DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee – Conference Call – 8/12/2010

The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee convened today to finalize the draft Call to the 2012 Democratic Convention and consider a proposed charter amendment.  The RBC will take a final vote on the Delegate Selection Rules and Call in St. Louis on August 19 at 12:30 pm and forward to the full DNC for consideration on August 20.

Co-Chair Roosevelt announced that the RNC adopted a delegate selection timing rule that tracks the proposed DNC schedule.

The proposed Charter Amendment would reflect one of the changes re super delegates (specifically, elimination of the unpledged add-on delegate positions).   The RBC endorsed it and it will be voted on by the DNC Executive Committee and then the DNC in St. Louis.

CALL  Article 1 – Bonus delegate provision – calendar proposes several stages:  (I) March 6-31, (II) April 1-30, (III) May 1-June 12.  Proposed changes: 

• Increase the rewards for states who move back – 10% bonus delegate to stage 2, 20% if move to stage 3;
• States which stay back – 5% for staying in stage 2, 10% for staying in stage 3;
• Regional clustering – 15% bonus – cluster involves at least 3 states (can be in any stage).   It can be a mix of caucuses/primaries.

All of these bonuses could result in an increase of 300-500 national convention delegates.  Discussion re making 10% or 20% across the board – both for states that move and states that stay.  Deferred to St. Louis meeting.

Article 5 – Democratic National Convention Committee, Inc. – relates to convention logistics – adopted (no changes).

Article 6– Presidential Candidates – need to be bona fide Democrats – adopted (no changes).

Article 7– Convention Standing Committees on Platform, Rules, Credentials – changed to eliminate temporary committees.  The issues of raising the  minority report threshold from 20% to 25% was discussed and will resolved at the next meeting.  (1980 had 50 minority reports – but there have been relatively few since then.)

Article 8 – Convention Procedural Rules – some relatively minor changes, including changing the roll call procedure so it will be completed even after candidate reaches nomination number – adopted.

Appendix A– Credentials Committee Rules of Procedure, including challenge process – no substantive changes – adopted.

Appendix B – Delegate Allocation, Appendix C – Allocation of Convention Pages [no maximum age limit for pages suggested], and Appendix D– Allocation of Standing Committee Members were not specifically discussed.