Wyoming Democrats' Draft Delegate Selection Plan Indicates April Caucuses

Though it isn't imminent, the May 2 deadline for state Democratic Parties to have submitted their draft delegate selection plans to the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee is approaching (Rule 1.D). Before that can happen, though, said draft plans must be posted for thirty days of public viewing/comment prior to submission (Rule 1.C). What that means is that state parties should begin to tip their hands in terms of when they are considering scheduling their delegate selection events. In primary states, that decision is dependent to some degree on what the state legislature has done to schedule or reschedule those contests. Caucus states, on the other hand, are more of an unknown, but these draft delegate selection plans give a glimpse into the state parties' thinking. As long as the first step of the contest occurs within the window of time in which the two national parties allow contests to be held, the approval process from the national parties should be nothing more than a formality.

That seems to be the case in Wyoming where the Democratic Party there has proposed April 7 county caucuses as the first step in determining national convention delegates. Wyoming Democrats appear, it seems, to be shifting the opening of their caucuses back by a month compared to the 2008 county caucuses in a year in which the Democratic nomination will not be contested. By moving back to April, the party opens the possibility of bonus delegates for holding an event in April or later.

Now, it should be noted that the Republican Party has a different set of delegate selection rules and the state parties in caucus states have a different motivation with a contested nomination on the horizon in 2012. That said, Wyoming Republicans are more of a wild card -- especially considering what happened with the Equality state's Republican caucuses in 2008 -- than their Democratic counterparts. As of yet, however, there is no indication from Wyoming Republicans about when they are considering holding the county caucuses in the state.

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