The ACDC has established a policy regarding official ACDC endorsements of candidates prior to primary elections, which is meant to keep the county party officially neutral until after any local, state, or federal Democratic primary election.
Policy: It is the policy of the Allegany County Democratic Committee to prohibit the ACDC from providing any official endorsement(s) of Democratic primary candidates for local, state or federal offices, prior to the completion of any Democratic primary election.
- Since it is common practice by primary candidates to seek an endorsement from a county Committee, this policy provides the written justification prohibiting such an endorsement.
- Registered Democrats in Allegany County should be free from any influence, either real or perceived, from the ACDC when voting in primary elections.
- Endorsing a Democratic candidate ahead of a primary election may favor party insiders over lesser known but equally qualified candidates.
- Every candidate should have the chance to make their case to Allegany County Democratic primary voters and to earn votes on an equal footing with every other primary candidate.
- A Committee endorsement might be seen as (a) determining which candidate is most viable; (b) giving its opinion to the Democratic primary electorate to help guide their choices; (c) taking away their vote or (d) helping them pick the right candidate. None of these impressions would improve our standing in the eyes of the people we represent.
- As per established procedure, all balloted Democratic candidates for local office, including primary opponents, will receive a letter inviting them to request financial support from the Committee. This letter will make clear that financial support is being offered in equal measure to all candidates, and that financial support does not equate to an endorsement.
- The Chair is elected, in part, to represent the ACDC as its spokesperson and is perceived by the public as representing the positions of the Committee as a whole. Because of this perception, the Chair and Executive Officers, while welcome to their personal opinions as to preferred candidates in a primary election, are expected to keep those opinions private so as not to conflict with this policy of neutrality.
- Once adopted, these procedures may be amended by majority vote of the ACDC at any properly called meeting; however, notice that changes to the endorsement procedures will be considered must be provided to ACDC members at least ten days in advance.
ADOPTED July 26, 2023