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Minor updates on 4/7/08 for clarity.
This diary lays out everything you ever wanted to know about the W.Va. Democratic Primary but didn't know to ask. There are three major topics: who participates, how delegates are allocated, and who serves as delegates. Most of this information can be determined by pouring through the West Virginia Democratic Party Delegate Selection Plan (warning PDF!).
Who Participates, When?
* West Virginia voters registered as Democrats or with "No party affiliation" (e.g., independents) can vote in the Democratic primary.
* The deadline for voter registration (or change in party affiliation) is on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.
* Early voting runs from April 23rd to May 10th. It is held at county courthouses during regular business hours from Monday to Saturday. Note: Some counties offer extended evening hours--typically on Thursdays. Check with your local county for exact hours.
* The primary is on May 13, 2008 with polls open statewide from 6:30am to 7:30pm.
How many delegates are there?
West Virginia has 39 delegates total to the Democratic National Convention. There are 28 pledged delegates at stake in the primary, 10 named super-delegates, and 1 (to-be-named) unpledged add-on.
* Primary voters will determine the allocation of 28 delegates between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
* Primary votes will determine the allocation of 5 different delegate pools, each with either district-wide or state-wide proportional representation.
* The three congressional districts each have 6 delegates at stake, these are proportionally assigned by congressional district-wide vote totals. The most likely outcome for all 3 CD's is a 3-3 delegate split. A 4-2 split is also quite possible if a candidate runs up the vote within a congressional district.
* There is a pool of 7 pledged at-large delegates proportionally assigned by the state-wide popular vote total in the primary. The most likely split for this pool is 4-3. A 5-2 split also possible if if one candidate does very well statewide.
* There is a pool of 3 Pledged Party Leaders and Elected Officials (PLEOs) proportionally assigned by the state-wide popular vote total in the primary. The almost guaranteed split for this pool is 2-1.
Who serves as delegates?
Just as there are multiple pools of delegates, there are multiple ways that someone can become a delegate.
* The ten "super-delegates" are already known. These are the unpledged delegates who are either Democratic elected officials or DNC members residing in West Virginia. Some of them have made their voting intentions known, many have not.
* The 11th unpledged "add-on" super-delegate will be chosen by the Democratic Party Executive Committee on Saturday, June 14.
* The 7 pledged at-large delegates and 3 Pledged Party Leaders and Elected Officials (PLEOs) are also chosen by the Democratic Party Executive Committee on Saturday, June 14, subject to Presidential candidate approval.
* The process the 18 district-level delegates are chosen at the State Convention on June 13. The convention, being held at the Charleston Civic Center, will include about 1,500 delegates from across the state. The six delegates chosen in each CD must be convention delegates*, must reflect the proportional split for the voting in that district, and should be 3 females and 3 males. Only the delegates from a CD vote for delegates for that CD.
* Correction from a W.Va. Democratic Party contact: "Folks can run for delegate to the national convention without being a delegate to the state convention." (Of course, based on how the process works, state convention delegates are the most likely candidates.)
* This upcoming Saturday, April 12, the delegate selection process begins with County Conventions electing the state convention delegates. The number of delegates from each county was determined by past voting levels per county.
What else?
Sure... even more details for those who wonder where the wiggle room might be in the process.
Q Are pledged delegates really pledged?
A Here's what the delegate plan says:
The West Virginia presidential primary election is a "binding" primary. Accordingly, delegate and alternate positions shall be allocated so as to fairly reflect the expressed presidential preference of the primary voters in each district. The National Convention delegates and alternates selected at the district level shall be allocated in proportion to the percentage of the primary vote won in that district by each preference, except that preferences falling below a 15 percent threshold shall not be awarded any delegates or alternates.
And, more in the at-large section:
The at-large delegates and alternates will be selected based on the percentage of votes received by the presidential candidates in the Primary Election.
And, more in the PLEO section:
The pledged PLEO slots shall be allocated among presidential preferences on the same basis as the at-large delegates.
Q What's that bit about delegate choices being subject to Presidential candidate approval?
A Here's what the delegate plan says:
Presidential Candidate Right of Review
a. The State Democratic Chair shall convey to the presidential candidate, or that candidate's authorized representative(s), not later than 10:00 A.M., June 14, 2008, a list of all persons who have filed for a party and elected official delegate pledged to that presidential candidate.
b. Each presidential candidate, or that candidate's authorized representative(s), must file with the State Democratic Chair, by noon June 14, 2008, a list of all such candidates he or she has approved, as long as approval is given to at least one name for every position to which the presidential candidate is entitled.
c. Failure to respond will be deemed approval of all delegate candidates submitted to the presidential candidate unless the presidential candidate or the authorized representative(s) signifies otherwise in writing to the State Democratic Chair not later than 2:00 P.M., June 14, 2008.
Q Does the state-wide add-on candidate go to the state popular vote winner?
A No. The West Virginia State Executive Committee can choose whomever they want:
Unpledged add-on delegate candidates may be selected whether or not they previously filed a statement of candidacy for a delegate position or submitted a pledge of support for a presidential candidate.
One final thought... if this process seems kindof sortof messed up to you... you know, like the fact that the delegate count could end up being a rather inexact reflection of the popular vote... two things to keep in mind:
(1) These were the rules everyone knew about at the beginning of the process... there were no strong voices advocating for more little "d" democracry inside the W.Va. Democratic party before this nominating process started. If it bothers you, start voicing your concerns immediately after election day to change how things happen next time around.
(2) No one expected the W.Va. primary outcome to matter when these rules were put together. The rules were drafted with a major concern about who gets to attend the convention instead of who they represent once they get there.
(3) There are still plenty of important decisions to be made at the state convention. The best way to impact the process this year is to go to your county convention and get elected to the state convention. Members of the WV Democratic Executive Committee listen to the party membership -- the convention delegates attend the convention as representatives of local party members. This is your chance to influence what the W.Va. Democratic Party does. |
