It’s our chance to shape Nevada
Here is all the information needed to attend a caucus and to introduce a plank to be added to the party’s platform.
Democratic Presidential Caucus is January 21, 2012 starting at 11:30am in all location across Nevada. Your specific caucus location depends on where you live. Find out where your caucus location is by visiting http://www.pledgetocaucus.com
Republican Presidential Caucus is February 4, 2012. Start time and location depends on where you live. Clark County caucuses start at 9:00am. Washoe County caucuses start at 10:00 am. More information is available at http://www.nvgopcaucus.com
Party Platforms – Our Chance to Make a Difference
One of the most important parts of the caucus process is the chance to introduce planks into the party platforms. These are the standards that the party will hold up as their ideals for both their members and their elected officials.
Each party has a different process by which planks are introduced at their caucus. Below is information for both parties.
Democratic Party Platform Process
To submit a plank for the party platform you must attend the caucus meeting (January 21, 2012 starting at 11:30am in all locations). At the caucus meeting you must submit your plank in writing to the chairperson at your caucus location. It can be written on any sheet of paper, but to make things easier we’ve provided a blank version of the official plank submission form (click here to download).
Voting then takes place at your caucus location, the county party convention, and the state party convention to determine if your plank will become part of the party platform.
See below for platform planks that Nevada Values Coalition members have suggested. The forms are already filled out for the Democratic Party caucuses so all you have to do is print them out and bring them with you. You can submit as many planks as you would like.
Republican Party Platform Process
To submit a plank for the party platform you must attend the caucus meeting (February 4, 2012. Start times vary by county. Clark County starts at 9:00am, Washoe County starts at 10:00am). At the meeting an informational packet will be handed out that includes an email address for the county party platform committee. You can then submit as many plank proposals as you would like to the platform committee, but they must be done by sending them to this email address.
After the planks are submitted the platform committee will hold two public hearings where proposed planks are discussed. Then at the county party convention the platform committee will submit a report on the proposed planks. A comment period will take place, followed by a vote of the entire convention membership on the proposed planks.
If the plank receives enough votes it will go to the state party convention. There will be another round of public discussion at the state convention. During this process anyone who is a member of the state convention can propose an amendment to the plank. The plank will then be voted on by the convention at large.
Suggested Planks from Nevada Values Coalition Members
Download a blank Democratic Party platform plank submission form here, but we highly suggest looking at the planks below that have been submitted by Nevada Values Coalition member groups. All you have to do is print them out and bring them with you to your caucus. The Republican Party does not have a form that is submitted at caucus locations (see above for the Republican plank submission process) so we cannot provide one here. However, you could take the same language from the suggested planks below and submit it through the process.
Protecting Women’s Health – Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood (Democratic plank form)
Protecting Women’s Health – Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood (Republican plank language)
Helping homeowners in the foreclosure process – ProgressNow Nevada
Protect Medicaid – Nevada Alliance of Retired Americans
Protect Medicare – Nevada Alliance of Retired Americans
Protect Social Security – Nevada Alliance of Retired Americans
Ward Voting for City Council Elections – Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
Comprehensive Immigration Reform – Mi Familia Vota
Transition to Clean Energy and Jobs for Nevada – Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter
Social Security Protection – National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
Medicare Protection – National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
Medicaid Protection – National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
General Plank Ideas
Still don’t have an idea for a plank? Below are some general plank ideas.
- Require full disclosure online of all political donations within 48 hours of receipt.
- Permit same-day voter registration
- Require financial disclosures to be filed by out-of-state non-profits; 527s and PACs 48 hours prior to conducting paid media campaigns in Nevada
- Require banks to sell foreclosed property back to homeowners at the actual market value
- Require banks to maintain foreclosed properties they own (see the filled out form above)
- Modernize Nevada’s tax code to reflect the dynamic 21st century economy we have
- Adequately fund Nevada’s K-16 system of education
- Enact a broad-based business tax and reduce the overall sales tax rate
- Eliminate all tax deductions for foreign-owned gold mining corporations.
- Phase out coal-generated power and replace it with renewable energy.
- Create a bottle deposit system in Nevada
- Repeal Nevada’s constitutional prohibition on gay marriage
- Require a two-thirds majority vote on all budget cuts
- Limit executive pay to five times the amount of a company’s lowest paid full-time worker’s salary.
- Freeze the incoming tuition rate for all first-year Nevada higher education students for a period of five years.
- Legalize, tax and regulate marijuana sales for medical patients
- Legalize, tax and regulate marijuana sales
- Protect women’s access to health care
- Permit collective bargaining for state employees
