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2020 Democratic National Convention
Democrats Announce Musical Performances for 2020 Democratic National Convention: “Uniting America”
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Convention Speakers, Including Vice President Biden, Will Not Travel to Milwaukee to Protect Public Health
MILWAUKEE, WI—After ongoing consultation with public health officials and experts—who underscored the worsening coronavirus pandemic—the Democratic National Convention Committee announced today speakers for the 2020 Democratic National Convention will no longer travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in order to prevent risking the health of our host community as well as the convention’s production teams, security officials, community partners, media and others necessary to orchestrate the event.
In accordance with this guidance, Vice President Joe Biden will no longer travel to Milwaukee and will instead address the nation and accept the Democratic nomination from his home state of Delaware. Details about the location of the speech will be released at a later time. Other speakers who had been planning to come to Milwaukee will not travel to the city.
“From the very beginning of this pandemic, we put the health and safety of the American people first. We followed the science, listened to doctors and public health experts, and we continued making adjustments to our plans in order to protect lives. That’s the kind of steady and responsible leadership America deserves. And that’s the leadership Joe Biden will bring to the White House,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez.
Democrats have been working for months to build flexible plans that modernize and transform the convention experience for delegates and viewers across the country. From the start of the pandemic, contingencies were put in place for a successful convention that would ensure public health was protected. Today’s announcement represents a small adjustment to the overall planning, as the majority of speeches and segments were already taking place in locations across the country. Democrats will offer four nights of programming, which will include a mix of both pre-recorded segments and live broadcasts from locations across the country.
“2020 will always be remembered as a year of once-in-a-lifetime challenges and changes—but it will also be remembered as a time when Americans were their most compassionate and resilient selves. While we wish we could move forward with welcoming the world to beautiful Milwaukee in two weeks, we recognize protecting the health of our host community and everyone involved with this convention must be paramount,” said Joe Solmonese, CEO of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Scheduled to kick off in less than two weeks, the Democratic National Convention will air for two hours each night, 9:00-11:00pm ET, from August 17-20, 2020. A custom virtual video control room has been designed to take in hundreds of feeds from around the country, including the potential of interacting with Americans from around the country.
“This convention will look different than any previous convention in history. It will reach more people than ever before, and truly be a convention across America for all Americans, regardless of which party you belong to or who you’ve voted for in previous elections. This “unconventional” convention will launch Joe Biden to victory in November,” Solmonese added.
In order to ensure that the convention will reach viewers wherever they are, convention officials have been working with partners to house convention content on over a dozen platforms, in addition to traditional broadcasts. The official live stream for the 2020 Democratic Convention will be hosted on DemConvention.com, where viewers can also find the full convention schedule, and a digital tool kit to get involved.
The Democratic National Convention Committee will work with the Network Pool and Congressional Press Galleries to establish pooled media opportunities to cover the program. As in past conventions, a feed of convention proceedings will be available at no cost for media and accessible in multiple formats, including via satellite and embeddable livestream. The campaign and convention team will also provide virtual coverage opportunities, including remote press briefings and interviews.
Ald. Coggs: Discussion needed on whether city can deliver services and meet DNC marks during COVID-19 pandemic
During normal times the ability of a city to coordinate the resources needed to host a national political convention can be tested to the extreme. Factor in a global pandemic and that difficulty and coordination challenge quickly flies off the charts and into the stratosphere.
That is the concern of Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs, who has introduced a pair of communication files to ensure the list of challenges the city faces in hosting the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in July is addressed in short order by the Common Council.
Alderwoman Coggs, Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee, said key preparations for the convention must be made soon and must take into account the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the city’s ability to deliver services per usual during the convention. “No one else can have these important discussions, and no one else can ask the questions that must be asked,” she said, adding: “We (Common Council) cannot wait for the DNC apparatus to address these issues – we must do it now.”
Recently the Council approved authorizing borrowing and expenditures (totaling $50 million) for key DNC operations, including paying for police services (personnel) to provide the massive security presence that will be needed during the July 13-17 run of the convention. With COVID-19 sickening and killing citizens here and across the U.S. in a national health emergency, Alderwoman Coggs said she is very concerned that police agencies that were planning to send officers to Milwaukee for the DNC simply will not be able to in July.
“Those officers might very well be busy securing field hospitals and enforcing quarantine orders in July and beyond,” she said.
She said spending decisions on DNC equipment and operations must also be discussed, as the city and local vendors could face possible losses if the convention is greatly scaled back with little notice. She said it would be best for Council members to push for answers from the DNC as to the potential for scaling back the convention and/or moving it to a later date (such as August or September).
The files are expected to be scheduled soon for a Council committee hearing.
Black owned construction firm chosen to prepare the Fiserv Forum for DNC
Compiled by MCJ Editorial Staff
One of the main priorities—if not “the” main priority—of Mayor Tom Barrett was making sure Milwaukee businesses and entrepreneurs, especially those of color, were totally involved in every aspect of the Democratic National Convention, which will be in the Brew City in July.
The mayor delivered on his main priority when it was announced recently that JCP, a local Black owned and operated construction company has been selected as the DNCC’s construction general contractor.
“We’re very pleased JCP will play a major role preparing the Fiserv Forum for the convention, especially making the “national stage” (from which various speakers—including the eventual nominee of the party—will speak),” said Barrett during a phone interview with Clifton Phelps, one of three brothers who make up the construction firm.
Since winning the DNC over such major convention cities as Houston and Miami, Barrett has emphasized local residents, neighborhoods, and businesses–especially minority residents, neighborhoods and businesses– benefit from the economic windfall the political convention will bring to the city.
“The city of Milwaukee has a tremendous amount to showcase when we welcome the convention this summer and I am pleased that will include local expertise and talent that has been selected as part of the Democratic National Convention Committee’s construction and event management teams,” Barrett said in a press statement officially announcing JCP, Populous (announced as the event architect), Milwaukee’s American Design, Inc. and Hargrove (the event management firm selected for the convention).
Said Cong. Gwen Moore—who, with Barrett, co-chairs the DNC Host Committee—of the selection of JCP and the other local firms: “I made it a personal mission that our community enjoys the economic benefits of hosting the Democratic National Convention.
“I am excited that this mission is being delivered upon with the selection of these companies, which reflect our diversity. I know they will bring a caliber of excellence that makes our city shine proudly.”
JCP will have the task of transforming the Fiserv Forum from a basketball arena into the epicenter of American politics. The company will do the construction work on the one-year-old arena so that it is suitable for delegates, the media, and political figures who will be on hand to participate in or witness political history.
Founded in 2008 by Clifton and his brothers James and Jalin Phelps JCP brings decades of combined experience to the convention and provide an array of services including pre-construction, general contracting, and construction management.
JCP focuses on commercial, adaptive reuse, and large residential construction. JCP Construction has been a part of some of Milwaukee’s flagship construction projects of the past decade including Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee Mitchell Airport, and Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons.
“I appreciate the mayor bringing the DNC to Milwaukee,” said Phelps. “It’s great to be in a project like this. This is an historic moment for Milwaukee and the Midwest. The opportunity to be a part of this event is further recognition of our leadership in this industry and commitment to be an inclusive employer in our city.”
JCP’s task will be to adjust existing suites, closets, the arena bowl and the floor (or court) and other spaces into suitable areas for journalists, convention officials, delegates and their guests.
Phelps said he and his partners have been studying the arena’s schematics to determine what they will need to do in reconfiguring the home of the Milwaukee Bucks.
One challenge JCP, it’s partners on the project or the host committee has no control over is the possibility of the Bucks playing in the NBA Finals for a world championship.
If the Bucks were to reach the finals (and hopefully win), that will leave less time for JCP and its partners to do the necessary reconfiguration to make the forum convention ready.
Barrett said that possibility came up during the negotiations with the DNC to get the convention. The mayor said that would be a nice problem to have.
Phelps said such an “ideal problem” would mean a compressed schedule. “It’s going to be tight, but it will be done.”
Planned state voter purge will negatively impact the Black vote
Compiled by MCJ Editorial Staff
The 2020 Democratic National Convention isn’t until July and already the nation’s attention is riveted on Wisconsin and how it handles a potential mass purge of voter rolls, which is expected to negatively impact the Black vote in Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Election Commission says one in 10 voters in the city (who presumedly live in predominately Black zip code areas) could be impacted by the purge.
Approximately 35,529 Milwaukee residents’ right to vote in this year’s local and national elections are at risk as the state’s Election Commission finds itself deadlocked on how to respond to an Ozaukee County judge’s order to purge 234,000 state voter registrations from the rolls because they may have moved.
Last fall, the Election Commission sent mailings to roughly 232,500 people (the number has reportedly been the cause of some dispute) who appeared to have moved and told them to confirm their addresses within 30 days if they wanted to remain registered Wisconsin voters.
The vast majority didn’t respond. But the commission suspects a significant percentage may not have moved out-of-state, but rather moved within the same community or did not move at all.
During a late December 2019 city hall news conference where he asked government officials to protect the integrity of the voting system, Mayor Tom Barrett noted out of the 35,529 city residents flagged, 186 people responded to the mailings. One thousand, three hundred, twenty-seven registered somewhere else. Barrett said many residents thought the postcard was spam or a scam.
The last time the state Election Commission did a voter-roll purge, people came to vote in 2016 expecting to be registered, only to find out they were not.
While Wisconsin has same-day voter registration, the expected need to register meant not everyone had the required documents, causing delays at polling locations and problems for poll workers.
The Commission’s current voter mailing was an attempt to avoid a repeat of 2016 in 2020.
Democrats, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and others are fighting to make sure the purge does not take place until the commission has time to figure out who on the list moved and who were mistakenly put on the list.
The affected state voters primarily come from Democratic voter strongholds, such as Milwaukee and Madison. An examination of demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that a disproportionate number of mailers were sent to areas with large Black voting bases.
While the Black voting population comprises only 5.7 percent of Wisconsin’s total electorate, the highest concentrations of 2019 ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center) mailers were sent to areas that are home to the largest Black voting populations in Wisconsin.
ERIC uses data from the DMV, Social Security, and the U.S. Postal Service to see when a registered voter has moved.
Over one-third (35 percent) of the mailers sent to voters on the 2019 ERIC list went to the two counties where the vast majority of Wisconsin’s Black voters reside, Milwaukee and Dane (Madison).
These two counties are home to three-quarters (74.665 percent) of Wisconsin’s Black voters; Black voters make up 17.45 percent of these counties’ entire electorate.1
While these two counties are large, they aren’t large enough to account for the significantly higher number of voters targeted in a lawsuit brought by the right-wing Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) seeking to force the pre-election voter roll purge.
The WILL lawsuit is on behalf of Republican campaign donors, as well as the urging of a Wisconsin GOP leader. The organization wants the state Supreme Court to take up the suit immediately.
Ironically, the voter purge could impact the election bid of right-wing state Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly, who was appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker a few years ago to fill a vacancy on the court.
As to Milwaukee and Dane counties and its number of voters, Milwaukee County makes up 15 percent of the state’s electorate, but received almost 22 percent of the mailers. Similarly, Dane County makes up nine percent of the electorate, yet received 13 percent of the total mailers.
In comparison, Fond Du Lac County, which has an electorate that is 96 percent white, makes up two percent of Wisconsin’s total electorate and received 1.4 percent of the mailers.
The Census data revealed the voter purge could negatively impact Latino and Asian American voters in the state. Milwaukee County is home to 37.32 percent of the state’s Latino voters, and 20.73 percent of its Asian voters.2
Many of these voters have a limited ability to understand English, but the ERIC mailers were not provided in any other language.
In a statement, Wendell Harris, president of the NAACP State Conference, said his organization is now developing voter engagement plans in conjunction with its partners, the League of Women Voters and the ACLU, for the upcoming November election.
The NAACP believes the voter mover list is a political smokescreen for racial discrimination. The civil rights organization added the voter purge may be a violation of the National Voter Registration Act.
The Voting Rights Act permits voters to remain on the polls for at least two federal election cycles after voter registration cards are returned as undeliverable. It also requires that before a state can purge a voter, it must prove that the voter did change residence for voting.
“Since the founding of (the) NAACP, we have continually worked with members, the public and our coalition partners to fight any and all barriers to voting, especially those that seek disenfranchisement of thousands of citizens,” said Harris in the statement.
Voters should know the purge can’t stop them from voting in any election. Voters should take to the polls with them on election day a form of ID (identification). They can also take a utility bill that proves they’ve lived three months at the address on the bill. If a voter’s name is not on the rolls, they can immediately register and vote the same day.
“This action highlights how important it is that Wisconsin institute election day registration so voters can register at the polls when they go to vote.”
- 2018 ACS 1-year estimates available at https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table
- 2018 ACS 1-year estimates available at https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table
Sources for this article: One Wisconsin Now, Wisconsin Examiner, Wisconsin Public Radio, Demos.org
Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Venue Search Portal
Over 400 venues from throughout the region featured in a searchable database on the Host Committee website
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee today launched its Venue Search Portal, a first-of-its-kind digital search platform that features information about over 400 venues from across Milwaukee and the surrounding region. The portal will serve as a valuable resource for groups as they look to determine the best locations for their convention-related events based on their custom needs.
“When we consider the reasons why Milwaukee was selected to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, it’s clear that the region’s incredible hospitality is at the top of the list,” said Liz Gilbert, President of the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee. “As the Host Committee, we want to ensure that Milwaukee’s warm hospitality and diverse experiences are put on display even before our guests step foot in the city. Our Venue Search Portal will help us accomplish that goal by making it easy for groups coming into town to identify the venues that are ideal for their events.”
Through the Venue Sign-Up page on the Milwaukee 2020 website, venues of all shapes and sizes—traditional and unique—are invited to submit relevant information about their spaces. From address and capacity to photos and contact information for on-site staff, the details collected are then transferred into the Venue Search Portal. This convenient tool allows users to narrow their venue search by various categories, including size, capacity, distance from the convention complex, relevant accommodations, and more.
“There will be approximately 2,000 events that take place leading up to and during the 2020 Democratic National Convention, and it is our goal at the Host Committee to help ensure those events take place in unique locations across the city,” said Kelly Gleeson, Vice President of Events and Production at the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee. “From water parks and athletic fields to art galleries and breweries, the portal includes a wide range of spaces that showcase Milwaukee’s vibrant arts, culture, and recreational offerings.”
To coordinate site visits and inquire about pricing and availability, groups are encouraged to contact venues directly. The content featured in each listing has been provided by the venues themselves, and the portal will be updated on a rolling basis to accommodate recent submissions.
The Venue Search Portal can be viewed here: h ttps://www.milwaukee2020.com/venue-search The Venue Sign-Up page can be viewed here: h ttps://www.milwaukee2020.com/venues
Additional information can be found on the Host Committee’s Venues FAQ page, and all other questions can be directed to the Host Committee’s events team at [email protected].
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About the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee
The Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee is responsible for funding, organizing, and hosting the Democratic National Convention. Through community engagement, grassroots fundraising, and intentional inclusion, the Host Committee works to ensure that the convention builds capacity for and makes a lasting positive impact on Milwaukee and the surrounding region. This is not just a convention in Milwaukee, it’s a convention with Milwaukee. Learn more at Milwaukee2020.com, or follow the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee on F acebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Mayor Barrett wants residents to take ownership of Democratic National Convention
Also wants to show Milwaukee as a
“gritty city” solving urban problems that reflects country’s challenges
By Thomas E. Mitchell, Jr
A “Milwaukee-centric convention!”
That’s what Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett wants the 2020 Democratic National Convention to be: a convention the residents, entrepreneurs, and businesses who live and work in Milwaukee have ownership of that will have the attention of the nation and the world from July 13 to 16.
It will be the job of Lafayette Crump and Nikki Purvis to make sure Milwaukeeans are part of making the convention a success. Crump and Purvis joined the mayor for an interview on what it means to have the political convention in Milwaukee image-wise and economically—especially for African Americans and other people of color.
Aside from the pride citizens of the city and state should feel in making history hosting the convention, Barrett stressed some of that history will be made beyond the Fiserv Forum convention site and into the city’s diverse communities. That’s where Crump and Purvis come in.
Crump is the Milwaukee DNC organizing committee’s vice president of diversity, vendor accountability and growth.
Crump, who is chief operating officer of Prism Technical Management & Marketing, said the committee is focused on making sure the entire process—from planning to the actual event—is diversified.
Purvis is the director of small business development for the city. She will make sure disadvantaged (minority) businesses and entrepreneurs have an opportunity to participate and get at least $50 million of the expected $200 million the convention would generate.
“Including people from all over the city of various demographics is crucial to what we’re doing,” said Crump, who encourages small minority businesses to reach out to the committee and Purvis and share whatever concerns they may have about being a vendor, especially as it relates to handling the large number of conventioneers, and help them work through their concerns.
Echoing Crump’s promise to make sure disadvantaged businesses have an opportunity to participate, Purvis said small businesses are—and always have been—important to a city’s economic success.
Purvis said her office will be reaching out to small businesses and community-based programs. She hopes their involvement in the convention will have long-term positive effects on their businesses and community efforts.
Approximately 15,000 volunteers will be needed to work the convention. Both Crump and Purvis stressed the importance of making sure those volunteers represent the city’s diversity.
Aside from the goings on at the convention, media will also focus on the challenges—like other U.S. cities—Milwaukee faces, such as crime and poverty.
Barrett said Milwaukee and the DNC won’t shy away from questions about the city’s challenges, adding he welcomes the opportunity to show visitors that Milwaukee is a “gritty city” working diligently—and with some success—in overcoming economic, poverty, and racial challenges.
The mayor pointed to the recent announcement by meat processor Strauss Brands to build its headquarters and processing facility at the Century City business park, located in the heart of the Black community.
He also noted the Kamatsu Company is moving its headquarters to the south side of the city. “We’re working to get more jobs into neighborhoods where people live,” Barrett said, adding the city is “fighting back” against approximately three decades worth of industrial decline which had a particularly devastating impact on people of color leading to increases in poverty, crime, and homelessness.
“We’ve got issues of poverty and racial injustice. We’ve never tried to hide from that; it’s too important,” said Barrett. “Honesty about those issues is important. That’s the first step.”
The mayor believes what he and other city officials are doing to improve conditions in Milwaukee can serve as a blueprint for the Democratic Party as it creates its platform for the November election.
“I go to different neighborhoods all over the city. What I see and hear from people in those neighborhoods is that they love their children, they want family-supporting jobs, and safe streets. Those are the common denominators we have as human beings.”
Crump used the mayor’s comment about neighborhoods to note the planning committee will focus on efforts to reach into neighborhoods to secure venues for DNC activities which will showcase Milwaukee as a city of neighborhoods.
“It’s going to be more than a four-day convention,” Crump added. “A lot of activities will be taking place even before people arrive.”
Anyone wanting to learn more about registration or certification should go online to: @milwau-kee2020.org