Before and since the recent State conventions, there have been many comments on The Politicker and Daily Politics blog about who votes at the Democratic State Convention – asking who they are, how they are chosen , are dissidents purged, etc.
(For some reason, there is really letter comment about who votes at Republican conventions)
Many of the questions and comments reflected the fact that most people, even political junkies, don’t know a lot about this position. Here are some facts:
The members of the State Committee are not delegates like those who pick Presidential candidates. Delegates are selected to take in part in a single convention.
State Committee members are elected for two-year terms every even numbered year.
They are elected in the regularly scheduled Democratic Primaries.
Each Assembly District elects 2 State Committee members from each county in the AD. One must be Male and one must be Female.
Most State Committee members run unopposed in the Primary and therefore their names do not appear on the ballot. . In New York City, there is usually an arrangement among the leaders of Democratic clubs in the AD that allows a particular club to select a Committee member.
In 2004, there were some contested State Committee Primaries –
Queens 1
Brooklyn 12
Manhattan 2
Bronx 9
The large number in Brooklyn is largely due to the fact that State Committee members in Brooklyn also serve as Democratic District Leaders.
The vote for designating candidates is a weighted vote based on the number of votes the Democratic candidate received on the Democratic line for Governor in the last election.
State Committee members other powers include electing the State Party Chair, other State Committee officers, members of the Democratic National Committee and at-large Delegates to the National Convention.