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Caucus Info



Submitted by CPN Resident Keri Brehm


What is Caucus?

Caucus is a process in which you and your neighbors meet together to elect two leaders for your precinct (known as “precinct committee people”) and to elect two or more delegates and alternates to the County Assembly.

The two precinct committee people represent the precinct at your county’s Central Committee for two years and will have an influence on the direction of the county party for those two years.

The elected delegates represent your precinct at the County Assembly–where they will participate in the County Assembly and may be elected to be delegates to other assemblies, such as the State Assembly. Delegates and alternates have an influence on who your party will choose as candidates on the ballot in 2010.

An individual may be elected precinct committee person and delegate or alternate.

In addition to electing precinct committee people, delegates, and alternates, additional business may be conducted–such as holding a preference/straw poll and/or voting on resolutions important to you and your neighbors.


What Happens At Caucus?

In order to participate, you must be affiliated with a political party by January 19th, 2010 and a resident of the precinct in which you participate by February 15, 2010. When you arrive at the caucus location, you will proceed to the room assigned to your precinct. If you arrive at the caucus location and don’t know in which room your precinct is meeting, someone will be there to help you find the right room.

Once at your precinct room, you will be asked to show official photo ID to confirm your identity. A volunteer will verify that you are a registered and affiliated voter in the precinct and, if you are, you’ll be asked to sign-in so that you may participate in the meeting.

The first major order of business will be to elect two precinct committee people to represent the precinct with the Douglas County Central Committee for the next two years. Anyone that is eligible to participate in caucus is also eligible to be elected as a precinct committee person. Please see below regarding what it means to be a precinct committee person.

The second major order of business will be to elect delegates and alternates to the County Assembly, with the possibility of going on to other assemblies such as the State Assembly. Anyone that is eligible to participate in caucus is also eligible to be elected as a delegate or alternate. Please see below regarding what it means to be a delegate or an alternate.

The third major order of business will be to propose and vote on resolutions. Anyone eligible to participate may propose a resolution, and everyone will vote on those resolutions. If the resolution is passed, it will be forwarded to the county party for consideration to be voted on at the County Assembly. This is how resolutions move their way up from the precinct level, to the County Assembly, and then as appropriate up to the State and National level.

At any time during the meeting candidates for public office (or their representatives) may visit the meeting and speak to everyone. This is an opportunity to hear from the candidates that are asking for your vote.


What It Means to be a Precinct Committee Person

The two precinct committee people represent their neighbors in the precinct at the county Central Committee. They will have the opportunity to vote for the party chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, treasurer, and their local district captain at the Organizational Meeting in 2011. They may also vote on other important business that may come before the Central Committee during their two-year term. As such, precinct committee people will help set the direction of the county party during their term.

In addition to their participation as voting members of the Central Committee, precinct committee people have additional responsibilities. The precinct committee person will help the county party with get-out-the-vote efforts that may include distributing literature to households in their precinct, making phone calls, reaching out to neighbors, and conducting the precinct caucus in 2012.

Being a precinct committee person is a serious, two-year volunteer commitment. While it isn’t a full-time job, it will require some of your time over the next two years. Precinct committee people must be committed to helping the party advance its candidates and agenda for the next two years.


What It Means to be a Delegate or Alternate

Every precinct is entitled to at least two delegates and two alternates to represent the precinct at the County Assembly. Depending on how many votes the precinct cast for it’s party’s candidate for President or Governor in the last general election, the precinct may be entitled to additional delegates and alternates.

Delegates will attend and participate in the County Assembly. The assembly will choose who the candidates will be, and the order in which multiple candidates will appear on the primary ballot. The assembly will also elect delegates and alternates to represent the county at the State Assembly from amongst the delegates and alternates that were elected at the caucuses. Finally, the assembly will consider and vote on resolutions that were passed at the precinct caucuses so that they may be adopted at the county level. As necessary, resolutions will be forwarded to the appropriate county elected officials, or to the State Assembly.

In addition to electing delegates, the precinct caucus will also elect alternates. Alternates should also attend the County Assembly. If an elected delegate is not able to attend, alternates will be seated to participate in their place in the order they received votes at the precinct caucus. However, even if an alternate is not seated to vote at the County Assembly, alternates may be elected as delegates to the State and other assemblies. So it is important that alternates also attend the County Assembly.

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