Dear Indiana Republicans,
I write today to all Indiana Republicans, but with a special focus to those who will serve as a delegate to our Party’s State Convention.
The disruptions to life due to COVID-19 have been widespread and the traditional operations of campaigns and our party are not immune.
One blessing through this has been the continued support of Republicans across the state. Because of your support, we are going to come out of the pandemic in a very strong position.
Unfortunately for all of us who would much prefer an in-person convention, COVID-19 and the necessary regulations related to large gatherings will prevent us from having an in-person convention this year.
The biggest issue the State Committee has been working on is the impact COVID-19 could have on our state convention. The focus from day 1 for our Party was to ensure that our delegates select our nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general.
To make sure our delegates’ voices are heard, the state committee developed a plan to have delegates vote by mail. That alternative plan was approved by a unanimous vote of the state committee after weeks of deliberation and planning.
With respect to the convention, our goal is to remotely provide delegates with as many aspects of a traditional convention as possible. To accomplish that, we have partnered with WISH-TV, which will produce, broadcast and livestream the convention.
The convention will be broadcast live from their studios from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on June 18th. Additionally, the broadcast will be shared broadly afterwards so that any delegate who misses the live broadcast will still be able to view it.
As a bonus, any other Hoosier who wants to see it will be able to tune in and hear the Republican message from our leaders.
The broadcast will contain all the major components of an in-person convention:
- The opportunity for each candidate for attorney general to speak to this statewide audience.
- Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch will speak to her commitment to serve a second term.
- Governor Holcomb will deliver the keynote address, outlining his vision for the next four years of our state.
Traditionally, in multiple candidate races, votes would happen in rounds until the top vote getter receives a majority (50% plus 1) of all votes cast. That meant that if no candidate receives that required vote total after a round of voting, the lowest vote getter is dropped, and another round of voting occurs.
In order to best replicate this process by mail:
- The ballot will allow each delegate to indicate his or her top choice.
- As long as that top choice remains an option, the delegate’s vote is cast for that candidate.
- The ballot will also allow, but does not require, a delegate to pick who they would vote for if their top candidate is dropped.
- If a delegate wants to only select one candidate, that candidate receives that vote as long as they are a candidate.
- Once dropped, if no other choices are selected by a delegate, that delegate’s ballot is no longer cast.
Delegates will receive additional information about the ballot and the voting process over the next few weeks.
- Ballots will arrive to delegates around June 22, 2020.
- The deadline to receive returned ballots is July 9th at 5:00 p.m.
Due to the change in convention format, the Indiana Republican Party is lowering the delegate fee from $100 to $50. This fee helps cover the cost of administering the election. Those delegates who have already paid the $100 delegate fee will be contacted soon regarding your $50 refund.
To ensure the sanctity of the election process, a third-party vendor has been selected to produce and directly mail the ballots to delegates. The delegate list will be certified, as usual, by an independent credentials committee. An accounting firm has been hired to receive the voted ballots directly from delegates and you will see their name and address on the addressed and postage paid return envelopes. Finally, the accounting firm will certify receipt and deliver all ballots to a designated counting location on July 10th.
Each candidate will be able to designate watchers to be in the count room. To maintain delegate vote anonymity, ballots will be separated from envelopes before they are counted.
I am certain that you share my disappointment that we will not be able to gather as a party in person for convention. The State Committee waited as long as possible to make this decision and looked at a number of alternatives including using multiple locations around the state, a delay of the convention, or an online convention. In the end, with a deadline of July 15 to certify our results and the uncertainty of restrictions caused by the virus, the only process that we felt had the certainty of having our delegates select our candidates is the mail-in election that we unanimously agreed upon.
Neither I nor the state committee was willing to risk a scenario where delegates would not get the chance to vote.
As a party, we must do what we can to ensure our delegates are involved in the nomination process. Their voice and their vote should determine who the Republican nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general are in 2020.
If circumstances allow and we can do it in a safe and secure manner, we will have a big party on Election Night with everyone invited. This will, at long last, be a chance for us all to gather and celebrate another historic night for Indiana Republicans!
Thank you,
Chairman Kyle Hupfer
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