State and Federal Legislative Endorsement Information

Regional Pre-Endorsement conferences for Assembly, even-numbered Senate and Congressional candidates were held March 20 - 21. 

Click here for Pre-Endorsement Conference results.

Click here for endorsement packet including VBM ballots.

Eligible Voters
Eligible voters include DSCC Members, regular County Central Committee Members and Designated Representatives of Chartered Clubs or Chartered Organizations (1 per 20 Democrats in each AD). All eligible voters may vote in the pre-endorsement conference. The eligible voter list will become final on February 7th at 5:00pm. Eligible voters should make every effort to attend their pre-endorsement conference in person. If they cannot attend the conference, Voting-by-Mail (VBM) is allowed, but proxy voting is not. VBM voting is allowed in part because a voter’s conference for two or three districts may be happening at different locations on the same day at the same time.

Candidates
Candidates seeking the California Democratic Party’s endorsement must complete and return a 2010 Candidate Registration Form along with a photo, biography, and $50 filing fee. Once their check is received, candidates will receive a list of eligible voters in their endorsement race. Candidates who choose to submit their check on the day of the endorsement conference will not be sent a list of eligible voters. Only candidates who request the endorsement are eligible to be voted upon.

Voting
This is a public vote. A candidate must receive 70% of the valid votes cast to be recommended for endorsement. Such recommendations will go on the consent calendar to be ratified at the State Convention. If no candidate receives the required 70% but one candidate receives more than 50%, the race will be decided by a caucus of DSCC members held during the State Convention. If no candidate receives more than 50% the conference shall have taken the position of "no consensus" for endorsement.

Pre-Endorsement Conferences (recommendation of candidates for the consent calendar)
Each participating candidate’s $50.00 filing fee is due to the Regional Convener at the endorsement conference before the commencement of voting for the relevant district.
• As their district comes up for a vote, each candidate will have an opportunity to make a presentation no more than two minutes.
• Candidates must receive 70% of the valid votes cast to secure a place on the consent calendar to be ratified at the State Convention in Los Angeles on Sunday.
• If no candidate receives the required 70% but one candidate receives more than 50%, the race will be decided by a caucus of DSCC members held during the State Convention. If no candidate receives more than 50% the conference shall have taken the position of "no consensus" for endorsement.

State Convention, Los Angeles (Endorsing caucuses as necessary) 

• Endorsing caucuses will be held at the State Convention for those races in which: no candidate received 70% of the pre-endorsement conference vote, but a candidate received over 50%; there was no quorum for the pre-endorsement conference; a proper challenge was filed.
• Caucus meetings will start at the direction of the Chair and a tentative agenda for these caucuses will be posted.
• The procedures at these caucuses will be identical to those followed at the pre-endorsing conferences with the following exceptions:
  1. Only credentialed DSCC members or their qualified proxies are eligible to vote;
  2. Non-incumbent candidates need 60% and incumbents need a majority of credentialed and voting delegates to secure the caucus recommendation for endorsement;
  3. Proxy voting, as outlined in the By-laws, is allowed – voting-by-mail is not.
• If no candidate receives the required threshold, the caucus shall have taken the position of "no consensus" for endorsement.
• Those candidates that have been recommended for endorsement at the pre-endorsing conferences before the convention and candidates recommended at the endorsing caucuses will go on a consent calendar to be ratified by the convention body on Sunday.

Statewide Endorsement Information

Endorsements for Statewide Office including U.S. Senate, Statewide Constitutional Offices and Board of Equalization will take place at our State Convention in Los Angeles, April 16-18, 2010.

Statewide Offices in which all viable candidates agree in writing to not seek the endorsement will not be voted upon. No endorsement for Governor or Superintendent for Public Instruction shall take place, if said races has more than one viable candidate. The State Chair in consultation with the Statewide Officers of This Committee will determine which Democratic candidates for Statewide Office are viable and eligible to seek our endorsement. [Rules for the 2010 California Democratic Party Convention; adopted at CDP Executive Board Meeting on November 15, 2009]  Click here for list.

Statewide Candidates
Any viable Democratic Candidate certified by the Secretary of State may request the California Democratic Party’s endorsement. Candidates must complete and return a 2010 Candidate Registration Form along with a photo, biography, and $100 filing fee.

Eligible Voters
Only credentialed Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) members or their qualified proxies are eligible to vote. The eligible voter list will become final on February 7th at 5:00pm.

Voting
This is a public vote. The voting will take place during the weekend of the Convention. Exact times and locations are still to be determined. Non-incumbent candidates must receive 60% of the valid votes cast and incumbent candidates a simple majority of votes cast to obtain the California Democratic Party’s endorsement. "Votes cast" include both votes for candidates and votes for "no endorsement." Abstentions do not count in the total votes cast. If no candidate reaches the required threshold, the CDP shall have taken the position of "no consensus" for endorsement.

Rules, Voting Procedures, etc. will be mailed to all candidates and eligible voters in mid-February. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Chris Myers at (916) 442-5707 or e-mail him at chris@cadem.org.

The CDP By-Laws supersedes any information provided by staff regarding the endorsement process. Click here for a current pdf copy.     

Notice to Democratic Clubs/Organizations

Official notice of the 2010 endorsement process was mailed to chartered Democratic clubs & organizations and posted on the CDP website in November 2009. Click here for more information.