Note: National Convention Delegates and State Convention Committee Members are not automatic delegates to the State Convention. To be a delegate or alternate to the State Convention you must have been elected as such at your legislative district caucus or county convention during the weekend of April 28th and 29th. If you are not a delegate or alternate you are more than welcome to attend as a guest.
May 23, 2012
Dear Democrat,
This is the Call for the 2012 Washington State Democratic Convention which will be held in Seattle, WA on Friday June 1st and Saturday, June 2nd at the Washington State Convention Center.
On June 1st, we’ll have convention committee meetings, party building trainings and forums, and caucus meetings all leading up to the Welcome Reception and Gala Banquet. Our Gala Banquet speaker will be Mayor of Newark, New Jersey Cory Booker along with Senator Maria Cantwell and Jay Inslee.
On June 2nd, we’ll host the Congressional Breakfast and then the State Convention. Our keynote speaker at the Convention will be Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio. We’ll hear from our candidates including Jay Inslee and Sen. Maria Cantwell. The delegates will be voting on the official Democratic nominations of congressional and statewide candidates. They will also vote on the platform and resolutions.
We also have activities on June 3rd. This is when the members of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC) representing legislative districts will be voting on the rest of our delegates going to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC from Monday, September 3rd through Thursday, September 6th.
Delegates, alternates and guests should plan on attending the events and activities on Friday, June 1st and Saturday, June 2nd. The events on Sunday, June 3rd are specifically for the election of individuals who will attend the National Convention. 13 PLEOs, 23 at-large delegates and 9 at-large alternates will be elected on June 3rd.
If you are interested in running for one of these positions or are a member of the WSDCC from a Legislative District, you should plan on attending the meeting on June 3rd and make hotel reservations accordingly. For more information on the elections that will be taking place on Sunday, June 3rd and the process of running to become a national delegate please watch this video – http://www.wa-democrats.org/content/how-become-national-delegate. The deadline for submitting a Statement of Candidacy to the State Party in order to run for a position as a National Delegate is Friday, May 25th at 5pm.
The host hotel is the Westin Seattle (1900 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101). Both the Westin Seattle and Washington State Convention Center are union facilities.
The deadline to book a room at our rate at the Westin has passed and the hotel is sold out. The following union hotels are still offering our rate while rooms are available:
| Best Western Plus Executive Inn
200 Taylor Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 (206) 448-9444 Group name: Washington State Democrats Group rate: for 1-2 people: $122 + tax. Additional adults: $10 + tax. Children under 17 stay free with an adult. Group rate cutoff date: 5/11/12 1 mile to the Washington State Convention Center .6 miles to the Westin Seattle |
Best Western Loyal Inn
2301 8th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121 (206) 682-0200 Group name: Washington State Democrats Group rate: for 1-2 people: $122. Additional adults: $10. Children under 17 stay free. Group rate cutoff date: 5/11/12 .7 miles to the Washington State Convention Center .4 miles to the Westin Seattle |
Attached to this email are three documents. The first contains the proposed schedule, agenda and rules for the convention. The second contains registration information, a registration form, Convention Gala Banquet invite, and the sign policy. The third document is about an event that the King County Democrats are hosting on the evening of Saturday, June 2nd.
The draft platform and information on proposed resolutions are also available online at http://www.wa-democrats.org/content/2012-final-draft-platform-and-resolutions. Please review them carefully. These materials are the product of numerous hours of hard work by the Rules and Platform Committees. The efforts of the chairs and committee members in this process are greatly appreciated.
Platform and Resolutions
The platform committee has developed a proposed platform and reviewed the numerous resolutions that were submitted through the caucus and convention cycle.
Platform amendments or resolutions may still be submitted to the State Party provided they meet the requirements listed in convention rule 17 below.
17). Submission of Proposed Platform Amendments and Resolutions
A). A proposed platform amendment or resolution must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word. It must be signed by at least forty (40) delegates, no more than twenty (20) of whom come from both the same County and the same Legislative District, or by any fifty (50) delegates (electronic signatures are not allowed, but faxed and scanned signatures are allowed); and submitted by 5:00 pm on Monday May 28, 2012. A hard copy of the amendment or resolution with required signatures shall be presented in the office of the Washington State Democratic Party located at 615 – 2nd Ave., Suite #580, Seattle, WA 98104, received by mail at PO Box 4027, Seattle, WA 98194, faxed to (206) 583-0301, or emailed to the State Party at greg@wa-democrats.org by the same deadline.
B). A proposed amendment or resolution presented after the deadline in the preceding paragraph (17.A.) must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word. It must be signed by at least 75 (seventy five) delegates (electronic signatures are not allowed, but faxed and scanned signatures are allowed); and submitted by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. A hard copy of the amendment or resolution with required signatures shall be presented in the office of the Washington State Democratic Party located at 615 – 2nd Ave., Suite #580, Seattle, WA 98104, received by mail at PO Box 4027, Seattle, 98194 or faxed to (206) 583-0301, or emailed to the State Party at Jaxon@wa-democrats.org by the same deadline.
The platform committee will be meeting at the Washington State Convention Center on Friday, June 1st starting at 10am on the 6th Floor in Room 608-609 to review any final platform amendments or resolutions and to answer any questions about the platform and resolutions process. During this meeting time will be made available for public comment. The final vote on the proposed platform and resolutions will take place during the meeting of the State Convention on Saturday, June 2nd .
Individual Event Deadline
The deadline to register for the Convention Gala Banquet and Congressional Breakfast is this Friday, May 25th. Since we are so close to the deadline for events you will need to register online at www.wa-democrats.org/convention.
Registration during the Convention
If you registered for an Individual Package or Individual Event tickets you can pick up your tickets and convention bag, button, and program on Friday, June1st or Saturday, June 2nd during registration hours. You will need to go to registration before going to the 6th Floor events on Friday or the Convention on Saturday. You will only need to go to registration once.
If you have any questions about these materials or the State Convention please do not hesitate to contact the State Party office. Please contact Development and Special Events Director Shawna Ousse at shawna@wa-democrats.org if you have questions about registration. If you have questions about the platform or resolution or your status as a delegate or alternate please contact Party Affairs Coordinator Greg Haffner at gregh@wa-democrats.org. You can also call the State Party office at (206) 583-0664.
Thank you for your continued support of the Party. I hope to see you on the campaign trail this year as we work together to support our local and national Democratic Party leaders.
Sincerely,
|
|
