Democrats to Elect Delegates to 2009 State Convention - David Plouffe, Keynote Speaker

One great way to have a say in the Massachusetts Democratic Party and network with progressives around the state is to become a delegate to the 2009 State Democratic Convention. Below are more details on the Cambridge and Somerville caucuses to elect delegates and the
convention itself.

The Cambridge caucuses to elect delegates to the 2009 State Convention in Springfield will be held on Saturday, January 31 at 10 am (sharp), with the exception of Ward 6. The caucuses will be located at the Peabody School (formerly, the Fitzgerald) at 70 Rindge Ave. in North Cambridge. Ward 6 will hold its caucus on Sunday, February 8, at 1:30 pm (sharp) at Youville Hospital. Each Ward will elect delegates to the Convention separately. Delegates will be divided equally between men and women. For more information, please contact KD Mernin (kd.mernin@comcast.net).

The Somerville caucuses to elect delegates to the 2009 State Convention in Springfield will be held on Thursday, February 5th at 7pm with the exception of Ward Five which will be at 8:00 p.m.at the same location. The caucuses will be located at the Argenziano School on Washington Street. Each Ward will elect delegates to the Convention separately. For more information, please contact Ward Chairs.

The state convention in June formally approves the party's policy platform. It is a great place to network with progressives, and see the state's present and possibly future leadership (e.g., Deval
Patrick gave a smashing debut speech there in 2005). David Plouffe, campaign manager for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, will be the keynote speaker. According to Party Chairman John Walsh, "David will share the insights he garnered during the campaign and his vision for where we need to go as a party to build on those successes." If you haven't been to a convention, going this year is a good way to prepare for the nominating convention for state-wide offices in 2010.

Any Democrat, registered as such by December 31, can vote at their local caucus to select delegates, and can run for delegate. In years where nominations are not at stake, like this one, caucuses are generally low-key and often every one in a ward who wants to be a delegate can be one. If you can't attend the caucus, but want to be a delegate, you should contact the city or ward chair to hear about your options. Sometimes people who can't attend can be selected anyway, and those not elected as Delegate and/or Alternate, who meet the qualifications, may apply to be add-on delegates in the following categories: youth, minority, and disabled.

If you don't know which ward you live in, click on this site:
http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php.