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Saturday, December 11, 2004
DNC Chair Election
Posted by Bob BrighamOn February 12, 2005, the 447 members of the Democratic National Committee will elect a new Party Chair, five Vice Chairs (including the President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs), a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a National Finance Chair.
Historically, this has been an insider only event. However, with record numbers of activists following the campaign on the internet, I am going to begin my coverage of the race with information on how this election is conducted. For further information, I suggest viewing the Democratic Party Charter and Bylaws (PDF).
The Chair will be selected by majority vote from among candidates who qualify for the race by submitting 20 nominations from current DNC members by 8 PM on February 10.
With a crowded field and competitive race there is a potential for none of the candidates to receive the necessary simple majority on the first vote. In this scenario, the candidate who garnered the fewest votes is removed and another round of voting occurs with the process repeating until a victory is achieved.
There are a number of important rules governing this election that should be known to understand the dynamics:
- The election will be open to the public and votes shall not be taken by secret ballot Charter, Article 9, Sect.12
- Roberts Rules of Order is used Charter, Article 9, Sect. 14
- Terry McAliffe will preside over the election Charter, Article 5, Sect. 3
- Of the five Vice-Chairs, three shall be of the opposite sex of the Chair Charter, Article 3, Sect 1(e)
- A roll call may be requested by 25% of the voting members present Bylaws, Article II, Sect B, (d)(ii)
Considering the make-up of the DNC, there is definitely potential for parliamentary maneuvering. Blocs employing pre-defined strategies are most likely to be successful if such tactics are employed. It is important to note that McAliffe operated under a parliamentary games-player paradigm when changing the rules to shorten the 2004 primary election calendar. Remember, this is a fight for control of a budget that could exceed a half a billion dollars by the end of the 2006 cycle.
There are currently multiple lists of DNC members online, but according to the comments the most current is: DNC List PDF (from Daily Kos). Jerome Armstrong at MyDD is in charge of the Cattle Call and also has a new Straw Poll of members at the Orlando Winter Meeting. The DNC election will take place at the Hilton Washington Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Ave., NW.
Next week I'll explore how different factions are conducting their campaigns.
Posted at 03:49 PM in DNC Chair | Technorati
Comments
The DNC list pdf above is the correct one. The others are for last cycle.
Posted by: Lezlie Cox at December 12, 2004 11:52 AM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
Thanks Lezlie, I've updated the post. I appreciate your help in making sure we have the best content available.
Posted by: Bob Brigham at December 12, 2004 04:41 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
Help decide who the next DNC Chair will be. For information on how to do that go to:
www.organizingdemocratsandlabor.4t.com
Thanks!
Posted by: s reed at December 16, 2004 09:51 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
i am a 27 y/o college student. i would like to attend this meeting in NYC with a friend. how do i do that?
please let me know.
thanks.
michael day
917 804 6679
Posted by: mike at January 19, 2005 09:39 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment