CHARLOTTESVILLE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE
CALL TO CAUCUS
TO ELECT DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES
TO THE FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT AND STATE CONVENTIONS
Pursuant to the authority provided by the Democratic Party of Virginia Party Plan (“Party Plan”), the Charlottesville Democratic Committee hereby calls an assembled Caucus to be held at 7:30 P.M. on Monday, April 22, 2024, in the Swanson Case Room at the Central Library, 201 East Market Street, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902.
1. Incorporated Documents. All appropriate provisions of the Party Plan, the Virginia Delegate Selection Plan for the 2024 Democratic National Convention (“Selection Plan”), the Democratic Party of Virginia 2024 Call to Convention (“State Call”) and the Call to Convention issued by the Fifth Congressional District Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia on March 28, 2024 (“District Call”), are incorporated into this Call to Caucus by reference and made a part hereof.
2. Purpose. The sole purpose of the assembled Caucus shall be to elect fourteen (14) delegates and three (3) alternates. Delegates and alternates will be elected to attend both (A) the Fifth Congressional District Democratic Convention, to be held at Fluvanna County High School, 1918 Thomas Jefferson Highway (Va. Route 53), Palmyra, Virginia 22963, at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, May 18, 2024 (“District Convention”), and (B) the 2024 State Convention of the Democratic Party of Virginia, to be held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 North Third Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, June 22, 2024 (“State Convention”). Alternates will be those persons with the next highest number of votes after the persons with the highest number of votes have been elected as delegates.
3. Notice, Participation and Outreach. The Charlottesville Democratic Committee shall cause to be published the time, date and location of the Caucus and the prefiling procedures and deadline at least seven (7) days prior to the prefiling deadline for candidates for delegate or alternate, but not more than two (2) weeks before the prefiling deadline. All notices shall be provided to the Democratic Party of Virginia to be published on its website (www.vademocrats.org). All notices shall be published on the Charlottesville Democratic Committee’s website (www.cvilledems.org), and a related press release will be sent to all relevant news organizations in the City of Charlottesville.
Participation in Virginia’s Democratic delegate selection process is open to all registered voters who wish to participate as Democrats. All meetings shall be open to all members of the Democratic Party regardless of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, economic status, or disability, and all meetings should be publicized fully.
Each District and local committee should conduct outreach programs to encourage full participation by all Democrats in the delegate nomination process, including notice, publicity and education programs. Such outreach should be directed to all Democratic constituencies, including group such as ethnic minorities, young people, persons over 65 years of age, LGBTQ+ persons, persons with a high school education or less, persons with disabilities and persons of low and moderate income.
4. Pre-filing. Any Democrat wishing to be a delegate or an alternate from the City of Charlottesville to the District Convention and the State Convention must pre-file electronically by submitting the 2024 State Delegate and Alternate Filing Form (available at https://vademocrats.org/2024-state-delegate-and-alternate-filing-form/). The pre-filing deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 15, 2024. Only those persons who have pre-filed by the deadline will appear as delegate or alternate candidates on the ballots distributed at the caucus. If no more than seventeen (17) persons have pre-filed to be elected as delegates or alternates, those who have pre-filed will be deemed to have been elected, and the Caucus shall be cancelled.
5. Declaration. All candidates for delegate or alternate, and all persons participating in the Caucus, shall sign a declaration form before entering the Caucus which includes an affirmation that the person is a resident of, and registered to vote in, the City of Charlottesville; 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.
6. Registration and Conduct of the Caucus. The doors to the Caucus will open at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, April 22, 2024. Registration will occur between 7:00 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. The doors to the Caucus room will be closed at 7:30 P.M. and no further persons will be permitted to enter (those in line to register at 7:30 P.M. will be permitted to complete the registration process and participate in the Caucus).
A co-Chair of the Charlottesville Democratic Committee, or their designee, shall be the Temporary Chair of the Caucus, and the Charlottesville Democratic Committee’s Secretary shall be the Temporary Secretary. Once the Caucus has elected a permanent Chair, and the permanent Chair has appointed a permanent Secretary of the Caucus, Temporary Rules will be presented to the Caucus for consideration and adoption. Until the adoption of the Caucus Rules, the order of the Caucus shall be determined by the Chair of the Caucus, subject to any requirements of the Party Plan and the approval of the Caucus participants. Robert’s Rules of Order may be used as necessary prior to the adoption of the Rules and as a supplement to the Rules once adopted.
8. Filing Fee. The Democratic Party of Virginia has requested a voluntary administrative fee of $10.00 in the State Call to Convention for each candidate for Delegate and Alternate. The Fifth District Committee has requested an additional $5.00 voluntary administrative fee in the District Call to be used for convention expenses. All delegates and alternates are asked to pay $15.00. 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.
9. Certification of Delegates. Within three days after the Caucus, the Charlottesville Democratic Committee co-Chairs shall provide a certified list of the names of all delegates and alternates to the Chair of the Fifth District Committee, Patricia Harper-Tunley, via email at 5thcdchair.vadems@gmail.com, and to DPVA at political@vademocrats.org, as specified in the District Call.
Authorized by the Charlottesville Dems Executive Committee, March 25, 2024.
/s Nancy Coble Damon/
Co-Chair, Charlottesville Democratic Committee
/s Josh Throneburg /
Co-Chair, Charlottesville Democratic Committee
