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You are invited to caucus with the DFL

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You probably already know that we will elect a governor this fall. But did you know that we will also elect:

The DFL will endorse candidates in all of these races this spring. Endorsement by the party allows candidates to use the DFL’s resources and volunteers to reach voters with their message.

The endorsing process starts with caucuses. At our caucuses, we start the process of making a party endorsement. We’ll select delegates to district, county, and city conventions which will make decisions about our local races, and pick delegates to further conventions for state and federal races. When you caucus with the DFL, you can have your say about these endorsements — and perhaps you will become a delegate yourself!

Caucuses are also how we organize the DFL, starting from our own neighborhoods. The DFL is a volunteer organization. Our local party leaders all live here, and are chosen by us. Healthy turnout at caucuses helps make sure that the DFL stays in touch with us between elections, and helps all of us to be heard by our representatives. And healthy caucuses are where new volunteers and leaders get their start in the DFL.

Along with the DFL’s people, caucuses are also where we start writing the DFL’s platform. Have an issue that you want to see the DFL address? Bring a resolution to your caucus, and talk to your neighbors about why it is important. Resolutions from across the state form the basis of the party’s platform which makes clear what the DFL believes and values.

Caucus night is Tuesday, February 3

Where you caucus depends on where you live.  Senate District 63 is the southside of Minneapolis: from Seward, down to Minnehaha Falls, across town along Minnehaha Creek, all the way to Armitage.  Precincts in SD63 have three caucus locations:

You can find out your precinct and district from the Secretary of State’s web site.

When things happen

All caucuses are planned to follow a similar timeline. Here is how we expect the evening to proceed:

There is more information below about the business each caucus will consider.

What if you cannot attend on caucus night?

If you cannot attend your caucus (or cannot attend all of it), you can submit a caucus non-attendee form.

CAUCUS DE DISTRITO DFL 2026 – FORMULARIO PARA NO ASISTENTES

2026 DFL ISKU IMAADKA DARISKA – FOOMKA QOFKA KA QEYB GALE AHEYN

As a non-attendee you won’t be able to vote (for candidates, delegates, or resolutions), but you will be able to:

There are two good ways to get your completed non-attendee form to us:

  1. Print out this form, fill it out, and have someone else bring it to your caucus room by 7pm (Minneapolis time) on caucus night, or
  2. Submit the Google form by 5pm (Minneapolis time) on January 31.

Caucus night accessibility

It is important — both under the values of the DFL, and to the organizers of these caucuses as your neighbors — that caucuses be accessible to as many people as possible.  Our accessibility plans are a work-in-progress as we learn about both our sites’ features and individuals’ needs.  We strongly encourage you to communicate with us as early as possible to discuss your personal needs for participating at your caucus this year.

Physical accessibility

We hope to conduct site visits prior to our conventions during work hours, and with the school staff engineer who will be on site on Caucus Night.  In the meantime we are assessing different standard checklists for disability considerations which we can use as a framework to ensure that our discussions with each site’s engineers are comprehensive.  With additional information from people intending to caucus, we can ensure that individual concerns are brought up.

Language accessibility

Although our past experience gives us some insight into different precincts’ translation needs, advance awareness of translator staffing levels is key to successfully providing language accessibility.  Please give us the earliest advice possible of translation needs.

Transit accessibility

South High School is centrally located near several transit lines.  It is served by Line 21 along Lake Street, Line 22 along Cedar/23rd/28th Avenues, and the Blue Line light rail.  Transfers to Line 23 through Howe and Hiawatha, and Line 9 through Seward, Longfellow, and Minnehaha Avenue are also available.

Washburn High School is served by several bus lines: Line 18 along Nicollet Avenue, Line 4 along Lyndale Avenue/50th Street, Line 46 along 46th/50th Streets, and Line 11 crossing the interstate and moving north.  Transfers via Line 46 to routes along Chicago, Bloomington, 28th and 34th Avenues are also available.

South High School is served by bus lines 27 and 22, and is a block from Lake St. with the B line.

MetroTransit’s schedules and maps are online.

Caucus safety

We can’t know if ICE will try to interfere with the caucuses. If they come to our caucus locations, we’ll keep them out if we can, and we’ll try to give warning to attendees. We advise everyone against getting into confrontations with armed federal agents.

The caucus agenda

Each precinct has a number of matters to consider. This section gives a more detailed look at this year’s business.

1. Sign in and meet your neighbors

When you arrive, the first thing to do is to find your caucus room, and sign in.You will affirm that you live in that precinct, that you consider yourself a member of the DFL Party, and that you are not an active member of any other political party.

You must be at least 16 years old to participate in precinct caucuses. To vote or be elected as a delegate during the caucus, you must be at least 18 years old and eligible to vote in the next election. And just as for voting on Election Day, it is illegal to attend more than one caucus on Caucus Night.

The beginning of the evening is also a great time to meet neighbors. You already have something in common with everyone in the caucus room — that you share DFL values enough to spend the evening at caucuses!

2. Call the caucus to order

At 7:00pm (or shortly thereafter, if people are still signing in), your precinct’s Caucus Conveners will call the meeting to order. Caucus Conveners are neighbors who have been trained by the local DFL to prepare for caucus evening, and to get the meeting started.

The first order of business is always to build out a team for the evening. The Caucus Chairs (usually the trained conveners) will lead the rest of the meeting. A secretary will take notes on the caucus’s decisions, and two tellers will help to count ballots anytime a ballot is needed. Anyone can volunteer for these roles. Like every other decision the caucus makes, it is the whole group who picks the evening’s caucus leaders.

3. Get ready to meet the candidates

Candidates for office are eager to meet you at your caucus! They will want to make a short speech seeking your support, and have as much conversation as you will allow.

The caucus should be even-handed, and give all candidates for an office the same opportunities to speak and converse. But the group should make these decisions right away. How much time show each candidate running this year have? Is that time only for their speech, or for questions too? What about office holders who are not running this year?

4. Put a precinct team together!

The Precinct Team is responsible for all of the DFL’s campaigning and outreach in your area — letting you know about upcoming public meetings, issue forums, opportunities to give input into public processes, holding backyard and park meet-and-greets with candidates and office holders. Outreach is not just for the weeks right before an election. The Precinct Team tries to stay in touch all across the two years between legislative elections.

And anyone can join their Precinct Team. There will be a sign-up for the Precinct Team in your caucus room, and we invite you to join. If you are new, local outreach is a great way to get started. Whether you have a little bit of time or a great deal of time to contribute, whatever kind of outreach you are comfortable with — your work will be valued and appreciated.

Precinct teams are lead by a Precinct Chair and two Precinct Vice-Chairs, which you will elect on caucus night.  They serve two-year terms, starting and ending on even-year caucus nights. When you choose these leaders, make sure that they will able to put in the time and attention to managing the team. Have you heard from the precinct team in the last two years? What sort of outreach do you hope to see from your precinct’s team?

5. Pick delegates to endorsing conventions

Caucuses start the process of endorsing candidates who best represent our DFL values. That process continues at larger conventions covering the whole of the districts that these candidates hope to serve. On caucus night we will pick delegates and alternates for two (in one busy precinct, three) endorsing conventions.

The senate district and city conventions will also choose regional DFL leadership, responsible for coordinating with precinct outreach teams, fundraising, and supporting endorsed campaigns. Both of these conventions will also have several committees working on various aspects of preparation for these big events:

Finally, the Senate District Convention delegates will pick a smaller set of delegates who will continue to two further endorsing conventions. The Congressional District 5 Convention endorses for our seat in the federal House of Representatives. And the Minnesota DFL Convention endorses this year for our federal Senate seat, and chooses delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

6. Resolutions

The last item of caucus business is approving a list of resolutions.  A resolutions is a statement about a law or policy that the DFL and its elected officials should put in place.  Our resolutions will move up through the convention seasons, combined by conventions for larger and larger areas.  At the Minnesota State DFL Convention, the resolutions will become the party’s platform.  And at the Democratic National Convention, delegates will approve a nationwide party platform.

Convention dates

More resources

We hope to see you on caucus night!