Wake County Democratic Convention

This weekend, I attended the Wake County Democratic Convention at Apex Friendship High School, and it was an amazing experience. I was unfortunately not able to vote this year, as I didn't get my party affiliate changed in time. I am still really glad I went--I learned a ton about the process and the folks in Wake County who make things happen. I am determined to stay involved and learn as much as I can so that next year, I can take a more active role.

I read that last year, this convention was attended by 290 delegates, and that this year, it was more nearly 900 strong. If there is one positive thing to say about the current Presidential administration and the state of politics here in North Carolina, it's that people are feeling galvanized and ready to act. This meeting was not glamorous--this was an in-the-trenches type of working meeting, and it was literally standing room only. It was inspirational! This is Congressman David Price speaking to the group, and people were still in line outside to check in when I took this. You also can't see that there are people standing down both sides of the room as well. Just amazing.

Our precinct was originally up front, but enough people showed up that we ran out of space and moved to the back so that we could sit together. This is a great problem to have!

At the meeting, there were a small handful of speakers, most notably the aforementioned Congressman Price and the Chair of the Wake County Democratic Party, Brian Fitzsimmons. He was stepping down as Chair, but I will me amazed if we don't see him pop up somewhere else in politics in North Carolina. He is a fantastic speaker, and seems to really know how to get things done. New officers were elected on the spot, and the transition to them took place immediately. Most seats were uncontested with the exception of Chair. The new Chair this year is Rebecca Llewellyn, who won handily over her challenger, David Bland. I was glad to see that the new executive board was quite diverse. I also learned later that this is the very first time the board has been majority female. Just check this out!

Other things I took from the Convention:

1. The State Executive Committee has to be half female and half male. This is something I had no idea existed anywhere in our government, and honestly, I do not understand how this rule came to be. It's something I plan to research. It was bizarre to see the list of candidates separated by gender in this way.
2. What is the State Executive Committee? This was a big question from many of us who were attending our first meeting of this type. It's an elected body that meets quarterly and is apparently a large part of how the state platform is developed. In some ways, this reminded me of the Electoral College. Most people do not know the people representing them in the EC, and similarly, most people do not know the members of their SEC. And yet--it's in that SEC where the real work of developing the stance of the Democratic Party (and I assume the Republican one as well) in your state happens. This is definitely something that bears further clarification and exploration.
3. The Wake County Democratic Party has one paid employee, the Executive Director, Austen High. Every other position is strictly voluntary, and from comments made, I gather that Austen can use all the help she can get. I followed up after the meeting and sent her a message offering to assist her if I possibly can. 

I feel in some ways like getting involved is requiring me to be somewhat pushy. That's OK with me--I am willing to keep trying to find ways to help move this group and this platform forward. Right now in North Carolina, in spite of our newly installed Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, the GOP has a Super-majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, even if we do not re-draw our heavily gerrymandered district lines, it would take only a few seats to flip that majority in the other direction. If I can find any small way to help that happen, I am glad to do it!

The most interesting part of the entire meeting was the last 30 minutes, during which resolutions were discussed. These are proposals for changes or additions to the party platform that are written by individuals and submitted at the precinct level where they are discussed and voted upon. If they pass there, they are handed up to the county level. There, some are thrown out for redundancy, but the list is then discussed and voted upon once again. If a resolution passes the county, it goes to state level, and so on. These can and do cover about anything from educational policy to taxation to the death penalty. 14 such resolutions passed at this particular meeting. The head of the resolutions committee, Montica Talmadge, was new to the process and was quickly becoming overwhelmed by the adopted rules of the meeting, the rules that had to be followed, and the number of people trying to talk at once. Luckily, the Second Vice Chair of the NC Democratic Party happened to be in attendance, and he was able to step in, regain control, and get through all 14 resolutions in under 30 minutes. His name is Matt Hughes, and it was very easy to tell that, though he is quite young, he knew exactly how to handle the process. He is another person who bears watching over the next few years. If he doesn't end up running for a Congressional seat or perhaps even more, I will be amazed.

I think that one of the most important things I am doing right now is learning my way around. I am learning who are the people who are doing the real, on-the-ground work of making progress, and those are the people I need to meet and get to know in order to be effective myself. This process is SO complicated, and these are the people from whom I need to learn. I have an enormous set of skills that I can and want to put to use for the party--I just need to figure out how and where to do it.