>> thank you for joining us for today's meeting. i am from this trip columbia and i along with mike co-chair will be entertaining you today. before he began, please join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the united states of america. into their public, for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, and she -- with liberty and justice for all.

thank you. we are joined on this occasion by jamie harris, jerry harris in medicine the historic midterm election, one which truly demonstrates the importance of investing in year-round organizing. his long-term commitment has paid off beyond our electoral victories. through his leadership, we develop a party that reflects the diversity and welcomes every voice to take a seat at the table. chairman harris, would you like to offer a few words to the committee? >> thank you and good morning to everybody. if my normal southern drawl is more trolley than normal, before thanksgiving i got a wisdom tooth taken out and then got a dry socket. i have been hopped up on medicine.

if i'm a little loopy, you know why. folks, let me say, first infer morse let me think jim. i want to thank them for their service. we all owe a big debt of gratitude to these two amazing members of the dnc and are cochairs of the committee. [applause] that debt of gratitude is also extended to every member of the august committee. the rules and bylaws committee does so much of the hard work of the dmc. goals the thing which we are governed by. i want to think -- i want to think all of the members of the committee. folks worked day after day to

make sure that you all have the information, the materials that are necessary. the staff, led by sam cornell, my executive director there, mary beth cahill, our senior advisor, veronica martinez rumen,, her portfolio is this committee. nick and so many others, i just want to thank you all for the hard work and the efforts that you have made to make this committee work. and all of our committee's. thank you all. [applause] folks, when i pointed the membership of this committee, i knew that we had some of the best minds in the democratic party. minds that are focused on being good stewards of this party. minds that are reflective of the value of the white house.

i am truly blown away by the level of commitment and the thoughtfulness by which you have taken this process. i know were not at the finish line, but i also want to thank you all for conducting a process that are party can be proud of. this has been a thorough, opening transparent process. the committee has held nine public meetings along with four public listening sessions and an online portal for public feedback. 20 states applied to be in the early window. in june, 16 states and puerto rico were chosen to present their case about why they should be moved to the early item. with that, i know we will have a spirited discussion today, as we work to finalize our 2024 pre-window. . i want to recognize and thank all of -- for presenting us with a difficult decision.

the rules and bylaws committee seeds as a committee. we have gained a much better understanding of the broad diversity of our democratic electorate. i believe this will make us better organized as supporters and leaders. as you move forward with an early window that reflects the diversity of our party, creates a more equitable nauseous -- nation process, i look forward to working with all of you and continuing to grow and strengthen our party. as you all know me, my guiding light is that this party, this is a party built on democracy. it is a party built on freedom. it is a party bill on hope. for many of us, for many years, and communities that i grew up in and communities that you all represent and live in, many people lost all sense of hope. but over these past few years, we have been fighting hard to wring that hope back.

we have done it because we have empathetic leadership. president joe biden, vice president kamala harris. people have seen pain and understand how hard and difficult it can be for many americans. they take those experiences to make sure that the american dream is alive and well for all of america's people. this committee continues in that tradition. i want to thank you all for everything that you do and will do. i know that these things are not always easy. i know that they are tough. but i know that if anybody can get through it, this committee can. so thank you all again, for all you do and for all of your hard work. adam chair -- madam chair, mr. co-chair, thank you again. >> thank you, chair harrison for your kind words.

and for your thoughtful remarks which will carry us through these two days of crucial to liberation. the next item of business is calling the row. for that i'm going to turn to our house and fatten. >> you, mr. chairman. good morning. >> i am delighted to be here. >> miss blanco? >> miss brazil? >> mr. brennan? >> present. >> mr. berkus has given his proxy. ms. cardona? >> mr. curry? i understand that mr. curry may have to leave, in which case his proxy goes to mr. appelbaum.

ms. docherty? without doubt? >> present. >> here. >> here. >> mr. jones? mr. lyons? miss lewis? >> here. >> miss mccarrick? mr. moran? miss martin? >> here. >> miss martinez has given her proxy to miss blanco. mr. mcdonald? mr. mcginn she? mr. mitchell? >> here. >> miss mount has given her proxy to mr. jones. mr. ray? mr. saunders has given his proxy

to miss weingarten. mr. wicker? >> here. >> mr. thompson has given his proxy to mr. alive day. >> miss williams has given her proxy to miss martin. >>'s are chairman you have a courtroom. >> thank you, helen. for our charter and bylaws, the quorum is 40% and we certainly have that. a big welcome to our newest members. there you are. and senator jones. [applause]

senator jones, there you are. thank you. [applause] before we began, we would like to thank each of you for your service to the committee. you have committed an extreme area amount of time to the democratic party and we are so grateful to you for your contribution. as well as your patience and flexibility, as we navigate this complicated process. some of you in the call of role expressed how happy you were to be here. i will remind everybody that you are not under a. [laughter] i also want to recognize the team who worked behind the scenes to make sure our meeting ran smoothly. in addition to helen, we are grateful to the party of affairs staff and interns, director veronica martin mr. mann, a vice in her -- advisor rick bowen.

a special assistant, jenna whitaker and intern katie. thank you to the whole dnc team for to kill early this -- the whole dnc team, particularly the secretary. and our counsel, down wilson and andy levine. thanks for everyone helping to make sure our meetings run smoothly and fairly. if you have any questions about the roles, please don't hesitate to contact our team. >> thank you. as chairman harris said, over the past year, we have met nine times and help for public -- held for public hearings. this has resulted in the 2024 call for the convention which provides for the allocation of delegates and the rules of the

convention and the 20 for delicate selection rules, which are the main rules governing how delegates would so -- would be selected. today and tomorrow, we will determine the 2024 regulations which codify the committees interpretations of the roles. we will also see the model plan and checklist that the party affairs department is preparing along with other resources to provide to the state party before the end of the year. but significantly, we will first discuss the waivers. this afternoon, we will introduce a motion to determine the waiver to rule 12 a of the 2020 for delicate selection roles. which will provide in a report to be ratified at the next meeting. as you've heard, we have a lot of work to tackle over the next two days. beginning with a discussion of the growing window.

i want to begin by acknowledging the letter we received from the president. i would like to read it into record for all of you. i find that this will be an honor and privilege to read a letter from the president of the united states of america, who has shaped this party and now he is shaping the values of our party. dear rules and bylaws committee, i would like to commend you for the hard work you have put in over the course of the last two years. as i shared with the cochairs, and as you gather to consider changes to the democratic party's nominating calendar, i want to be care -- be clear about the principles we should allow to guide our process. one, we must ensure voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process and throughout the

entire early window. as i said, and february 2020, you cannot see the democratic nominee when a general election unless you have overwhelming support from voters of color. that includes black, brown, asian american, pacific islander. you should not be the democratic nominee. and when the general election unless you show working-class americans that she will fight for them and their families. for decades, lack voters have been the backbones of the democratic party but have been pushed to the back of the early process. we rely on these voters but have not recognize their importance in nominating calendar. it is time to stop taking these voters for granted and time to give them a louder and earlier

voice in the process. too often, over the past 50 years, candidates have dropped out or had their candidates marginalized by the president because of poor performance and small states before voters of color casting votes. as i said then, 99.9% of black voters had not had the chance to vote at that point. 99.8% of latino voters had not had the opportunity. that is unacceptable in 2024. it must change. our party should no longer allow caucuses as part of our nominating process. we are a party dedicated to ensuring participation by all boaters and for removing variance to political participation, caucuses are choir -- require voters to spend

a significant amount of time, disadvantaging hourly workers and anyone who does not have the flexibility to go to a said location of the said time are inherently anti-participatory. it should be our goal to rid the nominating process of restrictive caucuses. our early states must reflect the overall diversity of our party and our nation. economically, geographically, jenna graphically, -- demographically. this means more diversity in the overall mix. working-class families are the backbone of our economy. union households must be represented in greater numbers than before. we need to include voters from many backgrounds, not to ratified the choice of the early

states, but as full stakeholders in making this choice. this should continue to be strong representation from urban, suburban, and rural america and from each region of the country and states are prioritizing making voting easier. the roles and bylaws committee should review the calendar every four years to ensure that it continues to reflect the value and diversity of our party in our country. i got into politics because of civil rights. and the possibility to change our imperfect union into something better. i have made no secret of my conviction that diversity is a critical element for the democratic party to win elections and to govern effectively. my commitment, when i ran for president was that my administration would look like america.

it dies. my administration is the most diverse cabinet in history and the most diverse group of presidential appointees in history. my nominee to the supreme court was the first black woman and the most qualified candidates ever been emanated -- ever be nominated. the democratic party has worked hard to reflect the diversity of america by our nominating process does not. for 50 years, the first month of our presidential process has been a treasured part of the democratic process. it is time to update the process for the 21st century. i am committed to working with the dnc to get this done. sincerely, joe biden. i would add, president joe biden. [applause] the proposed early window

packages south carolina on february 6, nevada and new hampshire if every 13, georgia on february 20, and michigan on february 27 is based on the testimony of the committee, the applications of the state, and the principles within the resolution we had earlier this year. we feel strongly that this window reflects our values, paints a vibrant picture of our nation, and creates a strong process that will result in the best democratic nominees. and as you all know, to have a system that works and provide stability for future presidential campaigns. the window cannot be decided. the logistics of this window will be something we need to navigate as a committee, but i agree with the president that

this is a bold window that reflects the value of our party and it is a window worth fighting for. as we begin this discussion, i would like to start with thinking state parties for the time and effort they poured into their applications. during this process, it was truly remarkable to hear just how diverse our party is. i know we have all found this information we learned over the cycle to be informative and inspiring. our state parties have not left us with an easy decision. we are looking forward to engaging in this conversation today. as a reminder, 12 states, no meetings, caucuses, conventions or primaries which constitutes the first determining state of the presidential nomination, the date of the primary and primary

states and the date of the first caucus and caucus states may be held prior to the first tuesday in march, or after the second tuesday in june in the calendar year of the national convention. provided however that the rules and bylaws committee may provide waivers to state parties to hold their first stage before the window within the calendar year. i know that's a mouthful. but we have jim here to explain it all. [laughter] all waivers of this rule as approved by the dnc, rules and bylaws committee are subject to the ratification by the dnc. this afternoon, we will offer chairs motions of the state permitted to host, the first determining step of the nominating contest outside the window defined by 12 a. first, do any members have thoughts on the early window or

the proposed package that they would like to share? we will not vote on the waivers until after lunch. just for the record. >> i would like to remind everybody. when you were called on, if you look at your speaker, it tells you where to push to talk. please identify yourself. given the shape of the room, the audio -- the audience will know who you are and kiss -- a must to say so. >> yes? >> thank you. start appelbaum. the process reviews has been deliberative and thoughtful. i have learned a great deal about our party and our nation during this process. i believe that the proposal before us is an elegant proposal. early on, as we were beginning

our deliberations, it was pointed out that what we needed to do was not just choose states in the order which they go, but to tell the story of who we are as a party and to we are as a nation. i think as the president has highlighted so eloquently, our early states must reflect the overall diversity of our party and our nation. economically, geographically, demographically. he also points out working-class families are the backbone of our economy. i think that's the story we are telling with these selections. it is a story we could be proud of as the democratic party of the united states. this is what our party looks

like. this is what america looks like. thank you. >> i think ray has his hand up. is that right? >> good morning. dmc member for michigan. during this process, there was an effort to take a look at what was taking place around the country, out from a historical perspective and from a current day perspective. during this process, i think we had a chance to have a lot of conversations and debates about this. it's probably allowed a greater understanding of where the country has played out, even with the most recent election cycle from november. during this time, we aim to increase diversity. clearly discussions around michigan actually get that. we also aim to adding more

diverse populations in the country. when you looked at where the latoya was in what was happening, michigan actually added 1.3 million african-americans to the population. that meets the great needs of many candidates. it is a game changer during this process. detroit has seen a significant increase in the latino population, with a large concentration in southeastern parts of the city. we have the strongest presence of arab-americans in detroit metro suburbs. another key piece when we talk about the reflective diversity of this nation. this dramatically changes the role of labor. michigan is the home to more than 500,000 union members. i am proud to be one of those members, representing the united autoworkers. that's more union members than

we had in the early window previously and it is a game changer for working americans. maybe most importantly for the state of michigan has been the winning coalition for every emma craddick president elected over the last century. that is why we are here to win elections. that is why we need michigan to be part of that. one of the most successful things that i'm proud of in november, we accomplished in michigan. it was a key piece of taking the house and the senate back. a very important role to have had the counsel state elective of a governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state. those are key pieces that we saw and reflected diversity of michigan and diversity of the nation. thank you. >> thank you, mr. curry. can you state your name and where you're from? >> luis in arizona.

i want to point to a statement that was made yesterday. that this body has the authority to supersede state statutes. i asked if there could be clarity from our attorneys. i think i asked for that. i'm putting this out forward because it any point in this discussion, when state laws are going to be mentioned as either tradition or history, i want to put a point of order in the conversation. there is the ability for this body to make these decisions. with the president has presented in the moment that we are meeting in history. i want to support meeting that moment in the best possible way we are commissioned to do so. we are the craters of her own destiny. we have challenge the rules of our party to allow other people like myself to be seated in this body.

that is because of a long struggle, a lot of facing history in ways that we need to continue to face history. what we are facing is the ability for this body to make those decisions regardless of what the state party will send out in a press release. i want to make it clear. when members of this body continue to advocate that there is a state statute, precedents, or tradition, that has no meeting in this body. we get to make those roles to nominate the president of this country. the question is, i know i got a copy of the 2000 decision. >> i'm happy to speak to that. while the party doesn't have the ability to dictate to a state, the party does not have the ability to mandate a change to state law.

the party has the ability to dictate the process by which we select our nominee. the supreme court has repeatedly recognized political parties right under the first amendment. you select the manner of choosing her own nominees -- our own nominees. in-state laws that infringe on a party's ability to dictate how they select nominees. thank you. >> randy? >> thank you, madam chair. randy would you like to state your name? >> randy weingarten, new york. so, i support what the president of the united states has asked us to do. but i want to talk about it from

this respect. like stortz, -- like store, i'm from a state that was not in competition for being one of the early states. i am friends and colleagues with people around this table who were. we engaged and campaigned in those states in the last three months. and have done a lot of work. i want to just say to the states around the table, particularly those who have been representative of states that were in this competition that people did a dam good job in representing their states, and representing wet putting their states and friend, talking about

not the only their state needs but how it would fit in terms of who we are as americans and who we are in terms of our values as a party. and i think that part of the process over the next two days is to honor that work of those states in particular. also, to honor the work of the chairs. stortz said this. i've been around the party for a long time now. i think the process the chair put together, was able to make an innovative, interesting, eloquent, gold -- bold recommendation to the president the united states. everyone had their voice heard. everyone started seeing what

would emerge, because of the process that the chairs put together. i just wanted to say those two things up front, and express gratitude about that. i did say that our process in terms of the rules and bylaws committee is, we make a recommendation about what is going to be in the best interest of we the people, in america. because we believe that whoever we nominate ultimately for president of united states of america is in the best interest of we the people in america. so part of that is representation and diversity. part of that is also the story of progress. the story of struggle. and the story of process.

the governor has told us what the processes in this country. by showing by a. of time where we are going through a fight for freedom and a fight for democracy. and a five representation and a fight for being seen. to say that a state like south carolina should go first sense of message about representation. but what it also does by saying that nevada and new hampshire should go together sends another important message about representation. that representation matters everywhere. by talking about georgia and michigan, it sends a message about these states who gave a

dam good visitation about what they represent in the country. i'm saying, from the perspective of someone who was watching from the outside and doesn't have to go back to a state and defend, that this is an eloquent way of showing progress of who we are as democrats, and what dissemination process means. thank you. >> thank you, randy. frank? >> thank you. frank lyons, district of columbia. i do support this bold and creative approach. i have a question. we as a committee cap dictate state law. what were going to be doing is granting waivers that states can take advantage of. that some states many to act in

terms of having your secretary of states make legislative changes. is there a deadline, by which the states need to act in order for the waiver to be effective? >> yes. >> yes, there is. we are good have a little bit more discussion about this after lunch. yes, there is. >> joanne? please. >> thank you, madam chair. i -- joanne, new hampshire. i agree with comments that have been made thus far, with regards to the process that this committee has engaged in around a very challenging issue. we have been very deliberative. it has been open. it has been transparent. and i feel that we have really

given in time and attention to what it means. i feel that the president of the united states has made a very old statement about his vision for this country, the importance of diversity. i don't think there is a person in this room that would argue with any of that. i will say that new hampshire does have a statute. we do have a law. we will not be breaking our law. i feel that any lawyer in the room or around the table would agree that it is not in the best interest of this body to even suggest that we do that.

so that's really the position of new hampshire. we will not be breaking our law. and that's my comment. thank you. >> thank you. [indiscernible] >> ok. >> good morning, everyone. my name is donna brazil. i am here in the capacity of my residency in the district of columbia. i hail from the great state of louisiana. i pray that lsu get some flop in one of the college polls. frank, i call him optimistic. he says tradition represents a critical piece of our culture. they remind us that we are part of a history that defines our

past, shapes who we are today, into we are likely to become. tradition reinforces values such as freedom, eighth, integrity. because tradition offers a context for meaningful cause and reflection. perhaps i will add my own words and say that we hold onto traditions because they give us a sense of security sometimes. sometimes we hold onto traditions because they give us a foundation from which we grow. but as many of us know on this committee, we also believe that traditions can be passed down. and transferred. especially when you are opening up new doors and helping to expand the electorate so that every american can enjoy full citizenship.

per president biden's commitment , not only to diversity but embracing the values of who we are as americans. it has been a long time to wait to see a president that can see all of us, each and every one of us. as human beings capable of embodying the american gene. dr. king said that the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. as a member of the commission, some of my colleagues are still on this body. i've been on this committee for a while. and i'm proud of the work of this committee. the commission made a powerful recommendation in south carolina and nevada to the early windows purity wanted to ensure more voices would be heard when we

choose our candidate see. more voices, people who live under roads. you know what it's like to live on a dirt road? do you know what it's like to try to find running water that is clean? do you know what it's like to wait and see if the storms going to pass you by in your roof is still intact? that's what this is about. it is about seeing other people in the united states of america. hearing those voices. let them tell you how they make ends meet, living paycheck-to-paycheck. let us hear from them. let us ride in their carriages. she had one last night. she went to the ball. [laughter] i wish it opened up on me.

put me on the list. [laughter] it's i'm so proud that we will hear from more voices. voices who yearn to be heard. to be seen. when i was born this party did not see me. but it's with the courage of us that we have to talk about this because of live this party. and those who march. i've lived this party. and i will go again. i'm so glad when we added south carolina nevada that we got a chance to let barack obama. that was the first candidate to go through that experience. we nominated hillary clinton 80,000 voice -- 80,000 votes short. we got joe biden kamala harris.

we have done awesome things. it's i would tell you what new grinches says about joe biden but that would take me beyond the scope of the conversation. he said biden is women. he said biden is women. i -- he says biden is winning. i am not going to abandon a president who says let's go on the dirt road. who says don't see what we see. that's who joe biden is. so folks, i want to say to all of you, scott, joanne, i'm talking about all of new hampshire, minnesota, delaware, we have so many people in this committee. you have to go back home to

illinois and you a bringing ship back either. [laughter] i want to say to all of you who applaud, i know this is going to be my last committee to determine the calendar. i did 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2020. i think that's enough for me. i will tell you something about this calendar. this one is going to speak to me . it's going to speak to children where i was born. it's going to speak to people who sometimes don't get to be seen as good, honest, hard-working taxpaying american. it is going to speak to my labor

brothers and sisters. it's going to speak to all of us. because we know that our role in this party and our role as democrats and as americans is to open doors and to allow -- i miss leah because i want to quote the bible and she's not here to correctly. let water run down the river. we are creating a ripple of fact. -- we are creating a ripple effect. it won't hurt us. it will help make the american story real for all americans. i urge us to support the president's proposal. >> i don't know how you follow

that elaine. >> exactly. it's very hard to follow donna all the time. i've been following my dear friend for decades now. i'm just used to it. [laughter] here's what i like about this. you start in politics from your base. you start from your most loyal base. but then you have to grow. so i like south carolina, first. if you noticed after south carolina, the other four states is a swing state. every single one is the state that we need to win, but it is not by any means automatically in our column. in nevada, i have learned as

good as the we have, we lost together. so our candidates, when we run them, they have to show us first and foremost that they get our loyal base. but then they have to show is that they can move to a hispanic base, which is not quite as loyal, but still very big. still very important to democrats. they have to show us that they can win those suburbs in georgia that are so vibrant and growing and that contain a lot of college educated, white women who are often with us but sometimes not. we can't take them for granted. we need to show that we can weigh those college-educated techies in new hampshire and that we can keep them with us. we need to show that when we get

to michigan, we can win not just the african-americans in detroit, but that we can win macomb county. bacone county has been the epitome of the weakness of the democratic party, which is our union, white working-class vote. we have to show that we can win back macomb county. that's why i think the president's proposal will be our proposal. it so on point. you start with your base. but then you move to where you asked the question, can our candidates when in these diverse , swing states? you have to move all the way from the base to the majority. i think we are on our way to doing this. i think these last elections in nevada and arizona and georgia showed that hey, things are

going in our direction. this plan for 2024 reflects that. it may be nothing in 2024, we don't have a contest. so be it. but this is a good template for the future. and the republicans don't have this kind of template. i think we will do well by adopting this. i hope we will. >> event? >> -- yvette? >> thank you for letting me follow donna. i appreciate that. i mean yvette. i want to speak to the state that was not chosen. state that put forth the presentation. estate that i'm extremely proud of. i would say that were disappointed.

a number of states that didn't make it are disappointed. but i want to congratulate the states that did win. i want to say to the president of united states has your back. we are 100% on board in supporting with the president of the united states wants. but even though we were not chosen, i don't think it lessens or diminishes the state of maryland in any way. especially after the historic election that we just had. for those of you who have not heard me say it, we do have an african-american governor. and we do have in a api lieutenant. [applause] one thing that i know about our state, as all of you should know, whether you made it through or not, we are confident in our position as a leader on the national stage. the fact that we even put ourselves out there means that

we should feel confident about our position on the national stage. our progress and success, especially in maryland is gaining us the recognition that we deserve. we were the little engine that could and we will continue to be and we will do more, especially with this outstanding leadership we have in the state of maryland. in a way that not only talks the talk but walks the walk. we have demonstrated that. we have a governor and lieutenant governor that made us believe, that made us not be afraid of diversity, that made us believe that we could campaign and work in every single part of the state, in the diverse parts of the state but also rural areas where we had white working-class people and still find a way to win. i often say maryland is in america in miniature.

and so goes maryland so goes all of us. i encourage all of us to embrace this ticket as the president has outlined this, and let's push this forward because it is truly historic and a change. and i can tell you from personal experience that making history feels very good. and we all should try to do that as we move forward with this election. that's all i wanted to say. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, david mcdonald, washington state. i want to -- i have served on this committee many cycles. it is not unusual for us to get a communication are recommendation from a president or nominee, but i believe that

it underlines the thoughtfulness of this particular communication, awfulness that reflects not just the president's personal views but his consideration of the comments that we have made at various instances in the presentation that was made. i want to say that last night i was very impressed with, when the co-chair advised us that the president had not just read this mission from the parties but read the transcript of the rbc discussions, and i think the comments that he gave back reflects that. it reflects that the extraordinary amount of engagement. it is unusual to have that level of thoughtful explanation and consideration of what we have

set. he is in many ways as surprising press -- president. second, the other thing that is extraordinary about this letter, coming from the west, now living here. it is not uncommon to think that things feel different on the street than they do inside the beltway. he is captured the fact that the country has changed because he is been out in the country. i thinki think that he sometimes

captures that inside the beltway. he has also captured the fact that it is not going to stop changing. thisthis is not a moment in tim, this is not a solution, but a problem that we cannot put on the shelf. it is going to continue. i thought it was significant that this letter continued -- included a expressed recommendation that we continue the -- not that they sent -- sense everything would be locked up. or point toor point to ways thad do things better, not just to put things on the shelf. calendar to make them separate days.

we may dilute the importance of each of the states. because it would be an embarrassment with the other side. i'm not saying that i won't vote for it i just have reservations about it. finally, i want to make some comments about -- just to preserve for the record, i think one of the things that we need to look at is whether the introduction of large estates into the window effectively creates a bias toward certain kinds of candidates, we cap small states that route -- that were relatively inaccessible. and we are making a shift. we are creating a transition and steppingstone, between small states and super tuesday type events as we get gradual in

size. it is significant. one article this morning noted that the first free states have an 113 delegates and georgia has 105. michigan has 125. it's a massive scale. we need to think about if there are ways to mitigate that. second, i don't know if this is true of everybody in the committee but for the last few cycles, my election has not been over until i have seen what happens in arizona, new mexico colorado and nevada. the election didn't end at 11:00 east coast time. it is hard to not comment on the fact that the west for the last four cycles has contributed at least 35% of the electoral votes necessary to win the presidency. in 2020 it contributed already

percent of the electrical -- electoral votes necessary for the presidency. it could contribute more if we pay attention to it. when we consider the calendar should be now the reaching out to more western states? not what i think of as a specific wall. the interior of the west where there is opportunity for growth. i do not think it's incidental that we've it's incidental that we've seen a big jump from contributing about 25% of the electoral votes necessary up to 35% after re-added nevada into the cycle. in 2008 and began to get early consideration on some of those issues. i hope that we will keep that in mind for the next cycle. with that, as donna would say -- i yield to the negative debt of my time, i give it over to

whoever is time left. >> to the gentleman to your left. >> thank you. i'm from d.c.. it is a pretty cool moments for the first time around this committee to be part of something this historic. we said in the beginning, we wanted to tell a story, for my very first meeting we said we wanted to be able but we look at the early window from its totality to be able tell a story and the story we wanted to tell was that we valued varsity, we valued inclusivity, involving more voices in the process. now we want to speak to battleground state voters to

make a case to them earlier. -- before i make specific points, i would also like to applaud the process and the openness of this process. i want to applaud the thoroughness of the process. i want to apply to every state that came in and made a presentation the process. i'm going to take a moment of personal privilege, specifically, i went to think -- thank the state of iowa for the historical position ed has had. it has had -- it has produced

wonderful nominees and presidents. wonderful nominees and presidents. but we have set at the beginning of this process, as a party we have different needs, as our priorities evolve, and our electorate evolves, we need a process that involves. i think this is a processi thint allows us to do that. and so i think this result reflects that. we are bringing more voices into the process earlier and we are making ourselves more competitive in a general election. that's with the dnc is supposed to do, make us competitive in the general election. i think that the fact that we are -- i think there are some things we need to work out come -- work out, logistics and details. but i like the message that we are sending to voters about.

what i like about this is we are saying every region matters, every voice matters every community matters. the fact that we are saying -- i like, i think it's going to be a logistical change to some extent -- david, but i like that nevada and new hampshire are is on the same day. that we value all communities in all voters. i want to also say one of the things that i liked about the process that we just went through is because it was so open because it was such an inclusive process because we allowed some many people to make their case. i feel good that we will be able to mitigate any challenges.

i think back to something that alain said, i guess in our august meeting. about some of the decisions we made in that meeting were some of the most historic decisions that this committee has ever made. the weight that we empowered the dnc to enforce the decisions that we are going to make today i think that's important. we now have a process in which everyone has bought in. everyone made their best case. everyone got a fair hearing, we are making a decision that i think people can get behind and we have also empowered the chairman to enforce this decision in a way that gives it more peace than it ever has had before. which i think will be important in the event that there are any issues. i hope that there are not. i so appreciate that all states

have been willing to work within the parameters that we've been talking about and willing to say that they will do what they need to do back home in order to make the process work. i hope that continues to be the case. i hope that a combination of the message that we send and the enforcement mechanism that we put into place will put us -- will give us the strongest part -- strongest possible schedule that articulates our values and makes us competitive and more than we have been coming up to the early window. thank you. >> thank you so much. i am from florida. i know that we were not considered on that list.

i want to change the dynamic of the conversation, as a millennial, and probably the youngest member at this table, 39 years old, and having the chance to sit at a table with individuals who are -- who i have read about, and to get an email from the president actually helping us. because i prayed for that in the uber. i knew before orientation that this was a committee to sit on. i was also confident that the people sitting at the table with that at the table. in the same reasons that i made mention of in the beginning. let's speak to the next generation of the story that

stewart started. that has been consistent across this ward and who believe this party in the hands of. that is my generation. we should ensure that the story that we are telling continues. it bothers me to speak to those individuals who might walk out of this room uneasy with the change that may happen. i want to echo after miss lewis, who made clear, that this would include -- all other states to put hands on deck. it ensures that we use these other states as models in places like florida that are not there

yet. but we are working our way there. i think changes guide. i think changes necessary. all of you have made mention of. change sometimes can cause tension but it doesn't have to cause hair -- tear. we see the change that is happening, i think it speaks to what the president said when he spoke to reciprocity in the united states. this was my first time caucusing for somebody. the appreciation that i had for that process, getting to look at this process now and see everyone's calmness, it does not

exclude iowa from this conversation. or any other state who might be concerned about this process. if we are trying to create that story, i believe that this creates the story and i believe that the conclusion of that story and with us uniting and walking out the story. when the media sees this, they will know that although not all are happy, all is well. i'm happy to support the president in this i'm happy to support the chair and this and i'm happy that although not all are happy, all is well. and this and i'm happy to sit at a table with individuals who have been in this process and i am looking forward to including jet -- including individuals for my generation so we can continue the story. think very much. >> thank you. do we have any other comments or questions? >> good morning.

i went to echo what was said about cochairs. i want to thank everyone for this process. i want to say as an american and delaware again, i am proud of my president. and we are happy to share him with the country. this letter is who he is. his commitment to commitment tos thoughtfulness, his commitment to progress is the joe biden that we have known and have the privilege to have hats -- have had served our state. i am happy to continue to support him and to support this puzzle and our country going forward. -- this proposal and our country going forward. >> thank you, madam chair. i am from nevada. today is an important day, a day that when nevada's favorite son

born and searchlight nevada, but harry reid worked for in his final year of life, and how he placed this first generation brown girl nearly nine years ago to support a battleground state. to support a father who lost his right hand on the job, where a machine failed him, but he did not feel me or -- fail me or my younger brother. he taught me the importance of her work ethic that i continue today. i have worked my entire career in electing not only democrats but prolabor democrats across the country. nevada is my home now. and i am a proud team read

member. nevada is a diverse state we are 29% latino, 10% black, eight growing and continuing to grow asian-pacific islander population of 9.5%. mixed races, 5%. las vegas is a union town and i'm a proud second-generation union member and democrat while also a first generation mexican-american who while in high school, i had to wash plastic dishes in a bucket with a water hose because it took a year for my father to buy a home for settlement dollars to come for the right hand the machine took from him.

from automatic mail ballots, early voting, same date voter registration and election day voting centers. reelecting the only latina -- reelecting our three democratic members of congress, and reelecting our attorney general. reelecting our treasurer who is a labor champion. and investing in of nevada union labor. we increase democratic control of both chambers with strong leaders elected.

nevada plays by the rules, and works hard to secure, we have worked hard to secure national support from a number of organizations and leaders recently. let me read a list of the most recent. the congressional black caucus, the congressional hispanic caucus. the congressional aapi caucus. senator alex padilla, chair congresswoman judy chu. new extra pack -- nuestro pac. aapi vote.

and the indigenous peoples initiative. however as a good stewart member of this committee, i request a slight adjustment be considered to the recommendation. my request is that south carolina, continues to hold its contest on saturday, february 3 and nevada be allowed to stay on their current presidential primary date. the first tuesday in february which for 2024 is february 6. i believe this allows for the committee to be in line with the wishes of our great president joe biden. however, nevada will not be able to adjust our debt -- nevada will be able to adjust our date by --

this request is great politics for the great battleground that has proven ourselves and are worth. if we went to build a stronger relationship with latinos, or as somebody said, build their loyalty to the democratic party.

then nevada must stand alone on a date and not have to share a date. it is necessary for us to accomplish histhen nevada must n a date and not have to share a date. it is necessary for us to accomplish his goal. i am a proud president biden voter and believer. >> thank you. my plan, because i am not as eloquent as speaker as some of the people who have gone before me, i have been forced to wait till the end of all of this and just say thank you. >> would you like to say where you're from? >> i'm sorry, i'm carol from south carolina. i am pleased that so many of us are pleased with the process and the president's recommendation. certainly democrats in south

carolina are pleased with this. i am think over the process we've gone through. i am little bit sad for so many of my disappointed friends, on this committee and in parties around the country. i am only speaking because i want to say in response about moving south about moving south carolina's date. if that becomes a motion, or something that this committee considers, i will have more to say about it. south carolina does not mind voting on a saturday it works well for us. there are some other things that i would say before this committee decides to pass a motion.

until then, i would just say things to all of you who are taking part in this process. and to cycle after cycle, make this work for the good of democrats and our presidential candidates. thank you. >> thank you, carol. this is the last call before we break for lunch. ok, scott. that's great. >> scott from iowa, i've got things to say. >> thank you cochairs and thank you chair harrison. we really truly thank you all of my friends. i do consider you my friends. i want to begin by acknowledging the leadership of iowa's democratics -- democratic chair who is with us today. [applause]

>> thank you mr. chairman. while i support the guiding principles. i cannot support the proposal before us. we are entering a situation where the central or mountain time zone -- small world states like iowa must have voice and our presidential nominee process. it will do significant damage to the party for a generation. iowa democratic caucus has been the most diverse, and produced some of the most unlikely candidates over the years.

including barack obama and pete buttigieg. i have deep respect for the president and his principles. but his letter did not reflect any acknowledgment of the historic changes that he proposed to the iowa caucuses. we recognize that the caucuses as they are no longer aligned with 21st century democracy, and we have no alternative but to reimagine the iowa caucuses as a vote by mail state party run event. and still, we received no consideration. our process allowed flexibility as to the date while complying with iowa law. instead, to very large, very expensive states are being asked. that ensures their front running

and vanity position. make no mistake, republicans and i was -- in iowa will seeand ths as an opportunity to double down on their caucuses. the action taken there will be a refusal to have a dialogue with voters. and we will have difficulties in iowa. we are creating a self fulfilling prophecy of electoral failure. in which they have no opportunity or responsibility to meet and communicate with red leaning states in the middle of this country. the historic candidacy for a black woman for governor for iowa was historic for democrats. my no vote might be interpreted of -- as a knee-jerk reaction. be that as it may, as somebody

who has lived through a similar process, i would be remiss if i didn't say we are creating a situation of continued uncertainty that will drag out through 2023. we can vote on this calendar and approve this calendar, but we will leave here with nothing settled. i say this not to attempt to blaster or player threat. just to acknowledge facts. in 2007, the matter of contest was not settled until at least a month before the first contest. there is limited amount of calendar real estate, conflicting state laws and a gop calendar that pays -- that reflects no resemblance to ours. we have created an opportunity for other states to take a run at approaching the pre-window. i asked the committee to consider the ongoing consequences that we -- that

will result before you cast your vote. >> i want to comment on something that you mentioned, which is significant, and past cycles, the leadership of the republican national committee and the rules committee, have been willing to discuss and collaborate with us on changes in the calendar and the rules. we were rejected this time in that event to have that conversation. that tells you something about current status of the republican national committee and it leads to what you just highlighted in our processes. >> thank you.

because i know there's a large external audience listening to this meeting and what we have to say, i think it's important that we as a party acknowledge and reaffirm that with this calendar we are reaching out to the overall communities including rural communities. i think it's important to recognize our chairman, and statewide in south carolina who included more rural voters when he was running for office because there are a lot of rural voters in south carolina. there are a lot of rural voters in nevada. catherine cortez masto would not have one her reelection if she ignored rural voters. we could go on and on. but all of the states that are on this proposal, i appreciate

everything scott said i do think it's important that we as a party holed up with pride a calendar that allows us to talk to all kinds of voters, racially, geographically, diverse. rural and suburban. and that we don't allow the republicans to disparage what we are doing. because i think this calendar makes up -- makes us more competitive. we don't need to feel defensive about this calendar. when republicans attack us, we can actually hold this up with pride and say, you try to play here and on this field. this is the field we want to play on. i am proud that we put together a schedule like that. >> thank you mao, maria.

>> thank you, i could be prouder of not just this president -- >> will you state your name? >> maria, from washington dc. i couldn't be prouder of not just this president, not just of this party but of this committee, and i mentioned this last night, but i wanted say it publicly. because this was a difficult process. it was arduous, but also, unequivocally, in my opinion it was fair, transparent and open. while it might seem -- and i want to underscore this, that -- we have seen this reported, that the proposal that we are looking at today and tomorrow was given to us by the white house. it was not given to us by the white house. the white house looked at

everything that we had done, looked at every document that we took a look at. at every proposal. we looked at every transcript, all of the comments. and they aligned with what this committee and this party has set out to do from the moment chairman harrison took the reins. which is, for us to reflect in the nominating primary calendar which is such an important piece of how our president gets elected, our nominee gets nominated and the president gets elected. and make sure that voices that had not been heard from before, that represent the current demographic of the country is represented. and i think, we have been able to do that. by definition, no one was going to be 100% happy. and i appreciate new hampshire, and i well for the service that

they have given this party. for so many years. but it is time to change because the country has changed. the country does not look like it did a hundred years ago. we need to reflect that. we need to give voice to the communities that have shown will ship port -- will support our candidates and the values of the party and are the backbone of this country. i also think it's important to remember that as a latina, i would love for nevada to go first. but i am proud that nevada will have a more important say in who our nominee is. let's also not forget that south carolina has a latino population

of 6.4% growing. georgia has a latino population of 10% and growing. michigan has a latino population of 5% and growing. i believe all of these states represent an incredibly important demographic, tina voters in the country it proves once again in this past election that they absolutely will support democratic candidates because they speak to their values and that this ridiculous mythical republican wave within the latino community was frankly merde, and will not come to fruition as long is we compete in these important communities. i think this calendar does that.

i also want to make the point that we are not doing this to honor joe biden, president biden is doing this to honor what the democratic party has underscored is our values historically. i remember when we first started in politics, my first job was at the democratic national committee as a spokesperson for latino media under ron brown. this was before latinos would cool -- were cool. this party has historically understood where this party was going where the country was going, and where the demographics were going. joe biden and the white house are reflecting that now in making sure to codify that in her primary caliber -- primary calendar. i could not be prouder of this

committee, of our chairman and cochairs who have done incredible work. frankly, what we are doing to reflect the values of the country. gracias. >> thank you maria. with that, i think we are going to move to the lunch. i would like to entertain a motion to recess because it's 2:00. that was quick. [laughter] all in favor. any opposed? we stand recessed until 2:00. thank you so much for this very robust and healthy discussion. [indistinct chatter]