On September 21, 2015, an Independent Civil Court Screening Panel met and began the process of screening candidates for the nomination of the Democratic Party for the 1st Judicial District Civil Court position to be filled in the November 3, 2015 General Election. The following individuals were designated to the panel:

Shannon Chang Hanson, Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York
Delmas A. Costin Jr., National Employment Lawyers Association of New York
Jennifer M. Frankola, Brehon Law Society
Shirley Smith, Ph.D., NAACP – Mid-Manhattan Branch
Dawn Dapelo, Columbian Lawyers Association
Brian J. Kaszuba, New York Law School
Narciso Garcia, Dominican Bar Association
William Crosby LeGal
David Mou, Asian American Bar Association of New York
Jocelyn Jacobson, New York Women’s Bar Association

On October 1, 2015, the following highly-qualified candidates were approved by the Independent Judicial Screening Panel for consideration for the one (1) 1st Judicial District Civil Court vacancy:

Ta-Tanisha James, Esq.
Hon. Sabrina R. Kraus
Richard A. Tsai, Esq.

Thank you to the panel and its administrator, Joshua Brian Irwin, Esq. for their diligent work.

Sincerely,
Curtis Arluck and Louise Dankberg
Co-Chairs, Judiciary Committee

County Committee Executive Board Meeting 9/30/15

Location: Sylvia’s Also, 318 Lenox Ave, New York, NY
There was a buffet at Sylvia’s. That alone should be incentive to get involved in local politics.

I. Election of the County Executive Board Leadership
The County Committee Executive Board is comprised of District Leaders, elected directly by Democratic Primary Voters, and the County Committee Chair and Secretary, elected by the the New York County Committee.

The below positions should not be confused with the County Committee Leadership

A. Election of County Leader
Louise Dankberg nominates Keith Wright, Seconded by Alesia
No other nominations, Keith Wright is elected by acclamation.

B. Election of Executive Board Chair
Sandro nominates Louise Dankberg
No other nominations, Louise Dankberg is elected by acclamation

C. Election of Executive Board Vice Chair
Charles Bucwald nominstes Tiffany Townsend
No other nominations, Tiffany Towssent is elected by acclamation

II. Adjournment

Have questions? Email us at manhattandems@gmail.com.

**CORRECTION**
The original version of this post stated that there are no primaries in Judge elections so each party must internally decide who will run on their ticket as The Nominee. This is incorrect.

For Civil Court Judges there are primaries. In this case the primary winner, Tanya Kennedy was nominated by the New York County Democratic Party Judicial Convention to run as the Democrat for Supreme Court Judge. As a result, a special screening panel and vote by the the County Executive Board was convened to fill the vacancy this created on the ballot for a Democratic Civil Court nominee.

County Committee Executive Board Meeting (Special Session) 10/8/15

Location: Seafarers & International House Chapel, 123 E 15th St, New York, NY 10003

I. 6:39PM; Meeting is called order and quorum is established

II. Nominations for Civil Court Judge are opened
In the coming weeks and months we will be posting about the powers and role of the county committee. As a quick intro to Judges, one of the most important responsibilities of all party’s in New York is to nominate judges. Civil Court judges are elected and undergo a primary, but if the primary winner should drop out of the race, the County Committee must convene a special Screening Panel which suggests at least three qualified candidates for each vacancy. The County Executive Board is then tasked with selecting the replacement.

In this case the primary winner, Tanya Kennedy was nominated by the New York County Democratic Party Judicial Convention to run as the Democrat for Supreme Court Judge. As a result, a special screening panel and vote by the the County Executive Board was convened to fill the vacancy this created on the ballot for a Democratic Civil Court nominee.

A. Richard Tsai nominated to be Democratic Nominee for Civil Court Judge
Nominated by District Leader Justin Yu
Second by District Leader Sandro Sherrod

This is Richard Tsai’s third time passing the screening panel.

Richard Tsai declines the nomination and endorses Ta Tanisha James.

B. Sabrina Kraus nominated to be Democratic Nominee for Civil Court Judge
Nominated by District Leader Cory Evans
Second by District Leader Joan Pallo

This is Sabrina Kraus’ sixth time passing the screening panel. She is currently a Housing Court Judge.

Sabrina Kraus declines the nomination.

C. Ta Tanisha James to be Democratic Nominee for Civil Court Judge
Nominated by District Leader Sylvia DiPeatro
Second by Assemblyman and County Leader Keith Wright

Ta Tanisha James accepts the nomination

III. Nominations are closed.

IV. With no other nominees, Ta Tanisha James is elected Democratic Nominee for Civil Court Judge by acclamation.

V. County Party Executive Director Cathleen McCadden is wished a very happy birthday. Everyone sings.

VI. 7:05 Meeting is adjourned

Hi, I’m Ben Yee, the new New York County Party Secretary.

New York County is a leader in a lot of ways. Today, we’re becoming a leader in transparency. Politics in America, especially party politics can be complicated and opaque. But it’s also how our cities, states and our country are governed. So, we want to help you understand the role that you play, and how that impacts the role of the New York County Democratic Committee.

On Tuesdays we’ll be highlighting  important information on this site and posting about the decisions your representatives in the Democratic Party are making. We’ll also be posting about how the party system works, what it does and how you have a say.

Why Tuesdays? Well, I was going to do it on Sundays but #TransparencySunday doesn’t have the same ring.

So tune in on Tuesday for some information on how American parties and politics really work. And be sure to follow us at facebook.com/manhattandems and on twitter with the handle @manhattandems.

Highlighted this Tuesday:

• We’ve started posting our minutes online! Notes from last two meetings can be viewed here. They contain the election of the County Committee Executive Board Leadership and a vote to select a Democratic Nominee for Civil Court Judge.

• Our District Leader  and Democratic Club lists have been updated since the election last September. Don’t know your District Leader or Club? Find them and get involved!

• We’ve been tweeting! Part of transparency is letting you know what’s happening when it’s happening. Check out what went down at the 66th Assembly District Division Meeting and Downtown Independent Democratic Clubs last Sunday. Also check out my twitter @yben for live-tweeting of important county events.

We’re just getting started. Over the coming weeks and months we hope to make our website a resource for New Yorkers to learn not just how to get involved in the Democratic Party, but why it’s so much more important than people think.

Questions or comments? Reach out to the party’s Executive Director Cathleen McCadden at manhattandems@gmail.com or me at manhattandemssecrtary@gmail.com.

County Committee Executive Board Meeting 11/12/15

Location: RWDSU Union Headquarters; 370 Seventh Avenue at West 31st Street

I. Call To Order

II. County Leader Wright’s update

1. Thank you for re-election to County Leader position at the last meeting
2. MTA recently made a statement saying 2nd Ave line construction of 125th St stop would be on hold due to lack of funds
3. Uptown East side electeds met with Tom Prendergast the afternoon of Thursday, 11/12/15
4. On Saturday, 11/14 the Manhattan County Party is holding a Democratic Debate Watch Party in tandem with the Hillary Clinton campaign at:
5. Stitch Bar and Lounge; 247 w 37th St.

III. Secretary Yee’s update

View full size.

IV. Presentation by Risa Sugarman, Chief Enforcement Counsel for NY State Board of Elections

For updates on the presentation, check out the tweets from @ManhattanDems below:

11/12 E Board Meeting

V. Adjournment

Have questions? Email us at manhattandems@gmail.com.

Welcome to our second #TransparencyTuesday! Today we’re going to start digging into the the mechanics and specifics of our political system. In honor the Executive Committee’s presentation on Campaign Finance last week, let’s cover the basics of money in politics. Here we’ll define, in plain language, some of the most common terms in the ultra complex alphabet soup of political campaign finance.

Want a sneak peek of upcoming topics? Check out my report in the minutes of the last County Committee Executive Committee.

Have topics you’d like to see covered? Let us know on twitter or Facebook with #TransparencyTuesday

—–

Here are the Top 10 Political Money Terms Everyone Should Know. They’re presented in order of utility. So, number 3 will be a lot easier to understand if you know number 2.

*DISCLAIMER: To make our lawyers happy, I must disclose I am not a lawyer and nothing here should be construed as definitive or taken as legal advice. However, it is well researched.

1. Cycle
The time between the end of one election and the the end of the next one. For example, the 2016 Presidential Cycle is the time since Barack Obama was re-elected (in 2012) until the next President is elected in 2016.

It’s in this period that candidates are preparing for the next election (even as currently elected ones work to pass laws and govern the country).

2. PAC (Political Action Committee)
A PAC is nothing more than a political bank account. It’s filled by donations from people and other PACs. The amount each contributor can give is limited by campaign finance law which varies based on Federal, State and local laws.

PAC status is determined solely by raising and spending money for political purposes; such as supporting or opposing candidates, parties or ballot initiatives (referendums).Once a bank account either raises or spends enough money (based on Federal, State or local law), it becomes a PAC and must report who has contributed and what it bought.

Anyone raising or spending enough money is automatically considered a PAC and should file with their local regulator. There are specific types of PACs, with varying limitations, depending on its owners role in the political process including:

Candidate PACs
Political Party PACs
Unauthorized (i.e. some random person or group like yourself) PACs

(Next week we’ll delve into what PACs do, Super PACs, and how to start one)

3. Political Contribution
As the name implies, political contributions are money given by individuals or PACs* to candidates and other PACs. Simple!

Political contributions are capped so that only a certain amount can be given to a candidate or PAC per cycle.

*Contrary to popular belief, corporations may not give to Federal candidates. Only individuals, and PACs which get contributions from individuals, may give. State rules may be different.

However many incorporated entities, have PACs to which their employees or members give. These PACs fight for the interests of the corporation. Banks and Unions do this a lot.

4. In-Kind Contribution
Instead of giving money, people can give other things of value to politicians and PACs. This can be office space, food, a website, a mailing list – whatever it is, the market value of this good/service must be counted towards the individual or PACs contribution limit.

Notably, volunteer time, volunteer commuting costs and homemade items do not count as in-kind contributions.

5. Contribution Limit
The maximum value an individual or PAC may donate to a candidate or PAC. This may in the form of financial contributions or in-kind contributions which must be counted at the market rate.

6. Campaign Expenditure
Money spent by a Candidate Authorized Committee (A PAC specifically for a candidate’s campaign) on winning an election.

7. Independent Expenditure (IEs)
Money spent by an individual or PAC to help a candidate’s campaign without without its knowledge or input.

8. Coordinated Expenditure
Money spent by an individual or PAC to help a candidate’s campaign without with its knowledge or input. This may include sharing strategies, data and resources to amplify the work of the allied spending.

9. Electioneering Communication (Federal Only)
Any broadcast, cable or satellite communication that:

• Refers to a clearly identified federal candidate;
• Is publicly distributed by a television station, radio station, cable television system or satellite system for a fee (legally this means can be received by at least 50,000 people);
• Is distributed within 60 days prior to a general election or 30 days prior to a primary election to federal office.

10. Super PAC
A PAC which makes only Independent Expenditures (see 7). These IEs may include Electioneering Communications (see 9) openly supporting or opposing specific candidates for office.

Before the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. FEC, Corporations and Labor Unions were barred from making, or supporting PACs making, Electioneering Communications. Post Citizens United, they are allowed.

There are no Contribution Limits (see 5) for IEs and therefore for Super PACs.

Have a question? Comment? Topic idea?

Let us know on Twitter at #TransparencyTuesday. You can get me directly at @yben or @manhattandems.

You can also reach us on Facebook at facebook.com/manhattandems.

6th Annual Karaoke with Krueger
Tuesday, December 1st, from 6-8pm
Iggy’s
1452 2nd Avenue (between 75th & 76th Streets)
Tickets start at $25!

LaborPress Leadership Awareds Reception
Tuesday, Dec 1, 2015
5pm-8pm
NYC District Council of Carpenters, 10th Fl.
395 Hudson St. New York, NY 10004

Councilmember Dan Garodnick Cocktail Reception
6:00-7:30 PM
The Folly
92 West Houston Street
Cost – $250
Email: mgiaccio@bedfordgrovellc.com

Designing Better Affordable Housing
Panel Discussion
Co-Sponsored By VID
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 6:30 PM
Museum of the City of New York
105 Street and Fifth Avenue

FFDC December Nomination Meeting
Wednesday, December 2nd, at 7pm
Church of the Holy Trinity Choir Room
341 East 87th Street (Between 1st & 2nd Aves)

Judicial Induction of Arthur F. Engoron
Thursday, 3rd December, 2015,
4:30 p.m.
111 Centre Str.

Three Parks Independent Democrats Holiday Party
212-539-7602
Sunday, December 6 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
The Youth Hostel, Ballroom 891 Amsterdam Ave @103rd St New York, NY 10025

Uptown Community Free Democrats
General Meeting is Dec 6th 3 to 5p

CRDC Holiday Party
December 6
4 – 7:00P.M. Hudson Guild Elliott Center

LHDC Holiday Party
December 8, 2015
The East Wing
7:00 to 10:00 pm.

CoDA – Coalition for a District Alternative Holiday Party
Tuesday, December 8th from 6:30-10:30pm
Revision Lounge, 219 Avenue B between E 13th and E 14th Streets
For more information email: codalesinfo@gmail.com

FFDC Holiday Party!
Wednesday, December 9th, at 7pm
The East Wing
306 East 76th Street (between 1st & 2nd Aves)
RSVP on Facebook – Free appetizers and cocktails!

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Holiday Party
Wednesday, December 9, 2015 • 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Hargrave House
111 West 71st Street (between Amsterdam & Columbus Avenues)
Refreshments Will Be Served
RSVP: 212-873-6368 or rosenthall@assembly.state.ny.us

Judicial Induction of Tanya Renee Kennedy
Thursday, 10th December, 2015
4:30 p.m., 60 Centre Str.

Judicial Induction of Lisa Susan Headley
Friday, 11th December, 2015
5:30 p.m.
Poet’s Den & Gallery, 309 East 108th St., betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.

NARAL Holiday Party
December 9th
Juke Bar in the East Village
7-9PM
Ticket are $15 and include one complimentary drink ticket. Happy hour specials will run all night ($5 beer, wine, and well drinks). Click here to purchase your ticket in advance!

Tenants Clinic
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
26 Perry Street
6:00 PM

VID Holiday Party
Frieda Bradlow’s Home
Sunday, December 13, 2015
43 Charlton Street 2-5 PM
Donations of food and beverages
Email Nancy what you will bring at nancyshamban@gmail.com

Gramercy Stuyvesant Ind. Dems Holiday Party
Sunday Dec. 13 th 2015
6:30PM-9:30PM
Mumbles Restaurant, East 17th Street and 3rd Ave
Members free, Guests- $35.00
RSVP- Marcia Goldstein 212-475-5755

Uptown Community Free Democrats
Holiday Party is Dec 13th 4-6:30
Location TBA

WRAP A HOLIDAY TOY FOR TOT’s Drive
November 13 – December 13
Drop off Centers
Your Local Precinct Community Affairs Office
3333 Broadway Tenant Association Room
Contact: Alicia Barksdale at cecejaz@gmail.com or call (917) 892-9197

Rep. Carolyn Maloney & Assemblyman Dan Quart’s Annual Holiday Party
Monday, December 14th, from 6-7:30pm
PS 527 (East Side School for Social Action)
323 East 91st Street (between 1st & 2nd Aves)
Free!

Lexington Democratic Club Holiday Party
Tuesday December 15, 2015
6:30-8:30PM
Location TBA
Cost: unwrapped toy for charity
lexingtonclub@gmail.com

Frederick E. Samuel Community Democratic Club
Harlem YMCA Annex, 181 W 135th St between Malcolm X. Blvd and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. (Lenox and 7th Ave). For more details please see the image of the flier.

Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club,
SAVE THE DATE: THURS, DEC 17

Judicial Induction of Raymond L. Bruce
Thursday, 17th December, 2015
4:30 p.m.,
111 Centre Str.

Democratic Candidates Debates
Saturday, December 19, 2015 on ABC

Tenants Clinic
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
26 Perry Street
6:00 PM

VID Executive Committee Meeting
Monday, December 28, 2015
26 Perry Street
6:30 PM

General Membership Meeting
Thursday, January 14, 2016
St. John’s Lutheran Church Annex
83 Christopher Street
6:30 PM

Judicial Induction of Arlene P. Bluth
Thursday, 7th January, 2016
4:30 p.m.,
111 Centre Str.

Judicial Induction of Lyle Frank
Thursday, 14th January, 2016
4:30 p.m.,
111 Centre Str.

Democratic Candidates Debates
Saturday, January 17, 2016 on NBC

By Cory Evans

Want to get involved in the Democratic Party at the hyper-local level? I don’t mean Congress, or even the City Council — I mean really, really local. If you do, and you live in Manhattan, you should consider getting involved with one of the many party clubs organized throughout the City.

Broadly speaking, there are two categories of Democratic Party clubs in New York City. The first category is called district clubs, the second category is called city-wide clubs. Today we’ll talk about these two categories and explain the differences.

District clubs represent the Democratic Party within a certain geographic area. For example, my Democratic Club — called the Lexington Democratic Club — represents the Democratic Party throughout the 73rd Assembly District.

You can be a member of as many district clubs as you want, and there are dozens throughout the City. But, by courtesy and tradition, you can vote in one. That club is called your voting club or home club, and you are said to be a voting member of that club.

Citywide clubs focus on advocating for an issue or cause within the Democratic Party. Examples include the Manhattan Young Democrats, the Stonewall Democratic Club and the Muslim Democratic Club. You can join as many city-wide clubs as you like and you can vote in all of them if you wish to.

But how do you know which district club covers your neighborhood? And how are the geographic borders decided anyway? I’ll try to answer both those questions next time when we focus on district clubs and district leaders.

FEC Logo

Ever wonder how a PAC becomes a PAC? Our friends at blog.shiftspark.com, where our Secretary Ben Yee also writes, have posted up a great transparency piece about the different requirements and levels of activity that must be reported by the FEC.

If you’re thinking about getting involved in supporting a Presidential candidate with your own, independent activities, this is a must read.

A lot of spending by individuals and small groups gets lost because it isn’t reported. Each time we fail to report, the hard work and commitment of individual donors is lost, depriving them of a voice, and politicians of the real picture of American activism.

Worse yet, people are turned off from participating because the laws to help make our system transparent scare them off.

If you’re raising or spending more than $250 you need to report.

But don’t be intimidated, you don’t have to do very much and this post breaks it own with step-by-step instructions.

It’s  #TransparencyTuesday once again and we have some great stuff for you this week.

First, we’ve updated our website with the photos of most of the District Leaders in Manhattan. The District Leaders are  one set of YOUR elected representatives to the County Party, along with your County Committee members. You can think of them sort of as the County Party Senate. All District Leaders site on the County Executive Board so go check out who your DL is; with the new photos, now you’ll know who to harass at the supermarket!

Second, one of our District Leaders is opening up his expertise in a mini-series for #TransparencyTuesday. Did you know that our Democratic Party is broken up into local clubs in the different Manhattan neighborhoods? Well, Cory Evans is letting everyone know exactly how that works. Check out the first installment in his series, Size Matters.

Last but not least, continuing the #tTransparencyTuesday theme of busting open campaign finance to the public, our County Secretary Ben Yee how to do your own Independent Expenditures (i.e., BE A SUPERPAC) with step-by-step instructions.

Oh wait, we’re also adding all these events to our public Google Calendar (but man, it takes a while).

The primaries are upon us and soon both parties will be selecting their nominees. But if the residents of States vote in the primary or caucus, what’s the role of the Party Convention? Where do SuperDelegates fit in? Who is really choosing the Presidential candidate?

In this post we’ll be examining how the delegates which choose the nominee are selected.

Elected Delegates: It Could Be YOU
Delegates don’t come out of thin air; a vast majority of them are elected (we’ll address the ones which aren’t below).

It all starts with petitioning…(unless you’re in a caucus state)
Requirements for getting on the ballot vary by State but there’s always an option to gather signatures from some percentage of the population. Again, depending on the State, petitions may be directly for the candidate (sign for Presidential candidate x) or they may be for specific delegates pledging to vote for that candidate (sign for delegate candidate who will vote for presidential candidate x).

If you want want to petition for a candidate and run as a delegate for him/her, you should contact the campaign.

In New York…
Delegates petition for themselves (or a slate running together) within a Congressional District (CD). They are listed in a predetermined order and, for every delegate a candidate wins in that CD, another delegate candidate is elected. Delegate order is determined in coordination with the Presidential campaign they hope to represent. A campaign may also reject specific delegate candidates.

It builds to the Primary…(unless you’re in a caucus state)
In the primary, voters either select the candidate or individual delegates. Either way the result is the same, the percentage of the vote determines how many delegates a candidate receives and a proportional number of delegate candidates become real delegates.

*NOTE*: Not everyone gets to vote for delegates all the time! In the next post, we’ll be talking about just who gets this critical power.

Ok, you’re in a caucus State…
Though outside the purview of the Manhattan Democratic Party (where we use primaries) we’ll cover it. In a Caucus there’s no petitioning. Party members go to caucus and then select, sometimes over hours of discussion, who they should support and who should be delegates. In this system, delegates may be elected as “uncommitted” to any particular candidate.

Super Delegates
SuperDelegates are unelected delegates. They are politically important people such as Elected officials. The Democratic Party uniquely gives seats to former high-ranking electeds such as past Presidents.

A typical Assembly District (AD) in Manhattan

You’ve read about Democratic Clubs and you’ve decided you’d like to get involved. How do you get started? And which Club’s district are you in, anyway?

Happy New Year, Manhattan Democrats!

This year promises to be a critical one for our Party. With Republican extremism at full throttle, there’s never been a more urgent need to turn out votes for Dems up and down the ballot. Spread the word about how to get involved today!

Support the local clubs and organizations that make New York County so great. Check out these upcoming events in your neighborhood—

Ansonia Democratic Club
Annual Holiday Party
Sunday, January 10th from 4-6pm
Spring Natural Kitchen
474 Columbus Avenue between West 82nd & 83rd Streets
RSVP here

Concerned Democratic Coalition
celebrate Dia De Los Tres Reyes 
Sunday, January 10th from 4-6pm
Broadway Temple
4111 Broadway between 173rd & 174th Streets
Details

Judicial Induction of Hon. Lyle Frank
Thursday, January 14th at 4:30pm
111 Centre Street, Manhattan

Democratic Presidential Debate
Sunday, January 17th, 9pm on NBC

4th NYC Grassroots Debate Watch for Hillary
Sunday, January 17th from 7:30 to 11pm
STITCH Bar and Lounge
247 West 37th Street
Contact Jamie.Ansorge@gmail.com or TrudyL@tmo.blackberry.net/
917-443-3315 & RSVP

National Women’s Political Caucus
January Meeting
Tuesday, January 19th at 5:30pm
Murphy Institute
25 West 43rd Street

Four Freedoms Democratic Club
Annual Election Meeting
Tuesday, January 26th at 7pm
Church of the Holy Trinity
316 East 88th Street, between 1st & 2nd Avenues

Ansonia Independent Democrats
Presentation & Conversation on Voting Rights
with Ari Berman
Tuesday, January 26th at 7:30pm
Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
30 West 68th Street
Registration required 212-877-4050 x280

The primaries are upon us and soon both parties will be selecting their nominees. But if the residents of States vote in the primary, what’s the role of the Party Convention? Where do SuperDelegates fit in? Who is really choosing the Presidential candidate?

In the last post we saw that many of the delegates are elected. But it’s not always clear who can vote for them. In this post we’ll examine who chooses them.

How Many Delegates are There? Who Can Be a Delegate?

Each state is awarded a set number of delegates based on Party rules. In the Democratic Party, for example, delegates are awarded based on a State’s historical electoral vote and its turnout for the Democratic candidate in previous elections. In this way, more Democratic States are given more voice.

Parties may also set representation goals, requiring that some number of seats be reserved for specific classes such as young members, or members of specific ethnic groups. This is often done to bring delegations in-line with the census report for each State.

Who Chooses the Elected Delegates?

Possibly the most important piece of all this – Delegates are RARELY chosen by voters at large. Even though the media makes it sound like caucuses and primaries are open to all, they generally aren’t. There are four kinds of election processes, each with their own rules.

Closed Primaries

In order to vote in a party’s primary, you must  to be registered with that political party before the election.

Deadlines for registration vary but if, for example, you want to vote in the Democratic Primary and you haven’t registered as a Democrat, you won’t be able to. New York actually has the most stringent laws in the country, with registration deadlines month before the vote.

There are 12 states that use a strictly closed primary process, including:[5][4][6]

• Delaware

• Florida

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Maine

• Nevada

• New Jersey

• New Mexico

• New York

• Oregon

• Pennsylvania

• Wyoming

Open Primaries

Any voter can vote in one party primary of their choice, regardless of registration. So, it’s basically the opposite of the closed primary.

There are 14 States that use a strictly open primary process:

• Alabama

• Arkansas

• Hawaii

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• Missouri

• Montana

• North Dakota

• South Carolina

• Tennessee

• Vermont

• Virginia

• Wisconsin

Mixed Primaries

Mixed primaries are anything that’s not strictly open or closed. They have all sorts of rules ranging from some parties being open and others being closed, to using past voting history to decide in which primary a person can vote.

There are only 8 states which use mixed primaries and you can check out all their rules on Ballotpedia.org.

Blanket Primaries (Jungle Primary)

The least popular kind of primary, everyone can vote and the top vote-getter from each party for a particular office wins. So instead of voting by party, voters vote on candidates for office. But if one Democrat gets 100 votes, another 80 votes and the Republican gets 50; the top Democrat and top Republican both go on to the General election as the nominees of their party.

States which use this system are

• California

• Louisiana

• Washington

The primaries are upon us and soon both parties will be selecting their nominees. But if the residents of States vote in the primary, what’s the role of the Party Convention? Where do SuperDelegates fit in? Who is really choosing the Presidential candidate?

As we covered in the last two posts, the Presidential nominee for a political party is not directly elected by all voters. Instead, delegates are selected in a variety of ways; most often exclusively by registered members of a particular party. These delegates are then sent to a party’s National Convention to pick the nominee.

Nothing Is For Sure
Oftentimes it is clear who will win the nomination before Convention. However, even with primaries done and delegates pledged, the results are not predetermined. People can walk in expecting to be the Nominee and walk out an also ran. How? Let’s find out.

Voting Share
Unlike in general elections, representation isn’t necessarily based on the number of residents, or even eligible voters. Instead, every State is given a certain number of delegates proportional to the number of votes people in that State cast for the Party’s Presidential candidate in previous elections. So, the more votes your state give to a Democrat (averaged over the last three elections) the delegates your state gets to the Convention.

Who Can Delegates Vote For?
At the Convention, elected (not Super) delegates are bound to vote for whoever won the primary or caucus in their state; and in the same percentage. So, if a candidate on 40% of the vote, they get 40% of the delegates. Whoever wins a majority of the of Convention Delegates receives the nomination.

If no one wins a majority, delegates are released from their pledges. At this point, horse-trading and deals can be struck in a Brokered Convention. Voting continues through successive rounds until one candidate wins a majority.

The Democratic Party actually changed its rules in 1936 because nomination required ⅔ of the delegate vote and made brokered conventions incredibly common. As a result, many nominees ended up being compromise candidates who weren’t even front-runners before the Convention!

And The Winner Is…
Whoever gets the required majority of delegates becomes that party’s nominee. This candidate will receive the prodigious support that a National Party can offer – from local organizing apparatus (like local parties and Democratic Clubs), to the Party’s political brand and, of course, money.

It is up to the Party to come together after a nominee has been chosen and put aside the differences which were expressed in the primary period. Whatever issues were raised, the job of the primary was to air them and give Party members a chance to make the decision of who would perform best in the General election with their eyes open.

The #‎IowaCaucus‬ is tonight & it’s unlike any other election. Get to know the process that gets to know the President with this short breakdown.

Chair: Curtis Arluck

Co Chair: Louise Dankberg

Membership: Each Assembly District may be represented by one of its District Leaders.

The Judicial Committee chooses organizations which designates members to a screening panel for judicial candidates. Organizations designate panelists, and panelists review judicial candidates, without party input.

I: Panel Administrator Search

• Candidates

  • Past administrators have been contacted and the committee is awaiting responses. A new Administrator interview date/time will need to be set due to the delay.

  • Committee members are welcome to submit candidates for Administrator.

  • A three year layover is required for Administrators and panelists. They may not serve back to back sessions.

• Resolution

  • A past Administrator was contacted mid-meeting and accepted the invitation to serve as Administrator again.

  • Since this candidate has served in the past, and most committee members are familiar with him, the Judicial Committee voted for an expedited interview process which would not require a meeting of the whole committee (though everyone is invited)

  • If approved name of the Administrator will be revealed in the official public notice for Judge Applicants in the Law Journal and on ManhattanDems.org

  • The interview was tentatively scheduled for 2/10

II: Organization Outreach

• Organizations which have agreed to designate a panelist

  • Asian Americans for Equality

  • Korean American Lawyers Assoc

  • LGBT Bar

  • Neighborhood Defenders of Harlem

  • NY State Defenders Assoc.

• Organizations which have declined to designate a panelist

  • Columbia University Law School

• All other organizations are pending a response

• Requirement Review

  • At least 20 organizations should be represented

  • Organizations must be:

    • Non-profit

    • Sufficient affiliation with the County (Manhattan) (Usually satisfied by a local chapter)

    • Sufficient affiliation with the ideals of the Democratic Party

III: New Organization Applications

• National Hispanic Bar Assoc.

  • Deputy VP Albert Barrueco, Attorney at Pepper Hamilton, addressed the committee

  • Organization wants to be considered for an invite to nominate a panelist

  • Local Chapter President is counsel to NYC Bar

  • Thousands of members nationally

  • Over one hundred members in the NYC area

• Hispanic Bar invited by acclamation

IV: Organizational Designees

• Alan Flacks submits Designee from Association of the Bar of City of New York (City Bar Assoc.)

• Names of organization designees are not released prior to the convening of the panel to prevent lobbying by judicial applicants

V: Old Business (last week)

• Committee voted to extend invitation to Nigerian Bar Assoc – but question: Does Nigerian bar have NY presence

  • Verified intent to invite Nigerian Lawyers Association not Nigerian Bar Association

• Nigerian Lawyers Association found to have sufficient affiliation and invite extended by acclamation

• Committee voted down extending invitation to National Bar Association (National African American bar)

  • The National Bar is represented in the NY region by Joseph Drayton

  • National Bar resubmitted by and voted up for extending an invitation by acclamation

VI: District vacancies in Judicial District 4, 6, 7

• Judicial Screening Panels

  • District Leaders in the 6th, 7th and 9th are holding their own panels and soliciting groups for designees independently

    • The 9th is an incumbent judge and is non-competitive

  • The 4th is incorporating its screening panel with the County Independent Judicial Screening Panel

  • Judicial Applicants may go before multiple panels and all panels will use same application

VII: Current Timeline (subject to change)

• 2/17 Law Journal and online Notice for Judicial applicants

• 2/25 Designees appointed

• 2/25 Applications begin being accepted

  • A unified application for all panels is suggested and agreed to

• 3/9 Panel Convenes

• 5/5 Panel reports out

For a brief video of how this process works, check out Secretary Yee’s “The Election You Never Heard Of“.

I. Meeting called to order by Jeanine Johnson at 3:05PM

II. Temporary Officer Appointments

• Credentials chair Cathleen McCadden

• Chief Teller Domenico Minerva

III. Credentials Chair Report

• Quorum of 30% present

• Vacancies

  • ED 13: 2 vacancies

  • ED 14: 1 vacancy

  • ED 15: 1 vacancy

  • ED 37: 2 vacancies

  • ED 38: 1 vacancy due to member not living in District

  • ED 43: 1 vacancy

  • ED 61: 1 vacancy due to member not living in District

  • ED 62: 1 vacancy due to member not living in District

  • ED 67: 1 vacancy

• Jennie Low moves to approve the report

  • Seconded by Pedro cardi

• Report approved

IV. Election of Permanent Officers

• Chair

  • Paul Newell nominated Jeanine Johnson for Chair

  • Justin Yu seconds

  • Jeanine Johnson is elected by voice vote

• Secretary

  • Karen Blatt nominates Ben Yee secretary

  • Alice Cancel seconds

  • Ben Yee is elected by voice vote

V. Adoption of Rules

• Domenico Minerva moves to adopt the rules

• Chung Seto seconds

• Rules adopted by voice vote

VI. Appointment of Committee to Fill Vacancies

• Jenifer Rajkumar moves to appoint Domenico Minerva, Jeanine Johnson and Keith Wright

• Rosie Mendez seconds

• The appointments are approved by voice vote

– A point of order Point of Order is raised regarding county committee vacancy filling by Samuel Chiera –

• There was a district Divisional meeting to fill vacancies before the meeting. However, the names were not submitted before 72 hour deadline.

• An objection was filed by Samuel Chiera

VII. Nomination of Democratic Candidate for the 4/16 Special Election for the Vacant Assembly Seat in the 65th District

• Speeches – speech order is alphabetical and was determined and agreed to prior to the meeting.

  • Alice Cancel – District Leader

  • Gigi Lee – Community Board 3 Chair

  • Paul Newell – District Leader

  • Yuh-Line Niou- withdrew candidacy

  • Jenifer Rajkumar – District Leader

• Voting

  • If no candidate receives a majority voting on the first ballot, voting will continue in subsequent ballots. Candidate must receive at least 20% of the vote to pass to the next round of balloting.

VIII. Recess for Counting of the Vote

• Speeches by representatives from the Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaigns

  • Clinton represented by Melissa Sklarz

  • Sanders represented by Arthur Schwartz

IX. Results

• Alice Cancel wins in the nomination with 5,870 weighted votes

• Paul Newell garners 1770.5 weighted votes

• Jenifer Rajkumar garners 634.6 weighted votes

• Yuh-Line Niou garners 93 weighted votes

X. Adjournment

• Alice Cancel addresses and thanks attendees; moves to adjourn

• Rosie Mendez seconds

• meeting adjourns at 5:30PM

Secretary Ben Yee breaks down one of the most important functions of the County Committee and what happened last Sunday.

The Democratic Party is the party of The People. We fight for inclusivity and demand solutions to the inequities that plague communities big and small. Here in Manhattan, we’re using our platform to emphasize the importance of getting involved.

This #TransparencyTuesday we have so much we have to do it over two weeks! This week:

• Watch a quick video of our Secretary, Ben Yee, explaining how County Committee selected a Democratic nominee for the special Assembly race on the Lower East Side.

• Check out the live Tweets from the of the County Committee election for the Democratic Nominee in the upcoming Special Election for Assembly. Plus, read the Minutes posted publicly online.

• For the first time, you’ll be able to read the minutes of the Judicial Selection Committee online! Don’t know how that process works? We’ll have a video for that soon!

Next time:

We’ll update manhattandems.org, with all of the State Committee members – democratic voters’ representatives to the State Party. We’ll also publish an article explaining the importance of their role in the democratic process.

A new map with electoral information everyone needs to know, but many don’t! And who doesn’t love maps?