FYI: How this works First off, by the schedule of convention events and the fact that I lose an hour of morning blogging time (Central vs. Eastern) I’m unlikely to be posting in this space from August 19-23. I am a delegate from North Carolina to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I attended the 2012 convention in Charlotte on a press pass. This year’s experience will be very different. Before President Joe Biden dropped out, I’d expected to be an extra at a four-day infomercial. This feels much more monumental. For you who’ve ever thought about being a national convention delegate, a few things I’ve picked up. Becoming a delegate: Every cycle, random callers tell us they’d like to be convention delegates. Doesn’t that sound like fun? They have no clue how this works. Delegates pledged to a candidate and vetted by the campaign(s) are elected by Democrats active in your congressional district. Or you must be an elected official or party insider to win a delegate slot. I am one of five pledged delegates elected from my district. Others are elected at large at state conventions. Party Leaders or Elected Officials (PLEOs) also secure a certain number of slots. And of course DNC members attend. Caveat: In 2016, Bernie Sanders won my district in the primary. Delegates are gender-balanced and there are diversity targets. The female party regulars who’d signed up to be delegates were mostly pledged to Hillary Clinton. When Sanders unexpectedly won the district, two women…