Convention? What is that, you say. Part of the Primary process is the Convention. We know about the National Convention where the Presidential nominee will be chosen by delegates from every state. But how do you become a delegate?
That process begins at the Precinct Convention. What is that? Well, it is held at the end of Primary day, after the polls close and all of the voters have voted. In Kaufman County, they will be held at 7:30 p.m. at your polling location. The only requirement for being a delegate to your Precinct Convention is that you have to have voted in the Republican Primary. Your election judge will have a packet with all the necessary paperwork and your Precinct Chair will be the temporary Chair of the Convention. If there is no Precinct Chair, or you are the only one to show up, you can convene the Convention. Those who come to the Precinct Convention elect permanent convention officers, elect delegates and alternates to our County Convention and pass or reject resolutions. Resolutions are what become part of the Republican Party Platform. In order to move up as a delegate to the County Convention, you must attend your Precinct Convention or let Republican Chairman Jimmy Weaver know by February 23.
Next is the County Convention, scheduled on March 19, 2016, in the 86th District Courtroom of the Kaufman County Courthouse. The delegates and alternates to the County Convention, elect their permanent convention officers, elect delegates and alternates to the State Republican Convention and pass/defeat resolutions. Our Republican County Chair is the temporary County Convention Chair. In this Convention there are five committees; Credentials, Rules, Permanent Organization, Nomination and Resolutions.
After all the delegates and alternates are selected, all the resolutions are decided upon, the next step in the process is the State Republican Convention, beginning on May 12 and ending on May 14, 2016 in Dallas. Here, after a lot of work done prior to the convention, Delegates ratify the Party Rules and the Party Platform during the General Session. Senatorial Districts Caucus to elect the State Party Chairman and Vice Chairman and State Republican Executive Committeeman and Committeewoman for each Senatorial District. (to see what your Senatorial District is you can go to http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/fyiwebdocs/PDF/senate/dist2/m1.pdf ) After Senatorial Caucuses, the Congressional Caucus meets (only in Presidential years) to nominate delegates and alternates to the National Convention, elect a member to sit on the National Nominations Committee, which selects the at-large delegates and elects Presidential Electors and the National Committeeman and Committeewoman.
The National Convention is July 18-July 21, 2016 in Cleveland Ohio. It is convened by the Republican National Committee and this is the convention where they nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U. S. Presidential election. They also adopt the National Party Rules and platform for the election cycle.
So there you have in a nutshell. I hope all of you will consider going to your Precinct Convention and on to the County. It is a very worthwhile endeavor and I encourage you to participate.