46th LD Blog
Would you like to be a 2020 Convention Delegate?
We would like to extend an invitation to each of you to run for delegate to the 2020 Washington State Democratic Convention and also possibly taking the next step to run for delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention!
As Democrats, we know that the strength of our party comes from all of the wide, varied, and diverse people in the communities that make up the 46th, and we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to help shape the future of our party.
You have all been doing the work to help elect Democrats within our district, across the state, and the country, and now is your chance to be a part of shaping the Democratic Party itself.
To be qualified for Delegate from our Legislative District, you need only be a registered voter in the 46th District who is willing to publicly identify as a Democrat. A pre-registered voter who will be 18 years old on or before November 3, 2020 is also eligible! If you need to register to vote, or transfer your registration to a new address, you can do so at this link: Register to Vote Online in Washington
Washington State Democratic Convention and Congressional District Caucuses:
Due to the threat of COVID-19, our process for electing our delegation to the state convention has been moved from an in-person legislative district caucus on April 26th, to an online selection process. You can sign up to be a delegate at this link: waelectioncenter.com
To get ready to fill out your candidate for delegate profile, it’s easiest if you gather some pieces of your profile first. You will be asked to upload a candidate statement (why you are running), a photo, your candidate preference (Biden or Sanders), and to fill out some demographic details.
Delegates elected from the Legislative District to the state level have the opportunity to vote in the following:
- The online CD caucus at the end of May, where they vote for delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
- The Washington State Democratic Convention currently scheduled for June 12-14, 2020 in Tacoma, where they vote on the state platform and other party business.
If COVID-19 precautions continue into June, there is the possibility that some or all of the convention elements might be moved online, or moved to a later date, but delegates will still have a vital role to play in the crafting and approval of the state platform.
Both Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders have received delegates in our legislative district and across the state. Sen. Sanders retains his delegates in our process, so we need folks who are interested in running to represent both candidates.
Here in the 46th LD, we have 54 delegates and 27 alternate positions to fill for state convention, so it is crucial that we get the word out to interested candidates. We appreciate your help in doing so!
Candidates for delegate must register online by April 24, 2020. Delegates will be elected by precinct committee officers from each LD between April 26 and May 3, and those elected will be notified within days thereafter.
Democratic National Convention:
At present, the national convention is planned to take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 17 - 20, 2020. Any Democrat who is a registered voter can run for national delegate!
National convention delegates will have the opportunity vote for the Democratic presidential nominee and the Democratic National Committee's platform.
It's an incredible opportunity to meet fellow Democrats, make a political impact, and represent your community on the state and national level.
For additional information, visit waelectioncenter.com.
We are planning additional emails in the next couple of weeks to explain the process of running for delegate and to answer any questions candidates may have.
If you have any questions about the process, please ask away or send us an email at: [email protected]
Zoom Conversation with Reps. Jayapal and DelBene - Wed April 15th
With the passage of a vote-by-mail amendment to our Bylaws, we are now authorized to hold "official" online meetings for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. (Thank you, PCOs, for the unanimous vote!)
April 15, 2020 6:45pm Zoom gathering: Conversation with our Congress Members!
Our amazing Democratic Members of Congress, US Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-1), and US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7) will be joining us on Wednesday, April 15th, to talk COVID-19 Federal response, the economic crisis, and more help on the way.
Mark your calendars! The gathering will occur on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 6:45pm, although the Zoom link will be open for people to join as early as 6:30pm.
Program: We will hear from Rep. Jayapal from 6:45pm to 7:10pm, and then Rep. DelBene will join us from 7:10pm on. Each will take a few questions from members!
After our US Representatives, we will have some King County Judicial candidates who would like to introduce themselves.
Zoom link:
The 46th District Democrats (Julie Anne Kempf, chair) are inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Future Meetings:
April 22*, 2020 7:00pm Zoom meeting: Official April Monthly Business Meeting
(Please note, this is a date change for this month. We bumped the April meeting out one more week, as we had inadvertently scheduled it for the last night of Passover. Our apologies to our Jewish community members!)
The major item we have on the agenda for voting purposes is discussion and voting on the endorsement rules for 2020, which is continuing business from the February meeting.
Our Rules committee chair and the primary sponsor of the amendments under consideration are hard at work to put together explanatory materials so that the progression through the discussion and votes will be smooth and collegial for all. We will publish these documents several days in advance of the meeting.
Also, there is no vote attached, but we will have an explanation and discussion of how the LD and CD caucuses will be conducted in a virtual environment.
We will publish the Zoom meeting link immediately following this Wednesday's "Conversation with Our Congress Members online gathering" via email, and will also post it on the 46th District Democrats' web page at the same time.
We are posting one Zoom meeting link at a time each week, as soon as the previous meeting is over, to prevent confusion.
Legislative District State Delegate Selection Process:
We should also note that the in-person Legislative District caucus scheduled for April 26th, has been moved entirely online. Due to COVID-19, There will be no in-person LD Caucuses for this year.
Are you interested in running for delegate to the state or national convention? (Or maybe BOTH?) Find more information about registering as a delegate candidate here: How to be a Delegate!
We'll be posting new news and Democratic announcements twice a week during this challenging period - let us know if there's anything you would like to learn more about at [email protected]