Local Conventions Are Important
By the News-Register
POSTED: April 11, 2008
Democratic Party members from throughout West Virginia will be gathering at 55 county conventions on Saturday, for the purpose of selecting delegates to their state convention. We encourage Democrats eager to have an impact on the political process to attend conventions in their counties.
The process of selecting political parties’ nominees for president, once relatively simple, has become a complicated one. At first glance, some Democrats may wonder just how important the county conventions are in the overall process.
They are very important, simply because they will be used to select those who will represent delegates to the state convention, who are intended to reflect the desires of Democrats at the local level. Some of those named at the county conventions may find themselves picked to become delegates to the Democratic Party’s national convention in Denver, scheduled to be held in August. Eighteen of West Virginia’s 39 delegates to the national event will be selected at the state convention, which will be held June 13-14 in Charleston.
Campaign 2008 has become a contentious one for Democrats, as Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to vie for the nomination for president. Some analysts believe that West Virginia’s role in naming the nominee will not be an important one — but some of the same people believed that the issue would have been settled long before now. In other words, Mountain State Democrats indeed may be important in deciding whether Obama or Clinton becomes the party’s standard-bearer.
It is important, then, for Democrats to take part in the process — the “nuts and bolts” of which begin on Saturday.
County conventions for the Northern Panhandle include:
Brooke County — Follansbee Public Library, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Hancock County —County courthouse in New Cumberland, beginning at 9 a.m.
Marshall County — County courthouse in Moundsville, beginning at 10 a.m.
Ohio County — Carpenter’s Hall at 56 19th St., Wheeling, beginning at 1 p.m.
Tyler County — County courthouse in Middlebourne, starting at 10 a.m.
Wetzel County — New Martinsville City Hall, beginning at 10 a.m.
Once again: If you are a Democrat who wants to make a difference in the party and, quite possibly, for the nation, we urge you to participate in your county’s convention.
