For
Immediate Release
As
established by the Washington State Republican Party, the Republican
precinct caucus will be held on February 29, 2020 at 10 AM. It is
the single largest venue for interested Republicans to influence the
direction of the Republican Party. Attendees at the Republican
caucuses will be asked to sign a statement that they consider
themselves Republicans and will not participate in any other party's
caucus or convention. Interested voters should look up their
precinct number at https://wsrp.org/caucus.
Voters will find their precinct number as well as caucus location
from this lookup tool.
"This
year there are two major functions of the caucus for Republicans,"
says Michael Delavar, a volunteer helping to plan the caucuses.
"Attendees will elect delegates and alternates to the county
convention. They will also be asked to provide input on the
county party platform."
Delegates
at the county convention elect delegates to the state convention and
pass the party platform. All of the delegate elections take
place first. This process can take hours depending upon how many
rounds of voting are required. Discussion about the party's
platform is the last item of business. Traditionally a small number
of volunteers propose an updated platform. The first time delegates
saw the platform was at the convention. For most years, the
discussion was difficult due to the time of the day and the lengthy
number of discussion points. In 2016, the Clark County Republican
Party experimented with a different system.
“We
invited any caucus attendee to be a voting member of the Platform and
Resolutions Committee, says Delavar. The result was a large
committee. We put many hours into discussing the nuances of each
plank of the platform. After weeks of meeting and voting, the end
result was a platform crafted by the grassroots. At the county
convention the platform discussion was seamless. Within a few
minutes three minor changes were passed and then the platform itself
was passed with overwhelming support.
This
year, the Clark County Republican Party is inviting all interested
Republicans to have their voices heard at the precinct caucus. Any
Republican caucus attendees who submit a platform suggestion or a
resolution for the county convention will be invited to join the
Platform and Resolutions Committee. The committee will consider
all of the suggested changes to the platform and craft a proposed
platform for the county convention to debate. The committee
will meet several times in the weeks between the caucuses and the
county convention.
"If
you believe that the Republican Party needs to hear your voice in how
it should change in the years to come, please join us," Delavar
says.; "Come to the caucus and tell us what you believe
should be in our party platform. This is the surest way to help
shape a better GOP."
For
more information about the Republican caucus, check out their website
at: www.clarkrepublicans.org.
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