TDP state convention details.

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