A Klickitat County Delegate to DNC Convention?
This update will mostly focus on the process of selecting delegates to both the state and national Democratic Conventions. But before we get to that, here are a couple of announcements:
KCDP Quarterly Meeting: Meet Amanda Holtman Kitchings, a fabulous candidate who's running as an Independent for the Klickitat County Board of Commissioners Position #1. We think highly of Amanda and are grateful for her decision to run. We think you'll agree! This "potluck" event will begin at 6 p.m. at the High Prairie Fire Hall and Community Center, 701 Struck Road, Lyle.
Drinking Democratically: Our west county monthly event will take place 6:30 p.m. next Thursday, Feb. 22, at Ayutlense Mexican Restaurant in Bingen. We had a fine turnout at our DD last month and look forward to seeing folks this month, too. All you have to do is show up.
Swing Left Columbia Gorge Letter Writing Campaign: The good people at Swing Left Columbia Gorge are once again writing letters to get out the vote. This effort will focus on writing to individuals who can vote in especially crucial elections throughout the country. Starting in early March, they will be holding in-person letter-writing gatherings and distributing packets of addresses to those who prefer to write at home. This is an easy, practical way to make a difference in a crucial election and build community while you're at it. For more information or to sign up, email Sarah Bellinson sbellinson@gmail.com. Thanks to the Columbia Gorge Women's Action Network for allowing us to share this "Action Alert" item.
Bills in Legislature: The Washington State Democrats Advocacy Committee encourages voters to lobby their state representatives and senator on seven particular bills concerning the environment and climate change, universal healthcare, affordable and attainable housing, and increasing voter participation. To learn what those bills are, click here. To access the Legislature's "Bill Information" website, click here.
August 19-22
WA State will send 111 delegates to DNC Convention. You could be one of them.
It has happened before, and it could happen again. Klickitat County has been represented at least once in recent years at the DNC Convention. There are several steps in that journey. If you're a member of the Klickitat County Democratic Party, you can play a role in selecting state-level delegates. Whether or not you're a member of the KCDP, you can file to run to be a delegate as long as you identify as a Democrat.
Here's how the process will play out.
Jan. 5-March 31: If you're interested in being a delegate to represent our Legislative District, the window for filing to become a delegate is open now. The deadline for filing is March 31. You can learn more about how to file, what you'll do as a delegate, and participate in an optional delegate candidate training. Learn more on the WA State Democrats' webpage, "Run for Delegate."
Saturday, April 6: All Democratic members within our Legislative District are eligible (and encouraged!) to participate in the election of our LD Delegates. This event will take place at 10 a.m. online and will be coordinated by state party officials, so that the process is consistent and fair across all 49 LDs in our state. If you're a member of the Klickitat County Democrats, you're also a member of our Legislative District. That means you can vote in the LD Delegate election. (You can learn how to be a member by reading the Membership Sign-up information in the light blue box later in this email.)
April 12-May 12: Filing period for LD Delegates to file to run to be a national delegate.
May 18: Election of 60 WA State National Delegates. These 60 national delegate positions are allotted by Congressional District. We're in CD 4, which is allotted 3 of those 60 delegate slots. LD Delegates will be the ones who will vote, and the process will take place virtually.
May 23-June 2: Filing period for individuals to file to run to be an "at-large" delegate to the DNC Convention.
June 9: Election of 20 at-large DNC Delegates. The voters will be members of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC), a group that includes the Klickitat County Democrats' two State Committee Representatives. This vote will take place virtually.
June 22: Washington State Democrats Convention. All LD delegates will participate in this "hybrid" event. A hybrid event means that delegates can participate in person or online. Delegates to the state convention will nominate the Party’s candidates for Governor and other statewide offices, approve the State Party’s official platform, and conduct other Party business.
August 19-22: DNC Convention in Chicago
Our Legislative District has been allotted 20 state delegate slots. The state delegate selection process has strong Affirmative Action goals. Any Democrat is welcome to file to run as a delegate. With the goal of electing an LD Delegation that reflects our population demographics, we're especially seeking members from the following communities: Younger Voters (35 & younger), LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, Native American, Black, and Latino/Hispanic.
Eighty of the state's 111 national delegates are open to anyone who identifies as a Democrat. The remaining 31 positions are allotted as follows: 19 are "Automatic Unpledged" Delegates, reserved for our existing DNC members and holders of major political offices, such as governor and senator; 12 are "Party Leader and Elected Official" positions, who'll be elected by WSDCC members on June 9 during the same session when the 20 "at-large" delegates will be elected.
We'd love to see Klickitat County Democrats "throw their hats in the ring" to run as state delegates and even as national delegates. If you're interested in learning more, check out the "Run for Delegate" link; you are also very welcome to reply to this email to chat about this possibility.
Lots of you have already paid or renewed your membership--bravo! If you haven't done so yet, click this link to find out the different ways you can join or renew. We rely almost exclusively on membership dues and the additional donations that many of you make to carry out the work that we do. However, if your financial situation prevents you from paying for a membership, let us know, and we'll place you on our membership roll, grateful to have you on board. Thank you!
Upcoming Events
Drinking Democratically: The west county Drinking Democratically gathering will take place 6:30 p.m. Thusday, Feb. 22, at Ayutlense Mexican Restaurant in Bingen. These events are fun occasions to have a meal and discuss local and national political developments.
Tuesday County Commissioners Meetings: The Commissioners meet on Tuesday mornings at 9 a.m. at the Klickitat County Services Building, 115 West Court, Room #201, in Goldendale. They're accessible via Zoom on this link. Public commentary takes place at the beginning of the meeting. For meeting agendas, click here.
KCDP Quarterly Membership Meeting: 6 p.m. March 4, at the High Prairie Fire Hall and Community Center, 701 Struck Road, north of Lyle.