Caucus Night

A caucus is a gathering of neighbors for the purpose of discussing issues and organizing. This photo shows Larry training the volunteer "Conveners" - who begin the (20) separate meetings on Caucus Night - one meeting per each neighborhood voting area in Senate District 47.  

The next statewide precinct caucuses are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 7pm.
DFL and Republican state party chairs have until March 1, 2023 to agree to a different date.
Watch the 5 min. video and read helpful documents: 

https://dfl.org/caucuses-conventions/precinct-caucus/
Caucus Night at Woodbury High School 2020. Greeters welcome local democrats, help them look up their Precinct and meeting room. In the Candidates Hall, Voters can meet Candidates and learn more about issues from Advocates. 

In 2022, the Census started the Redistricting process. We changed from SD53 to SD47. We adapted to the Covid disease outbreak by dropping off "Non-attendee forms" instead of meeting in person. 

Get elected to 1 of 5 Pre-Convention Committees

Delegates elected on Caucus Night have about a month to plan the SD47 Convention, and usually serve on one committee:   

  • Arrangements. This committee organizes the venue logistics, candidate/outreach tables, parking, signage, ADA accessibility and food concessions.  We set up, do mic checks and help things run smoothly on the day of the convention, and clean up. Eunice Sandell is the liason. 

  • Credentials. This committee enters the data from the caucuses, prepares the list of eligible delegates, and hands out voting credentials at the conventions to determine Quorum. If you think you should be on the list or that something is wrong with your contact information, get in touch with credentials. Max Moses is the liason.

  • Nominations. This committee screens candidates who are running for DFL office and proposes a slate of candidates to elect to the Central Committee: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Outreach; and 12 Directors, Delegates to CD2, CD4 and SCC. Become a part of our long-term success by stepping up to a leadership position! Kim Moore is liason. 

  • Resolutions. This committee compiles all the resolutions adopted at the precinct caucuses and administers the voting at the SD53 convention. Walter Dobgima is liason. 

  • Rules & Constitution. This committee sets the Agenda decides the Rules that govern the SD47 convention. This committee reviews and proposes revisions to the constitution of SD47. Jodell Miller is liason. 

We will update these date for 2024;
2022 Pre-Convention Committee

First meeting takes place 10 days+ after Caucus Night
probably March 8, 2024

Saturday, February 5, 2022, at 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Lake Middle School
3133 Pioneer Drive
Woodbury, Minnesota

Last meeting will probably be March 30, 2024.

Last meeting takes place ~40 days after Caucus Night
Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Lake Middle School
3133 Pioneer Drive
Woodbury, Minnesota
 

SD47 Convention endorse MN Senator & Representatives

April 23, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. 
Lake Middle School
3133 Pioneer Drive
Woodbury, Minnesota

This event will probably be Saturday April 6, 2024. 

CD2 and CD4 Conventions endorse US Congress & US Senate

These two events are probably in April. 

State Convention endorse Gov/Lt Gov, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Auditor. 

This event is at the end of May. 

Additional Resources:

DFL Officers' Guide
DFL Official Call
Resolution Form
Challenge Form
Caucus 2022 for SD53 will be different.  The cause for the change is COVID-19 and the need to make sure everyone feels safe.  Senate District 53 has decided to opt-in to providing our neighbors with the contactless precinct caucus (see below for more details).  What that means is that caucus as we know it will not be in person nor will we be electing precinct chairs and vice-chairs.  After redistricting, precinct chairs and vice-chairs will be determined at that time.  “The central committee of a newly formed organizing unit following redistricting may treat these positions as vacant and fill them or may organize meetings of the individuals who submitted their Precinct Caucus Non-Attendee forms to elect the precinct chair and up to two vice-chairs for each precinct and ratify those elections.”

Although precincts will not be meeting in person, participants must register (click on "registration form" below) with SD53 and fill out an online fillable non-attendee form.  If you are interested in providing a resolution, you must fill out the online fillable resolutions form.

It is also your option to drop off your non-attendee and resolutions forms at Woodbury High School, located at 2665  Woodlane Drive, Woodbury, MN  55125 between the hours of 6:30 pm to 9:00 PM on February 1, 2022.  A volunteer will be available to take your forms.

If there is a contest for delegates, SD53 will host an online public Zoom meeting for candidates and others to observe.  The meeting will be held (sometime) between February 7 and February 11.  We will post updated information on our website, www.sd53.org, on social media, and via email.

Caucus is an important part of our grassroots efforts in Minnesota.  We are flexible enough to ensure your safety without jeopardizing any part that makes us Democrats. 

Stay safe and participate from the comfort of your home.

Registration Form

Contactless Precinct Caucus

By opting-in to Contactless Precinct Caucuses, no in-person precinct caucuses as described in the Official Call will be held in the Organizing Unit. Instead, the Organizing Unit will utilize the following procedures:
  1. Submission of forms of participation
     
  1. In-person form drop off: The Organizing Unit will establish at least one location where residents in that Organizing Unit can drop off a completed Precinct Caucus Non-Attendee form and drop off any proposed resolution forms (both available at the back of the Official Call and at https://dfl.org/caucuses-conventions/precinct-caucus/). The location(s) must be open from 6:30 PM until 9:00 PM on February 1, 2022. The location(s) will be the official in-person location(s) of the precinct caucuses for the Organizing Unit. Note, location(s) can be outdoor drop boxes or drop boxes in entryways provided each dropbox remains under observation through a window by a person designated by the Organizing Unit chair to ensure no forms are tampered with and drop boxes are not stolen. 
  2. Electronic Submission: Also, completed Precinct Caucus Non-Attendee forms and proposed resolutions forms may be emailed to the chair of the Organizing Unit up until 9:00 PM on February 1, 2022. Individuals may sign and scan a completed form (e.g., Adobe PDF scan or photograph of the completed form), type all information including their signature on the form, or may indicate in the email that the email shall constitute their signature to the completed form attached to the email.
 
  1. Organizing Unit chairs shall retain all submitted forms in electronic and/or paper format through the adjournment of the State Convention. 
     
  2. All resolution forms will be submitted to the Organizing Unit’s resolutions pre-convention committee and be treated as if adopted by the relevant precinct caucus. As a reminder, each resolutions pre-convention committee has the power to establish rules to consolidate and edit for clarity the resolutions prior to presentation to its Organizing Unit’s convention. 
     
  3. For precincts where there is no contest for the election of delegates or alternates, those who have indicated the desire to be elected shall be declared elected. 
     
  4. For precincts where there is a contest for the election of delegates or alternates, the Organizing Unit shall schedule public Zoom or other virtual meetings where candidates and others may attend to observe. These meetings shall be scheduled between Monday, February 7, 2022, and Friday, February 11, 2022. A schedule of the meetings to draw lots shall be made available to all candidates for endorsement on or before February 6, 2022. 
     
  5. For each precinct caucus with a contest for the election of delegates or alternates, the Organizing Unit shall select the delegates and alternates by lot on camera/screenshare for all candidates and guests to observe. Equal division must be obtained, to the extent possible, as discussed in the Official Call in the Elections with Equal Division section. The election of convention delegates shall occur first. Any delegate candidates not chosen to be a delegate shall be included in the pool of alternate candidates. 
     
  6. Organizing Units shall determine the method by which it draws lots provided that it is on camera/screen share in full view of all in attendance and explained in advance of the drawing. 
     
  7. If the precinct is scheduled to elect more than one set of delegates (e.g., organizing unit convention delegates, municipal convention delegates, and county convention delegates), the same rules shall apply to the election of each set of delegates and alternates to be elected. Organizing Units shall follow the intent of the potential delegate in determining which convention(s) the attendee wishes to attend. For example, if the organizing unit is a county, selecting County and/or Organizing Unit shall be treated as an indication that the individual wishes to be a delegate to the County Convention (which is also the Organizing Unit Convention). 
     
  8. No elections for precinct chairs or precinct vice chairs will be held on February 1, 2022. The central committee of a newly formed organizing unit following redistricting may treat these positions as vacant and fill them or may organize meetings of the individuals who submitted their Precinct Caucus Non-Attendee forms to elect the precinct chair and up to two vice-chairs for each precinct and ratify those elections. 
     
  9. The executive committee or central committee of the Organizing Unit which is holding the convention is empowered to elect or appoint members to its pre-convention committees (see the Redistricting section of the Official Call regarding the membership of executive committees and central committees of newly formed Organizing Units following redistricting). The Organizing Unit executive committee or central committee is encouraged to ensure diversity geographically and by candidate preference (where relevant) in electing or appointing these members.
      
This document is subject to revision by the State Executive Committee as the COVID-19 situation changes.
Precinct Caucus' Delegates
SD53 Training
Conveners' Training for Contactless Precinct Caucus
 
Thursday, January 20, 2022,
7:00 PM via Zoom

Tuesday, January 25, 2022
7:00 PM via Zoom
MN Senate District 47 DFL