Here are our 5th District congressional candidates in action at the fun and informative Potter’s Craft Cider event on Feb. 3.
May the best candidate go on to beat Bob Good! Vote and turn the 5th District blue!
Events
Recent Cartoons by Clay Jones
Come meet the Democratic candidates hoping to run against Bob Good!
POSTPONED to Saturday Jan. 13: Reorganization Meeting (with music and food!)
Rescheduled Date/Time: NEXT Saturday January 13 BUT start time moved to 2pm (you will need to arrive before 3pm to vote!). The City closed Carver Rec, we had no choice but to cancel.
Location: Carver Recreation Center, 233 4th Street, NW
Pushed back one week, still a great opportunity for new people with new ideas to get involved!!
Schedule:
- During the 2-3pm registration hour we’ll be chatting with attendees and signing up volunteers. We’ll have light food (fresh apple juice, coffee, and homemade scones) and probably some live acoustic music. Current precinct committee members should arrive early to greet attendees, especially those new to us, and help them find the volunteer signup table(s) that match their interest(s) such as GOTV, event planning, helping with petitions, media, etc.
- At 3pm sharp, the doors close (no one arriving after 3pm will be allowed in) and we switch over to election business (should only take about an hour):
- Attendees who we’ve signed in by 3pm will elect Precinct Representatives, who then choose either a chair or two co-chairs for each precinct. Anyone who lives in and is registered to vote in Charlottesville is eligible to stand for election to become a member of our committee and have a voice in shaping our local party’s actions and positions on issues.
- The Precinct Representatives and ex officio members, who together make up the Charlottesville Democratic Committee (“The Full Committee”), will then elect candidates for the following offices (listed with all candidates who have so far generously offered to run for them):
Co-Chairs: Josh Throneburg and Nancy Damon
Vice-Chair: still seeking candidate(s)
Treasurer: Jason Vandever is willing to stay on
Secretary: still seeking candidate(s)
Note that we have four other positions on the Executive Committee that are appointed, not elected:
Communications: Mary Jane Gore has volunteered to serve.
Voter Registration: Suzanne Michels is willing to stay on,
Voter Protection: Jeremy Jones is willing to stay on.
Fundraising: still seeking candidate(s).
Layperson descriptions of these various offices are on our website; full descriptions of the precinct roles (and officer roles) are in our bylaws.
These “changing of the guard” elections are critically important for every organization, including ours; it’s always important to have fresh faces and new ideas in the leadership mix.
To put it bluntly, we need you! We all know that the 2024 election will be a struggle for the future of this country. If we don’t grow the party (bring in new people with new energy and ideas), we’ll have to live with a re-elected President Trump and more MAGA extremists in all branches of government. If that’s not an acceptable future to you, then please rise to the challenge and play a part!
- If you’re on our mailing list but haven’t ever gotten formally involved, this pivotal election year would be a really good time to give engagement a small try! Two of the ways you might do this (neither a big time commitment):
- become a precinct representative, which gives you a voice in shaping the party, and plugs you into our volunteer network and all the practical ways you can work for good.
- join one of our teams (Communications, Voter Registration, Voter Protection, etc.).
- If you’re already a little bit involved, contribute just a bit more by joining a precinct committee or taking on one of our open leadership positions.
- If you know people who you think could make good contributions to the Cville Dems, encourage them to come check us out (all of our meetings are public, including January 6).
If you’d like more information or have a question about a role you might consider taking, please contact John McLaren as soon as possible at cvilledemschair@gmail.com, and he’ll be happy to explain all.
CALL TO CAUCUS TO REORGANIZE THE CHARLOTTESVILLE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE 2024-2025
CALL TO CAUCUS
TO REORGANIZE THE
CHARLOTTESVILLE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE
2024-2025
The Charlottesville Democratic Committee (“Cville Dems”) will hold an assembled caucus on Saturday, January 6, 2024, from 2:00pm-4:00pm at the Carver Recreation Center, 233 4th Street, NW, Charlottesville, VA 22902, for the sole purpose of electing precinct representatives and alternates to the 2024-2025 Charlottesville Democratic Committee, as authorized by the Charlottesville Democratic Committee Bylaws and the Democratic Party of Virginia Party Plan. The doors at Carver will open at 1:00pm and close at 2:00pm sharp so the caucus can begin (see below).
Please take a moment to go to this Facebook Event listing to indicate that you’ll be attending; we want to get a big turnout from both currently active members and newcomers, so the more RSVPs the better!!
Notice Requirements
The Charlottesville Democratic Committee shall cause to be published the time, date and location of the caucus at least seven (7) days prior to the caucus. All notices shall be published on the Democratic Party of Virginia’s website (www.vademocrats.org) as well as the website of the Charlottesville Democratic Committee (www.cvilledems.org), and a related press release shall be provided to all relevant newspapers of general circulation in the locality of Charlottesville.
Eligibility
Every Democrat who is a registered voter in the City of Charlottesville is urged to attend and participate. If an individual does not appear on the Registered Voter List, they will not be allowed to participate. Participants will also be required to sign a Caucus Participation Form stating that they:
- Are a Democrat;
- Are a registered voter within the City of Charlottesville, and indicating their voting precinct;
- Believe in the principles of the Democratic Party; and
- Do not intend to support any candidates opposed to a Democratic nominee in the next ensuing election.
Membership allocation
The elected membership of the Charlottesville Democratic Committee is allocated among the City’s voting precincts, and the caucus participants from each precinct will elect their precinct’s representatives. The number of positions within each precinct shall be as follows: Key Recreation, 16; Clark, 13; Carver, 8; Venable, 6; Jackson-Via, 13; Johnson, 9; Buford, 8; Charlottesville High School, 17; Walker, 10.
Conduct of the caucus
The doors to the caucus will open at 1:00pm and close at 2:00pm sharp. Upon the closing of the doors, only those participants who have registered, or are in line to register, will be permitted to participate.
The Chair of the Charlottesville Democratic Committee or his designee shall be the Temporary Chair of the Caucus and shall appoint a Temporary Secretary and such other Temporary Officers of the Caucus as is deemed appropriate. Until the adoption of Caucus Rules, the order of the caucus shall be determined by the Chair of the Caucus, subject to the approval of the caucus participants, Robert’s Rules of Order, and the Democratic Party of Virginia Party Plan.
There is no charge to participate in the caucus. Annual dues are expected from those who are elected as precinct representatives or alternates (Bylaws Section 3.07). If payment of dues would cause hardship to a precinct representative or alternate, s/he may request a waiver from the Chair or Co-Chairs, once elected.
Determination of winners
In the event that fewer people stand as candidates for a precinct than the number of positions in that precinct, those candidates shall be declared the winners. If there are more candidates than positions within a precinct, the candidates will be elected by a plurality of the votes of the Democrats from that precinct who are present at the assembled caucus. Vacancies may be filled by the new committee at the first meeting following the election of Officers.
Commitment to diversity
It shall be the duty and goal of all members of the Charlottesville Democratic Committee to seek out and encourage the broadest possible participation within the committee, and in its membership, of all duly qualified citizens without regard to race, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic identity, disability, or economic status.
Officer Elections
Immediately following the adjournment of the assembled caucus, the newly formed Charlottesville Democratic Committee will meet for the sole purpose of electing the officers of the committee. All nominations will be made from the floor of the meeting (Bylaws Section 3.06).
Those interested in participating can contact the party for more information at cvilledemschair@gmail.com.
___________________________________
John McLaren, Chair
Charlottesville Democratic Committee
Looking Ahead to 2024
Election 2023 is over, but an existential 2024 election is almost upon us that will determine whether or not America’s democracy will survive (not to mention action on climate change, abortion rights, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, corrupt Supreme Court Justices, etc.).
Too many Americans, including many Dems, are “looking away”, either unwilling to acknowledge the current reality or hoping others will do the work to keep that from happening. The more people who hold this mindset, the more likely our nightmares will come true.
Decide if you should be one of the people who actively works to preserve our democracy in the coming year. If yes… a good option is to become empowered and energized and activated by becoming more involved with other local Dems in 2024… perhaps by taking a role at the January Reorganization Meeting!?
