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SD 11 Memo
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Memo to the Democratic PCPs in State Senate District 11

The appointment process for filling the vacancy in State Senate District 11

June  22nd, 2022

This memo serves as the rule for the convention.

A convention made up of 2022-2024 precinct committee persons representing the precincts in Senate District 11 (post-redistricting) will meet and nominate one candidate to run as the Democratic Nominee on the November 2022 General Election Ballot. The nominee must fit the legal requirements for serving as a State Senator and be willing to hold the office.

NOTE: The convention will be held Thursday, June 30th, 2022 at 6 p.m. at Whiteaker Middle School

Whiteaker Middle School

1605 Lockhaven Dr NE

 Keizer, OR 97303

The Convention will be preceded by a candidate forum that begins at 5:00 pm that will be hosted by the Marion County Democrats. Doors will open at 4:45 pm

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, we will be taking a number of precautions:

  • We will require that all attendees remain fully masked with a N95 or KN95 mask throughout the Convention. Mask will be available at the entrance if needed.
  • We ask that you do not attend if you are feeling under the weather in any way.
  • We ask that you get vaccinated for COVID-19 if you have not already done so. You can find information on getting vaccinated at getvaccinated.oregon.gov.
  • The space we have booked is larger than we need for the anticipated capacity to allow for social distancing while in the convention hall.
  • This event will only be opened to Precinct Committee Persons in SD 11. If you are a PCP and need to bring a caregiver or a dependent with you, please let us know at logistics@dpo.org as soon as possible.
  • If you are a member of the press that would like to attend, please contact press@dpo.org to make arrangements no later than 24 hours in advance.

Candidates must file the Application for Candidacy with the Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO) by Wednesday, June 29th, at 5:00 p.m. These forms can be found online at the DPO’s Senate District 11 Convention Event Website (dpo.org/SD11).

This memo will be sent digitally and by mail to all PCPs who are eligible to vote in this convention as of the date of this letter.

This serves as an official notice of this convention.

Marion County Democrats are responsible for sending the DPO an updated list of their PCPs, and for  sending volunteers who are not SD 11 PCPs to assist with credentialing.

If you require an accommodation [accessibility or otherwise] please contact our Deputy Director, Candy Emmons by email at candy@dpo.org as soon as possible

Step by Step

Before the convention

  1. The DPO has been notified that the nominee for SD 11 has withdrawn his candidacy for the seat. The DPO must now fill the vacancy on the November Ballot.
  2. Candidates must file the Application for Candidacy with the Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO) by Wednesday, June 29th, at 5:00 p.m. These forms can be found online at the DPO’s Senate District 1 Convention Event Website (dpo.org/SD11).
  3. If the form does not reach the DPO office in time, that person’s candidacy cannot be considered. The DPO will then forward the list of eligible candidates to the Marion County Democrats.
  1. Prospective candidates must meet the minimum requirements to hold the office. Those include being a registered Democrat for at least 180 days before the effective date of the Convention, living in the Senate District since January 1st, 2022, and not currently being under the control of the Dept. of Corrections.
  1. Precinct committee persons representing the precincts within Senate District 11 (2022 Maps) are entitled to vote. The law and party rules do not make a distinction between elected and appointed precinct committee persons, nor do they make a distinction between precinct committee persons who live in their own precinct or who represent an adjoining precinct.
  2. There must be six days written notice to the precinct committee persons entitled to vote at the convention. That notice will  also be sent to all media outlets and other parties that might have an interest.
  3. The DPO will prepare ballots with the names of the candidates. Because several ballots may be cast, several copies of the ballot should be made. Each set of ballots should be distinguished by different colors or numbers.

At the convention

  1. A credentials committee from the county should begin registering their precinct committee persons an hour before the convention begins.
  2. Ashley Carson Cottingham, the Vice Chair of the Marion County Democrats, will Chair this Convention.
  3. The chair does the following:
  1. Appoint a parliamentarian and a timekeeper.
  2. Have a representative of the DPO explain the convention rules.
  3. Announce time limits for candidate speeches.
  1. There are no nominating or seconding speeches.
  2. Speeches should be two to three minutes.
  1. Appoint tellers to count the votes.
  1. Count the votes in a place separate from the convention, and make sure there are enough tellers to count votes accurately and quickly.
  1. Announce other ground rules as appropriate.
  2. Publically ask each candidate if they are willing to serve.
  3. Determine the order of candidate speeches by lot, and let the speeches begin.
  4. Review the election process with the precinct committee persons.
  5. Take a short break, and get ready to start the voting.
  1. Voting procedures
  1. Only one nominee will be selected at this convention, and  they must receive a majority of votes.
  2. Each precinct committee person may cast 1 vote.
  3. Candidates may appoint people to view the counting, but may not interfere with the process. If they have problems, they should go to the chair or the DPO representative.
  4. The chair should announce the results of each ballot.
  5. If a candidate wins a majority of the votes, then that person is declared nominated.
  6. If no majority is reached on a ballot, then the candidate receiving the fewest votes will be stricken from the ballot.
  1. Candidates will also be stricken from that round of balloting if they receive less than 10 percent of the vote.
  1. As candidates are stricken from the ballot, the chair will instruct precinct committee persons to cross those candidate’s names off the ballot
  1. If there is only one candidate who is seeking the appointment, the convention may choose, by a single majority vote, to nominate that person.
  2. Once the voting is finished, and the nominee is announced, the convention is adjourned.

After the convention

  1. The DPO will send the certification of the nominee to the Sec. of State’s office.
  2. The nominee will file an SEL 101 form with the Secretary of State’s Office with the assistance of the DPO. The nominee will need to be prepared to pay the $25 filing fee with the Secretary of State’s Office.

How voting works in legislative nomination conventions

Our rules for nomination conventions are from state law, DPO party bylaws, and a standing rule.

In Senate Districts that are entirely within one county, PCPs cast only one vote on each ballot.

Starting Balloting

The ballots will be labeled. For example, the first ballot a precinct committee person will see will be labeled Ballot 1.

If the first ballot results look like this:

No one has won a majority, so the first-round election will go to a second ballot.

Evelyn Elgin would be eliminated in that round because she finished last. Dan Dayville will be eliminated from that round because he won less than 10 percent of the vote.

That means that Allie Albany, Ben Beaverton, and Christine Creswell would be on the second ballot. If one of them won a majority on the second ballot, that person would be the nominee. If no one won a majority on the second ballot, the person finishing last would be dropped off. The third ballot would be between the top two finishers, and unless there was a tie, the nomination would be settled.

Definition of a majority

In a single-county Senate District, the majority is based on the number of PCPs voting, which means that if 50 PCPs are voting, a candidate will need 26 votes to be nominated. If, in later rounds, only 47 vote, the candidate will need 24 votes.