Liz Walters, the Ohio Democratic Party Chairperson. On March 27, Liz made a presentation to the MCDP Executive Committee. In response I posted, an email that I intended to send, but I rewrote the email and this is the one I am sending.
Dear Liz Walters:
Thank you for your thoughtful analysis and wonderful graphs concerning the 2024 election that you shared with the Montgomery County Democratic Party Executive Committee.
To meet the huge challenges facing our party, I believe our party needs to make some big changes in its procedures — starting with how party leaders are chosen. Now, leaders are chosen by the MCDP Central Committee. I believe it would be a big improvement if leaders would be elected by the total MCDP membership.
The 17th Amendment — the direct election of US Senators — was a great victory for participatory democracy. The direct election of Democratic Party leadership also would be a victory for democracy, and, to the point, direct election would empower a membership campaign that would make our party stronger and would boost our brand.
The ODP, I hope, will approve a process for direct election of MCDP leaders similar to the process used to select ODP leaders. The ODP Constitution calls for the elected ODP Central Committee, “the controlling committee,” to merge with and to transfer all of its authority to a larger group, an Executive Committee. It is this larger group that chooses the ODP officers. This process is in keeping with the Ohio Revised Code which says: “Each major party controlling committee shall elect an executive committee that shall have the powers granted to it by the party controlling committee, and provided to it by law.”
To be consistent with this law, my proposal is for the MCDP Central Committee to elect the entire membership of the MCDP to be the MCDP Executive Committee, for the purpose of leader selection only, and, in all other matters, for the Central Committee to continue to act as the “controlling committee.”
The goal is a unified and harmonious party. The proposal is that individuals elected to leadership by the total MCDP membership will serve in the same offices on the Central Committee. The person elected to serve as MCDP Chairperson, for example, will also serve as Central Committee Chairperson. The total membership of the MCDP will have meetings — with on-line participation and votes — and make recommendations. The Central Committee will either approve, modify, or table these recommendations at in-person meetings where remote voting will be prohibited
My hope is that you will give the go-ahead to this general idea and the remainder of 2025 there will grow consensus within the MCDP for this big change and agreement as to the details in the new MCDP Constitution. The goal is for the 2026 Reorganization to ratify a a new constitution that empowers the direct election of officers and that schedules the next Reorganization in two years, rather than four. If this works out, the first direct election of MCDP leadership will occur in 2028.
Of course, changing the MCDP Constitution, by itself, would have little impact. The idea is to make the direct election of officers part of a big campaign, starting in 2025, to greatly increase membership and to build a new grassroots infrastructure. The purpose of restructuring would be to make the Democratic Party a grassroots organization that meaningfully engages and empowers rank-and-file Democrats, especially youth. I’m thinking it would be feasible, by 2028, for a grassroots campaign to sign up at least one out of twenty registered Democrats as MCDP members — a little more than 2028 members. Our slogan could be: “2028 in 2028!”
I hope you agree with me that direct election of Democratic leadership should be given a try. Please tell if my interpretation of Ohio law would be approved by the ODP and, if not, please help me think through how direct election can be approved. I am sharing this letter with fellow Democrats and posting this letter on my website. I will post your response, also.
Thank you. If you’d like to discuss any of this, please telephone. I’d love a conversation. Best wishes to you in all that you do.
Sincerely,
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