DonZimmerman
05-26-2007, 09:45 PM
Several people have asked questions about how the GOP primaries work, and how you get to be Republican delegates (in order to support Ron Paul).
DELEGATE PRIMER:
The convention cycle is two years, and begins on the evening of the Republican primary election in March. The ONLY mandatory requirement to be a Republican delegate is to have VOTED in the Republican primary election. In Texas (different than some other states), you do NOT register to vote with a particular Party – we have what’s called an “open” primary, meaning people who vote against Republicans in the general election are still allowed to vote in the GOP primaries, which are in early March of even numbered years. Here’s how the process will work in 2008:
March 4th: Primary Election Day and Precinct Convention: After you VOTE in the Primary, your registration card should be stamped “Republican” or "Democrat", proving you voted in a particular Primary. After you vote in the Republican primary, you should ask then (or before of course) for the location of the “Republican Precinct Convention” for your local precinct. It begins after the polls close at 7:00 PM, between 7:30PM and 8:30PM, usually at or very near the polling place.
Every voter is assigned to a neighborhood precinct. Each precinct has a “delegate strength”, a number of allocated convention delegates for the next level convention, based on the number of Republican Primary votes for Governor (from the previous election cycle). If you live in a strongly Democrat precinct, you may have only one or two Republican delegates. If you live where I do (Precinct #333), a strong Republican precinct, you may have a dozen or more delegates. Each delegate position also has an “alternate” delegate spot – alternate delegates may attend the next convention and be “seated” (with voting rights) if a delegate fails to show up. As a rule, every "alternate" who shows up always gets seated, but there are always plenty of "delegate" no-shows. (But of course, it's always better to be delegate than alternate.)
Most of these "precinct conventions" are very poorly attended, and typically there are more delegate/alternate places than people to fill them, so it’s usually easy to get elected as delegate at the precinct level. WE CAN ORGANIZE AND PLAN for all this in JANUARY with plenty of time.
Late March: Senatorial District or County Convention: Delegates/alternates (D/A) from the precinct convention may attend the County or Senatorial District Convention. In metropolitan counties (Harris, Bexar, Travis, etc.), multiple Senatorial District Conventions are held (Travis has two, SD-14 and SD-25, with most of us in the northern SD-14). In rural counties, there is one County Convention. The SD Convention is on a Saturday, from early morning until late afternoon or evening. The SD Convention has several purposes: to review party rules, to consider resolutions for the party platform (submitted from Precinct Conventions), and to elect D/A for the State Convention. It’s usually more competitive to get to the State Convention, but rules have recently changed allowing local Precincts to elect their own State D/A (provided they have sufficient strength). There is also a “nominations committee” that picks D/A from at-large – and this is typically where those who control the SD stack the deck with their own delegates, meaning the entire SD delegation voting strength at the State Convention will be controlled by those who control the SD Convention itself. It is very difficult, but still possible, for Ron Paul supporters to control a SD delegation to the State Convention.
June 5th – 7th: Texas State Convention: D/A from the SD and County Conventions are invited to the State Convention. The official duties here are the same as the other conventions: possibly revise State Party rules and consider resolutions for the Texas Republican Platform. You will also be pounded with mind-numbing speeches and from incumbent politicians and prodded to cheer. FACT: The Texas Republican State Convention is the largest political party meeting in the world! Some 15,000 people can be in attendance in some role. In the decades since 1964, the importance of the Convention conclusions have become less and less important, but the attendance is still remarkable – it’s an amazing networking opportunity. Again, the Texas Convention will pass a Platform (which will be completely ignored by the National Convention), possibly make rule changes, and will elect D/A to the National Convention. These elections (for National Republican delegates) are extremely competitive and virtually always decided well in advance of the State Convention, and the D/As chosen are typically decades-long hard core party loyalists. A century ago, these people were chosen with authority to select the Party’s candidate for President. Now, election as a D/A may be viewed as a ticket to an expensive party – a reward for loyal party service. And note that all political analysts will expect (and hope) the Party’s choice for President will be decided months before the State Convention begins.
September 4th, 2008 -- Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota:
It’s unlikely we’ll even consider going here (literally or figuratively), unless RON PAUL wins enough State Primary elections from January through March.
BACKGROUND (Don Zimmerman):
I’ve been a Republican since the Barry Goldwater campaign (1964) when I was 4 years old. My parents were county coordinators for Goldwater, and have been active in the Republican Party (the Goldwater wing) for over 40 years. In 1996 my mom (who was a Senatorial District Convention Chair in San Antonio) was elected as a National delegate to San Diego, and asked to cheerlead for Bob Dole which she refused (tongue in cheek) – I mention this tidbit to inform you that in the last two decades, national Republican delegates have decided virtually nothing at the National level, since State primaries have already committed everyone to one candidate (e.g. Dole in 1996). I became actively involved in the Republican Convention process in 1994 (when I lived in Houston), and have attended every Republican State Convention since 1996.
DELEGATE PRIMER:
The convention cycle is two years, and begins on the evening of the Republican primary election in March. The ONLY mandatory requirement to be a Republican delegate is to have VOTED in the Republican primary election. In Texas (different than some other states), you do NOT register to vote with a particular Party – we have what’s called an “open” primary, meaning people who vote against Republicans in the general election are still allowed to vote in the GOP primaries, which are in early March of even numbered years. Here’s how the process will work in 2008:
March 4th: Primary Election Day and Precinct Convention: After you VOTE in the Primary, your registration card should be stamped “Republican” or "Democrat", proving you voted in a particular Primary. After you vote in the Republican primary, you should ask then (or before of course) for the location of the “Republican Precinct Convention” for your local precinct. It begins after the polls close at 7:00 PM, between 7:30PM and 8:30PM, usually at or very near the polling place.
Every voter is assigned to a neighborhood precinct. Each precinct has a “delegate strength”, a number of allocated convention delegates for the next level convention, based on the number of Republican Primary votes for Governor (from the previous election cycle). If you live in a strongly Democrat precinct, you may have only one or two Republican delegates. If you live where I do (Precinct #333), a strong Republican precinct, you may have a dozen or more delegates. Each delegate position also has an “alternate” delegate spot – alternate delegates may attend the next convention and be “seated” (with voting rights) if a delegate fails to show up. As a rule, every "alternate" who shows up always gets seated, but there are always plenty of "delegate" no-shows. (But of course, it's always better to be delegate than alternate.)
Most of these "precinct conventions" are very poorly attended, and typically there are more delegate/alternate places than people to fill them, so it’s usually easy to get elected as delegate at the precinct level. WE CAN ORGANIZE AND PLAN for all this in JANUARY with plenty of time.
Late March: Senatorial District or County Convention: Delegates/alternates (D/A) from the precinct convention may attend the County or Senatorial District Convention. In metropolitan counties (Harris, Bexar, Travis, etc.), multiple Senatorial District Conventions are held (Travis has two, SD-14 and SD-25, with most of us in the northern SD-14). In rural counties, there is one County Convention. The SD Convention is on a Saturday, from early morning until late afternoon or evening. The SD Convention has several purposes: to review party rules, to consider resolutions for the party platform (submitted from Precinct Conventions), and to elect D/A for the State Convention. It’s usually more competitive to get to the State Convention, but rules have recently changed allowing local Precincts to elect their own State D/A (provided they have sufficient strength). There is also a “nominations committee” that picks D/A from at-large – and this is typically where those who control the SD stack the deck with their own delegates, meaning the entire SD delegation voting strength at the State Convention will be controlled by those who control the SD Convention itself. It is very difficult, but still possible, for Ron Paul supporters to control a SD delegation to the State Convention.
June 5th – 7th: Texas State Convention: D/A from the SD and County Conventions are invited to the State Convention. The official duties here are the same as the other conventions: possibly revise State Party rules and consider resolutions for the Texas Republican Platform. You will also be pounded with mind-numbing speeches and from incumbent politicians and prodded to cheer. FACT: The Texas Republican State Convention is the largest political party meeting in the world! Some 15,000 people can be in attendance in some role. In the decades since 1964, the importance of the Convention conclusions have become less and less important, but the attendance is still remarkable – it’s an amazing networking opportunity. Again, the Texas Convention will pass a Platform (which will be completely ignored by the National Convention), possibly make rule changes, and will elect D/A to the National Convention. These elections (for National Republican delegates) are extremely competitive and virtually always decided well in advance of the State Convention, and the D/As chosen are typically decades-long hard core party loyalists. A century ago, these people were chosen with authority to select the Party’s candidate for President. Now, election as a D/A may be viewed as a ticket to an expensive party – a reward for loyal party service. And note that all political analysts will expect (and hope) the Party’s choice for President will be decided months before the State Convention begins.
September 4th, 2008 -- Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota:
It’s unlikely we’ll even consider going here (literally or figuratively), unless RON PAUL wins enough State Primary elections from January through March.
BACKGROUND (Don Zimmerman):
I’ve been a Republican since the Barry Goldwater campaign (1964) when I was 4 years old. My parents were county coordinators for Goldwater, and have been active in the Republican Party (the Goldwater wing) for over 40 years. In 1996 my mom (who was a Senatorial District Convention Chair in San Antonio) was elected as a National delegate to San Diego, and asked to cheerlead for Bob Dole which she refused (tongue in cheek) – I mention this tidbit to inform you that in the last two decades, national Republican delegates have decided virtually nothing at the National level, since State primaries have already committed everyone to one candidate (e.g. Dole in 1996). I became actively involved in the Republican Convention process in 1994 (when I lived in Houston), and have attended every Republican State Convention since 1996.