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What is a Mass Meeting?

The mass meetings or precinct caucuses are the beginning point of the convention process we use to select leadership for the Republican Party. At the mass meetings local Republicans choose precinct leaders to establish the basic party structure and leadership to be utilized during the following election year. We also will elect delegates and alternates for the upcoming county convention, where the leadership for the county party will be elected.

Counties with greater than 80,000 registered voters hold the mass meetings prior to the county convention (the date and time is specified by the state party). Counties with fewer than 80,000 voters will have mass meetings immediately prior to their county conventions in March.

Who can go to a Mass Meeting?

All residents who are legally registered to vote and believe in the principles of the Republican Party are urged to participate in this process.

When is the Mass Meeting?

In counties with a population of over 80,000, Mass Meetings will be held in February. In smaller counties, with populations under 80,000, Mass Meetings will be held in March, immediately prior to the county convention.

How Much Does it Cost?

There is no charge for registration.

Where is the Mass Meeting?

You can find where the Mass Meeting in your county is at http://www.gagop.org/convention/.

What time do I need to be there?

Registration opens at 9:00am and the meetings will begin at 10:00am promptly.
Latecomers who arrive after 10:00am will be allowed to observe as guests but will not be permitted to participate.

What will happen when I get there?

When you arrive you will need to check in at the credentials table. You will be asked to show your ID (drivers license) and a member of the credentials committee will verify that you are registered to vote in the county and determine what precinct you are from. Once you are checked in they will give you some papers and ask you to go sit with your precinct. Find the table that has your precinct number and take a seat. You will probably know some of the people at your table since they will be from your neighborhood and immediate area.

What will we do when the meeting starts?

Your County Chair will call the meeting to order and will give instructions on how to conduct your precinct meeting. Then each precinct will conduct its own mini-election. There will be information on the table as to how many delegates each precinct is allowed. The number of delegates allotted to each precinct is based on the number of votes the Republican candidate received in the most recent presidential election in that precinct.

You and the other members of your precinct will elect a Precinct Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Precinct members will then nominate and vote on delegates and alternates for the county convention. Once you have elected precinct leadership and your delegates you will need to complete the paperwork in the packet on your table. If you are unsure of how to fill out any of the forms do not hesitate to ask for help from a party leader, improperly filled out or incomplete forms can cause your precinct’s delegates to be disqualified from participating in the county convention. When you finish, submit the paperwork to the credentials committee to review, stick around until the credentials committee verifies that all of your precinct’s paperwork has been properly submitted.

Some of the folks at my table want me to be a precinct officer. What am I signing up for?

Precinct Officers are the elected representatives of a precinct. Each precinct will elect a Precinct Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. During the current precinct meeting they will be responsible for conducting the election of your precinct’s delegates in an orderly fashion and then filling out the paperwork correctly.

After the mass meeting is over the precinct officers will serve as the most local level of leadership for the county party. Their job is to keep in contact with their neighbors and have a Republican presence as new people move in to your neighborhood. During the following election year they will help to organize volunteers within their precinct to support Republican candidates.

We spent a lot of time choosing delegates. What will these delegates do?

The delegates will be the voters at the upcoming county convention in March. During the county convention they will vote for the county party leadership and also elect the delegates to represent their county in the district and state conventions.

I have a friend who wants to be a delegate but can’t attend the Mass Meeting. Can I elect them as a delegate?

If your friend lives in your precinct you can elect them as a delegate for the county convention during your precinct meeting. If they do not live in your precinct you may go to their precinct table and ask their fellow precinct members to elect them (It is a good idea to write your friend’s name and address on an index card to give to their precinct table). The members of that precinct can then decide if they want to elect this person as one of their delegates.