What the Hell is a Precinct Delegate?
I am much more politically aware now. I have been dragged into the fray a bit. A new active friend asked me to run for precinct delegate. She is such a brave and competent person I decided to do it. She knocked on every door in our district no matter their affiliation. I mailed out personal postcards to partisan addresses. She mentioned my name when she met with people. I told my relatives to vote for me. Well she received the most votes and I received the second most. I am now a precinct delegate. Now what do I do. Well this is the point where I see clearly how we’ve arrived at our national political mess. Too many people have just expected their officials to represent their wishes. I’ll vote for her or him because they have a D or an R next to their name.
A precinct delegate is the initial representative contact for the most local governance. They can control direction of how the party nominates and votes. I saw that last night. The established “old boy’s network” was defeated by lots of moms, dads, small business owners, veterans and people who haven’t been political but care deeply about our country. Formerly non political people were vetted and became candidates for their Precinct Delegate positions. The majority of those candidates won. Those newly elected grassroots delegates connected, met and discussed the things that directly effect their lives. They communicated continually up to the convention. Instructions were relayed two days prior to the convention on rules and nomination procedures. The very important permanent convention chair has the ability to make the rules on how delegates and alternates are selected and that potential chair has to be nominated. Our candidate was nominated and seconded and would be running against the establishment nominee. I believe there hadn’t been a true challenge for years. There would be an election.
Rules dictated that the over 400 delegates would have to state their preferred candidate in a roll call vote. Our grassroots candidate jumped out to an early lead but as several powerful and prominent political names were called the vote seemed to tighten. At about the halfway point the grassroots candidate seemed to pick up two votes for every establishment vote. I have been to many sales conventions where the stale, upper management person speaks and you daydream that they are fired on the spot and a new face with fresh ideas replaces him or her. Well this is what actually happened. The grassroots candidate won and the establishment candidate and his apparatus took their money and went home! It was glorious! All of the fresh faces with new ideas and passion took the stage. Delegates were broken out into caucuses and voting for who would ultimately go to the state convention proceeded. The old guard was vanquished and a new direction charted.
This county’s political direction has been significantly altered. We will go to state and see if the majority’s will is the same as ours. If so, we can hope that our mid-term candidates win and our vision of America begins to be fulfilled!