Massachusetts Democratic Party Guide to the 2016 Democratic National Committee Convention Selection Process July 25 th -July 28 th Philadelphia, PA
Jan 21, 2016
Massachusetts Democratic Party Guide to the 2016 Democratic National Committee
Convention Selection Process
July 25th-July 28th
Philadelphia, PA
Democratic National Committee (DNC) 2016 Convention
• Massachusetts will send a total of 116 delegates and 8 Alternates to the Convention
• Together with other delegates from across the country, we will nominate the next President of the United States
• July 25th-28th, 2016
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Massachusetts Delegates to the Convention:
59 District-Level Delegates and 8 Alternates-Selected April 9, 2016 by Congressional District Caucuses
20 At-Large Delegates -Selected May 7, 2016 by the Democratic State Committee
12 Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates -Selected May 7, 2016 by the Democratic State Committee
25 Unpledged Party Leader and Elected Official Delegates-Designated Elected Officials
• Massachusetts is allotted 59 District-Level Delegates and 8 Alternates
• To qualify, candidates must be registered Democrats by 8pm on February 10, 2016
– Any person who is a U.S. Citizen; and a Massachusetts resident; and is 18 years old can register to vote. In Massachusetts you can register to vote or join a Party if already registered, by mail, at any municipal office or online.
– Registration of Democrats shall be verified at each Congressional District caucus through recent official registration lists or by the presentation of certificates of party enrollment. Certificates can be picked up at any municipal clerk’s office
District-Level Delegates
• Must file candidacy and pledge of support forms with the Democratic Party by 5pm, March 14, 2016.
– This is a hard deadline!!! – If you are interested in running as a district
delegate and do not submit these forms by 5pm on March 14 then you will not be eligible to run for delegate
District-Level Delegates Cont.
District-Level Delegate Assignments:
Districts
Delegates
Male Female Total
Alternates
Male Female Total
#1 3 3 6
1 1
#2 3 3 6 1 1
#3 3 3 6 1 1
#4 3 3 6 1 1
#5 3 4 7 1 1
#6 4 3 7 1 1
#7 3 4 7 1 1
#8 4 3 7 0
#9 3 4 7 1 0 1
Total 29 30 59 4 4 8
On the Day of the Caucus:• District-level Delegates will be elected by Congressional
Caucuses on April 9, 2012
– Each Congressional District will have caucuses on this day: time and locations will be released sometime in February
– Each Congressional District’s delegate allotment will be determined by presidential preferences through a proportional representation system based on the results of our primary, which is March 1
• Each candidate for delegate will be allowed to make a two-minute speech and to distribute materials on his/her behalf at the Caucus– The provision to make a speech may be amended by 2/3 of those
present and voting
• All district-Level candidates must be present at the Congressional Caucuses to give consent to nomination
– Nomination must be seconded by two persons present at the caucus
– Persons must be registered Democrats within the District to nominate and vote
• Candidates and voters should plan to be at the Caucus for the entire day, as several votes may take place on each ballot
Key Dates to Remember for District-Level Delegate and Alternate
Selection:
• January 18, 2016- Candidacy and pledge of support forms and filing instructions available
• Can be picked up in person from the Massachusetts Democratic Party office, by mail, or on the web at [www.massdems.org]
• February 10, 2016- by 8:00pm. Last day and hour to register to vote and/or change party enrollment for presidential primary
• Only registered Democrats shall be allowed to run as delegate or alternate, or to vote on any matter at the congressional caucuses
• March 1, 2016-Presidential Primary
• March 14, 2016- by 5:00pm. Deadline for filing statement of candidacy and pledge of support forms with the State Party
– Please note this is a hard and inflexible deadline. Materials must be in received by this deadline in order for an individual to run for District-level delegate.
By Mail: Massachusetts Democratic Party c/o National Delegate Selection Process 77 Summer Street, 10th Floor, Boston MA
02110
At-Large Delegates:• Massachusetts is allotted 20 At-Large Delegates
• To qualify, candidates must file a statement of candidacy and a pledge of support for the presidential candidate with the state party by 5pm on April 1, 2016
– This is a hard and inflexible deadline!!! – If you are interested in running as an at-large
delegate and do not submit these forms by 5pm on April 1 then you will not be eligible to run for delegate
By Mail: Massachusetts Democratic Party c/o National Delegate Selection Process 77 Summer Street, 10th Floor, Boston MA 02110
• Selections for At-Large Delegates will take place on May 7, 2016 by the Democratic State Committee– Time and location of this meeting is TBA
• At-Large delegates will be selected by the Democratic State Committee using the following procedure:
– The state chair will announce the candidates pledged to presidential candidate and call for a separate vote for each set of delegates
– The vote shall be taken by hand vote or signed ballot
– If no preference reaches a threshold to receive delegates; nominations would be accepted from the floor at the May 7, 2016 Democratic State Committee Meeting
Pledge Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO)
• Massachusetts is allotted 12 PLEO Delegates• Registered Democrats eligible for PLEO delegate
positions:– Statewide elected officials– State legislative Leaders– Mayors– Other state, county and local elected officials and Party
leaders
Requirements:
• A candidate for PLEOs must file a statement of candidacy and a pledge of support with the Democratic State Committee by 5pm on April 1, 2012 – Please note this is a hard and inflexible deadline. Materials must be
in received by this deadline in order for an individual to run for PLEO delegate.
– File by 5:00pm on April 10, 2016 for those not elected at District-Level
• Selections for PLEOs Delegates will take place on May 7, 2012 by the Democratic State Committee
Unpledged Party Leaders and Elected Officials:
• Massachusetts is allotted 24 Unpledged Party Leader and Elected Official Delegates
• The following categories shall constitute the Unpledged Party Leaders and Elected Official delegate positions:
• Members of the Democratic National Committee who legally reside in the state (10)
• All of Massachusetts’ Democratic Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate (11)
• Distinguished Party Leader delegates who legally reside in the state (3)
How to Run for Delegate: • Call your friends and family and ask them to attend the
caucus and vote for you– In order to vote, an attendee must be a registered Democrats in your
district by February 15th, 2016
• Attend local town/ward committee meetings, social gatherings and introduce yourself (Go to www. mass dems.org to find a listing).
• Call your local Town/Ward Chairs to ask if they are attending. Listing can be found on www.massdems.org
• Create a flyer with your bio and why you should be elected as a delegate.
• Begin volunteering as early as possible for your the candidate whom you support (it’s important for the campaign to know who you are)– If you do not know whom to contact in order to volunteer for your candidate,
please let us know and we will connect you
• To get elected delegate, you may need HUNDREDS of committed, registered Democratic supporters/voters from your district to come to the caucus. So, encourage your family, friends, city/town Democratic committee members, your social/civic organization members to show up on April 9th, 2016 and VOTE for you
• Create your own visibility materials -- such as hand-held signs or pamphlets – to make yourself known. Hand-outs are help at the caucus and before at social events, city/town civic events, organizations/group events, and city/town Democratic meetings and events
– Remember: You are running for an elected position, possibly against other elected officials
• Remember to keep your short speech at the caucus
– You have a maximum of 2-minutes, so focus on why you’re excited to support a candidate and why the caucus should elect you for one of the open delegate seats
• You can team up with others to run Delegate slates
– Start having conversations with others in your Congressional District who are interested in running
– Make sure you are committed to bring a number of people for your slate
• Slates are allowed, but every candidate runs as an individual– Caucus attendees vote for individual candidates
Commitment to Diversity• Consistent with the DemocraticParty’s commitment to including thehistorically underrepresented in theDemocratic Party’s Affairs, by virtueof race/ethnicity, age, sexualorientation or disability,Massachusetts has developed Partyoutreach programs. Such programsinclude recruitment, education andtraining, in order to achieve fullparticipation by such groups anddiversity in the delegate selection process and at all levels of Partyaffairs for 2016.
2016 DNC Delegation Goals**
White/Non-Hispanic
Black/Non-Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islanders
Native Americans
Hispanic/Latino
% in MA Population
75.1% 8.1% 6% 1% 10.5%
Numeric Goals for Delegation
79 13 8 1 16
** Based on the latest data from the U.S. Census, including Congressional District breakdowns, the following goals are set for the 2016 DNC Delegation
DNC Delegate Goals** Continued….Disabled Youth Gay/Lesbian/
Bisexual/Transgender
% Established by AAC
9% 22% 8%
Numeric Goals for Delegation
12 30 13
**Based on Massachusetts Office of Disabilities (MOD) estimate, voter file report, and Affirmative Action Committee Established percentage, the following goals are set for the 2016 DNC delegation
** MOD established criteria of some type of disability which restricts one from 30% of normal functioning daily. This percentage is an estimate. The AAC in good faith has established a goal which will reflect 50% of the estimate of the MOD
**Voter file report and updated U.S. Census Data established the number of Youth (18-35) that are registered voters as a percent of total registered voters.
**GLBT goals established by AAC in cooperation with the GLBT community.
At the Convention:• The Massachusetts Democratic Party will inform you of all
event details for the Convention– You will be able to rent a hotel room with the MA
delegation• The Massachusetts Democratic Party is not responsible for
paying delegate expenses (i.e. hotel, travel and any relayed delegate costs while in Philadelphia)
• Based on previous conventions, persons elected as a national delegate representing Massachusetts should potential expenses to cost between $3,000 to $4,000
Covering the Cost of the Convention: • You should begin “early” to develop a Fund Raising strategy
indentifying possible “groups/organizations” or “persons” who may have an interest in aiding you in funding your convention costs
– Previous delegates to Democratic National Conventions can provide you with fundraising ideas
• Arrange events/parties where you may charge the attendees an “admission price” or ask for a “donation” to aid you in offsetting your convention costs
– While fundraising, make sure that you abide by regulations. Public employees are not allowed to fundraise
DNC VIDEO
• Click here and take a few minutes to watch a great video produced by the DNC explaining the delegate section process!
For Additional Information on the 2016 Democratic National Convention
Visit: www.phldnc.com
Special “Thank You” To:
• Our host organization today!!
• Tom McGee, Chair, Massachusetts Democratic Party
• Matt Fenlon, Executive Director, Massachusetts Democratic Party
• Jim Roosevelt, DNC Rules & Bylaws Co-Chair
• Russell Ashton, 2016 National Delegate Selection Affirmative Action Committee Chair
• ___________, 2016 National Delegate Selection Training Directors
• And a very special “Thank you” to our National Delegate Selection Trainers today and everyone who attended today’s National Delegate Selection training session!
Presentation Brought to you By:
Contact: Massachusetts Democratic Party
C/O National Delegate Selection Process77Summer Street, 10th Floor
Boston, MA 02110Phone: 617-939-0800