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During and after the DA meeting in Florence which I attended upon kind invitation of the DPCA, I was presented with several questions about the requirements for DA's participation in the Democratic National Committee and its activities, especially because of pending bylaws amendments. As you review the DA's internal structure, one of the leading principles that should guide the process is the concept of proportional representation.    The idea of proportional representation is a fundamental component at the DNC and State Party level. Proportional allocation is also a key feature of the democratic delegate selection process.
In the 50 States, proportional allocation of votes is based on factors collectively termed democratic performance, chiefly the turnout in the last Democratic primary. This is, of course, the only significant number available since there is no extensive formal membership process of the type that is the heart of Democrats Abroad. While it is true that many factors that go into the distribution of votes, ultimately, all state parties are required to base representation on some measure of democratic performance. This means that they measure the turnout of democratic strength in the last statewide primary.
Due to the unique nature of DA, there is no practical way your global primary can be a chief element in democratic performance. Members of DA have the opportunity to vote in either the DA presidential preference primary or their state primary. Therefore it would be unfair to only use this standard when determining voting strength of your country committees. It appears that the most appropriate method, which is most closely tied to democratic performance, and therefore to meet DNC standards, is to use the membership numbers of your Country Committees.

Obviously by using this method, countries with higher numbers of Americans will likely have more members in their country committees. Based on allocating votes proportional to membership numbers, those committees with more members would need to be allocated more votes than those who are smaller.    This principle is also reflected in the DA Delegate Selection Plan for 2008.
In addition to guidance on proportional allocation, I was asked what would happen if DA decided to utilize a standard that is not proportional. If a State Party does not use proportional allocation, this would be flagged for review with the potential that their Delegate Selection Plan would not be found in compliance with the Rules. Each state's plan must be found in compliance in order for that state to elect delegates to the National Convention. State Parties will begin draft their plans in January 2011 and will have to submit them to the DNC by May 2011.