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Date: 3/2/2022
AMHERST – The Amherst Democrats will host their caucus on March 6 to elect delegates to represent Amherst at the 2022 State Democratic Convention.
The caucus is open to all registered Democrats in Amherst who will endorse statewide candidates ahead of the September primary. The state convention will be a hybrid event set to take place on June 3 and 4 at the DCU Center in Worcester, with virtual participation options available. The convention will feature competitive races for governor, lieutenant governor, state attorney general, secretary of state and state auditor.
In joint statements to Reminder Publishing, Amherst Democratic Town Committee (ADTC) co-chairs Brian Boyd and Evan Ross said the caucus will give registered Democrats in Amherst an opportunity to participate in the party at the grassroots.
“Individuals gain a stronger voice by coming together and organizing through political parties, linking issue advocacy with elections and in turn policy making,” said Boyd and Ross in their statement.
The delegates elected at the Amherst caucus will help decide Democratic nominees for a statewide office so this is the time for registered Democrats to express the values they are looking for in government representation. In Boyd and Ross’s comments they expressed that the support of delegates matters in this process.
“In election years, candidates for delegate can declare their support for a particular statewide candidate for office if they choose. This support matters, because statewide candidates need 15 percent of the delegate vote at this summer’s State Democratic Convention to appear on the ballot in the September Democratic primary,” they wrote to Reminder Publishing. “The Amherst Democratic Town Committee (ADTC), whose mission is to help elect Democrats on the state and national level, does not as an organization endorse candidates in primaries. The ADTC’s goal is to run a fair caucus where any Democrat in town can have a say in the nomination process.”
Registered and pre-registered Democrats in Amherst that are 16 years old by Feb. 4 are eligible to vote in the caucus and be elected as delegates or alternatives. Individuals ages 16 to 35, people with disabilities, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community not elected as delegates or alternates are encouraged to apply to be add-on delegates by visiting massdems.org/convention.
Add-on applications are due to the state part by 5 p.m. on April 9, and the Democratic State Committee will choose applicants at their April 20 meeting.
“Anyone interested in applying for an add-on spot is still encouraged to attend their local caucus and run as a delegate. Even if they don’t win at the caucus, they could be given preference over add-on applicants who didn’t run for delegate,” Boyd and Ross added in their statement to Reminder Publishing.
The virtual event will start at 1 p.m. on March 6 and registration begins at noon before the event.