On Tuesday, DNC Chair Tom Perez and Deputy Chair Keith Ellison made their first joint statement endorsing the Unity Reform Commission’s game-changing reforms of the DNC -- in an email to the Progressive Change Campaign Committee’s 1 million members!
It's a huge deal that Perez and Ellison are being full-throated in their endorsement of the Unity Reform Commission’s proposals to reform the DNC and build a more inclusive and responsive Democratic Party. These reforms -- like dramatically scaling back the role of unelected superdelegates, making primaries open to more people, making caucuses less time consuming for working families, and mandating more DNC budget transparency and oversight -- will go a long way in building trust with the grassroots, donors, and voters.
And that's key to victory in 2018 and 2020.
Both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton supporters on the reform commission are now united behind these game-changing reforms -- and it's important that voting DNC members opt to stand with Perez and Ellison in carrying the mantle of reform instead of trying to water down or block reform.
Check out the first joint statement from DNC Chair Perez and Deputy Chair Ellison below.
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Email sent to PCCC’s 1 million members on behalf of Tom Perez and Keith Ellison on Tuesday, December 12th:
This is Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez and Deputy Chair Keith Ellison.
In 2016, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton agreed to set up a Unity Reform Commission to make recommendations to the DNC on how our presidential nominating process could be more fair and inclusive -- and how we can improve the DNC to bring new people into our party.
Together, we are proud to support these reforms that were voted on this weekend after months of input by the public and deliberations by the Commission.
We urge the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee and full DNC to adopt the historic reforms passed by the Unity Reform Commission -- and we look forward to implementing them. If you agree, sign here.
The reforms include:
- Reducing unpledged "superdelegates" by nearly 60% to make our presidential nominating process more democratic. The rest are primarily members of Congress and statewide officials who are more directly accountable to the public.
- Pushing states to move to same-day voter registration. Plus, in too many states, deadlines to change one's party affiliation are months before the election. The proposed reforms would change this so more people can vote.
- Making caucuses more accessible, open, and transparent, including allowing absentee voting and written ballots to ensure accurate recounts. There are too many working people, members of the military, older Americans, and students who are left out and not able to make their voices heard at their caucuses because of work, child care, or other obligations.
- Ensuring the DNC operates with more transparency and accountability. In addition to addressing financial transparency, the report also takes steps to ensure the DNC remains neutral in the primary process and provides transparency by making all Joint Fundraising Agreements accessible to all presidential campaigns.
We are incredibly proud of the work this Commission has undertaken to transform our nominating process, improve the DNC, and bring new people into our party. This has been a historic process for Democrats.
As the Chair and Deputy Chair of the DNC, we not only support these recommendations, but we're excited to help pass them through the DNC and implement them -- unifying our party around them.
We are committed to ensuring that our party is inclusive, forward-looking, and bold in prescribing a progressive alternative to President Donald Trump's destructive policies.
The astonishing failures of Republican leadership have created one of the greatest stress tests our democracy has ever faced. Middle-class families and the working poor haven't shared in the Wall Street boom. The Koch brothers and their band of ultra-conservative billionaire friends continue to assert an already outsized influence on our elections. And civil rights and the rights of women are under daily assault.
At the same time, Republicans are leading a coordinated, nationwide effort of voter suppression and partisan gerrymandering, both of which threaten the right of the American people to exercise power over their government and hold their representatives accountable.
But Democrats are growing, changing, and leading.
Both of us were proud to speak at the PCCC's 2017 National Candidate Training for 300 progressives running for local, state, and federal offices. And we're thankful to thousands of PCCC members who donated nearly $150,000 to candidates in the key 2017 elections.
From Virginia and New Jersey to Oklahoma and New Hampshire, 2017 proved that Democrats are winning again. But this is just the beginning. We're going to continue empowering diverse grassroots Democrats at the leadership table, build on our small-dollar fundraising successes, and stand by our pledge to ban corporate donations from any PACs whose goals conflict with our platform.
And we will continue our work to partner with progressive grassroots organizations to make more victories possible -- from elections for school board to the Oval Office.
Sincerely,
Tom Perez and Keith Ellison