131st Continental Congress – Here We Come!

It may still be cold outside, but we are already starting to feel the warmth of the bright sunshine that will welcome you back to DAR Headquarters June 29 – July 3, 2022, for the 131^st Continental Congress. Let’s get ready!

After three long years apart and two very successful Virtual Congresses, we are anxious to have you back in person to experience the thrill of our annual gathering at your beautifully restored House Beautiful. Please know that DAR will require and enforce all District of Columbia Covid mandates that are in effect during the week of Congress. Currently, there are no gathering size restrictions in D.C., and DAR Constitution Hall has returned to hosting full houses for performances, graduations and other events. We remain cautiously optimistic that nothing will prohibit our gathering together in June, so we are moving ahead with planning an exceptional in-person Congress!

I am delighted to also share that -- having learned a great deal about the benefits of technology from our Virtual Congress experiences and studied the post-Congress surveys from previous years -- we are bringing some exciting improvements to this year’s Congress experience. We will be reviewing many of the proposed changes with the members of the National Board of Management this week as we ask them to formally consider the Standing Rules for the 131^st Continental Congress.

For now, I wanted to share with all members a high-level preview of some of the exciting enhancements we’re planning for Congress.

New Digital Enhancements

For many years, members have requested the ability to register and pay via the internet for Congress. I am excited to announce that both Credentials and Pre-Registration will now be completed exclusively online through new and easy-to-use systems. More information will be forthcoming, but here are the highlights:

The Credentialling process for chapters to designate their voting delegates will be completed through an online form that chapters can submit through a click of a button rather than having to print out the form and send it through postal mail to Headquarters. The Credentialling process will open February 15 for chapters to complete in e-Membership and, per NSDAR Bylaws, will close on April 15.

The Pre-Registration and payment process will now be separated from the Credentialling process and all individual members (delegates and non-voting members) will pre-register themselves online on the Congress Website between April 15 until June 1. Online Pre-Registration will close June 1, but members will still be allowed to Register and pay onsite the week of Congress (for a higher fee). We encourage all members planning to attend this year’s Congress to Pre-Register online in order to take advantage of the lower pre-registration fee; that also provides us with a more accurate attendee count in advance, enabling us to be better prepared to welcome all participants.

Here's another important change: Your on-site check-in or registration process will occur in the We the People Dining Hall on the lower level, as the room formerly used for this function has been converted to office space for our Insignia Department. Now, you will receive your badge, ribbons and program just down the hall.

Please look for a more detailed blog next week that will explain in detail the new Credentials and Pre-Registration processes. I am confident that once you review the instructions, this new online approach will be intuitive and will streamline your registration experience.

Streamlined Voting Procedures

All delegates who are credentialled by their chapter as voters must attend Congress in person in order to be able to cast their ballots during Congress. Only those delegates who have checked in on-site for Congress will receive (via email) the password information that will enable them to cast their ballots online on their personal devices on Saturday morning.

That Saturday morning voting will be conducted via the safe and anonymous Simply Voting online platform that has been successfully used the past two years for Virtual Congress. Members will no longer be required to wait in long lines and go into to a singular room to vote on machines, but rather may vote on their personal smart devices in their hotel rooms, at the Hall or even in their taxi! For those of you who require a device for online voting, a limited number of on-site devices will be made available by the Tellers Committee in the We The People Dining Hall on Saturday morning. More detailed information will be provided to delegates leading up to Congress about the procedures for voting. Remember: you will need to check in on-site in order to be a voter at Continental Congress.

Congress Website

After great reviews, the enhanced Congress Website that we launched for last year’s Virtual Congress is back and will be improved further still to incorporate other new enhancements. While there is no longer a need to host a virtual hub for online events (because all events will be held in person), there will be links to the livestream of all of the official evening ceremonies and business sessions for those who cannot attend in person.

Here’s another big change: The Congress Website will be the exclusive site of the official DAR Congress Schedule, so don’t expect a printed version in the March/April issue of the Daughters newsletter. This gives planners more flexibility in finalizing the details of their events and provides the most up-to-date information in the online version, rather than a cumbersome printed version that required continuous updating.

The Congress Website, including the schedule and start of online pre-registration, will launch on April 15. While many of the ticketed events will still be managed by the State Societies and DAR Clubs, there will be six National events for which you will be able to purchase tickets directly from the Congress Website. You can even purchase them at the same time you Pre-Register for Congress in order to make one easy payment in a single, streamlined transaction. (But don’t worry – you can also come back to the Congress Website any time before June 1 to purchase tickets for those National events – you don’t necessarily have to purchase them all at the same time.)

Official Sessions of the 131st Continental Congress

Outstanding honorees, exceptional entertainment and substantive reports await you during our official proceedings! There will be four evening (Wednesday-Saturday) and four morning (Thursday-Sunday) sessions conducted from the stage of DAR Constitution Hall; these will be streamed live for those unable to attend in person.

Your afternoons will be free to attend luncheons, research in the DAR Library, explore Washington, D.C. or visit our DAR Museum. Please note that the Saturday, July 2, morning business session will conclude with the Report of the Tellers Committee. You are encouraged on Saturday afternoon to enjoy the luncheons and then attend our new Committee Showcase at the hotel highlighting the outstanding work of the National Committees during this Administration. (This showcase replaces the previous Service to America night.)

The 131st Continental Congress will have the unique historical designation as being both the first and only in-person Congress of the VanBuren Administration – and I can promise you we are making big plans to celebrate all that has been accomplished by this Administration during an unprecedented time in our country’s history. I salute all of your hard work and can’t wait to welcome you home to Washington, D.C., to celebrate your outstanding commitment to our organization and its vibrant mission.

Let’s Rise and Shine for a Congress sublime! See you in June for the 131^st Continental Congress!