PRECINCT DELEGATES The most important elected official

The position of precinct delegate has been called the most important elected official. Becoming a precinct delegate gives you a place at the table in setting county political party goals and policies. The official role of a precinct delegate is to attend county conventions to elect delegates and alternates to the state conventions. As a precinct delegate you are taking an active role in retaining and strengthening the freedoms that make America great and are making a difference.

Precinct Delegates are the Key to Victory in 2010 They are the force who will find and deliver the votes for conservative candidates.

What is a Precinct? A precinct is the smallest political geographic division in a state. The area varies on size and is determined by population. A precinct contains a maximum of 2,999 registered voters, although many precincts are smaller. It is up to the local municipalities to draw their own precinct lines.

What is a Precinct Delegate? A Precinct Delegate is an elected representative to the local political party from a voting precinct. Every precinct has at least one Republican and one Democrat Delegate, and some have more. The local party determines the number of delegates based on the number of partisan votes in the previous election. We have a two party system: For 2010 in Tuscola County there are 153 Republican delegate positions and 63 Democrat delegate positions

How do you become a Precinct Delegate? A person running for Precinct Delegate must be 18 years old, and a registered voter residing in the precinct in which they are running. The Candidate needs to fill out an "Affidavit of Identity." Affidavits are available at County Clerks' offices as well as City and Township offices, as well as online at Affidavits need to be notarized by a Notary Public. Notary Publics can be found at the County Clerks office or at a local bank. Once the affidavit is completed it is turned into the County, City or Township Clerk where you live. The affidavit must be submitted no later then 4:00 p.m. on May 11, Once the candidate files, their name is placed on the ballot in the August primary. Their name is under the heading "Candidate for County Convention Delegate." The primary ballots are separated by political party, so only Republican voters vote for the Republican candidate. In the case that the race is contested the person with the most votes wins. If you miss this deadline, you can still become one by filing as a write in candidate with a ‘declaration of intent’ form filed by 4:00 pm in the township or city of residence the Friday preceding the primary election. Alternatively, file it on election day at your polling place. Delegates can also be permanently seated at any county convention - often the case where the party has unfilled positions and wants to appoint delegates in between elections

When are Precinct Delegates elected and how long is the term? Precinct Delegates are elected in the August primary election of even numbered years. The term is a two-year term, so delegates elected in August 2010 will serve until the August primary of 2012.

What are the duties of a Precinct Delegate? The official role of a Precinct Delegate is to attend all County Conventions during the two-year term. The number of County Conventions varies from three to four depending on if it is a Presidential or Gubernatorial cycle. Precinct delegates should be involved in helping local parties and candidates in a variety of activities.

Republican County Convention August 12, 2010 This year’s Republican county convention will take place on August 12th in Caro. The purpose of this county convention will be to elect delegates to the August 28th Michigan Republican convention. Delegates are nominated for state convention. 13 delegates and 13 alternates are elected to attend the convention. Rule changes this cycle state Precinct Delegates will be given priority to be seated at the state convention. State convention is where nominations will be made for Republican candidates for many statewide offices that WILL NOT be on the August primary ballot, but will instead be determined by delegates to the state convention.

August 28, 2010 GOP State Convention At the August GOP State Convention the Convention Delegates Elect Candidates for: –Michigan Lieutenant Governor (1) –Michigan Secretary of State (1) –Michigan Attorney General (1) –Michigan Supreme Court (2) –Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2) –University of Michigan Board of Regents (2) –Wayne State University Board of Governors (2) –State Board of Education (2)

August and November 2010 Democratic County Conventions The Democratic Party held their State (nominating) Convention in April. The date of their November county convention is unknown.

November 2010 Republican County Convention A second county convention will be held in Caro in November, The purpose of this convention will be to elect county Republican leaders (Executive Committee) for the next two years. The Executive Committee consists of county and statewide candidates on the November 2010 ballot, as well as an additional number of members that are elected at the November county convention The Executive Committee members are the voting members of the local political party, and make the decisions for the local party for the next two year election cycle

How do I know if I am elected? Don’t forget to vote for yourself! Even if you are unopposed you need at least one vote to be elected. If you have opposition, tell family, friends and neighbors in your precinct to vote for you. On the day after the election you can call your County Clerks office to find out if you were elected. The Clerk will also notify successful Precinct Delegates by mail.

Additional Duties of a Precinct Delegate Because there are only a limited number Delegates to the State Convention, not all Precinct Delegates can attend. However, once you’ve been elected, you will probably be interested in getting more involved with your local political party. Precinct Delegates are involved in helping local parties and candidates in a variety of activities. Here are some examples: Identifying voter party preference by phone calling or knocking on doors Opposition research on candidates or officials Staffing fair booths Helping with special events Sending letters to the editor Monitoring local issues Dropping literature off at homes Placing yard signs Making get-out-the-vote calls Labeling and mailing information to absentee voters Working for a municipality as a paid election worker Volunteering on election day passing out information to voters Volunteering on election day poll watching (i.e., checking off our voters as they vote) Volunteering on election day as an election challenger Dropping party welcome packets to newcomers in their precincts Holding service projects to get positive news coverage Planning social events to encourage participation and make friends

What must we do in 2010? Simply put - Get more votes for our candidates than the Liberals get for theirs –How do we do that? Identify conservative favorables Make sure they are registered to vote Get them to the polls on election day or get them to vote absentee “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” --George Jean Nathan