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2021 State Convention Frequently Asked Questions

What do Delegates do?

Delegates to the Convention will help determine our party’s governing procedures by voting on Constitutional amendments and shape our party’s policy priorities by voting on our platform and resolutions. Delegates will also chart the course for  our party’s future by electing WisDems’ five Constitutional Officers, including the Chair, 1st and 2nd Vice Chairs, Secretary, and Treasurer. 

 

In addition to official business, delegates and guests will hear directly from statewide elected officials — including Governor Tony Evers and Senator Tammy Baldwin — and attend high-quality trainings to build political organizing and communications skills. 

How many Delegates are there?

According to the DPW Bylaws, delegates are apportioned to each county based off of vote totals in the last statewide senatorial election, and in proportion to the registered number of members in that county for the previous year. Per our Bylaws in Article IV, Section 2 (c), there are also “autodelegates,” which are comprised of members of the US Congress, the Wisconsin State Legislature, state constitutional officers, current chairs of county parties, and members of DPW’s Administrative Committee. These delegates do not count toward the delegate allotment of each county. 

Click here to see delegate allotments for Congressional District & State Conventions.

How are Delegates selected?

To register your interest in being a delegate, please submit the Delegate Request Form, or reach out to your County Party Chair

The information the WisDems collects through the Delegate Request Form will be shared with your County Party Chair, who has final authority on which individuals from their county are named as State Convention delegates. Per Article IV, Section 2 of the DPW Bylaws, delegate status preference is given to attendees of CD Conventions, though State Convention delegates are not required to attend CD Conventions in order to attend State Convention. 

You can confirm that your request through the DPW form has been receive by sending an email to stateconvention@wisdems.org, or you can reach out directly to your county party chair to request the status of your delegate request.

Any member of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is eligible to become a delegate, as long as their dues are current as of May 22, 2021. See the deadlines section below to learn more about how to ensure that your dues are paid. 

How do I watch Convention as a guest?

To watch State Convention as a guest, please register using the form below. 

Register to Attend Convention: CLICK HERE

How do I join the virtual Convention?

This year’s virtual State Convention will be taking place on a platform called “Hop In.” Hop In allows guests to navigate between different virtual spaces — like you’d be able to do in a physical Convention center.

 

All delegates & registered guests will receive a link to join Convention the week prior to the event.  Your link will be unique to you — do not share your join link with anyone else, even family members. If you don’t receive your join link by the morning of Convention, please email stateconvention@wisdems.org. An attendee guide, with an overview of the layout of the platform, is linked below for your reference. 

 

Hop In Attendee Guide: CLICK HERE

 

An additional overview of the platform will be provided in the “Housekeeping Session” between 10 and 11 AM on Saturday, June 5th.

Important Convention Dates & Deadlines

Tues, May 25, 5 PM: Accommodations Request Deadline
Delegates & guests must requests accommodations no later than May 25th at 5PM. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs.

 

Sat, May 29: Delegate Challenge Deadline

Per Article IV Section 2 of the WisDems Bylaws, a Party member may challenge a delegate or alternate no later than one week prior to the WisDems State Convention.

 

Sat, May 29, 5 PM: P&R Pre-Submissions Deadline

Per section VII(b-d) of the 2021 Convention Rules, platform amendments from the floor, resolutions from the floor, resolution amendments, and separations of resolutions must be pre-submitted by 5 PM on 5/29 to be considered on the Convention floor. 

 

Tues, June 1, 6 PM: P&R Zoom Forum

Per section VII(e) of the 2021 Convention Rules, delegates who pre-submit floor considerations will be invited to a virtual forum to discuss any final changes to send to the P&R Committee. 

 

Weds, June 2: Delegate Raising Deadline

Per section III(d)i of the 2021 Convention Rules, County Party Chairs shall be responsible for notifying DPW via email to delegates@wisdems.org no later than 5:00 PM on Wednesday, June 2nd if a delegate needs to be replaced with an alternate.

 

Thurs, June 3: Second P&R Report Circulated

An additional P&R Report will be circulated to delegates to incorporate any final recommendations pre-submitted by 5/29, shared at the Zoom Forum on 6/1, and approved by the P&R Committee. The P&R ballots will be based off of this report.

 

Fri, June 4, 5 PM: Speaker Pre-Registration Deadline

Per section VIII(d)i of the 2021 Convention Rules, delegates who wish to speak in favor or in opposition to constitutional amendments or Platform & Resolution measures on the Convention floor must pre-register to do so no later than 5 PM on June 4th. 

 

Fri, June 4: Delegates Sent Join Links for Convention 

Delegates will receive their links to join Convention the day before the event. Additional information on joining the Convention platform can be found in the FAQ section of this site. 

 

Fri & Sat, June 5 & 6: 2021 WisDems Virtual State Convention!

What are CD Conventions?

Click this link to learn more about your CD Conventions!

What is an Alternate Delegate?

Alternate delegates, or “alternates” for short, are people who serve in the place of a voting delegate in the event that they are unable to attend the Convention. If every delegate is able to attend, alternates have no responsibilities or voting rights. Each county is able to select as many alternates as they can regular delegates, and alternates are bound by the same membership and registration deadlines as regular delegates. If you would like to be listed as an alternate, please reach out to your County Party Chair. 

What if I still have unanswered questions?

If your question wasn’t answered here, you can send an email to stateconvention@wisdems.org and Party Affairs staff will respond as soon as possible.