Isn’t the election in November?

Even though the actual election does not happen until November, the Democrats choose their endorsement through a caucus and convention process that happens THIS APRIL. Whomever gets the endorsement has a BIG advantage and often wins because of it. This is the same process that allowed (then underdog) President Obama to capture nationwide excitement and momentum in Iowa in 2008.

Those who show up to the caucuses and Ward 12 Convention will make this important decision. If you care about the future of our Ward and our City you should be there! Your day-to-day life is impacted by your city council member more than any other elected official. Council members make decisions about streets and sidewalks, local development, safety and small businesses. In short, the vitality of our city!

Participating in the convention greatly magnifies your electoral impact. In 2009, the winner of the Democratic endorsement in Ward 12 needed only 120 supporters, effectively making the decision on behalf of our roughly 30k person community. Your participation will have a HUGE impact.

Here’s what you need to do to help select the next city council member from Ward 12:

STEP ONE: attend precinct caucuses on Tuesday, April 16 (~1 hour) or fill out a nomination

A caucus is a gathering of neighbors where each community chooses representatives to send to the Ward Convention. Typically, you will just be asked to raise your hand to sign up to be a delegate.

If you are unable to attend the caucus on April 16th, you can fill out a one-page nomination form in advance on http://mpls.dfl.org in order to become a delegate for the April 27th convention.

STEP TWO: come to the Ward 10 Convention on Saturday April 27 (3+ hours)

Delegates attend a Ward Endorsement Convention to choose which (if any) City Council candidates will be endorsed by the Democratic Party. Winning the endorsement allows a candidate to access the considerable resources of the city’s Democratic Party – greatly increasing the chances of victory in November.

Important Dates:

• April 11th – Ward 12 Candidate Debates (7pm at Roosevelt High School)
• April 16th – Ward 12 DFL Caucus (7pm at Roosevelt High School)
• April 27th – Ward 12 DFL Convention (9am at Roosevelt High School)