The Art of the Sub Caucus - DFL Only
Good government and good politics are created by those who show up! The DFL has the policy of representing proportionally instead of representing by winner-take-all in selecting delegates. In winner-take-all strategy, the 51% and up majority can basically push out the minority voice, so that at upper level conventions, there is little controversy. Why pushed out minorities stay in winner-take-all parties is a mystery to many of us.
In the DFL, if you have enough votes to elect one delegate, you can call for proportional voting by sub-caucusing. This rarely happens at precinct level because there are usually enough open positions for everyone who wants to come. At the next level, it is virtually certain. So making it to the state level convention, requires the art of sub-caucusing. Basically, the DFL breaks into smaller named sub-caucuses to elect delegates. Then you have to find a way to impress your fellow delegates enough to choose you to be the delegate to the next level.
One strategy is to be a passive walk-to-a-group person, hoping that your one minute speech is good enough to get you elected. People who speak well, with some impressive political history have a good chance with this strategy,
The strategy I used was to be an active sub-caucus organizer and impress people that way. I led an uncommitted sub-caucus instead of a candidate sub-caucus. The candidate sub-caucus nominators should have been already active and recognized by other candidate advocates, to ensure delegate election. The delegates who advocate for certain candidates will do some organizing of their own sub-caucuses ahead of time. Even issue groups like Peace First will be organizing ahead of time.
People stand in line, nominate sub-caucuses by candidate-issue names. I expect a list like "Uncommitted Peace First", "Uncommitted Peace First Progressive Values", "Uncommitted Labor", "Uncommitted-Single Payer", "Nelson-Pallmeyer", "Nelson-Pallmeyer - Single Payer", "Franken - Labor", "Franken", "Ciresi', and "Ciresi - Education". "Uncommitted" is a valid candidate name. Note that an uncommitted delegate can stay uncommitted and vote "no endorsement", which does count against endorsement. The "Peace First" sub caucus did this in the last senate race, when no candidate met the Peace Standard, winning 20% of the vote. 41% of the vote would have stopped endorsement.
I have left presidential candidates out of the sample list because the binding precinct ballot will determine the numbers going to national, therefore it hopefully will not be a part of the precinct sub-caucus process.
The art is picking a name that attracts enough people to a sub caucus to earn two delegates to the state level convention. The reason is that the DFL has a gender equality rule, where basically half of the delegates have to be of each gender. Sub-caucuses earning only one delegate, usually have an arbitrary gender designation (like by drawing straws). So the small groups only then get to choose from that gender, if that is not your gender - that's it, the end. Arbitrary gender designation is assigned only after groups are fixed in membership.
Once all nominations for sub-caucuses are in, the chair designates where each caucus will meet around the room. Nominators either brought signs or made signs that they now hold up. People move to their first choice caucus and sign in. Note if you decide to move to another sub-caucus, take your name off of the list.
If a sub-caucus does not have enough people to pick even one delegate, that caucus is not viable, and the chair will tell those people to pick another group. These people pick another group by looking around, and seeing what other group attracts them. So if the "Uncommitted Labor" is too small, then they might join "Uncommitted Peace First Progressive Values" or "Franken - Labor". If this group joins "Uncommitted Peace First Progressive Values, they may require that name become "Uncommitted Peace First Progressive Values Labor" and the selected delegates are requested to support the Peace First standard, Labor issues and resolutions as well as generally progressive values. If this group, joins "Franken - Labor", the group agrees to support Franken, in order to have united labor group of delegates. Here is where the persuasion and negotiating really happens. Smart groups even have "flyers", people who go out from a big group, to recruit from other small groups. If you are a nominator and organizing a group, you care about this. If you are just walking and joining, then you just have to join a group and wait.
The viability number is (number of people present) divided by (number of delegates to be selected). So if there are 98 people and 25 delegates to be selected, the viability number is 3.92. This means you need a minimum of 4 delegates to be viable, since no one knows how to create a 92/100 person. This number can change as people leave the convention and/or leave the room. Remainders only count after the first delegate.
Waiting: here is where the smart organizer has bottles of water, cookies, stuff to read or entertainment to keep people happy in their chosen group. While the flyers are working, the nominator should be chatting people up and keeping spirits high. Last year, I ran the "Uncommitted Peace First Progressive Values" sub-caucus which had a flyer on the peace standard and my proposed way of electing delegates by instant runoff voting. Each group determines how to choose delegates internally. While the flyers are working, the nominator should be chatting people up and keeping spirits high.
Playing the Numbers: Here is where the smart nominator/organizers take a look at the numbers. Divide the number of the people in your group by the viability number above. So "Franken - Labor" sub-caucus has 6 delegates/3.92 viability number for 1.5 delegates and the "Franken" sub-caucus has 17 delegates/3.92 viability number for 4.3 delegates. Both Franken groups are guaranteed 1 + 4 delegates for a total of 5 delegates. Based on the highest remainder, delegates are assigned to groups, so any remainder of 0.9, 0.8 and 0.7 usually gets an additional delegate, Sometimes a .0.6 will get a delegate, but do not count on that. So "Franken - Labor" with a remainder of 0.5 delegates and the "Franken" sub-caucus with a remainder of 0.3 delegates will not get a extra delegate, unless the the "Franken" sub-caucus sends over a willing member to the "Franken - Labor" sub-caucus to create 7 delegates/3.92 viability number for 1.8 delegates. The 0.8 remainder will probably then generate an additional delegate and vote for Franken and create more good will with education focused delegates. Basically, I have known groups that had a designated numbers person who kept track of the numbers, to capitalize on this possibility.
There is a time limit for these negotiations and then the chair declares that everything is frozen, delegates will be determined on current membership of groups. So basically at that moment, people can take a needed short break.
The next step is delegate election. I gained major brownie points with my group, by using instant runoff voting. Basically I had two differently colored sets of ballots with the rules written on them so everybody knew how it would work. Here is what that looked like:
As people joined the group, I had easel with blank paper to sign up as a potential delegate, with a male list and a female list. When the delegate selection time came, we had time for everyone to give a one minute speech. Then everyone voted, ranking their choices 1 - 5 on separate lists for the female and male delegates. Then people could take a break or watch the vote counts. I sorted the piles by first choice. Then the lowest vote getter pile would be reallocated until there was a winner or winners. The results were put up on the display board - delegate or alternate with alternate rank. Then the nominator/organizer goes to the chair and does the paper work.
As a well organized nominator, with a nice one minute speech, I was elected one of the delegates.So you have the choice to be a passive walk-to-a-group person, hoping that your one minute speech is good enough to get you elected or to actively be a sub-caucus nominator and organizer, with the information to do it well.
(Note that I will be updating and improving this document over time, so suggestions in the comments would help!)
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