First Hearing Set On Texas Democrats’ Convention/Caucus Sytem

Via email, the Texas Democratic Party’s chair, Boyd Ritchie, has announced that the first of several hearings on the PrimaCaucus has been set:

I am pleased to inform you the first meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Texas Democratic Party Convention/Caucus System has been scheduled. Headed by Senator Royce West, this first of several meetings will convene at the Austin Community College Health Science Building, Building 9000 in the Multi Purpose Hall room 8500 in Austin, Texas on July 7, 2008 at 10:00am. The campus is located at 3401 Webberville Rd, Austin, Texas 78702.

Hopefully, some Austin-based bloggers will liveblog this. More from the email:

This Committee which Senator West and I have appointed has been charged with studying the current convention/caucus system. Furthermore, based on the testimony taken at these meetings, the committee will then consider this feedback and possibly make recommendations for changes.

While all meetings will be open to the public, the first committee meeting will be limited to invited testimony only. Senator West and the Committee members wish to use this initial meeting as an informational session. They will discuss with current and former Party leaders the history and development of the current convention/caucus system.

The “invited testimony” method is similar to how legislative committees conduct business. However, other meetings will include and request public comment. As for this meeting, written testimony is allowed, though:

Those wishing to participate at this meeting are encouraged to submit written testimony to the Committee, or complete an online survey, available on the Texas Democratic Party website. Additionally, there will be other hearings held in Austin and throughout the state where public testimony will be taken in order to learn about your personal experience with the convention/caucus system. Those hearings will be scheduled at a later date.

We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about additional hearing locations.

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