The general session started with candidates talking. The main takeaways from the candidates’ speeches was that no one mentioned Fight for 15, the disappearing middle class, or Abolish ICE, however, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee used recorded children’s cries to advocate for keeping families together while being detained.

Congressman Al Green asked everyone who was wearing the US Flag to stand up. Many wearing the US Flag as a shirt, hat, jacket, bandana stood up. It was unsettlingly nationalistic.

The important part of the general session is that this is when delegates vote on party platform, resolutions, and party officials.

The nominations committee nominated current chair, Gilberto Hinojosa, for party chair of the Texas Democratic Party. From the floor, Cedric Davis and Rachel VanOs were nominated for party chair. They did not stand a chance.

First of all, when I went to my delegate seat to vote, Hinojosa’s flyer was on every single delegate seat.

The vote for party chair was done by voice vote, breaking the rules of the party. Per the rules of the party, IV.A.4.d., if there are more than one nominee, the vote needs to be taken by roll call or by written ballot.

In other words, the party broke their own rules for the electing a new party chair. Any change to these rules future use would have been made only in the Rules Report adopted by the convention later in the day well after the party chair, vice chair, and treasurer elections.

This rule was not suspended by vote.

But wait, there’s more undemocratic tactics that were employed.

Carla Brailey ran for party vice chair, and almost didn’t get the seat. Deborah Peoples withdrew her candidacy for party chair in efforts to show party unity. Carla Brailey’s candidate booth was also in the back facing the wall with Our Revolution North Texas.

The problem with the party chair election being a voice vote was that the parliamentarian and the convention chair, Congressman Marc Veasey, could not hear anyone in the back.

On the website it says George Nassar and Rick Cofer are the parliamentarians, but neither of them look like the parliamentarian who did the general session and I didn’t catch his name.

After votes were taken for party officials, resolutions had to be voted on. There was only one mic on the second floor where delegates were also seated.

By the time a delegate was able to get to a mic to discuss the resolution, the resolution would be closed, and the delegate would be scolded by the convention chair. Motions to close debate on resolution were never heard by others in the audience, but the parliamentarian said he heard motions to close from the front row.

If the parliamentarian and convention chair could not hear delegates screaming in the back of the arena, how could they have gotten a proper gauge on a voice vote for elected party chair? This is not what democracy looks like.

There was a motion to dispense the reading and voting of resolutions so delegates could get home, then there was a motion to suspend the reading and adopt all resolutions. Chair Veasey said he heard ayes, even though it sounded equal party ayes and nays, and delegates did not get to vote on 30 resolutions.

Also, the delegates voted on a report of the party platform, but they never voted on the actual platform during the general session. The delegates did not see the party platform.

To top it all off, credentials were not checked before voting. Because it was a voice vote, exhibitors, guests, staff, and anyone else could have joined the voice with the delegates who are supposed to have the voting power.

June 22

First thing to note is how much booths were and the placement of booths. Naturally, the booths that have the most traffic are the most expensive spots, leaving grassroots organizations little room to gain traffic.