PHILADELPHIA, May 23, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz announced the appointment of the 15-person Platform Drafting Committee. The Drafting Committee is responsible for developing and managing the process through which the Democratic Party's National Platform is established.

According to DNC rules, the members of the drafting committee are appointed at the discretion of the DNC Chair.  This year, in an effort to make this the most representative and inclusive process in history, the DNC Chair elected to allocate 75% of the committee's seats to the presidential campaigns, awarding the slots proportionally according to the current vote tally.

Chairwoman Wasserman-Schultz also named Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) as Chair of the drafting committee.

"We are delighted to bring together this talented group of Democrats," said DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. "These individuals represent some of the best progressive thinking from across the nation. I am confident that the members of this committee will engage Americans in a substantive dialogue of ideas and solutions that will inform our Party Platform."

"The Democratic Party has always fought to create a better life for all Americans," said Representative Cummings. "I am pleased that we have some of our best and brightest gathered here to assemble our collective vision of our nation's future. We will be going to unprecedented lengths to ensure that the drafting of our party's platform is the most inclusive, open and representative process in the long history of our two major parties."

Also appointed to serve on the Platform Drafting Committee are:

Hon. Howard Berman, Paul Booth, Hon. Carol Browner, Rep. Keith Ellison, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, Rep. Barbara Lee, Bill McKibben, Deborah Parker, State Rep. Alicia Reece, Bonnie Schaefer, Ambassador Wendy Sherman, Neera Tanden, Dr. Cornel West, and James Zogby. 

The Clinton Campaign's Senior Policy Advisor Maya Harris and the Sanders Campaign's Policy Director Warren Gunnels will represent their respective campaigns as official, non-voting members of the Committee.

Andrew Grossman was named Platform Executive Director. Grossman is the former Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.  In 2012, he served as the Director of the Democratic National Convention Platform Committee.   

About the Democratic National Convention

The 2016 Democratic Convention will be held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia July 25-28, 2016.   Working in partnership with the Philadelphia Host Committee, the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, our goal is to make this the most engaging, innovative and forward looking Convention in history.  The 2016 Democratic National Convention will leverage technology to take the Convention experience well beyond the hall in an effort to engage more Americans than ever before in the event.  With the birthplace of American Democracy as a backdrop, the 2016 convention in Philadelphia will highlight our shared Democratic values and help put the Democratic nominee on a path to victory.

The Democratic Convention is the formal nominating event for the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President.  At the Convention, the Democratic Party also adopts the official Democratic Party platform as well as the rules and procedures governing party activities including the nomination process for presidential candidates in the next election cycle.

The CEO for the 2016 Democratic National Convention is Reverend Leah D. Daughtry. The official website of the 2016 Democratic National Convention is www.demconvention.com.

Contact: April Mellody 215-760-5943
Dana Shelley 215-519-0105
@DemConvention –Twitter –Facebook –Instagram

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SOURCE 2016 Democratic National Convention Committee

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