News

Nominate the Democratic Presidential Candidate and Select People to Craft Idaho’s Democratic Platform

The 2012 Presidential Caucus will be Saturday, April 14^th at 10:00am at the Morrison Center, with doors opening at 8:30 am.  The Democratic Presidential Caucus is the basis of representative democracy and is one of the most exciting and important events for Democrats in Idaho.  Idaho Democrats will be caucusing the same day as Democrats in Hawaii, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska.  The Ada County Democratic Presidential Caucus is where we cast our vote for our Democratic Candidate for President and select the individuals who will craft our Democratic Platform.   Whether or not you want to serve as a delegate, this is a once in four-year event that you won’t want to miss!  We will have lots of opportunities for volunteers for this event as well!

Casting ballots for President – Democrats in Ada County will cast our ballots for our Presidential Nominee.  This will be an amazing rally and exciting time at a great venue!  Our caucus will begin be called to order at 10:00am.  An enthusiastic crowd will cast ballots for who we want for President!   By regulation, Democrats can cast their ballots for “President Barack Obama” or “Uncommitted.”  As ballots are tabulated, we’ll have some great entertainment.   We also expect a special message from President Obama.   A re-caucus (recasting of ballots for any candidate not making a 15% threshold) will occur.  At that point delegates will be allocated to the winning candidate.

Become a Delegate – Ada County will send 128 delegates to the State Democratic Convention here in Boise.  Any resident of Ada County can run to be a delegate to the State Convention!  These delegates will not only vote nominate the Presidential candidate, but will also help craft the Democratic Platform for Idaho.  If you have an issue you want supported in the Idaho Democratic Platform, this is your opportunity to have your say!

People place their name on the list at the County Caucus and are voted on by Democrats at the County Caucus.  128 alternate delegates will also be selected to serve if elected delegates cannot attend the State Convention.  The State Convention is June 6^that the Boise Riverside Hotel.  At the State Convention, County delegates cast their ballot at for the Presidential nominee and craft the State Platform.  County delegates can then run to be State delegates for the Democratic National Convention to be held in Charleston, South Carolina in September, 2012!

Volunteer Today at http://yesforboiseschools.org/index.html

The quality of life and economic vitality of a community hinges greatly on the quality of its schools.  Please consider volunteering to help pass the Boise School Levy even if you don’t live in Boise!

Get Facts and Volunteer here: http://yesforboiseschools.org/index.html

On Tuesday, March 13^th, voters in the Boise School District will have the opportunity to assure that Boise’s schools retain the excellent level of education they have provided to Boise’s children.  Passage of the Boise School Levy will have a significant effect on the entire community, not just for those living in the capital city.  Its success will have an impact on the economic vitality of the Treasure Valley as a whole.  High quality schools are a factor companies look for when locating their businesses, and many businesses have located in Boise due to its great schools.  A large part of the Boise workforce commutes from surrounding communities, and keeping Boise Schools strong will help retain employers that provide economic strength to those communities.

The Boise School Distric just one of 20 large districts in the country with its highschools on the list of America’s top high schools by the Washington Post.   Currently, 57% of students graduating from Boise schools go on to attend college, compared to 46% statewide.  Boise graduates have a higher college retention rate than the U.S. average.  Nationally, 78.2% of students advance from freshman to sophomore year in college.  Currently, 83% of Boise School District graduates successfully advancing from freshman to sophomore year in college.

The Washington Post ranks our four traditional high schools – Boise, Borah, Capital and Timberline  – among the top 7% of America’s high schools.  The Boise District’s Advanced  Placement program is the best in the state of Idaho.  Additionally, Boise Schools have a well designed professional technical program that graduates students ready to succeed in the technical workforce.

If voters approve the five-year, $14 million dollar supplemental levy, the monthly property tax increase for the average homeowner in Boise would be under $7 per month.  All proceeds from the supplemental levy will go towards maintaining low class sizes and preserving quality programs.  None of the funds from the levy will go to administrative costs.

Congressional and Legislative Maps Approved

America’s founding fathers worried that minority parties and people could fall victim to the tyranny of the majority.  The act of redistricting lays the groundwork for how, and who, citizens are able to elect individuals to represent them in government.  If the process itself is tipped in favor of one party over another, the ability of the majority to forever dominate is set.  That is why it is so important for Idaho to retain an evenhanded bipartisan Redistricting Commission that designated voting districts based solely on the “one man-one vote” basis, not on political whim.  However, in Idaho, the GOP has had no problem exerting its control over every aspect of governance, without regard to Idaho Constitutional mandate, or the concerns of our founding fathers. 

After heated debates, the first 2011 Idaho Redistricting Commission exceeded its 90 day appointment without any approved maps.  At the 2011 Winter Republican State Central Committee Meeting, frustrated by their inability to dominate the redistricting process, Idaho GOP leadership passed a resolution to do away with the evenly bipartisan Redistricting Commission, voting to replace it with a seven member commission dominated by the Republican Party, with the “seated members of the commission assigned to reflect the will of the people as evidenced by the political make up of the legislative body. The total number of legislative seats (105) shall be divided by 7 seats. One seat shall be assigned for every 15 seats held by a political party.” http://www.bonnevillerepublicans.org/uploads/2012_Idaho_GOP_Winter_Meeting_Resolutions.pdf

A second Redistricting Commission was appointed and approved both Congressional and Legislative maps.  The Legislative Map was challenged in court.  When the second Redistricting Commission was ordered by the courts to reconvene, two Republican members, Dolores Crow and Randy Hansen were challenged by Idaho GOP Speaker Lawrence Denney and GOP Chair Norm Semanko.  Denney and Semanko tried unsuccessfully to fire Crow and Hansen for not being partisan enough, taking their case to the courts.  The Idaho Supreme Court stepped in again refusing to hear Denney’s and Semanko’s demand to dismiss their commissioners.

After meeting for two days, the Redistricting Commission, with all six members present, unanimously approved L93 http://legislature.idaho.gov/redistricting/PlanHtml/L93.pdf.  At this point, the Ada County Elections Department can now proceed with redrawing precinct lines and locating polling locations in time for the May primary.  While the bipartisan process that upholds “one man-one vote” prevailed, we must be certain that the Idaho GOP is unable to upend the redistricting process at the expense of the minority.

Voters within the Boise School District will be asked to support a supplemental levy for Boise Public Schools on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. 100% of revenue from the levy will be spent on maintaining low class sizes and preserving quality programs, not administrative costs. The amount of the supplemental levy is $14 million. If approved, the levy would be in place for 5 years and cost the average homeowner less than $7.00 a month.

The supplemental levy will:

• Maintain student class sizes at current levels, avoiding increases of 4 to 6 students per classroom.
• Retain District teaching staff, avoiding the potential loss of over 200 teachers and numerous ancillary and classified personnel.
• Cover a projected ongoing $15 million deficit beginning with the 2012-13 school year.

Projected District revenue will decline by $35 million from $201 million in 2008-09 to $166 million by 2012-13. District revenue has not been as low as $166 million since 2000-01. In addition to revenue losses, increased ongoing expenditures in the areas of fuel, transportation, and health insurance are expected to exceed $2 million by 2012-13.

Levies failed in Meridian and Kuna in May, resulting in increased class size and loss of staff, fewer class days, pay-to-play and loss of elective classes. Find out more at Yes! For Boise Schools.

The Ada County Democrats invite you to our Valentine Social!

Saturday, February 11th
No host Cocktail Hour 6:00 pm
No host Dinner (order off the menu) and Dessert Auction 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Casa Mexico Restaurant
10332 Fairview Ave, at Fairview and Five Mile

This is a fun event to sit back and talk to fellow Democrats over great food and conversation.  First Congressional District candidate Jimmy Farris and District 18 Representative Phylis King will be guest speakers at our event from 8:00pm to 9:00pm.

Dessert donations greatly appreciated for the dessert auction.  We will have a dessert table filled with amazing bunt cakes, cookies, pies and other great goodies to bid on.

Suggested $5 donation at the door
RSVP to adademocrats@adademocrats.org or call 331-2128