2012 Democratic National Convention

How to be a Delegate to the

An overview of Florida’s 2012 Delegate Selection Process

What is the Democratic National Convention?

• Held every four years• Delegates from all 50

states and American territories• Nominate and confirm

the Party’s candidate for President and Vice President• Adopt a Party Platform• Unify and celebrate

the Democratic Party

“This convention is… about Americans coming together to commit ourselves and our country to a path that creates more opportunity.”

- The Democratic National Convention Committee

What is the Role of a Convention Delegate?• Attend the 2012

Democratic National Convention in Charlotte September 3-6.

• Vote for the Presidential and Vice Presidential Nominee.

• Approve the 2012 DNC Platform.

The National Convention is an exciting and unforgettable experience. Attendees will make memories that will last a lifetime.

• Establish the rules to govern the Democratic Party.

Who Can be a Delegate?• Any Florida Democratic voter

can run to be a delegate• Each elected delegate will

sign a pledge of support for his or her presidential candidate• Delegates will be evenly

divided between men and women• The Florida Democratic Party

encourages participation by members of groups historically underrepresented in Party activities.

Delegates will experience firsthand the energy in the convention hall as the Party selects its nominees for President and Vice President.

The Four Delegate TypesDistrict-Level

Elected through a two-tier caucus system:

• The first tier caucuses will be held at the county level on May 5 to elect State Convention delegates.

• The second tier caucuses will be held at the State Convention on June 2 to elect National Convention District-Level delegates.

Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO)• Big city mayors, state legislative leaders, state legislators, and other state, county, and

local elected officials and party leaders.

At-Large• Elected by the District-Level delegates at the State Delegate Selection Convention.

• May be used to achieve Affirmative Action goals.

Unpledged (Automatic)• Democratic Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and

the U.S. Senate.

• Members of the Democratic National Committee.

• Former DNC Chair.

Delegation Overview

District-Level • 184 Delegates

Pledged Party Leaders & Elected Officials (PLEO)• 31 Delegates

At-Large• 61 Delegates• 23 Alternates

Unpledged (Automatic)• 24 Delegates (Democratic

Members of Congress, DNC Members & Former DNC Chair)

District-Level (62%)

Unpledged (8%)

PLEO (10%)

At-Large (20%)

Florida has a total of 300 delegates and 23 alternates

Dates to Keep in Mind

Date Description

March 9 Filing begins for State Convention delegate candidates

April 27 Filing ends for State Convention delegate candidates

May 5 County Caucuses

May 5 Filing begins for National Convention delegate candidates

May 10 Filing ends for National District-Level delegate candidates

June 1 State Delegate Selection Convention begins in Tampa

June 2 State delegates caucus by CD & elect District-Level delegates

District-Level delegates meet & elect statewide delegates

June 3 All delegates meet to elect Standing Committee Members

Sept 3-6 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

District-Level Delegates (184)

Democratic Members of Congress (6)

COUNTY CAUCUSES (67)

Saturday, May 5 10 am - 2 pm

Florida’s National

Convention Delegation

Party Leader & Elected Official Delegates (31)

At-Large Delegates (61) & Alternates (23)

Unpledged Delegates

Dem. National Committee

Members (17)

Distinguished Former Party Leaders (1)

Pledged Delegates and Alternates

State Convention Delegates (1,500 total

elected from each county by Cong. Dist.)

STATE DELELGATE SELECTION CONVENTIONTampa

June 1-3

Congressional District Caucuses (25)

Saturday, June 2 (9 am)

District-Level Delegate MeetingSaturday, June 2 (1:30 pm)

All Delegate MeetingSunday, June 3 (10 am)

Standing Committee

Members (27)

Florida’s 2012 Democratic Delegate Selection Process

• Our selection process begins with caucuses held in each county.

• Caucuses are “party-run primaries” where Democratic voters cast their vote for President and elect delegates to the State Delegate Selection Convention.

First Step – County Caucuses on May 5

Who Can Vote?• All Democratic voters may vote in their county’s

Democratic Caucus on May 5. (Florida has 67 counties.)• Voting is done by Congressional District (CD) within each

county.

County Democratic Caucuses – May 5

• Each voter indicates their presidential preference and then receives a ballot for state convention delegate candidates in that CD.• Like in any primary, a voter marks his/her

ballot and places it in the ballot box and leaves.

• Individuals qualify to run by filing an application with the county party between March 9 and April 27. • Each county has been allotted a number of

State Convention delegates based on the county’s Democratic voting strength.

Who Can Run for Delegate?• Any Democrat can run to be one of 1,500 delegates

elected by counties to attend the State Delegate Selection Convention. • All delegates to the State Convention must be elected

(no automatic or appointed delegates).

County Democratic Caucuses – May 5

• 1,500 delegates elected at the May 5 County Caucuses will meet in Tampa, June 1-3.• State Convention delegates will meet

by Congressional District on June 2 to elect 184 District-Level delegates to the National Convention.• Individuals elected as District-Level

delegates will elect the PLEO & At-Large delegates and alternates.• All delegates will meet on June 3 to

elect standing committee members.

State Delegate Selection Convention – Overview

• Largest and first group of National Convention delegates elected are the District-Level delegates.

• Elected at Congressional District caucuses held during the State Delegate Selection Convention.

• Florida has 184 District-Level delegates (nearly 2/3 of the delegation).

• Only delegates to the State Convention may run for a District-Level delegate position.

District-Level Delegates

• Delegates are allocated to presidential candidates based on the presidential vote within the CD as taken during the County Caucuses.

• Delegate positions are equally divided between men and women.

• Candidates for District-Level delegate must be elected at the County Caucus as a State Convention delegate.

• Candidates must file the National Convention delegate application with the State Party between May 5 and May 10.

• District-Level delegate positions have been allocated to each of Florida’s current 25 CD’s based on Democratic voting strength.

District-Level Delegate Qualifications

• District-Level delegate candidates will campaign among and be elected by the State Convention delegates from their respective Congressional District.

Who Can Run for District-Level Delegate?

• Florida has 31 delegates elected as Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) delegates.

• Only Democratic Party leaders or elected officials are eligible to run for a PLEO delegate position.

• PLEO delegates are elected by the District-Level delegates at the State Convention on Saturday afternoon, June 2.

PLEO Delegates

• PLEO delegates are allocated to presidential candidates based on the statewide presidential vote taken during the County Caucuses.

• Only Democratic Party leaders or elected officials may run for PLEO delegate positions.• The term “PLEO” includes: big city mayors, state

legislative leaders, state legislators, and other state, county, and local elected officials and party leaders.

PLEO Delegate Qualifications

• Individuals qualify to run by filing an application with the State Party between May 5 and noon on June 2.• If an individual is elected as a District-Level

delegate he/she is ineligible to run for PLEO delegate.

Who Can Run for Party Leader & Elected Official Delegate?

• Florida has 61 delegates and 23 alternates elected at the At-Large level.

• At-Large delegates and alternates will be elected by the District-Level delegates at the State Convention on Saturday afternoon.

• Delegates and alternates are allocated to presidential candidates based on the statewide presidential vote taken during the County Caucuses.

At-Large Delegates & Alternates

• At-Large delegates ensure the total number of delegates is equally divided between men and women and that the delegation reflects the overall demographic composition of Florida’s Democratic electorate.

• Any Florida Democratic voter may run for an At-Large delegate and/or alternate position.• Individuals qualify to run by filing an application with the

State Party between May 5 and noon on June 2.• An individual elected as a District-Level or PLEO delegate

is ineligible to run for an At-Large position.

At-Large Delegate & Alternate Qualifications

Who Can Run for At-Large Delegate and/or Alternate?

• At-Large delegates will be elected first and then alternates.

• A basic tenet of the Democratic Party is to have an equal division between men and women at all levels of the Party.

• Each state’s delegation must be equally divided between men and women.

• Delegates, alternates, and standing committee members are considered separate groups for purposes of equal division.

• District-Level delegates must be equally divided: • within each Congressional District, • between each presidential candidate, and • as a whole (total District-Level delegates).

Equal Division

• At-Large positions are used to ensure the delegates and the alternates are equally divided.

• Under Democratic Party rules each state sets diversity goals as part of an ongoing effort to specifically include groups historically underrepresented in the Party’s affairs.

• The Florida Democratic Party conducted a study and analysis of our Democratic electorate and established diversity goals for delegates, alternates and standing committee members.

Affirmative Action, Outreach & Inclusion

• The FDP Affirmative Action Committee assists the Party with outreach and education efforts.

• The Obama Campaign has committed to working closely with the State Party to ensure that Florida’s National Convention delegation looks like Florida’s Democratic electorate.

Affirmative Action, Outreach & Inclusion Goals

• Some individuals fall into two or more of the outreach categories.• Many delegates will represent other Democratic constituencies not listed

above.• Each county Democratic Party must make every effort to ensure its delegates

to the State Delegate Selection Convention represent the composition and diversity of the Democratic Party in that county.

• Outreach to ALL Democratic Party constituencies is required for this process.

African Americans Hispanics Native Americans Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders

% in Democratic Electorate 28% 13% <.5% 1%

Numeric Goals for Dels / Alts 84/6 39/3 2/0 3/0

LGBT Americans People with Disabilities Youth (18-34) Veterans Small Counties

12% 10% 24% 3% 13%*

36/3 30/2 72/6 9/1 22

*(Small counties represent 13.394% of the State Convention delegates.)

• Any Democrat can run to be a delegate to the State Delegate Selection Convention and the Democratic National Convention.

• Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, economic status or physical disability is prohibited.

• No person shall be required, directly or indirectly, to pay a cost or fee as a condition for participating. Voluntary contributions may be made.

• There are no automatic or appointed delegates to the State Delegate Selection Convention (all delegates are elected).

General Provisions

• Any individual or group of Democrats may sponsor or endorse a slate of candidates for convention delegates. No slate may receive a preferential place on the ballot or be publicly identified on the ballot as the official slate.

• Proxy voting is prohibited.

• Delegates are allocated to presidential candidates based on the results of the vote conducted at County Caucuses and delegate candidates sign a “pledge” to support the presidential candidate they wish to represent at the State and National Conventions.

• Under National Party rules, presidential candidates have the right to review the list of individuals running to represent them as their delegates at the National Convention.

Presidential Right of Review

• Presidential candidates have the right to remove names from the list of delegate candidates. At the District-Level, they can strike down to 3 names for each delegate position. At the PLEO and At-Large levels, they can strike down to 1 name for each position.

• A delegate candidate removed from the list by a presidential campaign at one level may file to run at a subsequent level for delegate and/or alternate.

• Everyone interested in running for delegate (state and/or national) should review the 2012 Delegate Selection Plan available from the FDP at www.fladems.com.

• All delegate candidates (state and national) should work closely with the campaign of their presidential candidate.

• Running for delegate is like a mini-campaign. You must get out your vote and build support for your election.

General Tips About Running for Delegate

• Ask your friends to attend the county caucus to vote for you.

• Recruit your friends to run for delegate.• Build relationships with delegates in your CD

from other counties.

• The National Convention has 3 Standing Committees:• Credentials (seating of delegates)• Platform (Party’s issue statement)• Rules (convention administration)

• Florida has nine members on each committee (27 total) who are nominated by the presidential campaign(s).

• Standing Committee members will be elected by the National Convention delegates at a meeting in Tampa on Sunday, June 3.

Standing Committee Members

• Members do not need to be delegates and will attend the National Convention.

• Members are equally divided and reflect affirmative action/inclusion goals.

• Members are allocated to presidential candidates based on the statewide vote at the County Caucuses.

What is the Schedule for Charlotte?

• Monday, September 3: Family-friendly Labor Day event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.• Tuesday, September 4, and

Wednesday, September 5: The convention’s opening session and convention proceedings at Time Warner Cable Arena.• Thursday September 6: The

President will accept the nomination at Bank of America Stadium.

What are the Convention Costs?

• Delegates and Alternates are responsible for cost of travel and hotel (hotel rooms can be shared).• Breakfast is provided.• Ground transportation between

hotel and events is provided.• Delegates can fundraise to help

cover expenses.

Fundraising Ideas

• Send a fundraising letter to your family members and friends through US mail or email.• Work with your local County Party

and/or Democratic Club/Caucus to hold a fundraising event.

• Ask your employer to sponsor you.• Create a free fundraising website.• Use social networking sites such as

Facebook and Twitter.

Florida’s Time to Shine!

Delegate filing forms for the state convention and the national convention are available on theFlorida Democratic Party’s website at www.fladems.com or by phone at 850-222-3411.

For additional information about the 2012 Democratic National Convention: • www.democrats.org• charlottein2012.com• www.demconvention.com

For More Information

Florida Democratic Party www.fladems.com 850-222-3411