The 2024 Richland
County Democratic Party Convention was a Success!

The 2024 RCDP Convention activities kicked off with a special celebration on February 27th at the “Mansion on Blanding”. Special guest Anderson Clayton (D-NC), the youngest state party chair in the nation shared her enthusiastic message and a charge to take action, getting the crowd fired up in the process. A great time was had by all: good food, good music, dancing and Democrats! We raised money to fund both the convention and the new ”Fund a Bold Future” campaign. Hat tips to Bre Spaulding, Sam Johnson, Fannie Lott and Sherron Williams for making it happen!

The RCDP Convention convened on the morning of March 2nd at Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia. The accommodations were spacious, with comfortable chairs, good acoustics and other amenities to support the over 200 participants.

Convention volunteers, led by Della Coulter, did an excellent job of planning and setting up the check-in and credentialing process. Voting credentials were assigned to registered Richland County voters who had not voted in the Republican primary and who signed a statement saying that they considered themselves to be Democrats.

Prior to the start of the program, a light breakfast was served and informational tables provided everyone with an opportunity to interact with regional groups and other Democratic organizations.

The Blythewood High School Junior ROTC presented the colors in the opening ceremony. Chairwoman Valerie Moore gave a brief review of the activities of the RCDP over the past eight months, including activities surrounding the Senate District 19 Special Election, the First in the Nation Presidential Primary and other initiatives. She reiterated Anderson Clayton’s call to action and warning that “no one is coming to rescue us”, making the case that taking action now is imperative, but also an important part of building a strategic and lasting infrastructure for Democrats in SC.

The convention was then turned over to be chaired by the Honorable Tina Herbert who serves on the Columbia City Council. Christale Spain, SCDP Chair, outlined initiatives like Project Roadmap and recapped many of the state level actions taking place.

Throughout the program, many members of Richland County’s elected delegation and Democratic candidates for public office were given 3 minutes each to share their messages and/or platforms. Rep. Leon Howard brought greetings from Congressman Clyburn and was followed throughout the morning by more than 20 speakers.

A standing vote was conducted for the RCDP Chair and the three Vice Chairs who will serve a one-year term. Beginning in March, 2025, county conventions will return to a two year cycle occurring in odd years (not presidential or midterm years!). The only contested officer’s race was for 3rd Vice Chair with two very qualified candidates, Myles Taste (incumbent) and Mckenzie Watson, who shared their visions for the role of young leadership via this office. Myles prevailed in a close vote.

RCDP Officers, March 2024-March 2025
Valerie Moore, Chair
Sam Johnson, 1st Vice Chair
Maryann Wright, 2nd Vice Chair
Myles Taste, 3rd Vice Chair

Existing Officers finishing the second year of their three-year terms:
Margaret Sumpter, Executive Committeewoman
Marcurius Byrd, Executive Committeeman
Sherron Williams, Alternate Executive Committeewoman
Mike McCauley, Alternate Executive Committeeman

Per the RCDP By-laws, the positions of Treasurer and Secretary will be approved to serve a one-year term at the next Executive Committee meeting.

Mini Precinct Reorganization

Another highlight of the convention was the inclusion of a mini "precinct reorganization". New SCDP by-laws this year removed the requirement to hold precinct organizing meetings prior to county conventions. In order to encourage and determine leaders for each of the 149 precincts in the county, signs were posted throughout the assembly room so attendees could gather with neighbors at a designated spot and discuss their precinct’s representative and alternate on the RCDP Executive Committee. As the governing body of the county party, representation from each precinct is important. Precincts with multiple people interested in serving were voted on via electronic ballot. Unopposed precinct leaders will be officially voted on at the April 1st Executive Committee meeting. A robust ninety-two precincts will now be represented, with a continuing goal of finding representatives for the remaining precincts.

SCDP Delegates

In addition to pre-submitted nominations for SCDP Delegates, nominations were accepted from the floor and at check-in. Nominees were divided by congressional district and gender and electronic ballots were emailed to credentialed voters according to their district. Paper ballots were readied, but several names were omitted from the ballot and/or were listed incorrectly. Attendees were notified that a corrected ballot would be emailed and paper ballots delivered before the end of the day. Once corrected, the ballots were successfully distributed via email and returned within 24 hours. Paper ballots were offered, but none were needed. Delegates and alternates were notified once all the ballots were submitted.

Resolutions

Resolutions don’t always get the attention they deserve, but they are an important step in forming the party’s platform. Resolutions submitted in advance and approved by unanimous voice vote at the convention included:
● A call for a study to identify and promote an effective means of regulating the misuse of artificial intelligence without infringing on our protected First Amendment rights.
● A call for comprehensive campaign finance reform at both the state and federal level.
● A call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and condemnation of the rising antisemitism and anti-Islamic hate in the world.
● A call for humanitarian aid, restoration of UNRWA funding to Palestine and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza
● Support of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 at all levels of government.
● A call for abolishment of the death penalty
● Support for President Biden and his administration’s efforts and successes.

In summary, the 2024 RCDP Convention was a success in terms of engaging Richland County Democrats in the political process of choosing leadership, developing our value statements, hearing from our delegation and candidates, and for providing avenues for organizing on a very local level.