A guide for town and ward chairs who will be hosting caucuses in February 2012 to send Delegates to the State Convention.

1. 2012 Democratic Caucuses
A Guide to hosting the
2012 Caucuses

2. June 2, 2012
Democratic State Convention
MassMutual Center
Springfield, MA

3. The State Convention
• The Massachusetts Caucuses elect delegates
to the annual Democratic State Convention
– 4,180 Delegates and 1,686 Alternates
• 2012 is a Nominating Convention
– Senate candidates who receive 15% of delegate
votes at the convention will be on the Democratic
Primary ballot in September, 2012

4. Dates you NEED to Know
• Dec 31, 2011: Deadline to register as Democrat
• January 9, 2012: Caucus locations Registered
– All locations will be publicized, available in local media
and also on Massdems.org/caucuses
• February 11 – February 26: Caucus Window
• March 30, 2012: Add-On Application Deadline
• April 13, 2012: Delegate Registration Deadline
• June 2, 2012: Democratic State Convention

5. Your Job as Chair
• Call the Caucus!
• The town/ward chair shall call a caucus to
occur during the February 11-26 window
– Caucus start time: No earlier than 9AM on the weekend;
No earlier than 6PM on a weekday
• The caucus must occur at a public location
must be ADA accessible
• Date, Location and Time must be registered
with the MDP by January 9, 2012

6. Eligibility Rules for Delegates
• Must be a registered Democrat in the town or
ward by Decmeber 31, 2011
• Must be present at the caucus
– Exception for person serving in U.S. Armed Forces
• Must advise Chair by Jan. 18 of desire for consideration
• Cannot have publicly supported or endorsed
any candidate opposing a nominee of the
Democratic Party in the current or previous
partisan election
– For Statewide and President, 4 year ban
– For all other offices, 2 year ban

7. Preparing for the Caucus
• Notify registered Democrats in your town or ward
of the caucus.
– Notice should appear in local media no sooner than
thirty and at least nine days before caucus
• Obtain a copy of the most recent official
registration of Democrats from your local clerk
• Recruit volunteers to assist with registration and
balloting at the caucus
• Make copies of Add-On Delegate forms and
Registration Fee Waivers

8. Caucus Day
• Arrive at least 45 minutes early to set up
• This is an open Democratic Party meeting
– No person shall be denied admittance
– An area shall be set aside for those not eligible to vote in
the caucus
– Only registered Democrats residing in the ward or town
may vote and/or run for Delegate/Alternate
• Registration must begin 15 minutes prior to the
starting time and remain open until 15 minutes after
the scheduled starting time
• Post and Distribute the Preliminary Call to Convention
for the Massachusetts Democratic Party

9. Caucus Agenda
• Read and present the information concerning the 2012
Massachusetts Democratic Convention with emphasis upon
responsibilities of Delegates to the convention
• Read and discuss the “Affirmative Action and Outreach” as
outlined in the Party Charter and Statewide Affirmative Action
and Outreach Plan
– Inform participants of Add-On positions: Disabled, Minority, Youth
• Read and review the “Method of Selecting Delegates to the
2012 Massachusetts Democratic Convention”
• Explain ex-officio delegates
• Read aloud the letter from Chairman John Walsh
NO CAUCUS SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO WAIVE THE READING
OF ANY DOCUMENT OR COMMUNICATION INCLUDED IN THIS
AGENDA

10. The Balloting
• Balloting must begin within 1 hr of start time
• Collect nominations for individuals (NO SLATE)
• Post the names of all candidates prior to vote
• Candidates have right to brief (2 min) speech
• Run separate ballots for women and men
• If odd number of seats: Third ballot open to
both genders after gender-specific seats filled
• Alternates elected after Delegates, ranked by
votes received; ties decided by lot

11. After the Caucus
• Remind elected Delegates/Alternates that the
$75 registration fee is due by April 13th, 2012
– $25 late fee for missing April 13 deadline
– Highlight Fee Waiver process (MDP Exec. Director)
• Remind Delegates to COMPLETELY fill out their
Delegate Certification forms
• Chair should submit caucus books by mail back to
MDP two days after the caucus
– If book is not received by May 25, 2012, no one shall
be seated in the Chair’s ex-officio position
• VoteBuilder will collect caucus results online
– Towns/Wards not yet registered for VoteBuilder must
contact the State Party immediately

12. MOST IMPORTANT
Read the “Method for Selecting Delegates
to the 2012 Massachusetts
Democratic State Convention”
These slides are a summary, but many details
found in the Method will provide further
explanations and solve issues that may arise.