Precinct Caucus/Ward Convention
Agenda
Agenda - Precinct Caucuses
Opening - Flag Ceremony –
Sign-in, distribute resolutions and
review process for
delegate selection and
walking subcaucuses
Select Ward Convention Delegates -.
report results to
Credentials.
Agenda - Ward 3 Convention
Open Convention – not later than 7:30
Select Convention Chair, adopt rules, receive Credentials report.
Elect Ward Officers – Chair, Assoc.
Chair,
Treasurer, and
Affirmative Action Officer
Select Delegates to the City DFL
Convention
Ongoing Activities
Explanations of the Combined Caucus/Convention
Process
Hearing challenges – seating participants
in correct precincts
Registration of proposed subcaucuses
Resolution consideration (until walking
subcaucus begins)
Updates of walking subcaucus process and
registered subcaucuses
Addresses by DFL leaders
Post-Convention
Select members of preconvention committees
(organizational meeting, 2/7/09, 10 a.m., Hamline-Midway Library),
______________________________________________________________________________
2009
GOVERNING
AUTHORITY AND AGENDA
1. Upon all matters not governed by the Official
Call, the Saint Paul City DFL Party Constitution and Bylaws, the Ward
Constitution and Bylaws, and these Rules, Robert's
Rules of Order- most recently revised shall govern. Provisions of the
Official Call shall take precedence over any other party rules at any level
wherever a conflict exists.
2. A majority vote of the convention is required to
adopt these rules and the agenda. To debate or amend these rules or the agenda
before they are adopted by the convention requires a two-thirds vote of the
convention.
3. The quorum for conducting any business of the
convention is a majority of the delegates and upgraded alternates.
SEATING
OF DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES
4. Registration of delegates and alternates to the
convention shall continue until adjournment.
5. Each precinct delegation shall elect one or more
delegation chairs. The Convention Chair shall instruct the convention as to the
duties each delegation chair will be expected to perform during the convention.
The name of each delegation chair shall be reported to the Convention Chair.
Any delegate may be elected delegation chair.
6. The seating of delegates and alternates shall be
governed by the following:
a. All registered
delegates (not alternates) on the temporary roll shall be seated.
b. The convention shall
hear and resolve any challenges regarding delegate or alternate seating.
c. All delegates or
alternates entitled to be seated after all challenges have been resolved shall receive
their credential from the delegation chair.
The delegation chair shall report the number of delegates and alternates
to the Convention Chair.
d. Alternates shall be
upgraded to delegate status as openings appear in the rank order established
when the credentials were issued, otherwise by lot.
e. There shall be no
upgrading of alternates during any voting process. If the raised alternate is subsequently
returned to alternate status, the alternate's delegate badge shall be
immediately surrendered to the registration table.
g. Unseated alternates
and visitors shall be seated separately from delegates and shall not be allowed
on the convention floor during the convention.
GENERAL
CONVENTION RULES
7. The convention shall not adjourn until all
elections have been held for: e following positions: a).City Convention
Delegates and Alternates, and, b) Ward Officers.
8. Convention Chairs shall be elected by a
plurality vote of the convention. The Convention Chairs may appoint a
convention secretary, time-keepers, tellers, sergeants-at-arms,
parliamentarians, as needed conduct the convention.
9. For City delegate and alternate elections, there
shall be an equal division by gender.
Even numbered allocations shall be equally divided. Odd numbered
allocations shall be as equally divided as possible. If both delegate and
alternate allocations are odd numbered, the imbalance in delegate election must
be reversed in favor of the opposite gender in the alternate election.
10. Any unbalanced subcaucus delegation that is not
balanced by gender, an odd-numbered subcaucus selected by lot from among those
that elected more delegates of the over-represented gender will be instructed
by the Convention Chair to exchange one delegate of the over-represented gender
for its highest ranking alternate of the opposite gender in the case of City
delegates, and to replace a person it had elected with a person of the opposite
gender in any other case. Any delegate reduced to alternate status will become
the highest ranking alternate of that subcaucus. If balance by gender is still
not achieved, the process will be repeated with another odd-numbered subcaucus.
11. Candidates for Ward positions (in Rule 7) shall
be nominated without speech, but with two minutes per candidate.
12. If a contest exists, all elections shall be
done by secret written ballot. In the
event of a tie vote, there will be a run-off ballot including only the names of
the tied candidates; if a tie still exists, it will be broken by lot. All other
voting shall be by voice vote or standing division unless a secret ballot vote
is requested by the Convention Chair or by 1/3 of the delegates present.
13. Convention tellers shall distribute ballots to each
precinct’s delegation chair. Ballots
shall be distributed only to delegates and upgraded alternates seated under the
rules of this convention. These ballots shall be returned by the precinct
delegation chair to the tellers.
14. No banners or posters will be placed on the convention
platform or in any way obstruct the view of the platform by delegates. All
signs and other materials must comply with the rules of the convention facility. There shall be no disruptive demonstrations
in the galleries. Each delegation will be responsible for collecting materials
and garbage. 15. Incumbent DFL office
holders, declared DFL candidates for public office, and other party dignitaries
may address the convention at the discretion of the Convention Chair. Such
remarks should be limited to two minutes.
ELECTION
OF CITY DELEGATES/ALTERNATES
17. The number of City delegates and alternates to
be elected by the convention appears at the end of the Official Call. The
procedures to be used in the election of delegates and alternates are as
follows:
a. The Convention Chair
shall determine if a contest exists by a show of hands. If no more want to
serve than there are delegate positions, no contest exists and a formal
election will not be held.
b. If a contest exists,
the Walking Subcaucus system will be used, with an initial period of 15 minutes
after nominations are completed to move to the subcaucus of their choice, and
will have an additional period of 10 minutes after the preliminary count is
announced by the Convention Chair to move among the subcaucuses.
ELECTION
OF PARTY OFFICERS
18. Two Co-chairs (of opposing genders), a
Secretary/Treasurer, and an Affirmative Action Officer shall be elected by a
majority vote. Voting will be conducted
by separate ballot for each position. If
none of the nominees for an office receives a majority vote on a ballot, the
nominee with the least number of votes will be dropped on the next ballot,
provided that at least two candidates remain on that ballot.
19. Other
nominations and all seconds shall be made from the floor without speeches.
20. When the convention reconvenes following any
election conducted using proportional representation, the persons elected (with
their ranking, where applicable) shall be reported to the Convention Chair. The
Convention Chair shall insure that each election complies with the requirements
regarding equal division by gender.
SPEECH
AND DEBATE RULES
21. No delegate may speak until recognized by the
Convention Chair. Speakers will first state their name and precinct. No person
may speak more than once on an item of business until all others on that side
who wish to do so have had an opportunity.
22. Unless otherwise provided for in these rules,
no delegate shall speak for more than two minutes on any item. The chair will
rotate speaking privileges among floor microphones and between proponents and
opponents of a measure to the extent possible. Debate will end when three
speakers have been heard on each side.
23. Any motion to reconsider is in order and will require a two-thirds vote.