Latino Caucus Has No Voting Representative In The Democratic Party Of Wisconsin State Administrative Committee

The amended June 2017 Constitution for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin eliminated any chance for the Latino Caucus and other minority Caucuses from having a voting representative in the state Governing Administrative Committee.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 25, 2018

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) has learned that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW) under their amended June 2, 2017 Constitution assured that minority caucuses, which includes the Latino Caucus, American Indian Caucus, Black Caucus, Labor Caucus, LGBT Caucus, Rural Caucus, Veterans Caucus and the Women's Caucus be prohibited from having a member of each Caucus as a voting representative in the Governing Administrative Committee today. According to the 2017 amended DPW Constitution, the Administrative Committee would "examine various entities to determine whether such enties qualify as a caucus." A caucus actually represents underrepresented people, according to the DPW, but in this case, minorities are very underrepresented in the Administrative Committee at the state level within the party itself.

In the 2014 DPW Constitution, the College Democrats of Wisconsin were considered the Youth Caucus and had a voting representative in the Administrative Committee, but no other caucus that included minorities were allowed to have a voting representative in the Administrative Committee. In other words, the DPW implemented and followed a Constitutional policy that prevented minority caucuses from having a voting member in the Administrative Committee.

To further the discriminatory practice within the DPW, the College Democrats were stripped from being recognized as a caucus and are now recognized as official arms of the DPW including the Young Democrats of Wisconsin.
In the 2017 By Laws of the DPW Article Xll Caucuses, Section 5, says that a chairperson of each caucus shall be a non-voting member of the Administrative Committee.

When contacted by HNNUSA about the DPW discriminatory practice by the DPW to keep minority caucuses from having a voting representative in the Administrative Committee, Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, the Vice-president of the Latino Caucus in the DPW stated,  "All caucuses represent  traditionally underrepresented people and should all have a vote at the state governing body. It's long overdue and we deserve a voice that comes with a vote. Adequete resources should be provided to invest in our Democratic Party Caucuses."

The DPW should be a party of inclusion instead a party of exclusion.