My Fellow Texas Republicans,


We are facing unprecedented challenges in our country, our state, and our
communities as we respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. 


Last night, after connecting with our SREC Members, Republican County Chairs,
and Senate District Convention Chairs yesterday afternoon for a leadership
briefing, I held a statewide conference call to update Texas Republicans on the
continuing threat of Coronavirus and its impact on our Senate and District
Conventions scheduled for March 21 and our biennial State Convention. 


Thank you to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick for updating us last night
on President Trump’s work to combat Coronavirus nationally and the steps he and
Governor Greg Abbott are taking to protect Texas communities. We are keeping
them, and all Texans, in our thoughts and prayers.


I want to share a recap of last night’s call and reiterate our plan of action
and offer guidance.


There are three immediate ways to receive critical updates going forward about
your local Conventions and about our State Convention:


1. You can receive text message updates by texting the word “CONVENTION” right
now to 72000;
2. You can receive email updates by emailing [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>; or,
3. You can visit our website at texasgop.org <> and submit your information on
the home page.

 

As a refresher, the purpose of our biennial State Convention is to elect
delegates to our National Convention, elect national and state officers, and
adopt our platform, priorities, and rules.  The senate district and county
conventions play a key role in that process, proposing platform planks and
selecting delegates to represent them at the state convention. Obviously, their
work must be completed prior to the state convention. 


In other words, there is a logical order to our local and state convention
process -- a process that has been made more difficult given the rapidly
escalating restrictions on public gatherings.


The situation has been evolving quickly, as you are well aware, and we have
been working hard to provide you with real-time information and communicate a
plan of action that will allow us to fulfill our duties and obligations to our
party, our delegates, our President, and ultimately, our nation. Especially at
moments like these, communication is critical.


The Republican Party of Texas faces an unprecedented challenge in
simultaneously accomplishing two conflicting missions:


1. Do our best to protect the health and safety of our people, their families
and friends, and our communities.
2. Comply with Texas Election Code, RPT Rules, and the Rules of the Republican
National Committee while safeguarding our delegates’ rights to be fully
represented within our Party and at the Republican National Convention.

 

RPT respects and appreciates that our convention process exists to protect the
four basic rights of delegates, which are as follows:


1. Every delegate has the right to attend the convention;
2. Every delegate has the right to make motions;
3. Every delegate has the right to speak in debate; 
4. Every delegate has the right to cast votes.

 

Sunday evening, the Centers for Disease Control issued an official
recommendation to postpone or cancel meetings with 50 people or more for the
next 8 weeks. Assuming it is not extended, this 8-week period ends during the
timeframe of our biennial State Convention scheduled for May 11th - 16th. 


We took immediate action Sunday night, spoke with President Trump’s team in
Texas, our statewide elected officials’ team, our RNC leaders in Texas and
Washington and began the process in earnest to move the RPT Convention from May
to July.


We are pleased to announce that we have confirmed the George R. Brown
Convention Center will host our State Convention from July 13th - 18th. Hotel
accommodations will also be available in much the same capacity as they were
for May. 


It is important to understand the Republican Party of Texas and its rules are
intentionally designed to be bottom-up. We are a Party of the grassroots -- not
a party of top-down authority.  While it is our intent to hold the State
Convention July 13th -18th in Houston, a vote on these revised dates must take
place at the April 4th State Republican Executive Committee Meeting. We
anticipate being able to follow that meeting with official communications about
hotel bookings and other logistical details. 


I know that Coronavirus is affecting different areas of Texas differently. Our
urban areas seem to be more affected than some of our rural areas.
Nevertheless, the recommendation from the CDC on Sunday and the advice from
President Trump yesterday afternoon to limit groups to 10 or less for the next
15 days, directly impact the execution of the Senate District Conventions and
County Conventions for March 21st. As a result, we gave our strongest
recommendation to our Republican leaders yesterday to adjourn March 21st
meetings to convene at another time and place outside the 8-week suspension
period. We know some Senate Districts and Counties have been looking at dates
in April, which is now within the 8-week suspension period. We strongly
encouraged our leaders to look for dates outside the 8-week window.


If you are in an area that is holding a Senate District Convention, please
contact your Senate District Convention Chairman for an update on your
Convention. If you attend a County Convention, please contact your County
Chair. If you live in a large urban area such as the Dallas/Fort Worth
Metroplex, Harris County, or Bexar County, you can contact your County Party
Chair for information about your Senate District Convention. 


Contact information for your County Chair can be found at this link on the RPT
website:[link removed]
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You can also email [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> or
text the word “CONVENTION” to 72000 to request information about the contact
for your county or Senate District Convention and to receive convention update
notices.


The RPT and I will continue to provide updates as current events and these
historic circumstances demand.


To recap key pieces of information:

* The Republican Party of Texas has a clear plan to handle unprecedented
challenges to our Convention process and is working extremely hard to ensure as
smooth of a path forward as possible amidst a quickly evolving landscape.
* It is our intent to move the State Convention from May 11th-16th to July
13th-18th in Houston, with the approval from the SREC on April 4th.
* We strongly recommend to County Chairs and Temporary Senate District
Convention Chairs that they adjourn the March 21st meetings to a date outside
the 8-week CDC suspension window.
* Please text ‘CONVENTION’ TO 72000 to stay up-to-date via text, email
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> to be added to our
convention update email list or visit texasgop.org to submit your information
for updates.
* We will continue communicating with you as details emerge and circumstances
require.  
 

I want to thank RPT Staff, our RPT Parliamentarian, Chris Howe, and our RPT
General Counsel, Wade Emmert, who have been working around-the-clock to provide
solutions for our Republican grassroots leaders throughout Texas and to ensure
our Conventions at all levels are held with as much engagement and transparency
as possible for our delegates. 


I want to thank our Republican leaders - our RNC National Committeeman Dr.
Robin Armstrong, our RNC National Committeewoman Toni Anne Dashiell, RPT Vice
Chair Alma Jackson, our county chairs, Temporary Senate District Convention
Chairs, precinct chairs, and the many dedicated volunteers across our great
state - who are working tirelessly to see your rights as delegates come to full
fruition at the state and national level with transparency, with adherence to
our RPT and RNC rules and, most importantly, in the safest manner possible.


In this time of challenge, we cannot afford to give anything less than the
best of ourselves. As President Trump often says, we are in this together. And,
as Texans, we know we will persevere together. So let us encourage one another,
pray for each other, and take care of each other. Let’s faithfully exercise our
rights and execute the business and obligations of our Republican Party. Let us
continue to prepare for victory in November. Let us pray for God to grant our
leaders wisdom, and us patience and fortitude during this historic time.


God bless you, and may God continue to bless our great state of Texas. 


Sincerely,

James Dickey

Chairman, Republican Party of Texas 

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