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Party must follow rules on delegates, state Democratic chairman says Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 By Doug Thompson Arkansas News Bureau SPRINGDALE - An unforeseen restriction will keep many Democrats from voting in the March 8 state convention to select delegates to this summer's Democratic National Convention, the state Democratic Party chairman said Tuesday. About one-third of state Democrats planning to attend the state convention signed up as "uncommitted" to a presidential candidate, and under party rules will not be able to vote on choosing party delegates to the national convention in August at Denver, state Democratic Party chairman Bill Gwatney said. "I'd love to waggle a wand and make it different, but these are the rules and they were approved by the Democratic National Committee," Gwatney said in an interview after a speech here to the Senior Democrats of Northwest Arkansas. New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, a former Arkansas first lady, and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama garnered 96.3 percent of the vote between them in Arkansas' Feb. 5 Democratic presidential primary and will divide all 47 of the state's delegates between them under party rules. Uncommitted attendees of the state convention would have been allowed to vote for delegates under the rules if there had been a less decisive election. But because other candidates did not add up to a 15-percent threshold, only attendees who committed to either Clinton or Obama will get to vote, Gwatney said. He said he would meet with the Washington County Democratic Committee and a staff expert would go to the Benton County Democratic Committee meeting Tuesday night to answer questions about delegate selection and other topics. "I've heard some disappointment, but no anger," said David Whitaker, chairman of the Washington County Democratic Committee. "It may be waiting on me at the committee meeting, but I haven't heard it yet. I know people were upset and disappointed. Some, for instance, had signed up as John Edwards supporters. Nobody but Clinton and Obama got 15 percent, however." Gwatney said a six-member panel is re-writing party rules, and efforts will be increased to make application of those rules statewide. "We have some counties where you have to pay dues to be on the county committee and others where you don't," he said in an interview, adding that the rules revision will be presented at the March convention and be considered at an annual rule-making convention in July. The biggest priority for 2008, however, is and will remain the presidential election, Gwatney said. "If I wake up Nov. 5 and the Democratic nominee did not carry Arkansas, I will feel like a failure," he said. |
