Do you recall the GOP Convention precinct representation bylaw change proposal that’s going to be discussed a the State Central Committee next weekend? I had provided it on an informational basis the other day, but hadn’t weighed in with any thoughts. .
In case you missed it, here’s a refresher. The Republican Party is trying to find a solution to the battle of people registering to be precinct committeepeople, only to find they disappear when it’s time for the work to be done. This year, not only did we have the fair weather delegates, as commenters have pointed out, we had freeloading delegates who were trying to vote themselves a free ride, attempting to have the party pay for all the meals, etcetera. Not cool.
The recent report of the bylaws committee notes:
The Committee believes that a well-rounded convention delegation consists of a mix of county party leaders, elected delegates, and public officials. Accordingly, the Committee concluded the public officials who are currently members of the county central committee should become delegates. These individuals are subject to election at the primary and are responsible for making and implementing good public policy; therefore, they are well suited to represent the voters and to elect quality candidates to be the party’s nominees for statewide office. Further, the Committee decided that the counties with largest populations should have more than three at-large delegates, so it included in its proposal a mathematical system for electing more than three at-large delegates based on population. Based on that formula, for the next state convention every county would elect three at-large delegates at the primary election except as follows:
- Minnehaha 20
- Pennington 14
- Lincoln 8
- Brown 4
- Codington 4
- Lawrence 4
- Meade 4
The Bylaws Committee recommends adoption of Proposed Amendment 1.
The only problem with it, is that this is not a new proposal. It appears to be almost identical to one made 18 years ago to fix the problems they were having with disappearing delegates. From South Dakota War College (Classic):
What is the new proposal (actually, the old one)? For county representation at the convention:
- The County Chairman, Vice Chairman, State Committeeman and State Committeewoman.
- 3 at-large delegates, plus another 3 delegates for every 2000 votes that county cast for Governor.
What a great way to take the party back to the days of back room deals, smoke filled halls, and complaints about a lack of volunteers. I don’t know a soul who wants the conventions to be more “intimate” and have the attendances plummet from a crowd of 800 down to ‘a cozy group of 150.’ Why would we change the convention from having people by the hundreds, to one that produces the numbers we tease the Democrats about on their convention.
Acting as a delegate was the one carrot attached to the job of being a precinct committeeperson. Who is going to want to be one under this proposal?
You can read that post from my first year on the blogosphere here.
This proposal was overwhelmingly rejected at the time. The problems are the same, and unfortunately, a chunk of the solution proposed by the bylaw committee is the same. Literally.
Regarding reports I’m hearing from the field, it does not sound like current central committee members are overly enthused about this solution. And to be honest, I look at it myself as a long-time activist who does not hold office in the party, aside from being a precinct committeeman, and I’ve had to fight for that position almost every single year I’ve done it. As written, It would cut me out of convention, and leave people like me competing in a field with at minimum, 6 at-large positions, likely against people who have an electoral history in the county. It costs enough to run as a precinct person, now I’m expected to have to run a county-wide primary race? Ugh.
I have always believed that the Republican Party is best when it is a large and open tent. I reject efforts to make it smaller. That being said, I absolutely agree that things need to be fixed. But obviously from my reaction 18 years ago, I didn’t care for dropping precinct people then and I’m not excited about the prospect now.
So if the proposed solution doesn’t have me all excited, what are the alternatives?
There’s a huge problem with a lot of these people who are recruited with a singular agenda who evaporate once convention is over. And even worse, these are the same people who HOWL bloody murder about things like convention fees, paying for meals, etc. They’re going to a political party convention. It’s not going to your local courthouse or church and casting a vote. It’s a major event that most cities in the state can’t handle. And even those who do are challenged to handle it well. I’ve been to the national convention a couple of times, and there is certainly a convention fee for that which covers staff, events, and a number of other things. So why should that expectation be any different for the state convention. The expectations of a free lunch need to end among those who attend convention.
We all recognize that those voting need to be more representative of the people in their precincts. Who is kidding who when they went to the convention to try to vote for Steve Haugaard for Lt. Governor in a last minute candidacy, and try to claim that’s what their people wanted? It was the height of self-indulgent hubris and lunacy.
Given that he was overwhelmingly rejected for Governor, Haugaard punched far above what he should have in the fight for Lt. Governor. Because an inordinate proportion of those delegates represented no one but themselves. The Republican Party is more than a group of ultra-conservative activists. It is an electorate, and somehow the other 80% of Republican voters who don’t think we’re stuck in the 1950’s need to be considered. The Amendment proposal to add voting rights for “Republican public officials who are members of the County Central Committee” is a great step in bringing representative government back to the convention. Adding the representation of people who have experience being responsible to voters for their actions should set an example. This is a good thing.
So, what do we do about the flurry of recruiting people who never show up again? I agree, that’s an issue. We don’t have poll watching and runners like we used to, due to technology. But we need to have a substantive task that precinct committeepeople are expected to do and they need skin in the game. How many counties struggle to put on events besides a single annual dinner? If they had more people involved in the process, that task might be much easier.
One alternate proposal I have heard is that instead of signing up in by the end of March to go to convention in late June, is that precinct committeepeople sign up in January to take office as precinct person in July – after convention. That takes much of the gamesmanship out of the convention delegate recruitment process. And means that they are signing up to be part of the solution for nearly an entire cycle that peaks with candidate selection, instead of one that begins with convention. That means that the party stands a chance at people who are more educated about who is running and why, and more engaged than those who show up and leave.
In my opinion, making the election process more exclusive is not the answer. I’m all in favor of expanding the universe of who selects our candidates to make it more representative at convention.
But if that fails, as an alternative, I would support throwing the entire selection process open to the state as a whole and selecting all constitutional officers in the June primary. And then moving the convention to April or May. The party could change bylaws, and as many states do, including North Dakota, have a convention where delegates decide as a party on endorsing a candidate. A convention endorsement process could also provide an added benefit every 4 years providing for a presidential caucus process, bringing more people back into and moving up South Dakota’s participation in the Presidential nomination process.
Whether the South Dakota Republican Party chooses to stay the course or go with the bylaw recommendations as presented is entirely up to the State Republican Central Committee.
Whatever they decide, I’d encourage them to be flexible and include the greatest number of Republicans in choosing our candidates. And ask them to be willing to explore whether there’s a third way to fix what seems to be broken.
Take it all to a primary where all Republicans get a say. The current process allows anyone with time and motivation to stack the convention in their favor with friends and allies who often times have never helped the Republican party do anything. The proposed process would consolidate power to elected office holders and the would push out many active grassroots people out of the convention. Back room deals would flourish. The Governor would wield a lot of power amongst the establishment convention.
Going to a primary is not perfect, but ultimately I don’t know how we can go wrong by letting all Republicans choose their candidates at a primary. Everyone gets a voice, but no back room deals and no games to stack a convention.
you mention an “establishment” convention.
There have been a lot of complaints about “the establishment.”
Who is “the establishment?”
“The establishment” is made up of the rank and file Republicans who turned out for the primary and voted for Noem, Thune, and Johnson. In case you missed it, Haugaard and Howard lost. For them and their supporters to show up at the convention declaring themselves to be the “true voice of the people” was laughable. Howard’s efforts to have the convention reject the slate of winners was embarrassing.
The losers’ disdain for “the establishment” is disdain for the thousands of Republicans who didn’t vote for them. It’s just so much easier to call them “the establishment” as opposed to “the electorate.”
So the next time you hear a complaint about “the establishment,” stop and replace it in your mind with “the electorate.” It’ll be fun.
Good stuff Pat and the one thing we never want to do in our large tented party is to disenfranchise anyone willing to enter the political fray. The votes will be very hard to gather up in favor of this with a majority regardless of who is pushing it not knowing the potential for a huge backlash of unintended consequences.
The one thing we must do though is to take the Lieutenant Governor’s pick away from the convention and put it solely at the discretion of whomever our Governor candidate is. For goodness sake we are smart enough to pick a candidate for Governor but that person isn’t qualified to pick their own Lt Gov??? We do that alone and we fix a major problem now allowed in our convention process.
“public officials who are currently members of the county central committee should become delegates”
yes, let’s do this part
Honestly, we should add City officials who are registered Republicans to this list. Some of our best legislative and other candidates come from this group.
Does not the United States Constitution not say that ELECTORS cannot be anyone currently holding any such Public Office Elected or Appointed?
I am pretty sure under Article 2 and again under Amendment 12 it clearly says that Governors, Legislators, Judges, Sheriffs, Mayors, Councilmen, U.S Senators, U.S House, Vice President, Lt. Governors, State Auditors, Attorney Generals, well….ANYONE who is elected, appointed or holding any such public office cannot become an “Elector” of any person or persons running for office. WHY then would you include elected officials to serve in that role?
Delegates, Precinct Committtee Persons, etc, are qualified electors, and unless they hold another office above them, should not act as such
I am asking a legit question, most people do not even read the constitution(s), but I take the time to educate myself in them
I believe what you are referring to is only for presidential electors and only applies to federal officials.
“but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.”
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-2/
I can’t get over the fact that in minnehaha county they may have multiple pages for one race. Choose up to 20 candidates.
Everyone who serves on one of the county GOP board of directors should be automatically made a delegate. They have proven that they are willing to volunteer and give their time, and their service on the board has probably helped them be well-informed.
While huge conventions come with bragging rights, the oversized conventions have come with embarrassment: the resolution calling for the impeachment of President Obama, without cause, was one. Then there was the defeat of a resolution celebrating the Emancipation Act. Then there was an attempt to defeat a resolution endorsing our own slate of candidates. It’s not hard to figure out that too many of the precinct committee people are only there to wreak havoc. Something needs to be done about them.
The “voice of the people” argument falls flat, unless you really believe that a POTUS should be impeached without cause, the Emancipation Act was a Bad Idea, or that the Republican Party shouldn’t be endorsing its own candidates.
You may want to understand the true meaning of a REPUBLIC, it is where the PEOPLE themselves act in a civil and participate in town halls, forums, and discussions among themselves direct or indirect taking part in the legislature, the city councils or groups of people meeting small quorums or conventions around the state. The PEOPLES right to organize by precincts in order to direct policy, let alone guide policy, and to adopt policy is a fundlemental right of the people. YOU want to dilute the voice of the people by restricting them from making policy decisions outside the legislature itself. YOU are scared of the power the people possess outside the legislative process, cause you know an well organized republic of where the people meet in each precinct to discuss, write, and draft proposed resolutions and initiatives, of whom are now well organized to petition the voters to nominate and choose their at-large officials such as Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Public Utilities Commissioner, and any other Constitutional Office of the Republic, let alone placing those resolutions and initiatives on the ballot for public approval. YOU are scared of a well organized people of how when in majority agreement can adopt and pass laws directing the “government” to raise revenues, and how they wish to direct that government to spend that revenue, let alone provide for the common defense of the “State” itself by organizing the people as part of the State Militia or State Guard in order to defend those property rights, lands, territories, etc.
You talk in such manner, as if YOU are part of this so called “establishment” of elected officials of the Legislature privileged with meeting in Pierre to adopt policies, laws, orders of which the people have to abide by, but yet, when the people act out against those established policies, let alone traditions set forth by the legislature, a small sect of our population, YOU are now troubled by the true fact and cause, that the majority of people residing in 689 precincts may or may not Agree with you on such policy.
After meeting the other day in the Precinct Committee Meeting on Jan 7, I discovered the very people like me, are NOT the so called Wackadoodles that you and your fellow legislators refer to, they, the 43 members who met, are simply passionate about how they wish the State to be operated. They are NOT all Trump Republicans or but are a variety of members wanting what is best for the STATE aka the PEOPLE, they are speaking out against the policies of the Federal Govt, the Federal Reserve, let alone the Left Leaning Factions of our Country, and are mad that our Congressional Delegates in Thune, Rounds and Johnson are so passive in agreeing with Democrats on Federal Spending, Policies, that may or may harm the People of South Dakota – a Sovereign Group of Americans.
YOU of all people, have chose to accept Federal Grants, Monetary Funds just cause the money is available without regard to where that money comes from, let alone is the money actually available at all, MOST that money comes from DEBT SPENDING, let alone our Foreign Enemies, yet YOU as part of the Establishment Oppose the PEOPLE organizing by means of PRECINCTS cause you ‘fear’ a well organized PEOPLE can vote against your own policies, self interests, let alone desires.
For Example, YOUR FAMILY is heavily invested in Beal Distributing, you are in a position of power that can heavily create policy related to Alcohol, Liquor Commerce, which may or may not harm another’s right to go into business in direct competition with Beal Distributing, who owns and Distributes Budweiser Products throughout the State. I have spoken to people in Sioux Falls that are competitors of your family, who claim your policies, or policies you promote harm their own private interests within the same market.
I am in no way attacking you, I am giving such example, of reasons why the PEOPLE have the right to organize in factions, in the Precincts, and why their ROLE in voting rights of our “At-Large Reps” aka Governor, Lt. Governor, SOS, A.G, State Auditor, Public Utilities Commissioner, etc-etc – matter, and why in our Constitution and Public Laws they have been given authority to do just that, Nominate, Choose, and Vote for those At-Large Reps.
The direct role of Precinct Committees is not only to help organize the people, to help work with the Legislature to adopt positive laws, but to also vote in the best interest of the very CITIZENS, the landowners, property holders, business owners, common residents of the the Precincts themselves.
The PEOPLE elected them to stand up, in defense of helping organize the people, representing their wishes on who the people as per those precincts choose directly elect for Governor, Lt Governor, A.G, SOS, State Auditor, etc, let alone Elect YOU< the Legislator to represent ALL "PRECINCTS" of your District, which makes you maam, a "At Large Rep" of all Precincts – YOU work for your boss, the several Precincts, and the people residing in those Precincts. AND YOU are speaking out against their wishes by votign to remove their power in the "CONVENTIONS" …
Mike, “The People” went to the polls last June and nominated Thune, Johnson and Noem, much to the ire of the so-called “wackadoodles,” who have no respect for the electorate. When you complain about “the establishment,” you’re really complaining about the electorate.
And other than buying a Muscovy drake from Arch’s daughter, we have never had any financial dealings with Beal Distributing. We don’t even buy beer. According to Ancestry.com, we don’t share any DNA, either. No money, no beer, no investments, no DNA. Just a drake, and he’s dead now.
Mike, really no reason for the continued overly long comments..