The DNC RBC met for almost three hours today and approved 19 state delegate selection plans,completing their work of approving 56 total plans. One state (CT) will come back for final approval, but the remainder were given conditional approval (and CT state should be approved without difficulty). At this point, states need only satisfy DNC RBC staff, particularly re documenting affirmative action goals, and the states will get final approval. I’ll comment on some of the key issues in the next post. Some issues:
- I was very interested to see how states who are not in compliance with the window (no pre-March 6 primaries, except Iowa, NH, Nev. and SC) would handle the issue – they are taking the position that if the state holds primaries pre-window, the Democrats will have a caucus. This includes FL and GA. AZ plans to hold caucuses in March, no matter what their governor does.
- Documenting affirmative action goals – a lot of issues here and DNC staff will help states get it right.
- The RBC had a number of questions re definitions of disability – as I have noted before, the committee (and the DNC in general) needs some training re outreach to persons with disability. Big time.
- One committee member thought 35 was too old for “youth” – it is the definition set forth in the DNC Charter, as well as the YD requirements.
- Numerous states requested waivers from the requirement that 75% of alternates be chosen at the CD level and 25% at the state. Because of the reduced number of alternates this year, some states wanted more at one level than another – all requests were approved.
- A number of states had Presidential filing requirements in 2011 (not 2012), but were given waivers.
- Some states have taken advantage of the bonus delegates for moving to (or staying at) later dates in the process and/or joining in clusters with other states. Some of the big tickets approved this session include California (405 base plus 81 bonus delegates) and New York (241 base plus 60 bonus delegates).
- DNC rules provide for caucuses to be held on set dates. The RBC allowed Alaska to set its caucuses anytime over a course of a week and Maine to do it anytime over an 8 hour window on a set date.
- It’s worthy of another post – but Texas is the only state in the nation with a two step process in which both a primary and a caucus are used to allocate national convention delegates. For many years, the RBC has been saying that they will no longer approve “the Texas Two Step.” But they did.
Reports on more meetings tomorrow. #DNCFall11
Thanks for reading – you can go to the references page of this site – look under the DNC section and there is a file called rules call regs. Those dox are all there.
I have read the following paragraph in several states’ Delegate Selection Plans. The delegate selection process is governed by the Charter and Bylaws of the Democratic Party of the United States, the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2012 Democratic National Convention (“Rules”), the Call for the 2012 Democratic National Convention (“Call”), the Regulations of the Rules and Bylaws Committee for the 2012 Democratic National Convention (“Regs.”), the rules of the Democratic Party of Colorado, the Colorado election code, and this Delegate Selection Plan. (Call, II.A.)
Could you tell me about the “Regulations of the Rules and Bylaws Committee…”? Is there a document with that title? Is there a set of regulations? How do the states abide by this set of regulations?
You response will be appreciated.
Frank Sullivan
PS I am the chair of the Perm Org committee of the Denver (Colorado) Democratic Party. We are developing our report for the 2012 County Assembly and Convention.
Thanks for your kind words. The SC plan was given conditional approval – some details to be resolved with the DNC staff, but no major problems I think. (By the way, I am not a member of the RBC, but I do try to attend and report on their meetings.)
Thank for your reports! I can always find out what is going on in the RBC from your blog long before it is available (if ever) from the DNC website. I wanted to see if the SC plan had been approved on Sat. since we haven’t heard anything yet. I checked the DNC site but I was pretty sure your site would be the first place I could answers online. Va Dems are lucky to have you as a RBC member.
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