CALL TO CAUCUS
MADISON COUNTY CAUCUS TO NOMINATE DELEGATES TO THE
2013 FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
Pursuant to the authority provided by the Virginia Democratic Party Plan, the Madison County Democratic Committee hereby calls a Caucus to be held at 7 p.m., on Monday, April 29th, at George James Community Center, 1215 George James Loop, Radiant, VA.
1. Incorporated Documents. All appropriate provisions of the Virginia Democratic Party Plan (“State Party Plan”), as amended, and the Call to Convention issued by the Fifth District Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia dated March 7, 2013, are incorporated into this Call by reference and made a part hereof.
2. Purposes. The purpose of the Caucus shall be to elect 3 delegates and 2 alternates to the Fifth District Convention to be held at the Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra, Virginia, at 12:00 noon on May 18, 2013.
3. Participation and Outreach. Participation in Virginia’s Democratic delegate selection process is open to all registered voters who wish to participate as Democrats. All meetings shall be open to all members of the Democratic Party regardless of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, economic status, or disability, and all meetings should be publicized fully.
Each District and local committee should conduct outreach programs to encourage full participation by all Democrats in the delegate nomination process, including notice, publicity and education programs. Such outreach should be directed to all Democratic constituencies, including group such as ethnic minorities, young people, persons over 65 years of age, lesbians and gay men, persons with a high school education or less, persons with disabilities and persons of low and moderate income.
4. Prefiling. Any Democrat wishing to be a delegate to the District Convention must file a Delegate prefiling form with the Chair of the Madison County Democratic Committee, Suzanne Long, PO Box 66, Leon, VA 22725 or by email to longfarm@erols.com (in Word or pdf format) by the filing deadline of 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2013. Only those delegate or alternate candidates who have filed by the deadline will appear on the ballots distributed at the caucus. If no more than 3 persons have prefiled to be delegates and no more than 2 persons have prefiled to be alternates, those who have prefiled will be deemed to have been elected, and the Caucus shall be cancelled.
Download 2013 Delegate prefiling form MCDC (.PDF)
5. Slates. Any individual or group of Democrats may prefile a slate of candidates for election as delegates and alternates. However, no slate may receive preferential treatment or a preferential place on the ballot, nor may any slate be publicly identified on the ballot or otherwise as the “official slate.” A slate may include the names of no more than 3 candidates for delegate and 2 candidates for alternate.
The Committee Chair shall have prepared a ballot listing all persons who prefiled to be delegates or alternates to the Fifth Congressional District Convention. Each caucus participant may vote for up to, but no more than, 3 delegates and 2 alternates. The ballot will list all prefiled slates. If a delegate votes for a slate by checking the line on the ballot for that slate, he or she may not vote for any individual candidates.
If a ballot has votes cast for more than 3 delegates, none of the votes for delegate will be counted. If a ballot has votes cast for more than 2 alternates, none of the votes for alternate will be counted. If a ballot has been cast for a slate, and also contains votes cast for individuals, that ballot will not be counted at all.
The Head Teller and assistant tellers shall count the ballots and shall report the results to the Caucus. There shall be only one ballot. Any ties shall be broken by chance, in a method determined by the Chair.
6. Declaration. All candidates for delegate or alternate, and all persons participating in the caucus, shall sign a Declaration form which includes an affirmation that the person is a resident of, and registered to vote in, Madison County; does not intend to support any candidate who is opposed to the Democratic nominee in the next ensuing general election; is a Democrat; is not a member of any other political party; and has not participated and will not participate in the nominating process of any other political party for the 2013 general election.
7. Filing fee. The Madison County Democratic Committee has requested a voluntary administrative fee for each delegate and alternate candidate to the Congressional District Convention of $10.00. The Fifth District Committee has requested a voluntary administrative fee of $15.00. All delegates and alternates are asked to pay $25.00 when they are elected. This fee is voluntary; no person shall be denied the right to participate in the delegate selection process due to nonpayment of the voluntary administrative fee.
8. Certification of District Delegates. Within three days after the caucus, the Madison County Democratic Committee chair shall provide a list of all delegates and alternates to the Chair of the Fifth District Committee, Phil Burnette, at 611 Jeb Stuart Road, Martinsville, VA 24112, by fax to 276-632-1408, or by email at phil@ameristaff.net, and to the Chair of the Credentials Committee, Tom Proulx, at P.O. Box 25, Afton, VA 22920, by fax to 540-456-6849, or by email at proulx@cfw.com. (If by e-mail, as a Word document or .pdf).
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Suzanne Long
Chair, Madison County Democratic Committee
