RPA Proposed Rules Changes to Usurp Local Control of County Committees:
#1
Article II County Committees Section 4 Primaries C:
“The County Committee shall not endorse or otherwise publicly show favoritism to one candidate over another in a contested Republican primary. The County Committee, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership at any regular or duly announced special meeting, may vote that a particular candidate is not a recommended candidate.”
Proposed Change:
Insert “County” between particular and candidate in the last sentence. Also add the following sentences at the end of this Subsection; “The County Committee, when there will be a motion presented at a duly called meeting to designate a particular County candidate as not recommended, shall notify said candidate at least 10 days in advance of said meeting. Further, said candidate, who is subject to a not recommended motion, shall be granted the opportunity to speak against that motion at the meeting when the motion is considered. The County Committee does not have the authority to vote on a motion that a particular State or Federal candidate is not a recommended candidate (that authority is specifically given to the State Executive Committee).”
This removes the authority which has been in place for decades from the County Committee and prevents County Committees from weighing in when their representatives are not upholding the platform and other issues.
#2
Currently Article II County Committees Section 9 Removal A,C leaves the authority to remove a member with the County Committee, NOT the State Executive Committee.
Article II County Committees Section 8 Vacancies
Proposed Change:
Insert “Subsection F. Nominees for County Committee membership who meet all the legal requirements of membership but are rejected by a particular County Committee shall have the right to appeal that decision to the State Executive Committee.”
This is a clear power grab for the establishment State Executive Committee to have final power and control over who is a member of each County Committee. (Additionally, If this power grab were to be added, it does not fit in subsection 8 Vacancies. The correct subsection would be Subsection 9 Removal and would be numbered G.)
#3
Currently, there is no section for Primaries under Article V State Executive Committee.
Article V State Executive Committee. There is currently a section under General Provisions, which apply to the body of the rules:
Article I General Provisions Section 5 Primary Elections:
“State Executive Committee and/or the respective County Committees, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at any regular or duly announced special meeting may vote that a particular candidate is not recommended.”
Proposed Change to ADD a Primaries Section to Article V State Executive Committee: Insert “Section 7 – Primaries. The State Executive Committee shall not endorse or otherwise publicly show favoritism to one candidate over another in a contested Republican primary. The State Executive Committee, by two thirds (2/3) vote of the membership at any regular or duly announced special meeting, may vote that a particular State or Federal candidate is not a recommended candidate. The State Executive Committee, when there will be a motion presented to designate a particular State or Federal candidate as not recommended, shall notify said candidate at least 10 days in advance of that meeting. Further, said candidate who is subject to a not recommended motion shall be granted the opportunity to speak against that motion at the meeting when the motion is considered.”
Essentially, this proposed change goes along with #1 and even if #1 does not pass, this rules change would likely be interpreted down the road as if #1 HAD passed and only the State Executive Committee has the power to make a State or Federal Candidate not a recommended candidate. This is a back door rules change to #1 which additionally adds a Primary Section to Article V, opening the door for further additions to this new Section in the future.
Do you want to give away your local control to the state executive committee? OF COURSE NOT! Contact your delegation from your county committee and tell them to show up at the State Committee meeting Saturday in LR at 9:30am and vote for LOCAL CONTROL! VOTE NO against these proposed rules changes!
