STATEMENT ON THE ELECTION OF A DAJ VOTING REPRESENTATIVE
Rationale for Electing a Voting Representative
The Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA) is the highest authority of Democrats Abroad and has general responsibility for the administration and work of Democrats Abroad. The DPCA is composed of the Chair and Vice Chair of each country committee, country committee voting representatives (if any), Democrats Abroad’s elected DNC members, and the officers of Democrats Abroad, such as the International Chair, International Vice Chair, etc.
In recent years, Japan had routinely been allocated four DPCA votes based on its population of verified members. These four votes, pursuant to the DPCA Charter, are cast by the Democrats Abroad Japan (DAJ) Chair or Vice Chair at DPCA meetings. If the Chair and Vice Chair are both present at a meeting, the Chair and Vice Chair have split Japan’s votes (two and two). No DPCA voting member may cast more than four votes.
On February 25, 2017, Japan was informed that it had been allocated one extra DPCA vote for a total of five votes due to the increase in its proportion of the global membership of Democrats Abroad. In order to ensure that Japan can cast all five of its votes on matters voted on by the DPCA, Japan is holding elections within the country committee to elect Japan’s Voting Representative.
Job Description of a DPCA Voting Representative
Under the Charter of the Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA), Voting Representatives may—and in some cases, must—be elected by country committees to cast votes on behalf of the country committee at DPCA meetings. A Voting Representative must be a member of the country committee he or she represents.
Japan’s Voting Representative is expected to participate in the DPCA Global Meeting as a member of Japan’s delegation including the Chair and Vice Chair of DAJ. In principal, the Chair and Vice Chair will each cast two votes and the Voting Representative will cast one vote. The meeting will take place from May 12 to 15, 2017 in Washington DC. The Voting Representative may travel to the meeting to participate in person or may participate via WebEx (DPCA’s web conferencing platform). Voting representatives must bear their own costs of travel or other expenses related to the meeting.
Between DPCA Global Meetings (held annually), voting representatives are encouraged to: (1) remain up to date on the business of the DPCA and the provisions of the DPCA Charter; (2) participate in the work of the DPCA by contributing to global committees, taskforces or caucuses; (3) remain active in the country committee share insights with local members about what is transpiring at the global level; and (4) participate in monthly AP regional teleconferences (via WebEx).
March 12, 2017
Tom Schmid, Chair
Democrats Abroad Japan