Missed deadline riles some who hoped to become DNC delegates

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 8, 2008 at 5:50 p.m.
Updated May 8, 2008 at 11:33 p.m.

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The Colorado Democratic Party says it won't extend the deadline for members who failed to fill out a registration form allowing them to run as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Most of the unhappy Democrats who have called to complain are Barack Obama supporters, said Sherry Jackson, executive director of the state Democratic Party.

She said the party did what it could to notify Democrats about the April registration deadline. But she noted that the presidential campaigns also were supposed to make sure that the supporters they got to the caucuses on Feb. 5 completed the form that allowed them to become a candidate for national delegate.

"We're not to blame," Jackson said Thursday.

Some Democrats who missed the deadline disagree and had asked for an extension.

One of the most vocal critics is Denver resident Josh Brodbeck, who assumed that because he was an Obama delegate to the state convention he was automatically a candidate to be a DNC delegate.

He said Thursday that the party recently sent automated "robo calls" to Democrats about the state convention next week, and it should have done the same about the DNC registration.

Jackson said the robocalls were made to help the party determine how big of a crowd will show up at the state convention in Colorado Springs May 16-17.

Using robocalls for the April registration wouldn't have guaranteed compliance, either, she noted. Jackson said 9,500 robo calls went out asking Democrats if they still planned to attend the state gathering, and only about 250 people have responded.

State party Chairwoman Pat Waak said information about the April deadline for DNC candidate registration was stressed "every step of the way."

An announcement was made at the Denver County Democratic assembly Brodbeck attended, she said. The party also sent news releases reminding Democrats of the registration deadline.

"The efforts that the state party says it went to were all passive in nature," Brodbeck countered. "They were the kind of efforts to where you had to be somewhere to hear an announcement."

Jackson said many of the Obama supporters who now are calling to complain said the campaign recently notified them they missed the deadline.

"It's mighty funny because they sound like they're reading from a script," she said.

"They say, 'Why should I show up at the convention if I can't be a delegate to the national assembly?' "

Jackson said the party explains that it's a show of support for their candidate and helps determine how many delegate slots their candidate receives.

In addition, she said, the party explains that delegates who show up get to vote on the DNC candidates.

"They don't care," Jackson said of some of the disgruntled delegates. "They don't want to vote for other people. They want other people to vote for them."

Longtime party members say that every four years they hear from delegates who are upset that they didn't know they had to fill out a separate registration form to run as a DNC delegate.

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5327

• May 9, 2008

  4:36 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Charles__B writes:

  BO needs those delegates.

• May 9, 2008

  2:17 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SlouchingTowardBoulder writes:

  This is going to be geat fun!

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