Welcome back to another installment in our Nuts & Bolts. Every few months, rather than focus on campaign practices, I try to shed a little light on the workings of the Democratic Party itself. This week, we’re going to talk about delegate selection plans, the guidelines for how your state party will conduct its 2020 primaries and caucuses.
Gearing up for the presidential campaign ahead means that candidates at the most building-block level, those running to be delegates to the Democratic National Convention, have to start looking at the rules and plans their state parties use for delegate selection. Those guidelines for establishing those rules and plans are available to anyone: 2020 guidelines for the state delegate selection plans.
Back from reading that tome? Need some specifics? Let’s look into what delegate selection plans are, and how you can understand what your state is doing with its 2020 game plan.
The goals of delegate selection plans
The creation of delegate selection plans is an opportunity for state parties to express how they can promote and foster Democratic values within their own states. The process of creating a delegate selection plan itself must be carried out according to a specific timetable established by the Democratic National Committee.
By May 3, states were scheduled to submit their delegate selection plans for review by the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. The plans are then reviewed to make sure they fit with the DNC goals of expanding the electorate, being inclusive of the diverse Democratic base, and involving new voters.
Part of a delegate selection plan is making sure that the Democratic base has a chance to have its own say in the process. For example, the Louisiana newspaper The Advocate reported in April that “The Louisiana Democratic Party has unveiled a draft of its delegate selection plan for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, seeking input from Democrats across the state on how it plans to determine who will represent them when they help determine the next Democratic nominee for president.” As state parties finalize their delegate selection plans, they make them available to the public for general comment. During the public comment period, anyone can offer suggestions or improvements (and occasionally correct typos).
State parties make these plans public to make sure everyone has a chance, should they desire, to see them and comment. Whether you are in Wisconsin or Georgia, Idaho or Michigan, or any other state that will hold a primary or a caucus, now is the time when you can review the guidelines provided for 2020 for where you live.
Building a coalition that looks like us
For a very long time in our country, the voting process has significantly disadvantaged many groups and skewed results in favor of those who had wealth and were of a specific gender and skin color. But the voting base of the Democratic Party is diverse. We are a party powered by a coalition of voters, and it is important to make sure that our convention looks like our voters. Therefore, one thing that must be in every delegate selection plan is a commitment to affirmatively include these voices. From the DNC’s master plan:
The promises of a democratically elected government and the right to vote have not always been extended equally to all Americans. Historically, certain groups of Americans have been explicitly denied the right to vote or have been subjected to discriminatory and exclusionary practices with the intended effect of denying them voting rights. In recognition of this past history of discriminatory denial of the franchise and in order to encourage full participation by all Democrats in the delegate selection process and in all Party affairs, the national and state Democratic Parties shall adopt and implement affirmative action programs with specific goals and timetables for African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and women.
The goal is to make sure that our actual voters are properly represented at the national convention.
Setting the calendar
Iowa may be the first up, but all state parties are busy finalizing their plans, and that may include setting the date of their primary or caucus. In states with a state-run primary, their legislatures will control the day of their primary. For caucus states, it is up to the state party organization to set a date for their caucus.
As you look at your state party’s delegate selection plan, you can get an idea of the timeline your state will offer if you want to become a convention delegate. Take this opportunity to aim to attend the Milwaukee convention as a delegate, and get involved.
If you have specific questions about your state party’s delegate selection plan, feel free to ask below in the comments!
Next week on Nuts & Bolts: unstable campaigns