Elections for DNC, 4th & 5th Congressional District Chairs

The deadline to submit Intent to Run forms for the DNC elections, 4^th Congressional District Chair election and 5^thCongressional District Chair election is Wednesday, August 1 at 5pm. They must be submitted to “[email protected]” or faxed to 1-877-744-9438. More details follow below.

 

The next meeting of the State Committee will take place on August 11, 2012 in Columbus, Georgia.  

Check in will be from 11:00 to 12:15 and the Meeting will begin promptly at 12:30. 

This will be a very significant meeting for several reasons so please make every effort to attend. At this meeting we will:

1. Elect 5 members to the Democratic National Committee to represent Georgia at the National Level.

2. Elect new Congressional Chairs in the 4th and 5th Congressional District.

3. Vote on proposed changes to the By-laws.

That evening the Georgia Association of Democratic County Chairs [GADCC] will be holding their annual dinner beginning at 6:00 PM. Please support this wonderful event – tickets are $75.00 and a full table of 8 may be purchased for $600.

 

–       Columbus Georgia Convention and Trade Center, 801 Front Ave. Columbus, GA.

–       Sponsor levels: Ambassador ($3000), Diplomat ($2000), Statesman ($1500).

–       Tributes for Journal  –   Full page (8.5X 11) @ $500, Half page @ $250, Quarter page @ $100.

–       Hotel accommodations at Marriott Hotel, 800 Front Ave. Columbus GA 31901, (706) 324-1800… special hotel rate of $119.

–       Contact Diane Evans for more information: [email protected]

The GADCC will recognize Leader Stacey Abrams with their annual Public Service Award. Please do your best to support the GADCC and their outstanding work in raising funds to help develop and promote our County parties across Georgia.

Election of DNC Members and Qualifying Requirement[s]:

DNC Overview: Georgia currently has 8 DNC members that represent us at the National Level.  Four [4] of these positions are up for election this fall.  In addition, based on population shifts, Georgia has been awarded one more DNC position which means that we will elect five [5] DNC Members.  Those who are elected will begin their terms after the conclusion of the DNC Convention in Charlotte and will not be delegates by virtue of winning these positions.

The incumbents: The incumbents who currently hold these positions are Liz Johnson, Richard Ray, Sally Rosser and David Worley.  The remaining DNC members not up for election are Mike Berlon, Dan Halpern, Lester Jackson and Nikema Williams.

The DNC rules require complete gender diversity between DNC members.  There is no other preference or priority that is required to be considered. In this case, we will elect five [5] members.  This means that the highest vote getter will be seated and, based upon gender, the remaining members will be elected.  This means that if a female receives the highest vote total then there will be three [3] females elected and two males or vice versa.

Qualifying:  If you are interested in running for a position as a DNC member and are a State Committee member, our by-laws require that any interested candidate file an “intent to run” statement with the State Party office no later than ten days before the State Committee meeting. If you are not a State Committee member you may also run for the position and must submit an “intent to run” statement with the endorsement of no less than thirty State Committee Members no later than ten days before the State Committee meeting. See BL8.1.4. At the election, a brief (3-4 minute) nominating speech may be made for each candidate and a (1 minute) seconding speech may also be made. The nominees may then address the State Committee for no more than 5 minutes. BL.8.1.5.

 

If you are elected as a DNC member, your term will begin on September 7, 2012, the day after the Convention closes.  There will be a meeting that day in Charlotte to seat the new members.

 

The Intent to Run form is located here:

DNC Member Intent to Run Form

These must be returned to [email protected] or faxed to 1-877-744-9438 by August 1 at 5 pm.

Election of Congressional Chairs-4th and 5th Congressional District:

We currently have an opening in the 4th and 5th Congressional District for election for Chair.  In the 4th Congressional District Representative Billy Mitchell is the acting Chair. In the 5th CD, Kipp Carr is the acting Chair. The Congressional Chair positions are very important to the operation of the DPG.

Qualifying:  If you are interested in running for one of these positions and are a State Committee member, our by-laws require that any interested candidate file an “intent to run” statement with the State Party office no later than ten days before the State Committee meeting. If you are not a State Committee member you may also run for the position and must submit an “intent to run” statement with the endorsement of no less than thirty State Committee Members no later than ten days before the State Committee meeting. See BL5.1.4.

All votes shall be by a show of hands or signed paper ballot as determined by each Congressional District Caucus Chair. A quorum for the purpose of a Congressional District Caucus shall be a majority of the seated State Committee Members residing in that particular Congressional District.  If you are elected to the position, your term will begin immediately.
The Intent to Run forms are located here:

4^th Congressional District Chair Intent to Run Form

5^th Congressional District Chair Intent to Run Form

These must be returned to [email protected] or faxed to 1-877-744-9438 by August 1 at 5 pm.

Changes and Proposed Amendments to the By-Laws:

At this meeting, we will be voting on an Amendment to the By-Laws concerning the addition of Advocacy Groups to the DPG.  This is not a change in the existing Bylaws but an addition to them.  This was continued from the last meeting because of lack of a quorum. We will also be voting on changes recommended by the By-Laws Committee to streamline the voting process in order to conduct business.  In order to vote on both of these items these we will need a 50% quorum and a 2/3rds vote to approve them.  Please try to be familiar with these by the time of the meeting:

The Amendment concerning Advocacy Groups and the Proposed Changes and Amendments to the By-Laws and Charter recommended by the Committee are attached to this email. These were previously sent to everyone before the last meeting:
Meeting Location, Hotel Information and Directions:

The Meeting and Dinner will be conducted at the Columbus Iron Works Convention and Trade Center.  The location information is here:

Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center
801 Front Avenue
Columbus, GA 31901

Tel: 706-327-4522

Directions are here:

http://www.conventiontradecenter.com/directions.cfm

Rooms are available at a discounted rate for the DPG at $119.00 per night.

There will be concessions and vending available at the facility. There will be concessions and vending available at the facility for beverages, snacks and lunch.

Thanks for all you do!  We look forward to seeing you on August 11th.