Resolution to Reform the Texas Two Step System Passes Precinct 231 in SD 14 in Travis County

Scott Cobb took the resolution below to his precinct 231 convention in Senatorial District 14 in Travis County and it was approved unanimously with one person, the chair, not voting. If you took a resolution to your precinct, let us know if it passed.

Resolution to Reform the Texas Two Step System of Allocating Delegates in Presidential Election Years

Whereas the current Texas Two-Step system used to apportion delegates among candidates for the Democratic nomination for president is unfair because it violates the principles of “one person, one vote” and “equal opportunity to vote”, and

Whereas under the Texas Two-Step system 65 percent of the pledged delegates are apportioned based on the primary results and 35 percent of the pledged delegates are apportioned based on the results of the caucus/convention system, and

Whereas the Texas Two-Step decreases the voting strength of people who cast a ballot in the primary but who do not or cannot return to participate in the caucuses, and
Whereas all eligible voters have an opportunity to vote in the primary by mail or during the early voting period, but many people are unable to spend hours on election night attending caucuses to fully support their candidate. People who cannot attend precinct conventions to caucus include members of the U.S. armed forces serving in Afghanistan, Iraq or elsewhere around the world; many people over the age of 65; many parents with young children; many people with disabilities; people who are ill on the day of the precinct convention; anyone traveling away from home on election day, and anyone who must be at work or school at the time of the convention, especially if they are employed in low-wage, jobs without the flexibility to reschedule or unable to afford the missed wages. Other people may just be unaware that to fully support their chosen candidate they have to come back for the caucuses.

Whereas Texas is the only state where the Democratic Party uses a combined primary and caucus system to apportion delegates and in order to use its unfair system, the Texas Democratic Party has had to get a waiver from the DNC because DNC rules normally do not allow the kind of hybrid system that Texas uses, and

Whereas a system with all the pledged delegates allocated based on the results of the primary would be fairer and more inclusive.

Therefore, be it resolved that the Texas Democratic Party shall change its rules to require adoption of a Texas National Delegate Selection Plan for future presidential election years under which all pledged national delegates shall be allocated based on the results of the popular vote in the Texas presidential primary.

Passed by the precinct convention held in Precinct 231 Senatorial District 14 on March 2, 2010.