Anyone else here served on Nominations?

[crispini]

I'd like your take on helpful hints, etc. :D

[Gothmog]

1. I just got put on this committee also

I have the TDP rules and intend to read them this week before my Senate district convention.

I did hear that we have to stay until the bitter end because nominations are the last item or one of the last items on the agenda.

[efhmc]

2. I am on this committee also, but have not a clue what I need to do.

[sonias]

3. I'm co-chairing the SD25 Nominations committee

I have never served on it either, but our job is to help balance the delegation at large as much as we can. First based on presidential preference according to the sign-in presidential poll. Then we're trying to get a 50-50 split between males and females. Plus trying to meet other goals. You are supposed to try to represent the makeup of your county.

Yes we have to stay until the end. We don't even start until the PCT conventions are over and we know what the make-up of the PCT level elected delegation looks like.

If you know people that want to go to state and don't think they are going to be elected from their PCT encourage them to fill out those at-large forms. We only get 14 slots for at-large delegates here - so there is only so much you can do.

Obama people have one more vote than the Clinton people in our SD25 in Travis. 8 of us and 7 of them. That was determined by the vote in our county. Obama won here.

Good for you for serving crispini!

Sonia

[WolverineDG]

4. Where are these forms available?

Online? :) thanks!

dg

[sonias]

7. Every county may have a different form

They should have a table set up for at large delegates. Probably around the area you checked-in. It will probably be staffed by some of the same people who signed you in. Call your party chair and ask them where they will be at your convention. Or just ask the people doing the sign-ins that morning. They should know by then.

Good luck

Sonia

[crispini]

5. Ha. Obama won in our county, too.

But all of our committees are going to be 50/50.

Edit: How did you find out how many at-large spots you have?

[Gothmog]

9. The formula is wild

Each precinct gets to elect one State convention delegate and one alternative for each 12 county/senate district convention delegates allocated to that precinct based on the 2006 election for Chris Bell and that number is rounded down to the nearest whole number. The fractional delegates are combined and then elected on at large basis based on the preference votes of the entire convention. The number of at large delegates depends on the number of fractional delegates not elected at the precinct level.

For example, my precinct sent or sending 29 delegates to our senate district convention and so we get two delegates and two alternatives to the state convention. The .4 fracional delegate is then combined with other fractional delegates from other precincts and elected on at large basis.

[sonias]

10. The county party chair told me

I have no idea how it was calculated. Ours is weird because SD25 is made up of parts of five counties. So each county gets a part of the allocation. Luckily someone else already did the calculation for us. Those 14 are only the part of SD25 that's in Travis.

Sonia

[WolverineDG]

11. I'm not sure how ours was calculated

& I don't think I want to know. ;)

dg

[NoPasaran]

12. Where do at-large delegates come from?

Under the delegate selection plan we're using this year, a precinct gets to elect one delegate for every 180 votes for Chris Bell in 2006. If, for example, your precinct gave him 375 votes, you would get 2 delegates to State. But 2 x 180 is 360, so there is a remainder of 15. That remainder is added to the remainders from all the other precincts and that sum is then divided by 180 to determine how many at-large delegate spots are available.

In addition, if a precinct doesn't elect its full slate of state delegates... say they didn't have a precinct chair, no one showed up and held a precinct convention, no delegation went to the county convention... those seats would also be added to the base number of at-large delegates. I doubt that's going to to happen this year, though.

[WolverineDG]

13. I thought the stork delivered them to the cabbage patch

just funnin' ya.

Thanks for the explanation! :)

dg

[TomBall Democrat]

17. Our SD7 leadership

told us that the at large delegates will be balanced to match the caucus ratios.

by the nominations committee - who will be split 50/50 based on the members personal choice.


It's 180 votes/Bell here in Harris County, too.

And my precinct was joined with a neighboring one. Together we have 270 Bell Votes, but still only get one delegate.

[TomBall Democrat]

16. They told us at our executive committee meeting in

Harris County - SD7.

Try your SD chair - he/she should know by now how many you get.

Ours did.

[twompy]

14. Resolutions

Is it to late to serve on the resolutions committee. I didn't realize that committees were already being decided.

[crispini]

15. They are mostly complete.

But you can always go and watch resolutions and speak to the committee if you wish.

[TomBall Democrat]

18. They've been working on this for a while

But - get to know your SD chair.

There's always next time if you can't do it this time.

[NoPasaran]

6. I've done it before and I am back again this time

Which is sweeter? Granting people's wishes? Or crushing their dreams?

Of course, with only fourteen seats to play with (yes, I'm on the same committee as Sonia) there are going to be a whole lot more dreams crushed than wishes granted.

[sonias]

8. Careful there - your sweet disposition is slipping through

:P

Sonia

[TomBall Democrat]

19. I do not envy you your role

I can't imagine a tougher job.

Everyone wants to go this year. I'd hate to be the one deciding.

Peace.

[Melissa G]

20. Well I'm only an alternate so I am not begging this year

But THANKS! for last time, I had no idea there was only 14 slots!

[NoPasaran]

21. Well, throw your hat in the ring anyway

Although my gut feeling is that the Clinton side is going to come up short on delegates coming out of the precincts so I wouldn;t be surprised if there aren't going to be many Obama at-large slots.

[Melissa G]

22. Are you saying alternates can still go to state even if they don't have delegate status?

If so,
I'll toss my hat in the ring and you and Sonia know where to find me if you need someone with my stats...

[NoPasaran]

23. It's been a long couple of weeks and I'm not sure

But maybe you'll be elevated to delegate

[Melissa G]

24. We will see in the morning. Thanks for your and Sonia's long hard service

in advance.

[sonias]

25. The SD25 totals for at large

The breakdown was 9 Clinton at large and 6 Obama at large. Obama did better in the PCTs so in order to try to balance the delegation they were awarded 9 of the 14 at large delegates.

SD25-Travis results:

Clinton 40 delegates Obama 70 delegates = Total 110

Thank you for serving on the Nominations committee. I think it went very good. Both sides did their job and we shared Pizza. We did good work. Many of us learned a lot.


:dem:


Sonia

[NoPasaran]

26. Nominations went well but the real stars in Travis were the Credentials Committees

What a bunch of hard-working and fair-minded folks they were! My precinct had two issues that came up... one because the Obama caucus's sign in sheets had 44 delegates marked when they were only supposed to have 39, the other involving some Clinton alternates who should have been delegates plus some mystery names showing up among the delegates. In both cases the problems were resolved and in the end all parties satisfied with the results.

I have become convinced the the TDP should consider eliminating the column on the precinct sign-in sheet for marking D or A. What happened in a number of cases is that voters marked D or A when they signed in at the start of the convention because they wanted (or thought they wanted) to be delegates. A formal version of what many precincts prepared, the "supplemental list" of delegates and alternates would be preferable in my opinion.