In just a week, delegates will head to the Alamodome of San Antonio for the Texas Democratic Convention, June 16-18, 2016. Congressman Joaquín Castro is theConvention Chair, and his twin brother Julian Castro is one of the keynote speakers. The latter is the former Mayor of San Antonio and the current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development since July 28, 2014. During the convention, the eyes of the nation will be on Texas, not only because of its large number of delegates, but because Julian Castro is rumored to be on the "short list" for potential vice presidential candidates for the national ticket.
By attending the state convention, delegates can participate in drafting the state party platform and they are able to elect state party leaders, such as the State Chair, the State Vice-Chair and the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) members. Since this is a presidential election year, the State Convention delegates will also elect the Texas delegates and alternate delegates to the National Convention and the Texas representatives who will serve on the Democratic National Committee(DNC).
The festivities of the Texas Democratic Convention will begin at 6pm on Thursday, June 16, 2016 with a "Kickoff Reception" at La Villita Assembly Hall, followed by a free fiesta at La Villita Juarez Plaza hosted by the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) and the Democratic County Chairs Association. (Tickets are required for both events.) Additional events will be hosted by the Muslim Democratic Caucus, Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus and the Texas Young Democrats. (The latter event requires an admission fee.)
On Friday, June 17, 2016, delegates can check-in at the Alamodome as early as 8am. Various caucuses are scheduled for the rest of the morning and on through mid-afternoon. From 3pm to 5pm, delegates will vote on national delegates. The keynote speeches will begin at 6pm.
The session on Saturday, June 18, 2016 will begin at 8am with the Lady Bird Breakfast at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Ballroom. (Tickets are required.) Between 8am and 9:30am, meetings will be held for various committees, including Resolutions Committee, Rules Committee, Platform Committee and Nominations Committee. During the rest of the morning, the TDP will offer numerous training sessions. At the General Session, which starts at noon, committees will present their reports and delegates will vote on national delegates and representatives to serve on the SDEC and the DNC.
See you in San Antonio! Meanwhile, we need your help to elect Democrats in Dallas County. Here are some ways you can help:
