The Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) adopted a framework for determining which states will be permitted to choose 2024 National Convention delegates in the “pre-window” (Pre-March 5, 2024) period. The RBC, meeting in Washington DC on April 13-14 also issued a tentative meeting schedule and discussed other delegate selection issues.
Early Primaries: Delegate Selection Rule 12.A provides that states must hold primaries or caucuses between the first Tuesday of March and the second Tuesday of June (“the window”), except enumerated states may hold their processes in February. Since 2008, those early states have been Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. This year the RBC has set up a framework to open up that process and allow those and other states to request inclusion in the pre-window period. State Parties may submit a letter of intent and application and some will make presentations. The RBC is currently looking at allowing five states and will consider criteria for selecting states including diversity, competitiveness, and feasibility. See Resolution on the Principles and Framework of a Transparent and Fair Review of the Presidential Nominating Calendar (below)
Schedule: Subject to change, but RBC meetings are scheduled for May 18, 6 pm (virtual) and in person meetings (mostly in DC), June 22-25, July 8-9, July 15-16, and August 5-6. Virtual listening sessions are scheduled for May 5, 16, 25, and June 1, 2022. The RBC anticipates completing work on the draft Delegate Selection Rules and Call to Convention in early August for consideration by the full DNC at its Summer 2022 meeting.
Other issues:
- We were very sad to hear that long-time RBC Lorraine Miller is resigning from the committee for family reasons; we will miss her and wish her the best.
- RBC heard an excellent presentation on ranked choice voting from counsel Andrea Levien and DNC Voter Protection Director Reyna Walters-Morgan. Discussion focused on concerns about applying RCV to a delegate selection process based on proportional representation, with a 15% threshold.
- Automatic delegates will be addressed in due course, but are unlikely to require the extensive discussion of four years ago.
- The RBC will revisit electronic voting security issues as part of the rules review.
- A working group, chaired by Carol Fowler, was formed to review the DNC Charter and Bylaws for potential revisions. (I am happy to be included in the workgroup).
Resolution_on_the_Principles_and_Framework_of_a_Transparent_and_Fair_Review_of_the_Presidential_Nominating_Calendar.pdf (108.8 KiB, 1,589 hits)
