PRESS RELEASE from the Democratic
National Committee
For Immediate Release
July 10, 2010
Contact: DNC Press
DNC Chairman Tim
Kaine’s Statement On Efforts to Improve the 2012 Presidential
Nominating Process
Washington, DC –Over the past two days, the Democratic National
Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee has worked to make significant
progress towards finalizing the Party’s 2012 delegate selection
rules. As part of its efforts, the RBC has voted to recommend to
DNC members a plan that would increase by approximately 700 the number
of pledged delegates elected from the states, the District of Columbia
and territories. In doing so, the plan would increase the
proportional influence of pledged delegates at the 2012 Democratic
National Convention from approximately 80 percent in 2008 to
approximately 85 percent in 2012. The rules included in the
proposed plan would also provide for unpledged delegates declaring
their Presidential preferences no later than a date certain – which
will be shortly after the conclusion of the presidential nominating
process in their respective states, territories and in the District of
Columbia.
With regard to the timing of primaries and caucuses, the RBC has
proposed a rule that would set the dates of the primaries and caucuses
for the four states permitted to hold contests within the
pre-window—Iowa on February 6, New Hampshire on February 14, Nevada on
February 18, and South Carolina on February 28. The pre-window
starts in February 2012, approximately one month later than in 2008.
Following the meeting, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine released the following
statement:
“I applaud the significant improvements to the presidential nominating
process recommended this weekend by the Democratic National Committee’s
Rules and Bylaws Committee, which builds on the work of our Democratic
Change Commission. These new provisions represent an important
step towards increasing grassroots activists’ involvement in our
presidential nominating process. They guarantee that Democratic
primary voters and caucus participants will have a larger voice in the
nomination of our Party’s presidential candidate, while at the same
time respecting the important role that party leaders play in our
nominating and political processes. Perhaps most importantly, the
new rules open up the nominating process to even greater
participation. I want to thank the RBC and the Democratic
Change Commission for working so diligently on these important issues
and focusing on ways to strengthen our Party and the presidential
nominating process.”
The RBC’s recommended delegate selection rules will be voted on by the
full DNC membership at the DNC’s August meeting in St. Louis.
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