R EVISIT THE PRIMARIESIN THE PREVIOUS BLOG I NOTED THE ORDER OF BUINESS OF PRIMARY CONVENTIONS.
Where I stated that the chair is chosen, modify that to read as follows:
The convention will be called to order by a designated Temporary Chair whose function is to set in motion the choosing of the Permanant Chair of the convention. The Temp may have been appointed by the county chair or he may be the Permanant Chair from the preceding convention. If there is no other precident, he may be the eldest, most respected, or just the bossiest of those present. If the Precinct Judge is of the precinct's majority party, he will preside or appoint a trusted member of the convention to temporarily chair the meeting.
There is a call to order by the TC, and signing in of the members. Sign-in is important. If it is a Presidential year, those present will sign under the name of the candidate they support for President. On off-years, the sign in for their choice for Governor of the state.
The Chair or Temp Secretary or designate will count the names and apportion the relative numbers by relative percentage of the house.
The groups will Caucus, or meet separately to pick Caucus leaders and plan strategies. It is very wise here to assess your strength and plan how to win votes on chair, resolutions, rules, delegates, and other win-lose or win-win votes.
Each caucus should pick a lead, decide what to ask for and how to procede. A list of candidates and goals will need to be decided and each item must be made as a motion to the floor. It is good to pick a person to make each motion, and to designate one to second the motion. In case there are opposing ideas within the caucus, it is good to settle by vote and support the majority idea. The caucus which is the best organized will find fewer supprises on the floor and prevail more often.
If there are twenty delegates, five for Sam Houston Smith, one for Joe Lingo, eight for Albert Qwerty, and the rest for Uncommitted, then:
S H Smith= 25%= 5/20
J Lingo = 5%=1/20
A Qwerty = 40%=8/10=2/5
Undecided=30%=30%
Therefore, A Qwerty has the most, but not a majority, of representatives. J Lingo may not have a chance; also, if the precinct can send only 3 or 4 Delegates to the Sen State Conv, he may not be able to muster support to win a seat. There are also rules that say what threshold may caucus inthe convention. Let's say the threshold is 10%, then J Lingo would be offered the chance to join another caucus for the sake of electing and sending delegates and alternates.
After the Caucuses, the meeting returns to general business, and the TC will entertain motions for nominations for Permanant chair and Sec. Each caucus will enter a nomination and a second for their proposed PC. After calling for a consensus to close nominations, there will be a call for discusion or campaign speeches. The TC will recognize each speaker to extol the high and vertical morals, skill, and qualifications for the job. When all exaggerated virtues have expired, TC will entertain a motion to vote on the pious characters. after getting a "So moved" and a "Second" from the floor, the TC will perform perhaps his last fundtion: to elect his replacement.
If he is a candidate and wins, he procedes to call for nominations and election of the Secretary. If he looses, the winner presides.
Now the house is asked for business, which may be to nominate and vote on Delegates to the next convention, State Senatorial. Other business is usually to pass Resolutions, Rules, and make travel arrangements to the SSC. Some members will write Resolutions, like:
Whereas the War on Drugs is a classic case of malfeasant mismanagement, and Whereas it is counterproductive, except to fill the prisons and as a boondoggle to otherwise unproductive brothers-in-law of the Sherrif and District Attorney: Be it resolved by the 2o2nd Precinct that the appropriate laws be enacted to end and reverse the ill social effects of encarcerating more people in this country than Stalin ever dreamed of.
or:
Be it resolved that all votes be counted before any winner is declared in any race: Whereas the reasons are obvious.
As each resoltution comes up, it is debated, amended, then voted up or down.
The future plans are made, compromises for shared and delegated duties and alternate actions are agreed to.
Most of the time this is a short and congenial meeting. It is fun and it is the most direct democracy there is: we pick the agenda and candidates we hope to send against the flat earth society we believe the other party to be.
Go to your precinct convention as the polls close for the only real game we have a say in.
Vote early and often.
-30-bobby
