Caucus on April 22 Cancelled: Learn About the Democratic Convention Process

Since had just three people apply to be delegates to the 5th District Convention, so we do not need to hold the Caucus. The April 22 Caucus is CANCELLED.
 

Our delegates to the 5th District Convention are  Mary Reinman, Mark Stapleton and William Jerrold Samford.
 
For those of you who would like to learn more about the Democratic Party convention process, please read the article below. If you are interested in being a delegate to the State Convention, where the delegates to the National Convention will be selected,  please click here to complete the application form.

Steps to elect the Virginia delegation to the 2024 Chicago Democratic National Convention

1.  Local Caucus --any Democrat who is registered to vote in the county/city and resides in the county/city can participate by attending and voting
Each local committee holds a Caucus (on April 20 or April 22) to elect its delegates and alternates, who will go to both the 5th District Convention on May 18 AND the DPVA State Convention on June 22. These delegates/alternates represent your county/city at the 5th CD Convention (in Fluvanna) and the DPVA State Convention (in Richmond).

We will call them “CD/State convention delegates” – to differentiate them from the National Delegates who will be chosen at the 5th CD Convention and the DPVA State Convention.
People who want to be elected as CD/State convention delegates or alternates MUST file (often called "pre-file" because it happens before the Caucus meeting) the electronic State Delegate and Alternate Filing Form in order to have their name on the Caucus ballot. The form is due seven days before your Caucus, so that the local committee can prepare the Caucus ballot with the names of all the people who filed.

If your caucus is on April 20, the deadline to file the form is 5:00 pm April 13.
If your caucus is on April 22, the deadline to file the form is 5:00 pm April 15.

Q1:  What if there aren’t enough people filed by the deadline? Or if exactly the right number of people file by the deadline?
If the number of people who file by the deadline is equal to, or fewer than, the number of delegates/alternates your county/city needs to elect, then there is no need to have an election because there's no competition.
Example: ABC County Dems are supposed to elect 5 delegates and 1 alternate to represent them at the 5th CD and DPVA State conventions. By the deadline, only 4 people have filed to be on the ballot. Because 4 is fewer than 6, there is no need to have an election.

If this happens, the people who filed are deemed elected as CD/State convention delegates, and the local committee can cancel their Caucus.

If more people file by the deadline than the number of delegates/alternates your county/city needs to elect, then the local committee must prepare a ballot with all of those names, and at the Caucus that ballot will be used to elect the CD/State convention delegates and alternates.

Q2:  If I file the form to be elected as a delegate or alternate at my local Caucus, am I also filing to be elected as a Virginia Delegate to the Democratic National Convention?

NO.  There is a separate form (National Delegate and Alternate Filing Form) for people who are interested in being elected as part of Virginia’s delegation that will go to the National Convention in Chicago and cast Virginia’s votes to nominate the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.  See Q4 or Q10 for the link to the National Delegate and Alternate Filing Form.

2.  Congressional District and State Conventions – only delegates from your county/city can participate and vote at these conventions (if needed, alternates can fill empty delegate seats and become a delegate for the convention).
2A.  The 5th CD Convention (Fluvanna, May 18).

Q3: Who are the delegates electing at the 5th CD Convention?
The 5th CD Convention will elect 5 members of the Virginia delegation to the Democratic National Convention (National Delegates). They will also elect one person to be a Democratic Elector in Virginia’s Electoral College.
Every CD will elect an assigned number of National Delegates at their conventions – this ensures that the Virginia delegation in Chicago will include delegates from all over Virginia.

Q4: How do people get onto the 5th CD Convention ballot for election as a National Delegate?
People who want to be elected as National Delegates at the 5th CD Convention MUST file (often called "pre-file" because it happens before the convention) an electronic National Delegate and Alternate Filing Form in order to have their name on the convention ballot. The form is due by 5:00 pm on May 3, fifteen days before the 5th CD Convention, so that the 5th CD Democratic Committee can prepare the convention ballot with the names of all the people who filed.
(People who want to be elected as the 5th CD Democratic Elector also have a Presidential Elector Filing Form to pre-file, by the same deadline.)
 
Q5: If I want to be elected as a National Delegate, do I have to be a CD/State convention delegate first?

NO. You can file the form to be elected as a National Delegate without also being a delegate from your county/city.
You might decide to be a CD/State convention delegate because that allows you to vote at the CD and state conventions – which means you can vote for yourself to be a National Delegate at either convention. 😊 But it is not a requirement.

Q6: Can groups of people who have filed to run for National Delegate get together and ask to be elected as a group?
Yes. This is called a “slate” and the 5th CD Call to Convention allows slates to be listed on the Convention ballot. Every person who is part of a slate/group will also be listed individually on the Convention ballot.

Q7: If there is a slate/group, does a CD/State convention delegate have to vote for the entire slate?
If a CD/State convention delegate marks their ballot for a slate, then that delegate is voting for every name in the slate/group. This is an all-or-nothing situation – an individual CD/State convention delegate cannot “amend” the slate/group or change it on their ballot.
If you want to vote for only some, but not all, of the people in the slate/group, then you must NOT vote for the slate. Instead, you will mark your convention ballot for each individual who you want to elect as a National Delegate. (This is why a person who is part of a slate/group will also be listed individually on the Convention ballot.)

Q8: The 5th CD Call to Convention says that the convention will elect 3 men and 2 women (totaling 5 National Delegates). Why? And what about non-binary candidates for National Delegate?
The requirement for equal numbers of male and female National Delegates comes from the governing documents for the Democratic National Convention, and each state’s total delegation to the National Convention must have equal numbers of male and female National Delegates. The DPVA determined how many National Delegates will be elected by each Congressional district, and where the number is an odd number (like it is in the 4th CD, 5th CD, and 9th CD), assigned how many men and how many women will be elected by that Congressional district so that the overall balance of the Virginia delegation will meet the requirements for the National Convention.
There are also rules from the National level to ensure that non-binary persons can become National Delegates without being required to run “as a man” or “as a woman” at a convention. If there are any non-binary candidates for National Delegate on the ballot at the 5th CD Convention, the voting instructions given to the CD/State convention delegates at the 5th CD Convention will include the necessary information.

2B. The DPVA State Convention (Richmond, June 22)

Q9: Who are the delegates electing at the State Convention?
The State Convention will elect two different groups of people to complete the total Virginia delegation to the Democratic National Convention (National Delegates). They will also elect two people as Democratic Electors for Virginia’s Electoral College, and five people as members of the Democratic National Committee from Virginia.

Q10: How do people get onto the State Convention ballot for election as a National Delegate?
People who want to be elected as National Delegates at the State Convention MUST file (often called "pre-file" because it happens before the convention) an electronic National Delegate and Alternate Filing Form in order to have their name on the State convention ballot. The form is due by 5:00 pm on May 30, so that the DPVA (Democratic Party of Virginia) can prepare the State Convention ballot with the names of all the people who filed.

There are two different categories of National Delegates who will be elected at the State Convention. One category is for Party Leaders and Elected Officials (“PLEO” for short), and the other is called At-Large. The DPVA Call to Convention says that 13 PLEOs, 21 At-Large Delegates, and 2 At-Large Alternates will be elected.
(People who want to be elected as a Democratic Elector also have a form to pre-file, by the same deadline.)

Q11: If I want to be elected as a National Delegate, do I have to be a CD/State convention delegate first?

NO. You can file the form to be elected as a National Delegate without also being a delegate from your county/city.
You might decide to be a CD/State convention delegate because that allows you to vote at the CD and state conventions – which means you can vote for yourself to be a National Delegate at either convention. 😊 But it is not a requirement.