Jennifer Sutton will be the Jurisdictional Coordinator for the 5th district caucuses. You can contact her @ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Welcome to the 5th LD Democrats information page
for the 2012 Caucus Season!
It is an exciting election year as we work hard to re-elect President Barack Obama! We are also working hard to support Senator Maria Cantwell and other Democrats in Washington state. All of the information below is designed to answer your questions, but if there is something you missed, or if you want to sign up to volunteer for the Caucuses, please email Jennifer Sutton at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
What is a Precinct / Legislative District / Congressional District Caucus?
Precinct Caucus: Democrats in Washington State will gather by precincts on Sunday, April 15th to cast their votes for President of the United States. As you may remember, in 2008 we had a record turnout for these caucuses, and while this year we don’t expect turnout to be similar, we want as many people as we can get to show their support for our President! At this caucus, attendees can also run for election as a Delegate to the Legislative District Caucus and County Convention. The 5th LD will be divided up into smaller regional caucuses.
Legislative District Caucus: The Legislative District Caucus (“LD Caucus”) will be held Saturday, April 28th and is open to the public, however only those elected to serve as a Delegate by their precinct caucuses will have a vote. We will hear from local candidates and will elect delegates to the 8th Congressional District Caucus and State Convention.
Congressional District Caucus: The Congressional District Caucus (“CD Caucus”) will be the final caucus in Washington State. At this event we will officially nominate our candidate for Congress from the 8th CD. This is also the caucus where delegates to the National Convention are elected by the Delegates from the LD Caucuses within the 8th CD. We will also vote on an Elector. Note: In order to run for *any* Delegate slot to the National Convention you must submit a Statement of Candidacy form. See below for more information.
County and State Conventions: These events are sponsored and run by the King County Democrats and Washington State Democratic Party, respectively. At these events delegates will hear from party leaders and candidates, and will vote on the party Platform (statement of values for each level) and Resolutions (calls to action for our elected officials).
Important Dates:
April 6th – If religious observance, military service, or disability will prevent you from attending the Precinct Caucuses on April 15th in person to cast your vote for President, you may file an official Surrogate Affidavit form to cast your vote. Forms must be received no later than April 6th at 5pm at the State Party office. For more information, and to download the form, go to www.wa-democrats.org
April 9th – Statement of Candidacy forms are available for those who want to run as a Congressional District (CD) Delegate, Party Leader or Elected Official (PLEO) or At-Large Delegate or Alternate. These forms are due to be turned in to the State Party offices by 5pm on May 4th.
April 15th – Precinct Caucuses will begin at 1pm. We will utilize the precinct boundaries that were in place as on November 8, 2011. To participate in a Caucus, you must meet all of the following criteria 1) Reside in a Precinct whose caucus is convening at that location 2) You must sign a public declaration that you consider yourself a Democrat and 3) You must be eligible to vote or be a 17 year-old who will be eligible to vote on November 6, 2012. If you are not yet registered to vote in Washington state we will register you at the caucus. In the rare occurrence that a precinct crosses the new LD lines, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. Locations TBA.
April 28th – Legislative Caucuses will convene at 10am. Delegates from the Precinct Caucuses will convene at the LD Caucus in which they reside after redistricting – in other words, the ”new” Legislative District lines as approved by the Washington state Legislature this spring. Any member of the public may watch the Caucus procedures, but only Delegates and seated Alternates may vote. Any Democrat who resides in the 5th LD may run for election to the CD Caucus at this meeting. Location TBA.
April 29th – King County Convention – see www.kcdems.org for details.
May 4th – Declaration of Candidacy forms for those who want to run as a CD Delegate to the National Convention are due to State Party office by 5pm.
May 20th – Congressional District Caucuses will be held. Any Democrat who resides in the 8th CD may run for Delegate to the National Convention, or to serve as an Elector at the CD Caucus at this meeting. We will not elect Alternates at this meeting, all National Convention Alternates will be elected as At-Large Alternates at the State Convention. Location and Time TBA.
May 25th – Declaration of Candidacy forms for those who want to run as a PLEO or At-Large Delegate to the National Convention are due to State Party office by 5pm.
June 2nd – 3rd – State Convention in Seattle, WA. At this meeting Delegates from the LD Caucuses will convene to hear from national leaders and candidates, and to vote on the Party Platform and Resolutions. At this meeting, State Commiteeemen and Committeewomen will vote on the PLEO and At-Large Delegates and Alternates to the National Convention. Location and Schedule TBA.
September 3rd – 6th – Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC.
Running for Delegate/Alternate:
As a Delegate you will be serving as an elected representative from your area to the next highest level. Alternates will be seated in the order in which they were elected with preference given to our gender goals (for example, if a male Delegate to the LD Caucus is unable to serve, a male Alternate will be seated in his place.) You will be given an opportunity to give a short speech in support of your candidacy, and may prepare fliers to distribute as well. If elected, you will be responsible for all of your own expenses, up to and included travel and housing at the National Convention. Any Democrat can run at any level for Delegate to the next level. The only requirement is that you live in the area and that, if you are running to be a Delegate to the National Convention you must have filed a Statement of Candidacy form with the State Party.
Volunteer Opportunities:
In order to run a successful Caucus, we need help! Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested.
Before the Caucuses:
· Distributing fliers to Community Centers and area businesses about the Caucuses
· Assembling materials for the day of the Precinct and Legislative Caucuses
· Organizing refreshments for the caucuses
During the Caucuses:
· Assistance with set up and/or take down
· Registration
· Credentialing Committee
· One person at each Caucus: Timekeeper, Secretary, Sergeant-At-Arms
· Technical Support – We need assistance at the Precinct Caucuses with helping members of the public research their respective precincts. If you can bring a laptop, smartphone and have a data connection, please let us know!
Additional Resources:
Washington State Democrats: http://www.wa-democrats.org/
Washington State Democrats caucus page http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucuses
King County Democrats: www.kcdems.org
Precinct and LD locator: (Coming Soon)