RULES & PROCEDURE
Mansfield Democratic Town Commitee
The Mansfield Democratic Town Committee operates under the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes governing town political committees. In addition, the Town Committee has adopted a set of by-laws covering other matters.
How Citizens Become Candidates for Local Office
Who is eligible to run for a local office as a Democrat?
To be eligible to run for a local office as a Democrat, you must be a Mansfield resident and be registered to vote as a Democrat (i.e., not as a Republican, unaffiliated, or another political party member).
Nomination & Election Process for Filling Local Offices
If you are interested in running for a local office, you should contact the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee Nominating Committee Chairperson, Jim Mark, at 429-4625. He will arrange for you to meet with the MDTC Nominating Committee.
The MDTC Nominating Committee recommends nominees for local offices to the full Mansfield Democratic Town Committee. In turn, the full Mansfield Democratic Town Committee votes to nominate candidates for local offices. Further nominations may be made by an MDTC member from the floor of the MDTC meeting. Following the nominations by the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee, the nomination process is finalized by an election held at a Mansfield Democratic caucus (usually held immediately after the MDTC meeting). The Mansfield Democratic caucus is open to all registered Democrats in Mansfield. Nominations for local offices can be made from the floor of the Mansfield Democratic caucus by any Democrat who is a Mansfield resident. The vote at the Mansfield Democratic caucus completes the nomination process unless a primary is called.
Primary?
It is possible for a valid candidate who was not nominated by the Mansfield Democratic caucus to file to hold a primary election. All Mansfield residents who are registered to vote as Democrats are eligible to vote in the primary. The primary completes the nomination process.
Election
Election day is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Local elections are held in odd-numbered years.
How Town Committee Members are Selected
The Mansfield Democratic Town Committee (MDTC) consists of a maximum of 55 members. MDTC members serve two-year terms beginning in March of even-numbered years. Vacancies can be filled at any time.
Who is eligible to join the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee?
To be eligible to join the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee, you must be a Mansfield resident and be registered to vote as a Democrat (i.e., not as a Republican, unaffiliated, or another political party member).
Interested in joining the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee?
If you are interested in joining the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee, you should contact the MDTC Nominating Committee Chairperson, Jim Mark, at 429-4625. He will arrange for you to meet with the MDTC Nominating Committee.
Nomination & Election Process for MDTC members
To fill a vacancy on the MDTC during a two-year term, the MDTC Nominating Committee recommends the candidate’s nomination to the MDTC. Then the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee votes to grant membership to the candidate until the end of the MDTC’s current two-year term.
Election to a full two-year term requires a vote of both the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee and a caucus of Democrats who are residents of Mansfield. Candidates can also be nominated from the floor of both the MDTC meeting and the Mansfield Democratic caucus.
Primary?
The election at the Mansfield Democratic caucus is almost always the last step in electing MDTC members to a two-year term. However, it is possible for a valid candidate to file to hold a primary election. The primary date is set for the first Tuesday in March in even-numbered years. If no other valid candidate files to hold a primary by 4:00 p.m. on the 21st day preceding the primary date, then the people elected by the Mansfield Democratic caucus are the duly elected members of the Mansfield Democratic Town Committee.
How Convention Delegates are Chosen
Candidates for elected offices receive the Democratic party’s nomination at conventions held for this purpose in the summer before the November election. Each Democratic Town Committees sends delegate to the nominating conventions. The Mansfield Democratic Town Committee elects delegates to the nominating conventions, but does not obligate the delegates to vote for a certain candidate.
State government elected officials.
A state convention with delegates who are elected by the Democratic Town Committees in all the towns and cities in Connecticut nominates the Democratic candidates for U. S. Senator and for state government offices – Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Comptroller, Secretary of State, and Attorney General.
State Representative.
A convention of delegates who are elected by the Democratic Town Committees in the 54th General Assembly District – Chaplin and Mansfield – elects the Democratic nominee for State Representative.
State Senator.
A convention of delegates who are elected by the Democratic Town Committees in the 29th State Senate District — Brooklyn, Canterbury, Killingly, Mansfield, Putnam, Scotland, Thompson, and Windham – elect the Democratic nominee for State Senator.
Mansfield Probate Judge. Currently, the Mansfield Probate Court serves Mansfield and Coventry, so a convention of representatives from the Democratic Town Committees in these two towns is held to nominate a candidate for Probate Judge. However, the current consolidation of Connecticut’s Probate Courts will result in a larger Probate Court that serves several towns. Once this is in place, a convention of delegates from the Democratic Town Committees in those towns will elect the Democratic candidate for Probate Judge.
U. S. Congressman. The Democratic nominee for the U. S. House of Representatives is elected by a convention of delegates who are elected by the Democratic Town Committees in all of the towns in the Second Congressional District. The district includes the whole of each of the following towns, except where a percentage appears:
Andover
Ashford
Bolton
Bozrah
Brooklyn
Canterbury
Chaplin
Chester
Clinton
Colchester
Columbia
Coventry
Deep River
Durham[7] (70%)
East Haddam
East Hampton
East Lyme
Eastford
Ellington
Enfield
Essex
Franklin
Glastonbury[8] (33%)
Griswold
Groton
Haddam
Hampton
Hebron
Killingly
Killingworth
Lebanon
Ledyard
Lisbon
Lyme
Madison
Mansfield
Marlborough
Montville
New London
North Stonington
Norwich
Old Lyme
Old Saybrook
Plainfield
Pomfret
Preston
Putnam
Salem
Scotland
Somers
Sprague
Stafford
Sterling
Stonington
Suffield
Thompson
Tolland
Union
Vernon
Voluntown
Waterford
Westbrook
Willington
Windham
Woodstock