Second Video Transcript
Introduction: This is the second of several videos aimed at informing you on critical information regarding the upcoming Precinct Caucuses, County Convention, and State Convention. Viewing each of these videos will better prepare you for experiencing a successful event. Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself, and please share these videos with your friends and neighbors.
The Clark County Republican Party will hold “pooled” Republican Party Precinct caucuses on Saturday, January 13th. This is your opportunity to get involved in supporting republican candidates for 9 statewide offices in Washington state, plus the choice of republican candidates running for the US Senate and Congress. You will also be able to have input into updating the CCRP Platform, something that hasn’t happened since 2016.
The pooled caucuses will be held at eleven separate locations around Clark County. In these pooled caucuses, you will join between 18 and 48 other precincts where you will elect delegates and alternates to represent your precinct at the Clark County Republican Convention on Feb. 3rd at the Clark County Fairgrounds Events Center.
Please go to the Clark County Republican Party website at ClarkRepublicans.org and click on the “2024 Caucuses” logo. There you can view information and get the specific location of your caucus. You will be asked to enter your address, whereupon you will be shown your Precinct number, the location of your precinct caucus, and the name of your Precinct Committee Officer.
You will be given the opportunity to pre register for the precinct caucus, in order to save time on January 13th. People will also be able to just “show up” and register at the door, but we hope to expedite the process by having as many people as possible register in advance.
On January 13th, you will enter your pooled caucus location and get “credentialed”. You will be asked to show your driver's license to confirm your identity, and that your precinct matches your voter registration location. You will be asked to sign a statement affirming “I am a republican”.
Once credentialing is complete, you will enter the larger room for the pooled caucus. Look for a table with your precinct number on it. Hopefully you will be joined by half a dozen or more of your republican neighbors in addition to your Precinct Committee Officer, or PCO.
On the table will be a manila envelope with your precinct number on it. This envelope will contain the information you need to run your precinct meeting and elect the delegates and alternates to represent you at the County Convention in February. Normally your PCO will act as Chairman of your precinct’s caucus, but any of you can run and be elected to chair your caucus meeting.
Promptly at 10 AM, a “Pooled Caucus Chair” will call the meeting to order for all the precincts at this location. Following a Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, there will be some instructions given. You will be told that you need to elect a temporary chair and a temporary secretary. That will then be followed by electing a permanent Chairman and secretary for the meeting.
The Pooled Caucus Chair will then lead a discussion of the Party Platform, so that everyone can consider whether or not they want to offer suggestions to change or modify the Clark County Republican Party Platform.
At 10:30, each Precinct will begin their caucus. All the needed instructions are in the manila envelope on your table. After electing a temporary chairman and secretary, you will elect a permanent Caucus Chairman and secretary. Normally, your Precinct Committee Officer will fill the role of Chairman. The job of the secretary is to record the actions of the caucus, including who is elected to fill specific positions.
The packet will tell you how many delegates and how many alternates you need to elect. The instructions will include examples. If you have an equal number of candidates to be a delegate as there are positions, then those people can be deemed elected. If there are fewer than the needed delegates, then the candidate or candidates are deemed elected. It’s only if there are more candidates than there are delegates, that you will go through a voting process.
Once delegates are elected, you will repeat the nomination and election process for alternates. They will be chosen for specific positions, i.e. alternate number one will be the first person to attend the County Convention if one of the primary delegates cannot attend.
Citizens should know there will be a fee charged for being either a delegate or an alternate to the county convention. This will be to cover the cost of renting the facilities, etc.
Finally, each member of the precinct will be invited to provide input on the Clark County Republican Party Platform. This can be as simple as adding “topics” to be considered, or provide specific details on the wording of each plank in the platform.