DPO Chair appointed to Change Commission
Democratic Party of Oregon
232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 224-8200
www.oregondemocrats.org
For Immediate Release Contact: Trent Lutz
Thursday, January 29, 2009 Phone: 503-239-8625
DPO Chair, Meredith Wood Smith, appointed to Change Commission
Portland - Yesterday, Governor Tim Kaine, Chairman of the
Democratic National Committee, announced the 37 member Democratic Change
Commission, which will recommend changes to the Democratic Party’s
rules for the 2012 presidential nominating and delegate selection
process. Governor Kaine also announced that he has appointed Democratic Party of Oregon Chair, Meredith Wood Smith to serve on the commission.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to serve on this important Change Commission that will improve our presidential nominating process and work to increase voter participation throughout the country.” said Wood Smith.
Governor Kaine went on to say that he hopes to work with the Republican
National Committee on a common approach that puts voters first.
President Obama first announced his intention to form the Democratic
Change Commission in August 2008, during his presidential campaign.
Delegates to the Democratic National Convention adopted President
Obama’s proposal on Monday, August 25, 2008.
The Democratic Change Commission will address three issues: 1) changing
the window of time during which primaries and caucuses may be held 2)
reducing the number of superdelegates and 3) improving the caucus
system. A copy of the convention resolution establishing the Commission
is below. The Commission must issue its report and recommendations to
the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee no later than January 1, 2010.
The Commission is made up of 35 members and two co-chairs and
represents a diverse mix of DNC members, elected officials,
representatives of State Parties, academics, labor, business, grassroots
activists and other Party leaders. A complete list of the
Commission’s members is below.
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Co-Chairs:
Congressman Jim Clyburn
Columbia, South Carolina
Senator Claire McCaskill
St. Louis, Missouri
Commission Members:
State Chair Meredith Wood Smith
Portland, Oregon
Grassroots Activist Jeremy Alters
Miami, Florida
Political Strategist Jeff Berman
Washington, DC
Grassroots Activist Ashley Bliss
Atlanta, Georgia
State Representative Dan Blue
Raleigh, North Carolina
Political Strategist Bill Carrick
Los Angeles, California
Mayor Michael Coleman
Columbus, Ohio
Political Strategist Jeff Forbes
Washington, DC
Grassroots Activist Joan Garry
Montclair, New Jersey
State Chair Larry Gates
Overland Park, Kansas
School Board Member Adelita Grijalva
Tucson, Arizona
Professor Rob Hampshire
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Former State Chair Ned Helms
Concord, New Hampshire
Former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman
McLean, Virginia
Chairman Ron His Horse Is Thunder
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
IBT President James Hoffa
Detroit, Michigan
Grassroots Activist Roseanne Hope
Minneapolis, Minnesota
State Senator Steven Horsford
Las Vegas, Nevada
Grassroots Activist Suzie LeVine
Seattle, Washington
UAW CAP Director Dick Long
Detroit, Michigan
Grassroots Activist Andres Lopez
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Former Attorney General Patricia Madrid
Albuquerque, New Mexico
DNC Member Debbie Marquez
Edwards, Colorado
State Senator Iris Martinez
Chicago, Illinois
Delegate Jennifer McClellan
Richmond, Virginia
Secretary of State Linda McCulloch
Helena, Montana
Attorney General Tom Miller
Des Moines, Iowa
DNC Member Minyon Moore
Washington, DC
Grassroots Activist Sunah Park
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Campaign Manager David Plouffe
Washington, DC
Grassroots Activist Rebecca Prozan
San Francisco, California
DNC Member James Roosevelt, Jr
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
Lakewood, California
AFT President Randi Weingarten
New York City, New York
Grassroots Activist Martin Yeung
Rapid City, South Dakota
Resolution Establishing the Democratic Change Commission
(This resolution was recommended by the 2008 Convention Rules Committee
at its August 23, 2008 meeting and adopted by the 2008 Democratic
National Convention on August 25, 2008 in Denver, Colorado)
Section 1. Establishment of Democratic Change Commission.
BE IT RESOLVED: That no later than 60 days after the date of the next
election of the National Chair of the Democratic National Committee
(DNC), the National Chair shall establish a commission (the
“Commission”) to review the Delegate Selection Rules in light of
developments during the 2008 presidential nominating cycle and to
recommend changes to the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2012
Democratic National Convention, not inconsistent with these resolutions,
to improve the nominating process.
RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Commission shall be known as the
“Democratic Change Commission;” that it shall consist of 35
members and two co-chairs, all with the right to vote on Commission
business, appointed by the National Chair of the DNC; that its
membership shall be equally divided between men and women and shall be
geographically and demographically diverse; that the DNC shall provide
the Commission with adequate staff and resources to carry out its
mandate in accordance with this Resolution; and that the Commission
shall issue its report and recommendations to the Rules and Bylaws
Committee of the DNC no later than January 1, 2010.
Section 2. Timing of the Primaries and Caucuses.
RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2012
Convention shall provide that no meetings, caucuses, conventions or
primaries which constitute the first determining stage in the
presidential nomination process (the date of the primary in primary
states and the date of the first tier caucus in caucus states) shall be
held prior to the first Tuesday in March of the election year, except as
otherwise provided in the Delegate Selection Rules and recognizing the
valuable role played by the approved pre-Window states in 2008; and
provided that no such meeting, caucus, convention or primary shall in
any event be held prior to February 1 of the calendar year of the
National Convention; and that the Commission also shall review the
sequence and scheduling of primaries and caucuses with a view towards
reducing the scheduling of such events on the first allowable date that
resulted in 22 primaries and caucuses being held on such date in 2008
and toward reducing frontloading within the Window period; and that the
Commission shall review the rules for proper enforcement of the primary
and caucus timing requirements and delegate allocation matters,
particularly with respect to action by the Rules and Bylaws Committee;
and that in making its recommendations, the Commission consider any
revision of the Rules of the Republican Party of the United States
adopted by the 2008 Republican National Convention regarding the
scheduling and sequence of presidential nominating events.
Section 3. Delegates.
RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Commission shall consider and make
appropriate recommendations for revisions to the Delegate Selection
Rules for the 2012 Democratic National Convention to provide for a
significant reduction of the number of unpledged party leader and
elected official (PLEO) delegates in order to enlarge the role and
influence of primary and caucus voters in the presidential nominating
process. The Commission also shall review the formulas for delegate
allocation to assure that delegates are fairly allocated to accurately
reflect the will of the voters and that the right of the delegates to
reflect the sentiments of those who elected them shall be secured to all
delegates.
Section 4. Caucuses.
RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Commission shall consider and recommend
appropriate revisions to the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2012
Democratic National Convention to provide that:
a. the use of a caucus/convention system for any stage of the delegate
selection process by any State Democratic Party shall be approved by the
DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee in accordance with any new specific
criteria to be set out in the Delegate Selection Rules, and which will
be designed to ensure that at each stage, any caucus or convention will
be adequately planned, organized, and staffed; will take place at such
times and in such locations as will meet the requirements of Rule 3 of
the Delegate Selection Rules and will otherwise maximize the opportunity
for full participation by Democratic voters; will be run using
appropriate balloting methods and, as to tiers following the first stage
caucus, will utilize accurate lists of participants; and will afford the
opportunity for meaningful communication of presidential candidates with
their pledged caucus participants reasonably in advance of caucuses and
conventions.
b. the use of a caucus/convention system for any stage of the delegate
selection process should be organized in a manner that will ensure the
maximum ability of Democratic voters to feasibly participate in the
first-tier caucuses, including consideration of absentee voting in
caucuses to benefit those who cannot attend a scheduled caucus due to
military service, work, health conditions, family obligations and other
similar reasons that prevent attendance in person.
Section 5. Status of Resolutions
RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Commission may address other matters related
to the presidential nominating process and Delegate Selection Rules as
may be identified by the National Chair of the Democratic National
Committee, and that for the purposes of Article Ten, Section 2 of the
Charter of the Democratic Party of the United States, these resolutions
shall be deemed to be “otherwise designated.”
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Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
www.oregondemocrats.org