Delegate Selection Process 2012

Nominating a Democratic President, Virginia’s Democratic National Convention Delegate Selection Process and Your Part In It

Information about the Delegate Selection process for the 2012 Democratic National Convention being held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

DPVA DNC Delegate Selection Questions & Answers

Delegate Selection Process video (webcast January 29, 2012), click here.

Democratic Party of Virginia
www.VADemocrats.org
1710 E. Franklin St, Second Floor Richmond, VA 23223 Telephone: 804-644-1966 FAX: 804-343-3642

Virginia’s Delegate Selection Process
On September 3-6, 2012, Democrats will convene in Charlotte, North Carolina to nominate our candidate for President of the United States. Virginia’s delegation will include 123 delegates and 9 alternates. This page briefly describes the process for selection of that delegation and how Virginia Democrats can participate in that process. To obtain more detailed information, including the Virginia Delegate Selection Plan and a workshop presentation, contact the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) at 804-644-1966 or www.VADemocrats.org.

Process Summary
The DPVA called for a Presidential Preference Primary to be held on March 6, 2012, to determine the allocation of State and National Convention delegates. Only President Obama qualified for that primary, so it was cancelled and all of the delegates were allocated to him. Cities and counties will hold caucuses on April 21 or 23 to elect delegates (and alternates) to congressional district conventions and the State Convention. These delegates and alternates will attend congressional district conventions on May 12 or 19 and choose 4 -8 National Convention delegates (most districts will also choose one alternate). The same state delegates/alternates will attend a State Convention on June 2 in Fairfax, Virginia to elect another 37 National Convention delegates and 2 alternates.

Get Involved!
YOU can participate by registering to vote, volunteering for President Obama’s campaign (and your local Democratic committee!), seeking to be a congressional district and State Convention delegate, and even running for a National Convention delegate position. The DPVA is committed to an open and inclusive delegate selection process and we encourage YOUR participation.

Step 1 – Register to Vote
If you are a Virginia resident who will be 18 years of age by the fall election, you can register to vote in the primary. Contact your local registrar or the Virginia State Board of Elections (www.sbe.va.us; 804/786-6551; toll free 800-552-9745).

Step 2 – Volunteer
Contact the DPVA to get the Virginia contact information for President Obama’s campaign and help him organize. You can also volunteer for your local Democratic committee and help build our party from the ground up.

Step 3 – Presidential Primary
President Obama’s campaign timely field the required number of signatures, so the Democratic Primary scheduled for March 6, 2012 was cancelled and all the National Convention delegates and alternates have been awarded to the Obama campaign.

Step 4 – City or County Caucuses
City and county caucuses will elect district/State Convention delegates and alternates. Cities and counties may hold assembled or unassembled caucuses on April 21, 12:00 noon or April 23, 7:30 p.m. Localities may also provide for absentee voting on April 15 at 7:00 p.m. Delegate and alternate candidates must prefile on April 16 or 18. Caucuses must be publicized and locations must be accessible.

Each jurisdiction has been allocated a certain number of delegates and if that number or few delegate candidates pre-file, the local party can cancel the caucus and declare those delegates elected. Slate voting is permitted. (Note that some jurisdictions may use city or county conventions as an intermediate step.)

To participate in a city or county caucus, you must (1) be a registered voter, (2) reside in the jurisdiction, and (3) sign a Democratic pledge form. You must prefile to run as a district/State Convention delegate. Participation in the delegate selection process is free; however, there is a voluntary administrative fee for each delegate and alternate candidate to cover caucus and convention expenses.

Step 5 – District and State Conventions – National Convention Delegate Elections
Congressional District Conventions will be held on May 12 or 19 and the conventions will select 4 delegates (9th CD), 5 delegates (2nd, 6th CDs), 6 delegates (1st, 4th, 5th CDs), 7 delegates (7th, 10th, 11th CDs), and 8 delegates (3rd, 8th CDs) and most CDs will also choose 1 alternate. The filing deadlines are April 27th or May 4th.

The State Convention will be held on June 2 in Fairfax and will elect 23 at large delegates, 2 at-large alternates and 14 Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) delegates. The filing deadline is May 25. Virginia’s delegation will also include 17 Automatic PLEO delegates.

Virginia’s National Convention Delegation will be equally divided between men and women at the Congressional District and State levels. Presidential candidates have the right to approve or disapprove all National Delegate candidates. Because the delegate allocations are based on the primary results, all delegates and alternates must be committed to a President Obama.

Affirmative Action
To encourage full participation by all Democrats in the delegate selection process, the DPVA has adopted an affirmative action program that includes contacting constituency organizations and holding outreach seminars and workshops. All meetings of the DPVA are open and discrimination is prohibited.

The DPVA encourages all Democrats to become involved in the delegate selection process and continue to be involved with the Democratic Party and support its candidates.

2012 Virginia Delegate Selection Process Key Dates
FEB 13 Voter registration deadline
MAR 6 Primary – CANCELLED
APR 16 or 18 Caucus filing deadline
APR 21 or 23 City and county caucuses
APR 27, MAY 4 National Delegate filing deadline for district conventions
MAY 12 or 19 District Conventions
MAY 25 At-Large, PLEO filing deadline
JUN 2 State Convention
SEP 3 Democratic National Convention
NOV 6 Election Day