Resolutions and Platform Committee
Learn about the Resolutions and Platform Committee
The Democrats of Washington County Resolutions and Platform Committee (aka the Platform Committee) constitutes a standing committee that is the values, principles and issues forum for our county party.
We are not the group that organizes events, raises monies, or stumps for individual campaigns. But we are the group that periodically revisits our principles and tries to come to grips with the issues of the day.
Democrats stand on our values and principles. We believe in fairness for all, for the inclusion of all, and of course, for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We express these values in different ways around different issue and need to continually evaluate the issues in light of these principles.
The Platform Committee has four major functions
1) We review and revise our Platform, a statement of principles and values, when we feel it is needed…generally every 2-4 years. We also review and provide input to the Democratic Party of Oregon Platform (DPO Platform) to reflect conditions and concerns particular to Washington County. Platform review is usually a biennial activity that is coordinated with the biennial DPO Platform process.
2) Next, we discuss and address political and social issues based on member concerns. These can be the concerns of ANY Democrat in Washington County, not just Platform Committee members. We discuss issues, whether they be international, national, state, or local. Often these concerns will result in a Resolution reading, which will come to a Central Committee meeting for a vote. A Resolution serves to inform the Central Committee members, and also to identify specific actions to address the particular concern. The role of the Platform Committee is to make sure the Resolution is clear, accurate, and focused. It is a “proposition” and does not always reflect the will of the majority, i.e. it might not “pass”
3) A third leg of the committee is developing collegial relations with our elected representatives at all levels. To do this we try and follow legislative and local issues and, when appropriate, meet with and discuss our concerns with these people…at the Congressional, Legislative, our local Council level.
4) Our forth function is educational. By highlighting issues and discussing Resolutions, members of the Committee learn more, and, hopefully, when presenting these concerns at the Central Committee Meeting, provide useful information to all CC members. Our mission, whether as Platform concepts [Planks], as a Resolution, or as a call for action on a special matter, is that we provide useful information to all CC members.
Since we are Democrats, we often have heated discussions, but aim to remain civil, friendly, and open to ideas. We meet monthly (1st Tuesday, 7:00 pm) at the Hillsboro office.
Policy statement for membership in the Platform and Resolutions Committee
- Voting membership for the Platform and Resolutions Committee is established by a PCP attending two consecutive meetings
- Voting privileges gained at the beginning of the second meeting
- Members loose voting rights after missing two consecutive meetings unless the committee chair is messaged that the member will miss a meeting
- PCPs that have a resolution to introduce may attend a meeting and may speak and vote on their resolution