Call To Caucus To Elect Delegates & Alternates To The 5th District And State Conventions

The Albemarle County Democratic Committee (ACDC) will hold an assembled caucus on Monday, April 22, 2024, from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Fifth Street Albemarle County Office Building located at 1600 Fifth Street, Charlottesville, for the purpose of electing delegates and alternates to the VA-5 District Convention and the Virginia Democratic State Convention.

I. Candidate Filing:

A. Each person seeking to become a delegate to the VA-5 and State Conventions must file an electronic Declaration of Candidacy form by no later than 5:00 PM on April 15, 2024. This declaration form shall include the Presidential Candidate this delegate seeks to represent. (Based on the results of the March 5th, 2024, primary, the only Presidential Candidate entitled to delegates is Joseph R. Biden.) The Declaration of Candidacy form is available here: https://vademocrats.org/2024-state-delegate-and-alternate-filing-form/

B. Only those delegate or alternate candidates who have properly filed by 5:00 PM on April 15, 2024, shall be listed on the official ballot and be eligible for election.

C. Any delegate candidate who makes false or misleading statements on the delegate/alternate Candidate Filing Form may be ruled ineligible for election by the Chair.

D. The Chair or his designated representative shall make available for public inspection, upon request, the lists of properly filed delegate candidates.

E. The Democratic Party of Virginia has requested a voluntary administrative fee of $10.00 in the 2024 DPVA Call to Convention for each candidate for State Delegate and Alternate. The Fifth District Committee requests an additional $5.00 voluntary administrative fee to be used for convention expenses. Local county or city committees may request an additional fee of no more than $10.00, so the maximum total voluntary administrative fee is $25.00. No person shall be denied the right to participate in the delegate selection process due to nonpayment of the voluntary administrative fee. This fee is voluntary; no person shall be denied the right to participate in the delegate selection process due to nonpayment of the voluntary administrative fee. The fee can be paid by check payable to the Albemarle County Democratic Committee, P.O. Box 5698, Charlottesville, VA 22905.

F. If a candidate wishes to withdraw from consideration by the caucus participants, he or she must notify the Chair in writing by 5:00 PM on Monday, April 15, 2024. A candidate who has timely filed for delegate may change to become a candidate for alternate, or vice versa, by notifying the Chair in writing by 5:00 PM on Monday, April 15, 2024. Caucus officials are authorized to solicit such withdrawals or shift between delegate and alternate candidacy. A list of those candidates that have withdrawn will be posted in a prominent place at the caucus location.

II. Candidate Qualification

A. In order to certify the eligibility of a candidate for election, the Chair shall ascertain that each prospective candidate:

  • Is a resident of and registered to vote in the County of Albemarle, Virginia;
  • Is a Democrat;
  • Does not intend to support, endorse, or assist any candidate who is opposed to a Democratic nominee or endorsee in the November 2024 election;
  • is not a member of any other political party; and
  • has not participated and will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the November 2024 election.

B. Only candidates committed to the nomination of the Democratic candidate for President of the United States may serve as Delegates or Alternates.

C. Candidates for delegate or alternate may run for election only within the district in which they are registered to vote.

III. Notice

The Albemarle County Democratic Committee shall provide notice of this caucus by placement of a general notice of the caucus, including noticing the caucus date, time, and location, along with the Call to Caucus, on the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Albemarle County Democratic Committee websites; by email notification to the members of the Albemarle County Democrats who reside in Albemarle County; and through other reasonable means that will disseminate information about the caucus to registered voters in Albemarle County. In addition, reasonable actions shall be taken to promote participation in the caucus in accordance with the Affirmative Action provisions of the Party Plan of the DPVA.

IV. Participation:

Every Democrat who is a registered voter in Albemarle County is urged to attend and participate. Each participant must sign a written declaration that he or she:

  • Is a Democrat and not a member of any other political party;
  • Does not intend to support any candidate who is opposed to a Democratic nominee in this General Election;
  • Has not participated in and will not participate in the nominating process of any other party for the positions listed above; and
  • Is registered to vote in the County of Albemarle.

V. Conduct of Caucus

Voting will begin at 7:30 PM and will close at 8:30 PM. Doors will open at 7:00 PM. Those in line at 7:30 PM will be permitted to vote.

The Chair of the Albemarle County Democratic Committee, or his or her designee, shall be the Chair of the Caucus and shall appoint a Secretary and such other Officers of the Caucus as is deemed appropriate. The Albemarle County Democratic Committee will prepare the Rules for the Caucus.

IV. Determination of the Delegates

A. If the number of pre-filed candidates for delegate/alternate is greater than 31 delegates and 8 alternates for the 5th Congressional District, an election shall be held.

B. The 31 names with the highest number of votes for delegates supporting Joseph R. Biden shall be declared the delegates to the 5th District Convention, and the 8 names with the next-highest number of votes will be elected alternates to the 5th Congressional District and State Convention.

C. All eligible delegate candidates shall be listed in alphabetical order on each ballot. The names shall be numbered to facilitate their location on each ballot, and instructions shall indicate the proper method of ballot marking. Separate sections of the ballot shall be used for delegate candidates and for alternate candidates.

D. If the number of candidates for delegate and alternate is equal to or fewer than the total allocated to Albemarle County, the Chair shall cancel the caucus and those delegate and alternate candidates who have filed shall be deemed to be elected by the caucus.

The rules for the Virginia Democratic Party Selection of Delegates can be found here.

Filing forms for delegate candidates and caucus attendees will be found here.

Bruce Kirtley, Chair

Albemarle County Democratic Committee

 

ALBERMARLE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

TEMPORARY RULES

April 22, 2024

The ALBEMARLE COUNTY Democratic Committee Caucus will be held on Monday, April 22, 2024 at the 5th Street County Office Building, 1600 Fifth St., Charlottesville, VA at  7:00 PM. The sole purpose of the Caucus will be to select [31] delegates and [8] alternates to the Fifth District Democratic Committee Convention on May 18, 2024, and the State convention on June 22, 2024.

The Caucus will be called to order by the Chair of the ALBEMARLE COUNTY Democratic Committee who shall serve as Caucus Chair.

II. ORDER OF BUSINESS

  • Call to Order
  • Introduction of Temporary Chair and Secretary
  • Election of Permanent Chair and Permanent Secretary
  • Election of [31] Delegates and [8] Alternates to the 5th District Convention
  • Adjournment

III.       QUALIFICATIONS TO PARTICIPATE

All persons participating in the Caucus shall sign a Declaration form which includes an affirmation that the person is a resident of, and registered to vote in, Albemarle County; does not intend to support any candidate who is opposed to the Democratic nominee in the next ensuing general election; is a Democrat; is not a member of any other political party; and has not participated and will not participate in the nominating process of any other political party for the 2024 General Election.

IV. ELECTION OF DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES

Any Democrat wishing to be a delegate to the District Conventions and State Convention must file an electronic delegate prefiling form available online at https://vademocrats.org/2024-state-delegate-and-alternate-filing-form/ for Albemarle County Democratic Committee no later than 5:00 PM on April 15, 2024.

V. BALLOT OF DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES

The Committee Chair shall have prepared a ballot listing all persons who pre-filed to be delegates or alternates to the Fifth Congressional District Conventions in alphabetical order. The names shall be numbered to facilitate their location on each ballot, and instructions shall indicate the proper method of ballot marking. Each caucus participant may vote for up to, but no more than, [31] delegates and [8] alternates for the 5th District Convention.

If a ballot has votes cast for more than the number of delegates specified in the preceding paragraph, none of the votes for delegate will be counted. If a ballot has votes cast for more than the number of alternates specified in the preceding paragraph, none of the votes for alternates will be counted. If a ballot has been cast for a slate, and contains votes cast for individuals, that ballot will not be counted at all.

Alternates shall be selected as the next highest vote-getter for each pledged candidate.

  1. Example: if you are allotted 5 delegates and 1 alternate your 5 top-voter getters will be deemed elected delegates and the next highest vote-getter will be deemed elected alternate.

The Head Teller and assistant tellers shall count the ballots and shall report the results to the Secretary. There shall be only one ballot. Any ties shall be broken by chance, in a method determined by the Chair.

VI. Certification of District Delegates. Within three days after the caucus, the Albemarle County Democratic Chair shall confirm names of delegates and alternates with the Chair of the Fifth District Committee, Patricia Harper-Tunley, via email at 5thcdchair.vadems@gmail.com and DPVA.

VII.     MISCELLANEOUS RULES

A. The Secretary or designee of the Albemarle County Democratic Committee shall serve as the Secretary of the Caucus and shall maintain a formal record of the proceedings. The Permanent Chair shall appoint a Parliamentarian, a Sergeant-at-Arms, a Head Teller, and assistant tellers and fill any other positions deemed necessary. It shall be the responsibility of the Chair to conduct and expedite the business of the Caucus, and to preserve order and decorum. Each participant is called upon and directed to assist in completing the business of the Caucus in an orderly and timely manner.

B. At the sign-in table, the participants will receive and must complete and sign a Democratic Caucus Participation Form provided by the Chair or his designee.

C. Any individual who is registered to vote in Albemarle shall be permitted to cast a vote. Each participant shall be checked against the Democratic voter file. If an individual is not listed in the Democratic voter file, or does not possess a certificate of voting eligibility from the Registrar, a caucus official will ask the voter to confirm their registration on the Virginia Department of Elections website (https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation).

D. After participants have completed the declaration form and submitted it to the ballot official, they shall be given a ballot for their Presidential candidate of preference which they may fill out in a designated location to vote that is in view of other Caucus participants, but that affords ballot confidentiality.

E. Upon completion of voting, participants shall place their completed ballot in the ballot box, which shall always be attended by a caucus official.

F. A candidate may observe the caucus proceedings if the Chair (or his designee) in his sole discretion, determines that such observation will not be unduly disruptive. Members of the media may observe the meeting only at the discretion of the Chair, and under such restrictions as he sets forth. Observers of any type shall not be allowed to interfere with the voting process or the privacy of individual votes.

G. No person may linger in the caucus room who is not waiting in line to vote or in the process of checking in or voting. Once a person has voted, he or she should leave the caucus voting area and need not stay for the duration of voting in order for his or her vote to be counted.

H. At 7:15 p.m., the Chair or his designee will announce that the doors will be closed at 7:30 p.m. All persons in line at the entrance doors at 7:30 p.m. shall be allowed to vote.

I. Except as set forth in these rules, the Caucus shall be governed by the Virginia Democratic Party Plan, as amended, and Robert’s Rules of Order.