At the Get Out The Vote! page, we’ll discuss caucus schedules and how to get involved, but first let’s review the party structure so you know where your greatest power is. To contact anyone in the Central Committee or find your Precinct leader, send us a note from the Contact Us page.
Local/County Level Leadership
Membership – As an affiliate (registered Republican at least 60 days prior to your caucus meeting) precinct meetings are the only opportunity you have to affect Republican leadership, unless you choose to hold a party office. Local Republicans can also influence their party by attending regular party meetings and being noisy – even if you can’t vote, the leadership should be listening to what local Republicans want from their party.
Precinct Chairs - Sometimes called Precinct Captains or Precinct Committeepersons, these are essentially “neighborhood organizers.” These folks are responsible for knowing the Republicans in their neighborhood, running the precinct meetings and directly voting for the local county leadership. (This is a powerful vote because it is county elected officials who determine the state leadership!!) You can find your precinct here. (This link will open in a new window – it is a 2MB .pdf file that may take a minute or so to load.)
Elected Officials – According to party rules, Republican elected officials have the same voting power of the county elected central committee.
County Central Committee – These are your Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary/Treasurer. In addition to running the local party affiliate, they are the ones who will vote at the state level on bylaw changes and elected offices such as State Chairman. In some counties, the County Central Committee officers are automatically delegates to the state assemblies, but in Grand County they are not and must be elected as delegates at your county assembly.
State Level Leadership
Once every two years, our State Central Committee meets to elect officers, review bylaws and elect district chairs. Party officers from each county attend this all day affair, where they determine the direction of the party through their votes for State Chairman, Vice Chairman, other officers and bylaw changes. Additionally, anyone may run for a leadership position in any of their voting districts. Here in Grand County, our Senate District 16 chair is Beth Isern of Gilpin County. Our House District 57 organizer is ……. of …… . These are the folks who will be in charge of GOTV and other activities for candidates in those districts. District Captains have a vote on state party offices as well.
Party Officers - Lowest level of state leadership, including County office holders and District Chairmen.
Central Committee Officers - Including Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. Chair and Vice Chair are voted in by the County level party officers. Secretary and Treasurer may be voted in, but are usually appointed by the Chairman.
The role of Party Leadership is coming under scrutiny. Some see party leaders as “whips” who deliver the party message and “rev up the base.” Others object to this, stating that leadership is only there to provide for management functions. There are many who feel that the party has “let them down” and attribute this to poor leaders, but then… who elects them? WE DO. If you don’t like the way the party is being run, then PARTICIPATE and work to bring about the change you want.
National Level Leadership
At this level, state chairmen meet nationally to discuss bylaws, message and choose leadership, such as the State Chairman – now the newly elected Michael Steele. The Republican National Committee’s main focus is on party management, fundraising and the election of presidential candidates. Again, some feel that the National Committee holds too much sway over state leadership and local party functions, and that they have overstepped their bounds by delivering messages that not all Republicans agree with, tarnishing the party’s name. Others are very happy with the RNC, especially with Michael Steele as a more youthful and energetic leader. Like it or not, your influence over the party at the national level still begins right in your very own precinct.
