Additional Clarity of Who Can Vote on Nominations during DFL Caucus Night
In March of 2020, the Covid pandemic changed how meetings were held, including political gatherings. In 2020, the Minnesota DFL under Chair Ken Martin held ballot-only online conventions. In 2021, the Minneapolis DFL under Chair Devin Hogan held an online caucus system that included a series of forms. In 2022 and 2023, there were a mixture of online forms and in-person meetings. That period has ended, and this post seeks to clarify the current rules position that reverted to February 2020.
In August of 2023, the Minnesota DFL State Central Committee passed a bylaw and a new 2024-2025 Official Call that ends the Covid-era allowances for voting virtually, both with forms and by video meeting. Persons who are not in attendance to DFL Caucus Night on Tuesday, April 8 do not vote in any way, nor are they counted for purposes of delegate allocation in a Walking Subcaucus. (Official Call, Page 4)
Let’s break down what that means for expected common scenarios as a series of frequently asked questions.
What is a nomination?
A nomination is putting forward the name of somebody, including yourself, to be elected to a position. Positions elected on DFL Caucus Night include the Caucus Chair to run the meeting for that night, Ward Delegate (and Alternate), and City Delegate (and Alternate). A nomination is not a vote, and it does not count towards proportional representation (which is a voting power). All letter nominations (online and paper nonattendee forms) have no voting power. Only in-person attendees can vote on all nominations.
When is there a contest for delegates?
The Caucus Chair will ask for a show of hands for in-person attendees who want to be delegates or alternates, respectively. The Caucus Chair will also review the letter nominations (online and paper nonattendee forms), which are automatically nominated. If there are more nominees for a given delegation of delegates (Ward or City) than seats available, then there is a contest and the in-person attendees will vote on those nominations as they see fit. This can be a simple motion to elect certain nominees, a plurality vote, or a Walking Subcaucus. (Official Call, Page 4)
When do we use the Walking Subcaucus?
Remember that in-person attendees are the only individuals that can vote on DFL Caucus Night or count towards proportional representation. If the in-person attendees are in agreement on a delegation, then that is what is elected. If a share of in-person attendees that is proportional to electing at least one delegate wish to use proportional representation, then the Walking Subcaucus must be used.
For example, let’s say there are 20 Ward Delegate seats and five in-person attendees. If one in-person attendee wants proportional representation, then they could nominate a subcaucus for their candidate or issue and elect four Ward Delegates and four Ward Alternates. They would likely include themselves and then vote from the letter nominations (online and paper nonattendee forms). The other four in-person attendees could also form their own subcaucus and elect up to 16 Ward Delegates and 16 Ward Alternates.
What is the best way to make my voice heard in the DFL?
We recommend that you do three things to best make your voice heard with the current Minnesota DFL rules that we opposed for their lack of accessibility.
Complete the Online Nonattendee Form by Saturday, April 5 at 7:00 pm. This will save your information for better communication later.
Put your DFL Caucus Night meeting and all notes into a calendar event for your Ward and Precinct. Locations are available online.
Arrive by 6:30 pm in-person at your DFL Caucus Night location. Stay for the meeting and vote for yourself to be a Delegate for the future Conventions you want to go to.
Thank you for your understanding, and please refer to the 2024-2025 Minnesota DFL Official Call for technical questions on rules.