PROOF: Committee Violated DNC Mandate by Nullifying Vote to Deny Subcommittee Seats to Caucus Chairs

Violation: By nullifying a committee vote and using a meeting later ruled improper to pass new rules, AAC leadership prevented minority caucuses from achieving full participation in subcommittees, in violation of the 2020 DNC MOU.

Stakes: By nullifying a valid vote, committee leadership removed the authority of the full committee and denied the elected chairs of the Indigenous and Black caucuses their right to participate in subcommittees. This action centralized the committee's power within a small group, directly violating the DNC's mandate for inclusion.

Evidence Strength:

5 facts, 3 axioms

The Axioms (The Rules)

The WVDP failed to establish the majority of its racial diversity caucuses before the Affirmative Action Committee's leadership was elected, effectively disenfranchising those groups from the committee's formation. Primary Source

DJ Proof: WVDP Failed to Properly Implement DNC-Mandated Diversity Plan

The 2020 DNC MOU's purpose was to 'encourage full participation by all Democrats, with particular concern for minority groups'. Primary Source

2020 MOU between WVDP and DNC RBC, p. 1

'No person shall take part in a meeting or be an officer... unless they are a qualified registered member of the Democratic electorate of the political subdivision in which they participate'. Primary Source

WVDP Board of Appeals Resolution, Nov. 29, 2021

The Offenses (What Happened)

The full committee voted to allow any member to join subcommittees by volunteering.

Evidence: Grievance, Claytor, Sturm, and Sturm v. Thorp and Vickers, Para. 59 Official Record

Following the vote, leadership denied seats to the chairs of the Indigenous and Black caucuses.

Evidence: Email from Seth Sturm, Aug. 31, 2021 Documentary

A small subcommittee rewrote the rules, replacing the full committee's volunteer system.

Evidence: Bylaw Subcommittee Report, Sept. 9, 2021 Official Record

An out-of-state parliamentarian presided over the meeting that passed the new rules.

Evidence: Email from Mary Thorp, Sept. 15, 2021 Documentary

The party's Appeals Board later ruled this action violated bylaws.

Evidence: Resolution of the Board of Appeals, Nov. 29, 2021 Official Record

The Logical Reasoning

The DNC mandated the AAC encourage full participation from minority caucuses.
The full committee passed an inclusive rule for volunteer subcommittee membership.
Leadership did not adhere to this rule and denied seats to the chairs of the Indigenous and Black caucuses.
The new, restrictive rules were passed in a meeting that violated party bylaws.
This pattern of disenfranchisement—first by delaying caucus formation and then by denying subcommittee access—violated the core mandate of the DNC MOU.