The Arlington County Democratic Committee is considering potentially significant restrictions on who can vote for top leadership posts.
A proposed change to the party’s bylaws would limit eligible voters for party chair and other leadership positions to members of the county committee. That’s a group of around 200 people that includes top leadership, elected officials, precinct captains and others.
This would be a major shift from current rules, which allow any Arlington voter to participate in a vote so long as they file to take part in advance and sign a statement that they affirm the ideals of the Democratic Party and will not support non-party candidates in the next general election.
A change adopted this year could impact the race for party leadership in 2026. Democratic chair Steve Baker will be stepping down after four years, and one campaign to succeed him has already started.
Jessie Ojeda, the party’s parliamentarian, said that the Arlington Democrats’ steering committee has vetted the proposal, but views on that body were far from unanimous.
“This is something that needs to be debated,” Ojeda said at Arlington Democrats’ June 4 monthly meeting.
One audience member at the meeting attempted to clarify who was behind the proposed change. Ojeda declined to address the matter, saying the issue would be discussed at monthly party meetings in July and August before coming back for formal consideration on Sept. 3.
Only Arlington Democrats members will participate in the vote.
Privately, one party leader told ARLnow that a change could provide a guardrail against a “hostile takeover” by voters who might turn up in large numbers and install leaders who aren’t representative of local Democratic values.
That has some precedent in Arlington, although many younger county residents may not be aware of it.
In the 1990s, conservative forces were able to wrest control of Arlingtonians for a Better County (ABC), a once-powerful county civic-political organization with a liberal bent.
The effort had the effect of killing off the venerable ABC, which at times served as a proxy for liberal county Democrats and whose candidate endorsements in the 1950s-80s had a major impact on local politics.
Deputies take control at Democratic meeting: On a lighter note, it was “deputy day” at the June 4 Arlington Democrats meeting.
Once a year, meetings are run by the deputy leaders of the party and its various committees and affinity groups.
“We celebrate and recognize our deep bench,” said the party’s deputy chair, Paul Ruiz. He handled the 90-minute meeting at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School in place of party chair Steve Baker, who typically presides.
