2009
The Democratic Party of Lane County is a genuine grassroots organization. More than three hundred of your fellow citizens volunteer their time, talents and resources to promote Democratic candidates and causes, creating a better community for us all.
If you live in Lane County and are a registered Democrat, you are already a member!
Over two hundred years ago, our Party's founders decided that wealth and social status were not an entitlement to rule. They believed that wisdom and compassion could be found within every individual, and a stable government must be built upon a broad, popular base.
It is a vision Oregon Democrats share and promote vigorously, but it is not new. Oregon's progressive leanings were evident even before statehood.
In 1844, sixteen years before the civil war, the territory of Oregon outlawed slavery.
The Lane County Democrats
At the start of the 21st Century we, the Democratic Party, can look back on a proud history. Not just the history of a political organization, but of a national vision. It is a vision based on the strength and power of millions of economically empowered, socially diverse, and politically active Americans.
That tradition continued with Oregon statehood in 1859. Our first governor, John Whitaker (1859-1862), was a Democrat, as were four of our first six governors.
Women's suffrage won an early victory in Oregon, when the state legislature approved the vote for woman in 1912, nearly a decade before the passage of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution.
In the 150 years since statehood, Oregon Democrats have often been among the first to champion key issues of national importance, including:
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Environmental protection -
Universal health care
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Protection of endangered species
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Rights of Native Americans
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Anti-pollution laws
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Common-sense handgun controls
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Right-to-die legislation
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Marriage Equality
Today, Democrats continue that fight with a firm commitment to the values that we all share as Americans: secure the nation; responsibly end the war in Iraq, and restore our moral standing in the world; free ourselves from the tyranny of oil once and for all; restore the Constitution and protect the civil rights and liberties of all Americans.
From the Florence coast to Oakridge in the east, the Democratic Party of Lane County continues Oregon's progressive traditions. Our platform principles guide us to be thoughtful stewards of the environment, to provide quality education for our children, to seek peaceful solutions to conflict, to defend individual rights, and to protect those who are unable to protect themselves.
If you would like to learn more about us, and what we stand for, please read Our Platform
2009 Democratic Party of Lane County, all rights reserved
Contact the DPLC
Physical Address:
826 A Street
Springfield, OR 97477
Phone: 541-484-5099
Fax: 541-762-1081
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 11138
Eugene, OR 97440-3338
Office Hours:
Monday 9-3
Tuesday 9-3
Wednesday 9-3
(Call before visiting to be sure office is open)
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DPLC Platform Convention Needs You!
On Saturday, December 19, 2009, 9am at the Presbyterian Church in Cottage Grove (216 S. 3rd Street), the DPLC will convene its Platform Convention. Every two years, Democrats from across Lane County come together to ratify the local Party Platform and create the Legislative Action Items that will set the agenda for our Party for the next two years. Please add your voice and your passion to the conversation.
The Platform and Resolutions Committee began updating the 2007 Platform in July of this year. The new draft was submitted to the DPLC Central Committee for input in September and October. It has also been sent out to community members from traditionally under-represented communities in Lane County. The Platform Committee then incorporated the changes and suggestions to create this draft. The Platform is designed to be a broad statement of our values through which we build our Legislative Agenda.
The main work at the Convention will take place in the break-out groups where we will create the Legislative Action Items. The five break-out groups correspond to the five planks of the Platform. Each Delegate is asked to choose one break-out group for the day. The task of each break-out group is to list and prioritize specific Legislative Action Items for each bullet point under each plank.
Here’s what you need to know to participate in the Convention:
Please pre-register for the Convention by emailing your name and address to organize@dplc.org. Voting Delegates to the convention must be registered Democrats living in Lane County. Pre-registering allows our Organization Committee time to verify your party affiliation before the Convention.
If you do not pre-register, please bring proof of party affiliation to the Convention. We will try to have a computer set up to check registration, but we may not have an adequate Internet connection at the church.
If you are not a registered as a Democrat, please come and contribute to the conversation as an observer. As an observer, you can participate in the break-out groups, but will not have voting rights in the break-out groups or the plenary session.
Please look at the Agenda, the Rules, and the Platform drafts linked to this page. The content of these document have been approved by the DPLC Central Committee to be forwarded to the Convention.
Amendments to the Rules and the Agenda can be offered as a simple motion on the floor, and can be passed by a simple majority.
Amendments to the Platform must be substantive (not word smithing) and submitted to the DPLC Chair, in writing with signatures from 10 Convention Delegates, no later than 9am the morning of the Convention. There should also be enough copies of the proposed amendment for each Delegate (75-100 copies). Please see the Rules document for further instruction. Amendments to the Platform require a 2/3 super majority of the Delegates present.
Please take the time to pre-register, come to the Convention, and help define who we are as a Party.