MeetingHQ!

Your Guide to Ward-Wide Meetings

Next Ward-Wide Meeting

Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026
1:30 p.m. Registration Opens
2:00 p.m. Call to Order

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Welcome,

Ward One Dems!

Meeting HQ is your one-stop resource for ward-wide meetings. It explains what to do before you arrive, what will happen once the meeting begins, why each item is on the agenda, and how to follow along so you can participate confidently and effectively.

To conserve paper usage, all meeting material references are posted here for members. We will only have a few printed copies of documents available. We strongly encourage you to bring a fully charged laptop or tablet if you do not prefer to read documents on a mobile phone.

QUICK REFERENCES

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • CONFIRM Your Membership Eligibility

    Membership in this organization is open to anyone who is a registered Democrat in Ward One, Washington, D.C.  Here are some helpful resources you may need ahead of the meeting:

    KNOW your precinct

    • This helps during precinct caucuses. You can look it up beforehand by visiting DCBOE and using the confirm your registration link here.

    BRING your phone

    • This webpage replaces printed materials.

    REVIEW the Agenda

    • The meeting will cover only the topics listed in the official meeting notice, published on Jan. 22, 2026, which can viewed by clicking here.

    LEARN MORE about our Precinct Representatives

    We will be having caucuses and elections on Feb. 21 for vacant precinct representatives on the Ward 1 Democratic Committee (or organization’s governing body).

    • Read about Precinct Representatives and see who represents your precinct by clicking here.

    • Click here to review a Map of Ward 1 Precincts and to find your local precinct!

    • Click here to see the list of Precinct Representative Vacancies.

    • Click here to add your name to the ballot for the Precinct Representative Vacancy Elections.

    BRUSH UP on your procedure

  • Check-in

    • You will confirm you live in Ward 1 and are registered as a Democrat.

    • Volunteers will assist.

    Precinct packets

    • If your precinct has a vacancy, you may receive your caucus materials.

    Seating

    • Sit anywhere. Officers and volunteers will be available to help. If you have special accessibility needs, please let us know by emailing ViceChair@Ward1Democrats.org.

    What you’ll do during the meeting

    • Network and meet your fellow Democrats from across Ward 1

    • Hear reports briefing you on what the Ward 1 Democrats have been doing

    • Vote to approve the agenda, minutes from the previous meetings, and on three by-laws amendments

    • Participate in your precinct caucus (if applicable)

    • Join the discussion as we look to the 2026 DC primary

    • Hear announcements and next steps

  • A ward-wide meeting gives all members in good standing a formal, noticed way to set direction and take organization-wide action between annual conventions. It is where members can debate and vote on major questions and give binding direction to the Ward One Democratic Committee, the organization’s governing body charged with carrying out the group’s decisions.

    On Feb. 21, the Ward One Democrats will be asked to: 

    No other business will be taken up, pursuant to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (12th ed.), §9:15.

  • The expected order of business for the meeting is:

    1. Call to Order

    2. Adoption of the Agenda and Special Rules of Order

    3. Reports of the OfficersThe assembly will consider a motion on public access to the records of the Ward One Democrats.

    4. Reports of the By-Laws CommitteeThe assembly will consider amendments to the bylaws to permit flexibility in the candidate endorsement process and permit ranked-choice election of precinct representatives.

    5. Filling of Vacant Precinct Representative SeatsAfter the adoption of special rules of order for the election process, the Elections Committee is conducting special precinct caucuses to fill precinct representative vacancies.

    6. Announcements

    7. Adjournment


  • COMING TBD!

    Call to Order

    • The Chair opens the meeting.

    • The Vice Chair reads the Preamble.

    Approval of Minutes

    • Members may offer corrections.

    • If no corrections are offered, the minutes are approved.

    • VOTE: Adoption of the Agenda | TEXT

    Adoption of the Agenda

    The suggested agenda sets a timetable and includes rules needed for this meeting. It has two key parts: Order of Business & Rules of the Day.

    • Click here to read the Meeting Agenda: Order of Business & Rules of the Day

    Officer Reports

    • Officers offer brief updates and note volunteer opportunities.

    Reports of the By-laws Committee

    Announcements & Adjournment

    • When we complete the agenda or when we make it to 4:00 p.m., the Chair will make some final announcements for everyone and the meeting will end!

  • These Rules of the Day are temporary rules adopted only for this specific ward-wide meeting to help the assembly move through a large amount of business efficiently. They do not change the bylaws or any long-term procedures; they simply streamline how certain items will be handled.

    Minutes of Ward-Wide Meetings

    The minutes of a special ward-wide meeting may be read and approved at a meeting of the Ward 1 Democratic Committee.

    Bylaws Amendments

    Any report or recommendation of the By-Laws Committee properly noticed in the call of a ward-wide meeting shall be considered as read, and for each report with more than one recommendation, the chair may state the question on the recommendations of the report in gross.

    For adoption as special rules of order following the adoption of the bylaws amendment permitting preferential voting:

    Special Precinct Caucuses: Nominations

    A candidate in a special election for precinct representative whose nomination was submitted to the Ward 1 Democrats in advance shall be printed on the relevant ballot. Nominations from the floor and write-ins are in order.

    Special Precinct Caucuses: Voting

    Voting for precinct representatives at a special precinct caucus may be conducted using ranked-choice ballots. If ranked-choice ballots are used, counting shall be conducted manually with the specified ranked-choice ballot process or electronically with an equivalent counting method.

    Special Precinct Caucuses: Ranked-Choice Ballot Process

    Filling out the ballot

    On the ranked-choice ballot—for each precinct to be filled—indicate the order in which you prefer all the candidates, filling the bubble below the first (1st) column beside your first preference, the bubble below the second (2nd) column beside your second preference, and so on for every possible choice. 


    Note: Declining to indicate a second or other choice does not increase the chances of your first choice. In fact, it may prevent any candidate from receiving a majority and require the voting to be repeated.

    Counting the ballots

    In counting the votes for a given office or question, the ballots are arranged in piles according to the indicated first preferences—one pile for each candidate. The number of ballots in each pile is then recorded for the tellers’ report. These piles remain identified with the names of the same candidates throughout the counting procedure. 

    One open seat

    If there is only one open seat available in a given precinct, the following procedure is followed: 

    If more than half of the ballots show one candidate indicated as first choice, that choice has a majority in the ordinary sense and the candidate is elected. But if there is no such majority, candidates are eliminated one by one, beginning with the least popular, until one prevails, as follows:

    The ballots in the thinnest pile—that is, those containing the name designated as first choice by the fewest number of voters—are redistributed into the other piles according to the names marked as second choice on these ballots. The number of ballots in each remaining pile after this distribution is again recorded. If more than half of the ballots are now in one pile, that candidate is elected or decided upon. If not, the next least popular candidate is similarly eliminated, by taking the thinnest remaining pile and redistributing its ballots according to their second choices into the other piles, except that, if the name eliminated in the last distribution is indicated as second choice on a ballot, that ballot is placed according to its third choice. Again the number of ballots in each existing pile is recorded, and, if necessary, the process is repeated—by redistributing each time the ballots in the thinnest remaining pile, according to the marked second choice or most-preferred choice among those not yet eliminated—until one pile contains more than half of the ballots, the result being thereby determined.

    Multiple open seats

    If more than one person is to be elected to the same precinct, voters can indicate their order of preference among the names in a single list of candidates, just as if only one was to be elected. The counting procedure is continued as above until all but the necessary number of candidates have been eliminated.

    Tellers’ report

    The tellers’ report consists of a table listing all candidates, with the number of ballots that were in each pile after each successive distribution.

    Ballots missing a numerical preference

    If a ballot having one or more names not marked with any numerical preference comes up for placement at any stage of the counting and all of its marked names have been eliminated, it is not placed in any pile, but instead is set aside. 

    Resolving ties

    If at any point two or more candidates are tied for the least popular position, the ballots in their piles are redistributed in a single step, all of the tied names being treated as eliminated. In the event of a tie in the winning position, the election is resolved in favor of the candidate that was strongest in terms of first choices (by referring to the record of the first distribution).

  • If you have questions or need assistance:

    Volunteers and officers will also be on-site to assist throughout the meeting.

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VIDEO TUTORIAL:

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE