New to this board -- Get involved in the Republican Party!

[NCGOPer_for_Paul]

I was playing around on one of the many Ron Paul sites on a break and found this one.

As background, I'm a loyal Republican with a libertarian streak. I am active within the North Carolina GOP and think if Ron Paul supporters would get involved in their local Republican Party organizations, we can make things happen, even if Dr. Paul doesn't win.

Here's the thing, at least in North Carolina, every February, the GOP has precinct meetings open to any registered Republican. In my HEAVILY REPUBLICAN precinct in Charlotte - THREE, that's right THREE Republicans showed up, me, my wife, and one other person. We automatically become delegates to the Mecklenburg County Convention, and to the 9th Congressional District Convention. A whopping 130 people showed up to the county convention, and an even more "impressive" 47 to the Congressional District Convention. Unfortunately, all State Executive seats were already taken, but in many Congressional Districts, at-large seats are OPEN.

Back to the 130 people at county...Mecklenburg County is allowed something like 730+ delegates to State. That's SIX HUNDRED UNFILLED SEATS that could EASILY be filled with Ron Paul-like minded people. Wake County (Raleigh) gets like 800, and they had 100 show up. By the way, State was in CHARLOTTE!! Only the dedicated GOPers show up at the Convention. If even a quarter of unfilled delegate seats went to Ron Paul-like people or libertarian-minded people, the Party platform could be amended, and other important changes could be made WITHIN the framework of the GOP. For example, a point in the platform against corporate welfare barely survived, and an amendment I offered to stem illegal immigration was defeated by people "afraid to rock the boat".

My point is, just signing up for a meetup is GREAT, voting for Dr. Paul in a primary is great, but if the "party elites" don't have Paul delegates at State, from what I understand, they can send uncommited delegates to National to vote AGAINST Dr. Paul. Get INVOLVED in the GOP. You never know what might happen!

[pazzo83]

Welcome fellow Charlottean!!

[Sematary]

I just sent an email to my local GOP in Ct. to find out how to become a delegate to the RNC

[FreedomLover]

Thanks for this, I didn't know about that many unfilled delegate positions being up for grabs. We need some Paul supporters in NC to fill the gap!

[Noodles]

MS is a "winner-take-all" state, so, if my understanding is correct, it won't matter who the delegates are.

[Razmear]

MS is a "winner-take-all" state, so, if my understanding is correct, it won't matter who the delegates are.

If the person who wins your state later drops out of the race, then yes, it does matter who the delegates at the convention are. I'm sure there are other scenarios also.

eb

[Noodles]

Hadn't thought of that. I'll look into it.

[Lord Xar]

I was playing around on one of the many Ron Paul sites on a break and found this one.

As background, I'm a loyal Republican with a libertarian streak. I am active within the North Carolina GOP and think if Ron Paul supporters would get involved in their local Republican Party organizations, we can make things happen, even if Dr. Paul doesn't win.

Here's the thing, at least in North Carolina, every February, the GOP has precinct meetings open to any registered Republican. In my HEAVILY REPUBLICAN precinct in Charlotte - THREE, that's right THREE Republicans showed up, me, my wife, and one other person. We automatically become delegates to the Mecklenburg County Convention, and to the 9th Congressional District Convention. A whopping 130 people showed up to the county convention, and an even more "impressive" 47 to the Congressional District Convention. Unfortunately, all State Executive seats were already taken, but in many Congressional Districts, at-large seats are OPEN.

Back to the 130 people at county...Mecklenburg County is allowed something like 730+ delegates to State. That's SIX HUNDRED UNFILLED SEATS that could EASILY be filled with Ron Paul-like minded people. Wake County (Raleigh) gets like 800, and they had 100 show up. By the way, State was in CHARLOTTE!! Only the dedicated GOPers show up at the Convention. If even a quarter of unfilled delegate seats went to Ron Paul-like people or libertarian-minded people, the Party platform could be amended, and other important changes could be made WITHIN the framework of the GOP. For example, a point in the platform against corporate welfare barely survived, and an amendment I offered to stem illegal immigration was defeated by people "afraid to rock the boat".

My point is, just signing up for a meetup is GREAT, voting for Dr. Paul in a primary is great, but if the "party elites" don't have Paul delegates at State, from what I understand, they can send uncommited delegates to National to vote AGAINST Dr. Paul. Get INVOLVED in the GOP. You never know what might happen!


BUMP -- this is very important and one i feel MANY of us here do not know.

We should make this a sticky. We need to get Ron Paul delegates everywhere. This person is right.

[Elwar]

Sounds like our Libertarian Party meetings...I went to the GA state convention and they pretty much said...whoever wants to be a delegate to the National convention could be one, we had like 70 slots and there were only 50 people there. And when I went to the national convention only about 20 had shown up. And other states who had extra delegates were allowed to spill over to those states that had open slots...so that everyone who showed up at the convention got a chance to vote.

I was reading the Texas GOP delegate stuff and it said you had to be a registered Republican for a year before you can be a delegate...can anyone from TX give some info on this?

[jcbraithwaite7]

I agree completely. I went to my local club meeting. I was the only person under 60. I didn't go in wearing my Ron Paul shirt- I wore my best Republican suit. It wasn't fun but I held my own and got in a bit of a debate with a guy who said, "Tap my phones I don't care... I don't have anything to hide." followed by his wife saying, "I didn't care for what Ron Paul said... that we deserved 911." I had a lady slip me a note with her email that said, "I love your enthusiasm... email me." I have emailed a few times and expressed my concerns for the direction the party is headed.

We need to be at these meetings. Guiliani had a rep at the meeting. We need to be Ron Paul's reps at the meeting and at least make sure that slim jims are there.

I am an ambassador for Presidency IV (so I have my ticket to the Faux News debate in October and the candidate forums.) The only way we can change the country is to retake the party... grin and bear it and make yourself go to the meetings. You may just open minds. Remember, anyone can sit and chat with like minded people... it takes a true warrior to go into the lions den... and unfortunately many of our most critical votes rest in the lions den....or should I say elephants den. GOPaul! GOP ALL!

[Bossobass]

I missed the convention in Charlotte because we were in NH for the debate, but I'm extremely interested in this.

Ping me with further details if you get a chance :)

I also just read that the NC senate is in the process of amending the state electoral college to hand over all of it's electoral college votes to the candidate who receives the most votes counted in the entire country, which could easily negate the popular vote in NC.

I'm in the process of digging further into that situation as I write this.

Thanks again for the heads up.

EDIT: I also have verified that NC has gone 100% ES&S electronic voting machines. :^(

Bosso

[NCGOPer_for_Paul]

Elwar,

Now the GOP National Convention isn't like the LP National Convention; I was just referring to the North Carolina Convention.

From my understanding of delegate selection in North Carolina, I'd have a pretty decent shot of going to Minneapolis as a Ron Paul delegate, because #1, I have been on the State Executive Committee (would still be if I didn't have to move to the 9th District), #2, know the State Chair and supported her in her election, and #3 donated a bit to the NCGOP. Now, someone who just joined the party might not have the same shot, BUT, if there are a lot of people committed to Ron Paul, and he takes 20-25% in a multi-candidate field, he gets about 14-15 delegates from NC. We NEED people who are registered Republicans who have done SOMETHING for the party.

[Elwar]

Convention Delegates

Total Number of Delegates: 2488

The allocation of delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention, which will be held September 1-4, 2008 in a city to be announced in early 2007, is determined as follows:

BASE DELEGATES Each state selects six at-large delegates. American Samoa, Virgin Islands & Guam have four at-large delegates each; Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have fourteen at-large delegates.

DISTRICT DELEGATES Each state also selects three delegates for each member it has in the U.S. House of Representatives

BONUS DELEGATES Each state can earn additional delegates by meeting one or more of the following requirements: the state cast a majority of its votes for the Republican presidential candidate in the previous presidential election, the state elected Republicans to the U.S. House or Senate, selected a Republican Governor or state legislative majorities, and / or the state holds its presidential primary election after March 15th (this is to discourage states from holding early primaries).

Bonus delegates are awarded based on the number of party members elected as Presidential Electors (2004), Governors (2004-2007), House members (2004-2007), Senators (2002-2007), and state legislatures (2004-2007).

Republican delegate counts are based on the number of Republicans elected to the State Legislatures, Governors chairs, U.S. House seats, and U.S. Senators seats through 31 December 2007. Republican unpledged delegate counts are determined by state (or equivalent) party rules and assume that the policies of 2004 will apply in 2008.

State Delegate Selection Process

Delegates are awarded based on the results of Primaries, Caucuses and/or Convention votes. There are significant differences in the way national convention delegates are chosen from state to state. Some states award delegates to candidates on a "winner-take-all" basis, meaning that the candidate with the most votes in a state during a primary election is awarded all of that state's delegates. Other states award delegates in proportion to each candidate's share of the primary vote.

Another important distinction is whether delegates are "bound" or "not bound" to vote for the same candidate the voters in his or her state or district supported in the primary. These rules also vary widely by state.

What happens when a candidate bows out?

When an individual formally releases delegates already pledged to him or her - a withdrawing candidate must specifically free his/her own delegates to vote for whomever they might choose during the Convention - it is not a requirement for those delegates to vote for another candidate who is endorsed by the withdrawing candidate.

However, history has demonstrated that most, if not all, delegates pledged to a candidate who has released them will follow that candidate's lead and vote for the candidate he/she has endorsed. Nevertheless, a withdrawing candidate may not release delegates pledged to him/her so long as the presidential nomination is still undetermined (after all, these delegates can be a valuable bargaining chip for future considerations). Even where a nomination is already determined, a presidential candidate who represents the Party fringe might hold onto his delegates as long as possible in order to get concessions.

Delegates Allocation

For Jurisdictions with Constitutionally Elected Members of Congress:

10 At-Large delegates from each state, that is, 5 at-large delegates for each U.S. Senator.
3 District delegates for each U.S. Representative.
For Jurisdictions without Constitutionally Elected Members of Congress:

6 at-large delegates from American Samoa.
16 at-large delegates from the District of Columbia.
6 at-large delegates from Guam.
6 at-large delegates from Northern Mariana Islands
20 at-large delegates from Puerto Rico.
6 at-large delegates from Virgin Islands.
For all Jurisdictions - 3 party leaders: the national committeeman, the national committee woman, and the chairman of the state Republican Party.

Bonus Delegates:

2004 Bonus: States casting a majority of their 2004 Electoral Votes for the Republican Candidate receive 4.5 + 0.60 × the Jurisdiction's Total 2004 Electoral Vote bonus delegates. Should the District of Columbia cast the majority of their electoral votes for the Republican Candidate, the District will receive 4.5 + (0.30 × 16) bonus delegates. (Round any fractions UP to the next integer.)
U.S. Senate: Award 1 bonus delegate for each Republican Senator elected in the 6 year period (November 5, 2002, November 2, 2004, November 7, 2006) prior to January 1, 2008. (Limit 2)
Governor: States electing a Republican Governor between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007 receive 1 bonus delegate. (Limit: 1)
U.S. House: States electing Republicans to 50% or more of the their U.S. House seats between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007 receive 1 bonus delegate. (Limit 1)
One Chamber: States electing a Republican majority to one chamber of the state legislature (OR the legislature is presided over by a Republican) receive 1 bonus delegate. (Limit 1).
All Chambers: States electing a Republican majority to all chambers of the state legislature (or all chambers are presided over by a Republican) between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007 receive 1 bonus delegate. (Limit 1).

[Roxi]

"Tap my phones I don't care... I don't have anything to hide." followed by his wife saying, "I didn't care for what Ron Paul said... that we deserved 911."

please tell me this woman was corrected and RP never said we deserved it only that our foreign policy probes them to hate us

[pcgold]

Have 40-50 people show up at these meets from the Ron Paul camp. Some carrying lit and others stand offish. Let see what happens and who is allowed to become delegates.

Meetup Richmond VA

[NCGOPer_for_Paul]

Bossobass,

I've done some research on the Comprehensive North Carolina Voter Disenfranchisement Act of 2007. The sponsor of the bill is Senator Daniel Clodfelter (DEMOCRAT - Mecklenburg). The bill is S954.

Co sponsors are Katie G. Dorsett (DEMOCRAT - Guilford), Ellie Kinnaird (SOCIALIST - Chapel Hill), and Floyd B. McKissick, Jr. (DEMOCRAT - Durham).

It's already passed a second reading.

NO REPUBLICANS voted for this bill.

Daniel Clodfelter's office number is (919) 715-8331.

Call the office, say you are appalled at the abuse of power shown by the Democrat party of the state. A Democrat can't win the state in a Presidential election, but the state is so gerrymandered, that Republicans can't control the state legislature, even when they WIN total votes counted for state legislators.

I smell a lawsuit. I want my vote counted in 2008, be it for Paul, hopefully, the GOP nominee not named Guiliani, Thompson, McCain, or Romney, or some other candidate NOT a Democrat.

[Man from La Mancha]

Great idea to check out how to become local delegates. Something Ed. Griffin recommends.

[nc4rp]

This is a great thread.

Delegates must be elected from the earlier-level Conventions to proceed to the next convention. Imagine no one shows up for the very first Precinct Convention? then that means they rely on filling empty seats at the next-level conventions because you must be elected to go on to the next-level Convention as a seated/elected delegate. this is just NC rules though. Every State is vastly different. but everyone in here might want to do this stuff:

(1) Find your state in this forum http://www.ronpaulforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=132 and focus there. That is where you should be learning/sharing/networking the details of your state's complicated processes and advantages with the rest of your people in your state.

(2) check http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/events.phtml?format=alphabetical
Find find what kind of Primary/Caucus you have, follow the links.
North Carolina has 4 different Conventions to think about- Precinct, County, District, and State. Each one has a particular and compounding effect on the final outcome.

(3) Then go to your State Republican Party website and find the page of whats called "Plan of Organization"

bottom line, check your state, figure it out. share the info, learn, and get the information correct.

also heres a cool site i just found http://www.republicansource.com/primaries.htm

[nc4rp]

sry double post

[shagywashere]

If I become a Delegate, though, don't I have to fly to NH or something like that?

[nc4rp]

for NORTH CAROLINA rules ---

Only 69 delegates will go from North Carolina on to the National Convention in Minnesota (Spetember). that number is narrowed down from the 10,000's of N.C. Precinct delegates that start the process.

the field of delegates gets narrowed down over the course of the Conventions. So if you cant make it to the National Convention in Minnesota in Sept. then let another, declared Paul delegate that CAN make the trip take the vote/seat to the next Convention and make that trip.

You will have done your part by taking and holding the delegate seat from the Precinct Convention or other convention up through whatever conventions you can attend untill the field gets diluted to where theres too many Paul delegates and thats when people that cant make it all the way bow out. Your job will have been very well done at that point.

[sluggo]

bumpity

[nc4rp]

/blimp!