WYOMING DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Press Guide 2016 Caucus and Convention Guide
Contact: Aimee Van Cleave (307) 399-5713 [email protected]
Contents
Contents ...... 2 General Overview ...... 3 County Conventions/Caucus ...... 4 State Convention ...... 5 National Convention ...... 6 Frequently Asked Questions: ...... 8 Presidential Candidate Media Contact Information ...... 10
Page 2 of 11 General Overview
The procedure used by the Wyoming Democratic Party for electing delegates to the 2016 National Convention is established by the Delegate Selection and Affirmative Action Plan (DSAAP), which was passed by the Wyoming Democratic Party Central Committee on April 25, 2015 and approved by the Democratic National Convention on September 30, 2015. The process for selecting national delegates has four steps:
1. County Caucuses Saturday April 9, 2016 beginning at 11:00am
2. State Convention Saturday May 28, 2016 beginning time to be determined
3. National Convention Monday July 25 through Thursday July 28, 2016
You do not need to be elected as a delegate or alternate at a prior level to run as a delegate or alternate at the next level of the process. However, only delegates and alternates seated to replace absent delegates are allowed to cast votes at each level of the delegate selection process.
Page 3 of 11 County Conventions/Caucus
The first step in the cycle is the county caucus:
Wyoming State’s Democratic County Caucus will take place on Saturday April 9, 2016 beginning at 11:00am
The county caucus is your chance to help select the Democratic Presidential nominee. Voters support their candidate of choice, with each candidate being awarded the proportion of delegates that corresponds with their percentage of support.
Any eligible Wyoming citizen registered as a Democrat by the deadline March 25, 2015, in their County of residence, including persons who will be eligible to vote on or before November 8, 2016.
Every county in Wyoming will be open to participate. The easiest way to find out where your local caucus will be held is to check the State Party’s website at wyodems.org. This information will be posted in the Spring 2016 as County caucus locations are determined.
The principle business of the county caucuses will be the election of delegates and alternates to the state convention. Below are some guidelines for participating in the county conventions.
● Wyoming state residents who are not qualified to register to vote because of age or citizenship is allowed to participate in any discussion of resolutions, but not vote on the election of delegates or alternates, nor may they be elected as delegates or alternates.
● In order to encourage participation by youth in the delegate selection process, any individual who will have turned 18 by the date of the general election should be allowed to participate in any party run step of the delegate selection process.
● Proxy voting is not permitted at county caucuses. However, those who are unable to attend due to religious observance, military service, disability, illness, or work schedule may submit a “surrogate affidavit” form prior to the county caucuses. Official surrogate affidavit forms can be downloaded from the state website- wyodems.org starting in early Spring 2016. The State party must receive surrogate affidavit forms no later than 5:00pm Thursday April 7, 2016.
Page 4 of 11 State Convention
Delegates and alternates elected at the county convention will serve as delegates and alternates to the state convention on May 28, 2016, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The state convention will elect delegates to the National Convention, adopt a state party platform, and address resolutions.
As directed by our bylaws: The State Convention shall be composed from the several counties as selected by the County Conventions and apportioned as follows: Each county shall be entitled to:
• one delegate for each 600 votes, plus one delegate for any votes cast in addition to a multiple of 600 votes cast in the county for national and state candidates of the Democratic Party (exclusive of candidates for the State Senate and the State House of Representatives) at the preceding Presidential election. The number of votes cast shall be determined by taking an average of the votes received by such candidates; and
• one delegate for each 3,000 residents of the county as determined by the last federal census, plus one delegate for any number of residents in addition to a multiple of 3,000 votes. A Democratic county convention may double the number of delegates thus allocated to its county by providing that each delegate shall have half a vote. Votes shall not otherwise be apportioned.
See Chart on next page for 2016 apportionment of 280 delegates from Counties to the State Convention:
Delegates to State Convention
County Delegates County Delegates Albany 33 Natrona 38 Big Horn 4 Niobrara 2 Campbell 18 Park 13 Carbon 7 Platte 3 Converse 5 Sheridan 14 Crook 2 Sublette 4 Fremont 20 Sweetwater 22 Goshen 5 Teton 15 Hot Springs 2 Uinta 9 Johnson 2 Washakie 3 Laramie 51 Weston 2 Lincoln 6
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National Convention Delegates and alternates elected at the state convention will attend the national convention, which will be held from July 25 to July 28 in Philadelphia, PA. The national convention will nominate the candidates for President and Vice President, and adopt a platform.
Delegate Selection The following charts provide a breakdown of Wyoming’s 18 delegates and 2 alternates to the Democratic National Convention:
Type Delegate Alternates Date of Selecting Body s Selection Filing Requirements and Deadlines
District-Level 8 1 5/28/2016 Selecting Body: State Convention Delegates 5/28/2016 Candidates must submit a statement of District-Level candidacy form to the State Democratic Alternates Party office no later than 5 PM on April 28, 2016. Unpledged Party 4 n/a n/a Automatic by virtue of respective public Leader and or Party office as provided in Rule 8.A. of Elected Official the 2012 Delegate Selection Rules. Delegates* Pledged Party 2 ** 5/28/2016 Selecting Body: State Convention Leaders and Candidates must submit a statement of Elected Officials candidacy form to the State Democratic (PLEOs) Party office no later than 5 PM on April 28, 2016. At-Large 4 1 5/28/2016 Selecting Body: State Convention Delegates 5/28/2016 Candidates must submit a statement of At-Large candidacy form to the State Democratic Alternates Party office no later than 5 PM on April 28, 2016. TOTAL 18 2 Delegates and Alternates
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Distribution by Affirmative Action Plan
African Hispanics Native Asian LGBT People with Youth American American American Americans Disabilities s s and Pacific Islanders Percent in 3% 11% 2% 1% 4% 10% 34% Democratic Electorate Numeric 2 3 2 1 1 2 6 Goals for Delegation
The National Delegation will be divided as equally as possible between men and women.
Page 7 of 11 Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Why does the Wyoming Democratic Party use a caucus system rather than a ballot primary to allot delegates?
The Wyoming Democratic Party has a long history of allocating delegates using caucuses. The Wyoming Democratic Party believes that caucuses- meetings where voters sit down with their neighbors and discuss the various candidates prior to casting votes- encourage greater participation and involvement rather than casting a ballot alone.
2. Who can attend and participate in the county caucuses?
Any voter registered as democrat can participate in the caucuses taking place in the county they live in. Voters must be 18 by the time of the next election, be a resident of Wyoming and be registered as a Democrat 15 days prior to the caucus.
3. What if I am unable to attend the county caucuses?
If an attendee is unable to attend their county caucus due to: ● Religious Observance ● Military Service ● Disability ● Illness ● Work Schedule then they may submit a surrogate form to the state party. These forms may be obtained from the Wyoming Democrats Webpage (www.wyodems.org) beginning in early 2016.
4. How do I become a delegate to the Democratic National Convention?
First you would need to be elected as your county’s delegate to the Democratic State Convention during the County Conventions on April 9th, 2016 beginning at 11:00 a.m. These state delegates will then meet at the Democratic State Convention on May 28th, 2016. State delegates will then meet in presidential preference caucuses and elect district level national delegates and alternates.
5. What is a Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO)?
PLEOs include big-city mayors, statewide elected officials, state legislative leaders, state legislators and other state, county and local elected officials and party leaders. PLEO’s have until 5 p.m. on April 28th to file a statement of candidacy and a signed pledge of support.
6. How are PLEOs and at-large delegates and alternates selected.
Page 8 of 11
The 2 PLEOs, 3 At-Large delegates and 2 At-Large Alternates will be selected by the State Convention May 28th, 2016.
7. How many delegates does Wyoming send to the Democratic National Convention?
Wyoming will be sending 18 delegates and 2 alternates. 8 are District-Level delegates and 1 district level alternate, 4 are unpledged party Leaders and elected officials, 2 are PLEOs, 4 are At-Large delegates and 1 at-large alternate.
8. Where can I find a complete copy of the 2016 Delegate Selection Plan?
Go to www.wyodems.org to see our DNC compliant Wyoming Delegate Selection Plan.
9. What if I still have questions?
Please direct any other questions to [email protected]
Page 9 of 11 Presidential Candidate Media Contact Information
Bernie Sanders 2016 PO Box 905 Burlington, VT 05402 [email protected]
Hillary Clinton for America PO Box 2001 New York, NY 10116-2001
Tyrone Gayle [email protected] (646) 854-1432
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