Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte convened the Kings County Democratic Party Executive Committee for an organizational meeting Tuesday night. Business conducted at the meeting included welcoming all new members, re-electing the county chair, providing an update on the faulty absentee ballots distributed across the borough and amending the county committee rules due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In New York, each party has a county committee that is entrusted with performing basic tasks for the party organization. In Kings County, the party elected 2,300 members. Due to the pandemic, the party has had to find new and innovative ways to make itself both inclusive and transparent, while also mitigating health risks that would be inevitable if an in-person meeting were called. Rules for governance of the county committee were amended at the meeting due to these issues.
A 2,300-person virtual meeting would have compromised the integrity of the voting process and left out some elderly members, persons with disabilities and minority community members facing challenges with internet access in the digital divide.
Therefore, a proxy voting process was established and voted on. Through the vote, a consensus was reached among the overwhelming majority of district leaders, that they should act as the voice of county committee members and cast votes on their behalf for the purpose of the annual organizational meeting occurring during the Covid-19 public health crisis. This is similar to the use of proxies at the party’s August judicial convention. Under the temporary rules, members still have the right to assign any individual they wish to cast their vote as a proxy holder for this meeting.
The rule change represents a progressive improvement from past practices, where the party chair controlled hundreds of proxy votes from across districts, not only their own. The new rules divest power from one, to many. It is a reform that many have sought for decades.
Officers also were elected to the posts of vice chair and secretary. Annette Robinson and Nancy Tong will fill those respective seats.
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte thanks the Kings County Democratic Executive Committee for re-electing her as Brooklyn Democratic Party leader. Since her appointment in January, Bichotte has been instrumental in passing election reform legislation and policies; instituted judicial reforms; saved the party from near financial collapse; expanded Party inclusivity by creating a Task Force on Gender Equality; responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by keeping members up to date with the latest information and resources; and mobilized county clubs to support progressive candidates in innovative and unprecedented ways. She has represented and championed the interests of the county at the state level. Under her leadership, the party has embodied progressive reforms that have been decades in the making, while upholding the principles of equality that are so fundamental to our core democratic values. Her goals are to continue to support district leaders’ involvement in the party, encourage voter participation and drive up civic engagement.
Our 2020 District Leaders
