Dear Fellow Democrat,
First, let me say “Thank you” for all the hard work you’ve put into building your Kentucky Democratic Party. Few
organizations across the country are blessed with the enthusiastic, hard-working and dedicated supporters who
make up the KDP. As we prepare to reorganize our party, the Kentucky Democratic Party is poised to build on our
past successes and lay the foundation for a strong, unified and winning 2016 and beyond.
Whether you are a life-long activist or new to the political process, I hope you find the information in this brochure
helpful to learn how to become more involved in the KDP. It outlines the convention process at the precinct, county,
state and national levels and how the KDP will reorganize itself.
This manual outlines two separate processes as ways to participate in the Kentucky Democratic Party:
• Reorganization track (Red) - building the precinct, county and state party organization.
• National Convention track (Blue) - becoming a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in July.
If you have questions, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section in the back of the manual or contact
the KDP.
Thank you again for helping to build and strengthen the Kentucky Democratic Party. I look forward to continuing to
work with you to make 2016 a winning year for Kentucky Democrats.
Sincerely,
Sannie Overly
Chair, Kentucky Democratic Party
Using This Manual
Below is a key to the symbols in this book.
= Precinct
= County
= State
Woman
= National
= County/Legislative Caucus
Man
Youth
Red = State Party Leadership Process
- building the precinct, county and state party
organization.
Blue = National Convention Delegate Process
- becoming a delegate to the Democratic National
Convention in July.
1
State Party Leadership Process
Precinct
Convention
April 2nd, 10:00 AM at your local polling place
Eight democrats showed up at their polling
place for their precinct. The election was held,
and the man, woman, and youth elected to the
Precinct Committee are highlighted. They will
attend the County Convention on April 16th.
Precinct
County
State
National
Precinct Committee
Every four years, the Kentucky Democratic Party rebuilds the party from the
neighborhood to the state level. There are several levels of involvement within the
Democratic Party: the Precinct Committee, the County Executive Committee, and
the State Central Executive Committee. Electing members to these committees
is done through a series of conventions held across the Commonwealth. In this
manual, you will see how you can participate in the Democratic Party according to
how much time you can give.
The Precinct Committee is the backbone of the Democratic Party, and first level of
involvement. The Precinct Committee is elected at the Precinct Convention. The
Precinct Committees are made up of one man, one woman, and one youth (35
years or younger) to represent the Democrats in the precinct in a variety of ways
that are detailed in the box to the right. We encourage all registered Democrats in
the precinct to run, nominate, or vote in their precinct conventions.
At the beginning of the Precinct Convention, the Temporary Chairperson (appointed by the current County Chair) will preside over both the reading of the Opening
Statement and the election of the Permanent Chair of the Convention. Once the
Permanent Chair is elected, the Precinct Committee election takes place. After
electing each member of the Precinct Committee, the attendees choose a chair.
The newly elected Precinct Committee Chair then fills out the required paperwork,
and he/she returns it to the Chair of the County Executive Committee within 48
hours.
Roles and
Responsibilities
of Precinct
Committees
The Precinct Leaders are
responsible for:
• Recruit volunteers to help with the
Committee and campaigns
• Participate in the functions of the
Executive Committee
• Electing the Democratic County
Executive Committee at the County
Convention
• Electing Delegates to the State
Convention
• Keeping current records of
Democrats in the precinct
• Distributing communications from
the party
• Elect nominees for the ballot when
there is a vacancy in county officials
• Perform duties as requested by the
County Democratic Executive
Committee
2
State Party Leadership Process
County
Convention
April 16th, 10:00 AM,
TBD by County Chair
County Executive
Committee
Delegates to State
Conventions
Members of all Precinct Committees
meet at the County Convention to elect
the County Executive Committee and
Delegates and Alternates to the Congressional District and State Conventions.
Committee
Precinct
County
State
National
Delegates
County Executive Committee
The County Executive Committee is the next level of involvement in the Party. The
County Executive Committee is responsible for all Democratic functions in their
county. The committee members hold fundraisers, have candidate rallies, work at
booths at local festivals, and maintain other Democratic functions in their county.
The County Executive Committee is elected at the County Convention on April 16th.
The County Convention is held 10:00 am at a location determined by the current
County Chair. The Precinct Committee members elected at the Precinct Conventions meet to elect no less than 10 and no more than 20 Democrats (must be
equally divided by gender and include one person 35 years old or younger) to serve
on the County Democratic Executive Committee. At the beginning of the County
Convention, the Temporary Convention Chair (approved by the County Chair) reads
the Opening Statement and presides over the election for the Permanent Convention Chair. The Permanent Convention Chair presides over the election of the
Executive Committee. A Chair and Vice Chair of the County Executive Committee
are also elected of the opposite sex.
Delegates and Alternates to the Congressional District and State Conventions are
also elected at the County Convention. These delegates attend the Congressional
District and State Conventions to elect members of the State Central Executive
Committee, the governing body of the Kentucky Democratic Party. Any registered
Democrat may attend, participate in and be elected to the County Executive Committee.
Legislative District
Convention
Based on their population size,
Fayette and Jefferson counties will
hold Legislative District Conventions instead of a County Convention. At these conventions,
Precinct Leaders meet to elect one
Chair and one Vice Chair of the LD.
These LD Chairs and Vice Chairs
then make up the County Executive Committee. At a later date,
the Committee meets to elect 18
at-large members of the Committee. These 18 at-large members
are assigned proportionally to the
registered Democrats in each LD.
For more information, please
contact your County Chair.
3
State Party Leadership Process
Congressional District and State Conventions
June 4th, 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, Kentucky Fair and Expo, Louisville, KY
Congressional
District
State Central Executive
Committee
Delegates from each congressional district
meet to elect their members. Two men, two
women, and one youth are chosen to serve on
the State Central Executive Committee.
Committee
Precinct
County
State
National
Leadership Roles in
the Democratic Party
Delegates
State Central Executive Committee
The highest level of volunteer participation in the Democratic Party is the
State Central Executive Committee. It is the governing body of the Kentucky Democratic Party. Members of this committee have jurisdiction over
all functions of the Party, including, but not limited to, management of
campaigns, Kentucky Democratic Party By-Laws, and local Party Organizations.
The delegates elected at the County or LD Convention gather together
with other County Delegates from their congressional district at the
Congressional District Convention to elect members to the State Central
Executive Committee. Each district sends two men, two women, and one
youth to represent their Congressional District on the State Central Executive Committee. These delegates then gather at the State Convention to
elect nine additional At-Large members to represent the entire state, as
well as two members of the Democratic National Committee. The Chair
and Vice-Chair of the Party are ratified by the delegates. This committee
holds its first meeting directly after the Convention is closed.
State Central Executive Committee
Governing Body of the Kentucky
Democratic Party
County Executive Committee
Your local Democratic Party organization
Precinct Committees
Your neighborhood Democratic Party
representatives
National Convention Delegates
Represent Kentucky in the Presidential
Nomination Process and Creation of
National Platform
DNC Committee Persons
Represent Kentucky on the Democratic
National Committee
Electoral College Delegate
Represent Kentucky in the
Presidential Electoral College
4
National Convention Delegate Process
Statement of Candidacy
May 9th by 5:00 PM at Kentucky Democratic Party
At the May Primary, Presidential Candidate A gets 45%,
Presidential Candidate B gets
33%, Presidential Candidate C
gets 19%, and uncommitted
gets 9%. The Kentucky delegation is allocated proportionately to each Presidential
candidate.
Presidential
Candidate A
Presidential
Candidate B
Presidential
Candidate C
Statement of Candidacy
The first step to join the Kentucky Democratic Delegation to the
National Convention is to fill out the Statement of Candidacy in
which you pledge your support to the Presidential Candidate of
your choice. Only those who file their Statement with the Kentucky
Democratic Party by May 9th can run as a delegate. The statement
must be sent by registered mail or hand delivered by the person
seeking to run.
At the State Convention, the delegates are chosen by either their
Congressional District Caucus, the State Convention delegates, or by
the State Central Executive Committee.
The Make-up of the
Kentucky Delegation
to the National
Convention
District Level – 37 delegates
Elected at the Congressional
District Caucus
Unpledged Party Leaders – 6
Appointed by the Democratic
National Committee
Pledged Party Leaders – 6
Elected by the State
Convention
At-Large Delegates –
12 Delegates, 5 Alternates
Elected by the State Central
Executive Committee
Total– 61 Delegates
5
National Convention Delegate Process
County/Legislative District Caucus
May 21st, 10:00 AM, Location TBD by County Chair
Precinct
County
Democrats from the entire county
gather together to elect delegates to
the Congressional District Caucus and
State Convention on June 4th.
State
National
County/
Legislative
Caucus
County/Legislative District Caucus
On May 21st, each county meets to elect delegates to the Congressional District Caucus and State Convention. These delegates are
allocated by the Democratic Registration and Democratic turnout in
the two most recent Presidential Elections.
At this meeting, any Democrat registered by April 16th is allowed
to run, nominate, or vote for delegates. As Democrats enter the
caucus, they will be asked to sign a statement of support for a Presidential candidate or for the uncommitted status. These statements
are available at the Caucus. The Kentucky Democratic Party provides ballots with the names of individuals seeking to be a delegate,
along with which Presidential candidate they pledged to support.
At the Caucus, those present elect delegates to the Congressional
Caucuses and the State Convention according to the allocation by
county or legislative district.
Preserving the
Diversity of the
Democratic Party
To continue the tradition of the
Democratic Party’s commitment to diversity, the Kentucky
Democratic Party has established
goals to achieve a representative
delegation to the National Convention. Through these goals, we
hope to have a Delegation that
represents the minority demographics of the Commonwealth.
Our outreach plan will include
African Americans, Hispanics,
Asian Americans, people with
disabilities, LGBT, and youth. The
Kentucky Democratic Party will
continue outreach and inclusion
programs to promote underrepresented groups in all functions
of the Party.
6
National Convention Delegate Process
Congressional
District Caucus
June 4th, 10:00 AM
Kentucky Fair and Expo Center, Louisville, KY
National
Convention
Delegates from the county caucus meet with other County Caucus
delegates from each congressional district to elect District Level
Delegates based on the allocation below.
Committee
Committee
Electoral College
Precinct
County
State
National
Delegates
Congressional District Caucus
At the Congressional District Caucus, delegates who were elected at the County
Caucus gather to elect the Congressional District delegates to the National
Convention. This year Kentucky has 37, all of whom are elected at the
Congressional District Caucus.
Each Congressional District’s delegate allocation is based on Democratic Votes
in the last Presidential Election and the most recent Gubernatorial Elections. The
allocation breakdown looks like this:
CD
Delegate
1
5
2
6
3
9
4
6
5
4
6
7
Delegates also elect one elector and one alternate to participate in Kentucky’s
Electoral College. These people will meet in December to cast their votes for the
President of the United States.
Those chosen as Electors to the
Electoral College for Kentucky
will meet at the State Capitol in
Frankfort at 11:45 AM on
December 19th to cast their votes
for President and Vice President
of the United States. Kentucky
will elect 2 at-large electors and 2
alternates and 1 Elector and 1
alternate from each
Congressional District to make up
the 8 Electoral votes that
Kentucky has.
7
State Party Leadership Process
National Convention Delegate Process
State
Convention
June 4th, 2:00 PM
Kentucky Fair and Expo Center, Louisville, KY
State Central
Executive Committee
National
Convention
Smith County Delegates from the County Convention and County Caucus meet to
elect the final members of the State Central Executive Committee and Delegates to
the National Convention.
Committee
Committee
Precinct
County
State
National
Delegates
State Convention
The delegates elected at the County Caucus gather at the State Convention to
vote for two At-Large Presidential Electors and two alternates to serve on the Electoral College, and the Pledged Party Leaders and Elected Officials. This happens
while the State Central Executive Committee is also being elected at the State
Convention. Credentials are assigned at registration to clarify which activities
each attendee is participating in.
After all the members of State Central Executive Committee and the Delegates
to the National Convention are elected, the State Convention adjourns. Once the
Convention is dismissed, the newly elected State Central Executive Committee will
meet to elect the at-large members of the Kentucky National Delegation. Those
elected as National Delegates will also be given information about travel, scheduling, and other important details.
Same Time,
Same Place
Every four years the Kentucky
Democratic Party gains new
leadership and delegates are
selected to represent Kentucky
at the National Convention. The
final selection for members of the
State Central Executive Committee and the delegates to the
National Convention happens at
the same time in the same place:
the State Convention. Both the
State Central Executive Committee and the National Convention
delegates are chosen in the same
room at the State Convention,
but through separate election
processes. Attendees at the State
Convention are assigned credentials to separate the two groups,
thus making it clear in which
election each person votes.
8
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I show up to the Precinct Convention and no
one is there or the doors are locked?
Why are there County Conventions and County
Caucuses?
Do not leave. Most of the time, polling places will be
closed on Saturday, so just stay there and wait to see if
anyone else shows up. Many conventions will be held on
the steps of buildings, or in the parking lots of schools,
county court houses, or fire stations. If you don’t have
the official paper work from the Kentucky Democratic
Party, simply contact your County Party Chair (information available online at www.kydemocrat.com) or call the
KDP Headquarters (502-695-4828) and we will make sure
that you have the information you need to participate.
Conventions and Caucuses serve two different functions.
Conventions are held as part of the reorganization of
the Party. The Precinct Conventions (April 2nd), County
Conventions (April 16th), and Congressional/State Conventions/Caucuses (June 4th) all serve as ways to build our
party from the grassroots up. The County Caucus selects
the people who will elect the Kentucky Delegation to the
National Convention. While the purpose is similar, Conventions and Caucuses serve a different role. Remember:
Conventions=Party Reorganization, Caucuses=National
Convention Delegate Selection.
What if I’m elected only as a delegate at the County
Convention?
Can I do both?
Only those who are elected at the County Conventions
will vote for the State Central Executive Committee,
and only those elected at the County Caucus will vote
for Delegates to the national Convention. Each set of
delegations will have different credentials to ensure that
they are voting on their proper track. It is permissable to
be elected a delegate to both.
Of course! In fact, many people are County Chairs, State
Central Executive Committee members, and have attended
the National Convention before. Many of the delegates
will cross over, because of their involvement with the process. Run for as much as you can, or as little as you want.
How do I become a Delegate to the National
Convention?
Who do I call if I have more questions?
Any registered Democrat in the Commonwealth of
Kentucky can file to run as a delegate. Your first step is
to file the Statement of Candidacy with the Kentucky
Democratic Party by May 9th, and remember to pledge
for a candidate. Without pledging, you will be unable to
run. The next step is getting to know other Democrats
in your area. Don’t forget, this is a campaign. For more
information, please see the Democratic National Convention Committees website, www.demconvention.com.
Your local County Democratic Party Chair is your first stop.
For a contact list of current County Chairs, please visit the
KDP website at www.kydemocrat.com. If you still have
questions, please contact KDP Headquarters in Frankfort
at (502) 695-4828.
If I’m elected as a Delegate to the National
Convention, who pays?
Any person who is elected to the National Convention
needs to understand that he or she will be responsible for
their flight and hotel expenses. The Kentucky Democratic
Party will be responsible for making arrangements for local transportation, hotel rooms, and other amenities, but
those elected will be responsible for the payment of the
flight, hotel room, and extracurricular activities.
9
Paid for by The Kentucky Democratic Party
190 Democrat Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 695-4828