As you've read on the RK front page, the Arlington County Democratic Committee (ACDC) held their endorsement caucus yesterday for November's school board election. The way it works is that all Democratic candidates for the office agree to abide by the decision. Those who win will enter their names for the general election, those who don't will not. Caucus voters must be registered in Arlington, and while they don't have the be Democrats, they do have to sign a loyalty pledge agreeing to support the winners in November.
The caucus itself was very well run. This is in no way an indictment of yesterday's process. Those who ran it did so fairly, professionally, and according to all rules and regulations set forth.
That said, this is why I think that Arlington Democrats should eliminate the caucus next year.
1. The endorsement is the election.
As of November 2007, Democrats control all 15 elected positions in Arlington County's government. Nothing could make me happier! However, we have to be mindful of our image around the DC Metro area. We are jokingly referred to as the Democratic People's Republic of Arlington, a reference to the Communist Party. We should actively attempt to fend off implications that ACDC selects candidates in a smoky back room. Warner's campaign has set an 80% challenge to ACDC. 80%! The Democrats will win in Arlington regardless of a caucus. As of the time of this post, no non-Democratic candidate has filed for the general election, and none are likely to do so.
2. The caucus violates the spirit of the law.
The school board is supposed to be non-partisan. We could at least pretend. Given the above circumstance, we are essentially guaranteeing that no non-Democrat can be elected to the board. By making the election hinge on the caucus outcome, we are violating the spirit of this non-partisan position. Our schools should not be blue or red.
3. Turnout is too high.
I'll reiterate that I think that ACDC did an excellent job running the caucus. But turnout was around 4500 people - as many as voted in the Guam caucus the same day. That represents something like 4% of Arlington voters, equivalent turnout to any other off-year primary election. Any voting process with that high of a turnout should be run by the county and should be regulated by the county's laws and procedures. In a valiant effort to not disenfranchise those voters in South Arlington, ACDC even held a Thursday night poll at TJ Middle in central Arlington. However, that's totally insufficient. When this many people vote, they need to be able to do so at their own, close polling locations. They should not have to rely on rides from volunteers to take them halfway across the county to then wait in line for 45 minutes.
4. The "loyalty oath" is unfair.
Personally, I don't have a problem with this aspect of the caucus. The libertarians among you probably do, though, and I've heard many complaints. I think asking someone who votes in this caucus to support the winner is reasonable. However, when the caucus is in effect the election, requiring this pledge completely disenfranchises those Republicans and Independents who wish to have a say in the process. I know that some people who wanted to vote were turned away for not signing the pledge. Reasonable under the circumstances? Yes. Fair? By no means.
5. It's not fair to politicize the PTA's.
Many parent groups and even entire PTA's were supporting particular candidates. Having worked with some of the schools groups during the election, I've heard that some PTA's are having their non-profit status challenged for partisan electioneering. But what choice do they have? If school associations want to affect the outcome of the election, they have no option but to advocate in the Democratic endorsement - a blatant violation of their tax status. I know of several Republicans who worked hard to advocate for certain candidates in this caucus but did not vote because of the partisan nature of the process. This is unfair to them, unfair to the school and teacher groups, and unfair to the children they represent.
In conclusion, I think the case is made clearly enough. As long as the caucus is the election, it is unfair. The obvious solution then is to simply do away with it. Have all candidates compete on equal footing in the November general election. If Republicans want to enter the mix, so be it. This is a non-partisan race and should be treated as such. I wish only to promote fairness, equity, and balance in the county I love and call home. The way to do that, in this case, is to eliminate the ACDC endorsement caucus.
#1 is not an issue that I'm losing sleep over.
If consistently electing politicians with a Democratic label nets the local population one of the highest living standards in the U.S., some of the best public schools in the U.S., and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. there is absolutely nothing to apologize for.
Wear the label proudly -- and consider ourselves fortunate.
I'm not disagreeing with your main point, which is the absurdity of the parties turning school board partisan- I am calling you out for acting like this won't cause some more Republicans to win (it will).
School Board should be, and stay non-partisan.
Why Arlington County Democrats Endorse CandidatesIn the United States, any person or group of people has the right to choose to support one or more candidates for public office.
If you choose to publicly support a candidate, you make an endorsement - one that indicates your preferences for candidates based on your priorities or beliefs. This perspective can be valuable to others like your friends or neighbors who may be considering whether to support a candidate themselves. In this way, the Arlington Democrats are the same as any other group - from the Arlington Education Association PAC to the Sierra Club - in making such an endorsement. Voters weigh the Arlington Democrats' endorsement, along with other endorsements, such as those from educational, public service and issues organizations, and other factors, in making their decision.
It is not only our right to endorse political candidates, but as a political party, it is also our duty. To live up to our mission as a party it is essential that we work to secure public office for those candidates who personify and uphold our important Democratic principles. The "Democratic Endorsement" is our brand. ACDC owns this brand and it is up to us to protect it judiciously.
Many voters - from party activists, self-identified "Democrats" and those voters who consider Democratic values to be the same as their own - have faith in that Democratic brand. Our endorsement provides helpful information as a service to many voters. They rely on their party to educate and inform them about which candidates personify and uphold the Democratic principles they value.
Why We Endorse for School Board
Arlington voters know that the Democratic Party has a long national history of support for public education and a long local history of helping elect strong, thoughtful Board members to our School Board.
Our endorsement of a School Board candidate is a pledge of the quality of that candidate - a public statement that the candidate will uphold Democratic principles related to Arlington education and schools.
Our endorsement provides helpful information as a service to many voters and ensures that our party is a living, growing entity involved in civic discourse on one of the most important topics of modern life - public education.
Through our endorsement process, we make a decision to stand together as a party in support of our endorsed candidate(s). Our endorsement thus promotes our unity and success as a party, the election of our endorsed candidates and the enactment of our values by our elected officials.
This decision to unify behind our endorsed candidate(s) has particular pragmatic importance in Virginia school board elections, which are decided by plurality - there is no requirement that the winner(s) receive some minimum percentage of the votes cast. Divided, we risk splitting our votes and enhancing the ability of candidates who do not subscribe to our values to win elections. United, we elect those who subscribe to our values.
With this said, I am a total proponent of strong parties. If garnering strong party support permits individuals with fewer resources the ability to win elected seats, we all gain by having a more diverse group of elected officials.
What makes me proud to be a Democrat is that our party is open to everyone, and everyone has an equal right to get involved in our local party. As long as we can agree on a core set of values, I am free to care less about any individual candidate, and am able to concentrate on winning in a general election - in essence debate can be shifted from the personal to one of Democratic issues verse Republican issues.
My biggest criticism of the Democratic party in recent times has been that it's weak and unfocussed. Slowly our state party is getting better, and I would argue that it's getting better because of the leads taken in Arlington and Alexandria.