Photo of the Week July 22, 2006--DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee Meeting

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July 22, 2006--Paul R. McKenzie, Ilir Zherka, executive director of DC Vote, and Eugene Kinlow, also of DC Vote, review notes before the meeting of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. About a dozen activists came to the meeting to show support for an early caucus in DC. With their distinctive T-shirts, the DC Vote activists formed a visible contingent in the audience, but it soon became clear that there was not much support for DC in the Committee.
DC Vote letter
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton press release

Photos
DC Vote activists
South Carolina Chair Joe Erwin
Michigan's Mark Brewer
Discussion of opening date of pre-window period
Kathy Sullivan (NH) and Sally Pederson (IA)

Links
Democratic National Committee

Ilir Zherka: We're here to impress up on the Bylaws Committee members that they should choose DC as the second caucus in the presidential contest, principally to achieve two purposes. One is to highlight urban issues which are critical for millions and millions of people around the country. And then second is to draw attention to DC's lack of democracy, its lack of voting representation in Congress. And for those two reasons clearly the District ought to go second. We also think that New Hampshire has a point when it says that it has been the first primary and ought to remain the first primary. We're actually one of the contestants for an early caucus that back the New Hampshire primary, so we think--have the first caucus be Iowa, New Hampshire ought to be the first primary but let DC go second as a caucus leading up to the primary. So we're not a threat to New Hampshire in that respect.

Democracy in Action: Nevada seems to be the frontrunner in this.

Ilir Zherka: Well certainly that's what we're hearing that Nevada and Arizona are frontrunners and there are good reasons why they would be considered frontrunners and we understand the desire of Democrats to reach out to those communities out in the Southwest and to win those states; they're critical states. But at the same time the nation's capital is a special place with very unique problems and most Americans don't understand what the problems are here. Seventy-eight percent of Americans believe that Washingtonians have full voting representation. Of course it's not true. And then you've got the problem of New Hampshire. New Hampshire has indicated that it will consider moving its primary up no matter what happens if it's any other state, so that's a very significant problem for the Democratic Party. While Nevada and Arizona are of interest, we think that the District solves a lot of problems without creating new ones.

Democracy in Action: You have an agreement with New Hampshire or an understanding with New Hampshire?

Ilir Zherka: Well I think we have an understanding with some people in New Hampshire. We're hoping that that understanding will draw more people in.

Democracy in Action: What is that?

Ilir Zherka: Well that New Hampshire ought to be the first primary and we ought to be the second caucus.

Democracy in Action: Why do they want that?