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Delegate Selection to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
45th Democratic National Convention ~ August 25-28, 2008 ~ Denver, Colorado
Click here for a listing of the full Florida delegation to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
OVERVIEW
On May 17, the Florida Democratic Party completed the election of the state's delegates as prescribed by our Delegate Selection & Affirmative Action Plan for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The "first determining step" of Florida's delegate selection process was on Tuesday, January 29, 2008, with a "binding" Presidential Preference Primary.
Participation in Florida's delegate selection process was open to all voters who wished to participate as Democrats and were registered as a Democratic voter no later than Monday, December 31, 2007. Florida is a closed primary state.
Accordingly, Florida Democrats instituted the Plan and elected one of the nation's most diverse National Convention delegations, broadly representative of our state. The delegation, which is comprised of elected officials, Party leaders, Democratic activists, and labor and minority-group advocates, is the most diverse and truly representative in the history of this state.
Record numbers of Democratic voters qualified to run for delegate at the Congressional District, At Large and PLEO levels. For many delegate candidates, this was their first time getting involved in the Democratic Party.
Not only did Florida see record numbers of applicants, voters in our Congressional District caucuses also showed up in droves. More than 6,000 of the state's Democrats participated in our District Level caucus elections on March 1, 2008 -- on average 242 Democrats in each District, many of whom were first-time caucus goers.
In order to encourage full participation by all Democrats in the delegate selection process and in all Party affairs, the Florida Democratic Party adopted and implemented programs with specific goals and timetables for African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Americans and women. Additionally, in order to achieve full participation from other groups that may be under-represented in Party affairs, including members of the GLBT community, people with disabilities, military veterans and youth, the Florida Democratic Party adopted and implemented Inclusion Programs. Our Affirmative Action Committee for Delegate Selection, which included Democrats representing all constituency groups and all geographic locations around the state, worked tirelessly to mobilize and educate their communities on the selection process. Their hard work and dedication paid off. In 2008, the Party achieved a diverse pool of applicants at all levels of the process.
Pledged Delegate Allocation *determined by January 29 Florida Democratic Presidential Preference Primary Results
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DISTRICT-LEVEL DELEGATES
Florida is allocated 121 district-level delegates and 25 district-level alternates.
District-level delegates and alternates have been allocated to presidential preferences through a proportional representation system based on a Presidential Preference Primary (within that Congressional District).
All district-level delegates and alternates are identified as to their presidential preference. These delegates and alternates were elected in post-primary congressional district caucuses on Saturday, March 1, 2008.
The District-Level delegates and alternates are apportioned to districts as indicated in the following chart: Click Here
AT-LARGE DELEGATES
Florida is allotted 40 at-large delegates and 6 at-large alternates. At-large delegates and alternates have been allocated to presidential preferences through a proportional representation system based on a Presidential Preference Primary (statewide results).
Senator Hillary Clinton - 24 At-Large Delegates, 3 At-Large Alternates
Senator John Edwards - 1 At-Large Alternate
Senator Barack Obama - 16 At-Large Delegates, 2 At-Large Alternates
All at-large delegates and alternates are identified as to their presidential preference. The Florida Democratic Party State Executive Committee selected these delegates and alternates on Saturday, May 17, 2008.
PLEDGED PARTY LEADERS (PLEO)
Florida is allotted 24 pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) delegates.
Senator Hillary Clinton: 14 PLEO Delegates
Senator Barack Obama: 10 PLEO Delegates
Individuals were eligible for the pledged Party Leader and Elected Official delegate positions according to the following priority: big city mayors and state-wide elected officials (to be given equal consideration); state legislative leaders, state legislators, and other state, county and local elected officials and party leaders.
Pledged PLEO delegates are identified as to their presidential preference. The Florida Democratic Party State Executive Committee selected these delegates on Saturday, April 5, 2008.
UNPLEDGED ADD-ON DELEGATES
Florida has three (3) unpledged add-on delegates.
Individuals were nominated for these positions by the Chair of Florida Democratic Party and confirmed by the Florida Democratic Party State Executive Committee on Saturday, April 5, 2008.
AUTOMATIC DELEGATES - UNPLEDGED PARTY LEADERS & ELECTED OFFICIALS
Florida has 23 automatic delegates.
Automatic delegates include Florida's members of the Democratic National Committee and Florida Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
CONVENTION STANDING COMMITTEES
Florida has been allocated eight (8) members on each of the three standing committees for the 2008 Democratic National Convention for a total of 24 members. The committees are Credentials, Platform and Rules.
The allocation per presidential candidate is as follows:
Senator Hillary Clinton: 14 Committee Members
Senator Barack Obama: 10 Committee Members
The presidential candidates will nominate such candidates to serve on the Convention Standing Committees. The members of the standing committees shall be approved by a quorum of Florida's National Convention delegates.
Approval of committee members will occur on Saturday, June 14, 2008.
DELEGATION CHAIR & PAGES
Florida is allotted one (1) Delegation Chair and five (5) individuals to serve as Florida's Convention Pages.
The Delegation Chair will be selected by a quorum of Florida's National Convention Delegates. Convention Pages will be selected by the Chair of the Florida Democratic Party in consultation with the members of the Democratic National Committee from the state.
The selection of the Delegation Chair and the Convention pages will take place on Saturday, June 14, 2008.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the role of a delegate? Delegates at the national convention represent their state, their congressional district and their community in casting a vote to decide who the Democratic nominee will be. This convention may be historic with the possibility of nominating a woman or an African American for the first time in history!
Do both delegates and alternates go to Denver? Yes. But only delegates are able to cast their official vote in the nominating process.
Did the presidential candidates have to do anything to ensure the diversity goals of the delegation were met? Yes. By September 14, 2007, all Democratic candidates for president must have submitted a written statement to the Florida Democratic Party indicating the specific steps their respective campaign were to take to encourage full participation in Florida's delegate selection process.
What is the difference between district-level delegates and at-large delegates? While District Level Delegates are apportioned to Presidential candidates through the results of the January 29th Primary within that Congressional District (and only to those presidential candidates that received a minimum of 15% in that District), At-Large Delegates are apportioned to Presidential candidates through the statewide results of the Primary (and only to those presidential candidates that received a minimum of 15% statewide). While Senator John Edwards reached 15% of the vote in some Congressional Districts therefore receiving delegates at the district level, he did not receive the 15% needed statewide to receive At-Large delegates.
For more information, please visit:
www.demconvention.com
www.denverdnc2008.com
www.denverconvention2008.com (unofficial)