The Alabama Democratic Party is bracing for another contentious executive committee meeting this weekend, with proposed bylaws changes causing tension among members. One controversial issue is the recognition of new caucuses, including a women’s caucus and a disability caucus. Another contentious change is a rule that only State Democratic Executive Committee members can vote to elect delegates, preventing the national party from having a say.
These changes come after the Democratic National Committee mandated new bylaws in 2019 to recognize minority groups beyond Black members, leading to the creation of additional caucuses. However, these changes were met with resistance from party leaders like Joe Reed, who felt that his power as chair of the powerful Black caucus was being diluted.
In a controversial move in May 2023, Reed and ADP chairman Randy Kelley pushed through bylaws that significantly reduced the voting power of the new caucuses, prompting the DNC to intervene and order their restoration. The exclusion of the disability caucus sparked criticism, with some members calling for its inclusion alongside caucuses for women and organized labor.
While Reed opposes adding more caucuses, he supports excluding the DNC from selecting Alabama’s delegates, following a dispute where delegates selected by Reed and Kelley were replaced by DNC officials in favor of other delegates. This conflict led to confusion during a vote for Kamala Harris at the convention, with reports of Reed and Kelley not casting their ballots, which they denied.
The upcoming meeting will address these issues as tensions continue to run high within the Alabama Democratic Party.
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