Answers to Frequently Asked Questions: Florida s Weighted Votes

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1 Answers to Frequently Asked Questions: Florida s Weighted Votes 1. What does the term weighted votes, mean? It s currently the method used to allocate or apportion the number of votes among the County DEC s in Florida based on Democratic voter registration in the county and Democratic performance or turnout in the most recent elections for President, Senate, and Governor. Currently, there is a minimum or base number of 2 votes per county. There are 28 small counties allotted the minimum of 2 votes. 2. I keep hearing the DNC says we need to get rid of the weighted vote. Does that mean all counties will get the same number of votes? Absolutely not! That would not be fair. What getting rid of the weighted vote means is we need to change how we apportion the vote among people or representatives of the County DEC s. Under Florida s weighted vote structure, representatives of all counties except small counties cast multiple votes, rather than each representative casting only one vote--a principle referred to as one person, one vote. 3. Is Florida is the only state Democratic Party that uses weighted votes to conduct Party business? Florida is the only state that uses the weighted vote. No other state Democratic Party uses weighted votes to conduct all business. 4. How does the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) use weighted votes? All votes at State Democratic Executive Committee meetings are conducted using weighted votes. That includes the election of officers and DNC members. The only exceptions to the use of the weighted vote are the elections of the First Vice Chair and the congressional district vice chairs, where each SEC member/representative casts one vote. This exception was agreed to in order to give small counties a better chance to have one of their representatives elected. 5. Which State Executive Committee members cast weighted votes? Technically, each county s State Committeeman and State Committeewoman cast weighted votes, although with the minimum that applies to small counties, their representatives are effectively casting only one vote each. A formula is used to allocate weighted votes to each of Florida s 67 counties. The allocation is based on each county s number of registered Democrats and its Democratic voting performance in the most recent elections for Governor, President, and US Senate. 6. How many votes are allocated to the county-elected State Committee members? Assuming all DEC s are active (rarely the case), a total of 1,026 weighted votes are allocated to the 134 State Committeemen and State Committeewomen elected by their respective counties. Vote allocations to counties range from 124 votes (Miami-Dade) and 120 votes (Broward) to 2 votes (28 counties). Each county s weighted vote is evenly split between its two elected members. So, currently that would mean the

2 FAQ: Florida s Weighted Votes (page 2) Miami-Dade State Committeeman and State Committeewoman each cast 62 votes on the State Executive Committee. In effect, because Florida allocates representation by votes not people, each State Committeeperson is carrying multiple proxies. In Miami- Dade, it is like carrying 61 proxies, in Broward it is like carrying 59 proxies, on down the line until the small counties, where each representative has only one vote. 7. Do any other Florida state committee members cast weighted votes? Certain Democratic elected officials cast a total of 126 weighted votes. Specifically, all statewide elected Democrats, all Democratic Members of Congress, and the Democratic leader of the State House and State Senate have weighted votes. Each elected official s vote is split between the official and his or her designee of the opposite sex. All other state committee members have one vote each. 8. How are weighted votes counted at state committee meetings? Unless the vote is unanimous (or nearly so), voting at State Executive Committee meetings must be conducted by written ballot or roll call. There is no other way to account for the fact that some members votes count for more than other members votes. 9. Why does the Florida State Executive Committee use weighted votes? In the early 1970s, the Democratic Party instituted this practice as a way to better reflect population and Democratic strength. At that time, Florida had only 15 Congressional Districts and Democrats controlled most of the state level elected offices. Party leaders set up a structure based on allocating votes rather than members as a way to control the number of individuals involved in Party business -- with just two members elected to represent each county on the State Executive Committee. Today, Florida has 27 Congressional Districts and, aside from Senator Nelson, Democrats control no statewide office or any branch of the state legislature. In practice, the effect of the weighted vote means that just 14 members representing the seven largest counties hold a majority of the votes on any decision before the State Executive Committee.

3 FAQ: Florida s Weighted Votes (page 3) 10. If Florida gets rid of the weighted vote, won t the State Executive Committee be too large a body to govern effectively. That s a valid point, but there are other methods of allocation of voting strength that could be both fair and keep the State Executive Committee at a workable number. Congress and the DNC each have a set number of representatives. Congress reallocate its members among the states after the census. The DNC reallocates its members every four years. 11. What effect does using weighted votes have on the State Committee s membership? By allocating votes, rather than representatives (people), the State Executive Committee does not reflect the diverse composition of Florida s Democratic electorate. With only two elected members per county, members of the State Executive Committee are predominately whiter and older than the Democratic electorate. Critically, looking at membership/representation through the lens of who casts the votes, it appears the votes are mostly cast by Caucasians and older members. Limiting Florida s large and medium counties to electing only one man and one woman restricts the counties ability to elect representatives from among their diverse communities and varied interests. While members may have good intentions, it is impossible for two members from large and medium counties to adequately represent their county s full range of diverse Democratic perspectives. These limitations also do not reflect the principles of the Democratic Party. Using weighted votes creates a system where some members are more important than other members. Members from smaller and less Democratic counties sometimes feel their views and issues are valued less than members from large Democratic counties, which then means they feel unable to effectively represent the Democrats in their county. 12. How will eliminating the weighted vote increase diversity? By providing the opportunity to a greater number of individuals to represent their counties on the State Executive Committee, you increase the likelihood that Democrats of different races, ethnicities, ages, etc. can run and win. It will also provide the large and medium counties more opportunities to recruit a diverse group of candidates to run. It is almost universally true that the smallest groups will tend to lack diversity in one or more characteristics. That is what has happened to the State Executive Committee as Florida s Democratic population grew in number and diversity since the 1970 s. 13. But won t the seven (7) largest counties still hold a majority of the votes? We won t know for certain until we look at the various methods, but even if the seven (7) largest counties did still hold a majority of the votes, they would no longer be held by just 14 individuals who can gather in a small conference room (the proverbial smoke-filled room without the smoke) and decide how an election or other vote will

4 FAQ: Florida s Weighted Votes (page 4) go. Those seven (7) counties will likely be represented by a larger and more diverse group of individuals with different perspectives. 14. Does using weighted votes comply with National Democratic Party rules? Florida s weighted vote system does not comply with DNC rules. In October 2015, the DNC instructed the FDP to take steps to correct its system of weighted voting." The Co-Chairs of the DNC s Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) * told the FDP, its weighted vote system conflicts with our guiding principle of one person, one vote. This is a serious concern. The RBC Co-Chairs said the FDP must take steps to change its Charter and Bylaws to correct its system of weighted voting. Further, they added that a system of one person, one vote needed to be implemented before selecting the state s new DNC members following the 2016 term. 15. Why does the DNC care how Florida s State Executive Committee conducts votes? A. As part of the preparations for the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the DNC s Rules and Bylaws Committee rejected state delegate selection plans that used weighted votes to select delegates. The RBC told these states, The use of weighted votes in any election is not provided for by the Delegate Selection Rules, the Call to the Convention or the DNC Charter. B. According to the RBC Co-Chairs, In looking at the FDP s weighted vote system through the lens of today s Democratic Party, we have concluded that the weighted voting system is not producing a result that truly represents or reflects our party. C. The RBC Co-Chairs expressed concern about the lack of appropriate representation by significant components of the Democratic electorate -- particularly the significant underrepresentation of Hispanics and youth Because of that, they told the FDP, Decisions made using the current system have significant and serious long-term implications on key party decisions, such as the selection of the party s leadership (i.e., officers and DNC members). D. Florida s use of weighted votes disqualifies the State Committee from being able to select a portion of its delegates to the National Convention. To qualify, a State Party must certify that its membership [people not votes] is apportioned on the basis of population and/or some measure of Democratic strength. E. The DNC s Credentials Committee has ruled against groups whose bylaws called for using weighted votes to elect officers who serve on the DNC saying they were not in compliance with the Democratic National Committee s Charter and Bylaws. * The Co-Chairs of the DNC s Rules and Bylaws Committee are James Roosevelt Jr. and Lorraine Miller. Both are highly respected members. Mr. Roosevelt is the grandson of President Franklin Roosevelt. He is the longserving chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Democratic Party and has served as the Co-Chair of the Rules and Bylaws Committee since Ms. Miller has served in a number of positions in both the legislative and executive branches. She was the first African-American clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a national board member of the NAACP and served as the interim president and CEO in 2013.

5 FAQ: Florida s Weighted Votes (page 5) F. The National Party and the FDP defer to Robert s Rules of Order (RONR) on matters not otherwise defined in their rules. Robert s Rules is clear on this question: It is a fundamental principle of parliamentary law that each person who is a member of a deliberative assembly is entitled to one -- and only one -- vote on a question. [RONR (11th ed.), p 407, XIII. 1-4.] 16. What impact would a one person, one vote system have on county representation on the State Committee? Any change to Florida s weighted vote system must apportion members/representatives based on some measure of population and/or Democratic voting strength. As noted above, this does not mean every county would have two votes to be cast by a State Committeeman and a State Committeewoman State Chair Stephen Bittel appointed a Charter and Bylaws Ad Hoc Committee to review various methods to address the issue of weighted votes. Various methods under consideration include systems based on allocating members to be elected by county parties, by legislative or congressional districts, or through a state convention. Allocating members rather than votes will increase the size of the State Committee. The Ad Hoc Committee must look at various membership configurations to ensure better representation of Florida s Democratic electorate while being sensitive to the potential impact on county Democratic Parties. 17. Who can change Florida s system of weighted votes? Changes to Florida s weighted vote system must be approved by 2/3 vote of the State Executive Committee. That vote will be weighted, which means those members/representatives who currently carry weighted votes will be using those weighted votes to vote on the question of changing the Bylaws to move to a one person, one vote system. 18. What if the State Executive Committee fails to implement a one person, one vote system? Should the State Executive Committee fail to approve a new structure allocating representatives rather than votes at some point before the DNC s winter 2018 meeting, the DNC can unseat Florida s elected DNC members until the state s rules are corrected. In January 2017, the State Executive Committee elected 10 DNC members via weighted votes. This action did not follow the DNC s instruction to implement a one person, one vote system before holding the election. As a result, a challenge to the election was filed with the DNC s Credentials Committee. The challenge asserted that the State Party s use of weighted votes gave prejudicial and priority consideration to persons who cast the highest number of weighted votes. Underscoring that point, of Florida s 10 elected DNC members, nine are State Committee members from the five largest counties in the state.

6 FAQ: Florida s Weighted Votes (page 6) The State Party and the challengers subsequently asked the Credentials Committee to postpone its consideration of the challenge until the DNC s winter 2018 meeting to allow the FDP time to change its rules. The committee agreed to delay hearing the challenge, but Committee Co-Chairs Karen Carter Peterson and Andres W. Lopez said, The Credentials Committee s decision to postpone consideration of the Challenge does not alter the significance of the central issue raised in the Challenge: the Florida Democratic Party s use of a weighted vote system [The] Credentials Committee takes this Challenge very seriously. The Challenge will come before the Credentials Committee in 2018, and the Credentials Committee does have the authority to revoke members credentials if this issue is not adequately resolved.