Douglas County Democrats To Hold Precinct Caucuses

Grassroots Activism--An overview of the caucus and convention cycle

There will be no Presidential Primary Election this year in Washington State.  Instead, each major party (Dem & Rep) will proceed through a several-tiered process to determine its preference for a presidential nominee (Remember 2008; we had to choose between Clinton and Obama, etc).

There are five tiers of participation in the Democratic Party caucus cycle: precinct, county convention/legislative district, congressional district, state, and national convention.  At each successive level, the number of delegates who “caucus” is reduced, and the Party platform is refined. 

Precincts throughout Douglas County will elect 101 delegates and alternates on April 15, 2012.  A total of 1400 delegates and 700 alternates will be elected at Democratic precinct caucuses held throughout the 39 counties in Washington State on April 15. 

Those delegates (or their alternates) will carry their votes forward to their respective Legislative District caucuses in late April (Douglas County will hold a 12th LD sub-caucus on Sunday, 4/29, 10am at Eastmont HS, in conjunction with its County Democratic Convention).  At those LD caucuses, precinct delegates will vote for a fewer number of delegates, who will then carry their votes forward to the ten Congressional District caucuses.

CD caucuses will be held in their respective Congressional Districts on May 20.  There, a total of 69 delegates will be elected statewide.  These delegates will ultimately carry their votes all the way to the National Convention!  Because of the need to be certain that a prospective delegate will be able to fulfill his/her duties, to be considered, you must submit a statement of candidacy to State Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz before Friday, May 4, 2012 at 5:00pm.  Forms will be available at the LD caucuses.

Next, these 69 delegates will participate in the Washington State Democratic Convention in Seattle during the first weekend in June.

On June 3, the day after the State Convention, an additional 23 delegates and 8 alternates will be elected.  Again, to be considered, you must submit a statement of candidacy to State Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz before Friday, May 25, 2012 at 5:00 pm.  Forms will be available at the CD caucuses.

Washington State sends a total of 121 delegates and 8 alternates to the National Convention. 105 of the delegates and all 8 of the alternates are chosen through the caucus and convention process and 16 of the delegates are unpledged party leaders and elected officials (sitting Democratic governor, senators, representatives, etc).

At the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Charlotte, NC, from Sept. 3-6, 2012, our National Party Platform will be adopted and our presidential candidate formally nominated and elected by the convention delegates.

Caucus and Convention Cycle Table

The 2012 Caucuses and Conventions are your way of becoming a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, choosing a nominee for President, shaping our Party platform, and getting involved with the Party for 2012.

For information about the 2012 Caucuses and Conventions, refer to the table and infographic below. (modified for Douglas County Democrats)

	Event	Purpose	Date	Location
	Precinct Caucus (see detail below for location of individual precinct caucus sites)	Select the Democratic Presidential nominee, elect delegates and alternates to the Legislative District Caucuses and County Convention	Sunday, April 15th, 1:00pm	Bridgeport HS Eastmont HS Mansfield HS Waterville HS
	Legislative District Caucus (Douglas County Precincts in 12th LD will sub- caucus at County Convention)	Elect delegates and alternates to the Congressional District Caucuses and State Convention	Sunday, April 29th, 10:00 am	Eastmont HS
	County Convention	Address resolutions, adopt a County Platform	Sunday, April 29th, 10:00 am (following LD sub-caucus)	Eastmont HS
	Congressional District Caucus	Elect delegates and alternates to the National Convention, elect presidential electors and alternates	Sunday, May 20th, time TBD	4th CD-Moses Lake 8th CD- TBD
	State Convention	Elect delegates and alternates to the National Convention, elect presidential electors, elect 13 Pledged Party Leaders and Elected Officials (PLEOs), address resolutions, adopt a State Party Platform	Friday, June 1st through Sunday, June 3rd	Seattle
	National Convention	Nominate the candidates for President and Vice President, adopt a Party Platform	Monday, September 3rd through Thursday, September 6th	Charlotte, North Carolina

Some  Additional FAQs

The purpose of the precinct caucuses is to elect delegates (and alternates) who will carry forward the presidential preference vote of the precincts.  All Douglas County Democrats are invited to participate in precinct caucuses on Sunday, April 15.  Precinct caucuses will be held from 1-3 pm at four locations in the Douglas County (see list below for location of your precinct caucus).   

Who is eligible?

Anyone may participate in their caucus, but only registered voters who declare themselves to be a Democrat may vote for their presidential preference during the caucus (our choice is easy this time!) and help elect delegates and alternates who will carry our votes to the next level.  If you are not yet registered, but you are a citizen who will be at least 18 years old by Nov 6, 2012 (General Election), you may register to vote at the caucus and you may vote your presidential preference. 

In addition to electing delegates at the caucus, anyone may submit a written resolution, which will be addressed at the county convention on 4/29.

Come talk politics with your Democratic friends and neighbors .  Learn about all that is planned for the year ahead.  Your participation is welcomed and needed!

 What else will happen at the caucus?

This is the best opportunity we have each four years to learn how to become a better organization.  You will have a chance to receive information from your Precinct Committee Office (PCO) and/or caucus chair--and time to share ideas about how we can improve our effectiveness. 

 What won't happen at the caucus?

There is no fee associated with participation.  You will be provided opportunities to make a voluntary contribution to the Douglas County Democrats, Washington State Democrats, or candidates.  You may choose to leave a contribution for refreshments that may be provided.  Any contribution is voluntary--and gratefully accepted!

For answers to more FAQ:  http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucuses-FAQ 

Where’s My Precinct Caucus?

Democratic precinct caucuses will convene Sunday, Apr 15,  at 1:00 pm in four location s around Douglas County and throughout Washington State;  Although recent redistricting may change some jurisdictional boundaries, we will caucus in our old precincts--those in effect for the Nov 8, 2011 general election. 

The Douglas County Auditor will mail new Voter Identification Cards to all registered voters of Douglas County before the end of April. 

Delegates (and alternates) who are elected at precinct caucuses will then caucus in their new legislative and congressional district jurisdictions. 

Because Douglas County is still wholly within the 12th Legislative District, nothing will change for us at the LD level.  But redistricting apportioned the Greater East Wenatchee area into a new congressional district--the 8th CD.  The remainder of Douglas County is still in the 4th CD.  Some delegates elected at the LD sub-caucus will go to the 4th CD caucus in Moses Lake on 5/20.  Some will travel to join with other delegates of the 8th CD to caucus--probably in Issaquah.

 Please attend and participate in this essential grass-roots civic opportunity.

Bridgeport High School Commons:

Precincts 303, 304, 305

 

Eastmont High School Commons Area:

Precincts 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 112, 201, 202, 203, 204, 209, 210, 211, 215, 216, 218, 301, 302, 316, 317, 319

Mansfield Jr/Sr High School Multipurpose Rm:

Precincts 207, 214, 306, 307, 308, 310, 314,

 

Waterville High School Career Ctr:

Precincts 205, 206, 208, 212, 213, 309, 311, 312, 313,

Need to find your precinct?

http://gis.douglascountywa.net/Map/default.aspx or call Douglas County Elections Supervisor,  509-745-8527

 For additional caucus information, see the DCDem website/calendar, email us, or call 884-7488.