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“At-Large” Delegates
These pledged delegates are elected as state-wide delegates to represent presidential candidates in proportion to the state-wide vote the candidate received in the primary or caucus. These are the final group of delegates to be elected in every state.
Bonus Delegates
Additional delegates awarded as an incentive to states scheduling their primaries and caucuses later in the nominating process. At this time, 10 states and territories that held primaries and caucuses after April 1, 2008 have been awarded bonus delegates for staying late in the calendar. Those states and territories are: Pennsylvania, Guam, Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota.
Credentials Committee
The Credentials Committee determines and resolves disputes concerning the recognition and seating of delegates and alternates to the Convention. (It does not determine the distribution of passes for admission to the Convention Hall.) Its recommendations are presented in a report voted on by the delegates as the first item of business at the Convention.
“District-Level” Delegates
A majority of a state’s delegates are elected from local districts (usually congressional districts). Each district-level delegate must support a presidential candidate (or no specific candidate which is known as “uncommitted”). They are therefore considered to be pledged delegates. This is the first category of delegates to be selected in each state.
Platform
The national platform is an official statement of the Party’s position on a wide variety of issues. Each issue category included in the platform is a “plank.” A new platform is adopted every four years at the Democratic National Convention.
Platform Committee
The Platform Committee prepares a document delineating the Party’s position on a variety of issues. This document is the Party’s proposed “Platform” and is presented in a report voted on by the Convention.
Pledged delegates
Delegates awarded proportionally to candidates based on the results of a primary or caucus. In all, 3,253 pledged delegates are up for grabs in primaries and caucuses. Pledged delegates are elected at the congressional district level and state-wide. Pledged delegates make up approximately 80% of the delegates at the Convention.
“Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official”(PLEO) Delegates
These pledged delegates are elected as state-wide delegates in proportion to the state-wide vote. These delegate positions are reserved for Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who are supporters of the presidential candidates. Individuals eligible for these delegate positions include: big-city mayors, state-wide elected officials, state legislative leaders, state legislators and other state, county and local Party leaders and elected officials.
Rules Committee
The Rules Committee recommends the procedural rules of the Convention, the agenda, the officers of the Convention and other matters not covered by the other committees. Its recommendations are presented in a report voted on during the first session of the Convention.
Super Delegates
Please see Unpledged Delegates.
Unpledged Delegates
About 19% of the delegates at the Convention are “unpledged.” The media often refers to these delegates as the “super delegates.” Unpledged delegates were created by the Party in 1982 for the 1984 Convention as a way to more effectively bring elected official and Party leader participation back into the Convention. Unpledged delegates serve by virtue of an elected official or position of party leadership, rather than their presidential preference.

  • Approximate number of hotels hosting Convention delegates and visitors: 100
  • Approximate number of hotel rooms booked in Denver for Convention week: 17,000
  • Percentage of delegation hotels that are within walking distance or accessible by public transportation to the Pepsi Center: 80%
  • Estimated number of countries represented by international media organizations sending reporters to cover the Convention: 46
  • Approximate number of people who have signed up to volunteer for the Convention: 21,000
  • Number of foreign dignitaries invited by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) : 300
  • Number of people who have attended ‘Convention Conversations’ public forums in Denver, Pueblo, Boulder and Lakewood, Colorado and Las Vegas and Salt Lake City: 750
  • Estimated increase of readership of the DNCC’s website, DemConvention.com, since January: 40%
  • Number of middle and high school students who submitted entries for the “Write to Lead” youth essay contest sponsored by the DNCC: 1,200
  • Number of Presidential winners selected from the 1,200 “Write to Lead” entries to attend the Convention: 2

Historical Facts

  • City to host the first Democratic National Convention in 1832: Baltimore, Md.
  • First nominee at the Democratic National Convention in 1832: Andrew Jackson
  • Number of years it has been since Denver hosted its first Democratic National Convention: 100 years
  • Presidential nominee at the Denver Convention in 1908: William Jennings Bryan

The Delegates

  • California, with 503 delegates, has the largest delegation.
  • American Samoa, with 13 delegates, has the smallest delegation.
  • Democrats Abroad representing 12 different countries will send 23 delegates.
  • The Guam Delegation will travel the farthest to attend the Convention in Denver, traveling for at least 22 hours.

Pepsi Center

  • Number of acres the Pepsi Center is built on: 45
  • Number of feet the Pepsi Center is above sea level: 5,280 or one mile
  • Number of stories that can fit inside the Pepsi Center and not touch the roof: 10
  • Percentage of the Pepsi Center that is ADA-compliant for persons with disabilities: 100%
  • Number of weeks of around the clock construction to transform the Pepsi Center from a sports arena to a Convention hall: 7
  • Number of square feet of space that has been allocated inside the Pepsi Center for Convention operations: 675,000
  • Number of square feet of space that has been allocated for media pavilions and work space inside and outside of the Pepsi Center: 200,000
  • Estimated number of spaces allocated outside of the Pepsi Center for production trucks, workspace trailers and broadcast transmission vehicles: 100

Technology

  • Estimated miles of cables that the DNCC has already run to set up its systems: 43
  • Estimated number of data lines that will be used to wire the Convention hall: 3,000
  • Estimated number of voice grade circuits that will be used in the Convention: 2,500
  • Estimated number of miles of copper to be used in the Convention: 160

Denver

  • Denver is the 20th largest metropolitan area in America.
  • Denver has the 10th largest downtown area, in relation to the number of office and retail spaces.
  • Number of average days of sunshine in Denver each year: 300
  • Denver’s average high temperature in August: 85 degrees
  • Denver’s average afternoon humidity in August: 35%

Greening the Convention

  • Estimated number of sheets of paper that will be saved by putting the entire DNCC housing selection and registration process online: 100,000
  • Percentage of DNCC vehicles using highest fuel efficiencies and technologies: 100%
  • Number of “Green Team” volunteers who will assist with greening assignments the week of the Convention: 900
  • Estimated percentage of DNCC staff who walk, bike or take public transit to work every day: 68%
  • DNCC’s minimum goal of waste diversion rate at the Pepsi Center and Colorado Convention Center: 85%
  • Percentage of post-consumer recycled content in DNCC office paper: 100%
  • Percentage of DNCC employees using Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs): 100%