Let Freedom Ring!
columnist: DigitalBob

Topic: Political Parties
My Precinct Delegate Quandary

---

I'm seriously thinking of running for my first elected office. It shouldn't be this hard. So what's going through my mind that's keeping me from sending in the forms?

---

by DigitalBob
(Libertarian)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Ron Paul campaign in Michigan sent me an e-mail this week, urging me to run as a precinct delegate in the Republican Party. I've voted for Republicans in the past and have lived in Michigan most of my life. So far, I'm qualified. Over the years I've also voted for Democrats, as well as Libertarians, Reformists, and Independents. I don't consider myself to be a party drone. The last time I was involved in party politics was when Ross Perot and Pat Buchanan ran under the Reform Party banner.

What's changed is that I don't think this country is moving in the right direction. I see John McCain, who is probably going to get us into more wars, at the head of the tote board for the Republicans. On the Democratic side, you've got two junior Senators with less than 12 years of Federal elected experience between them. Both want to increase the size of government substantially. On both sides, the second, third or fourth choices seemed better than any of these three.

General apathy seems to be the cause of this mess, mine included. After George Bush 41 went back on his "no new taxes" pledge, I had a hard time believing anything he said after that. Dan Quayle started looking more credible. That's when I started thinking that a third party was the solution. Ross Perot made a lot of sense then. I started talking to the mechanic in my neighborhood who had "Perot for President" newspaper clippings in his garage. If the guy who works on my car can figure out what's wrong the economy, so why shouldn't someone like me? I went to one local meeting with him. I met like-minded people who were willing to put social issues aside, and work to protect jobs in this country. Later, it was the infighting over personality, during Pat Buchanan's nomination, which lead to my despair over party politics.

Ron Paul's run for president didn't cure my apathy as much as put it on dialysis. But that's a start. It's obvious that the two-party system isn't going away. Here in Michigan, the Democratic and Republican Parties had their primary elections subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of $30 million this year. It's sad that the Republicans aren't counting half the vote and the Democrats aren't counting any of it. The Republican winner capitulated to McCain, to the frustration of most Michigan voters. It wasn't the citizens' fault. It was those in the party. Had there been more Ron Paul people in both parties, we wouldn't have taxpayer funded parties at all. Party activities should be party funded, period.

Ron Paul was the only candidate that I could see voting for and not against. Because he didn't get 15% of the vote, he doesn't get any delegates. And because there weren't enough Paul supporters in the Republican party, McCain will probably get those 20 delegates that originally went to Romney, and also those three that went to Huckabee (see: [link edited for length]). It isn't right that the candidate that gets less than 30% of the vote gets all the delegates, in the name of "party unity".

So I clicked on the link in the e-mail and printed out the state forms. There is a one page affidavit with one page of instructions. It's a state standard form for all Parties. There are three sections. The top section asks how I want my name on the ballot, how long have I been a resident of the state and the county, and if I'm a legal citizen of the United States. The second section describes the position I'm seeking and for which party. The third section is where a notary public verifies my signature. There are no fees and no petition signature requirements. I can get a notary at the bank to verify my signature, and then I can drop it off at the city clerk's office and save a stamp.

There will be no press release, no exploratory committees, or sign waving at intersections. Meeting my neighbors door-to-door isn't required. However, I'll make a few phone calls to let people know that there is a primary on August 6 and to vote for me. Apparently to become a precinct delegate, it only takes a handful of votes. According to the websites of both the county Republicans and Democrats, many slots go unfilled!

The other link in the email goes to the Michigan GOP website. It's a six page brochure that talks about duties and responsibilities of a precinct delegate. Technically there are no mandatory duties. It's strongly encouraged that you attend three or four county convention meetings per year. The term of office is two years. The brochure talks about "Get Out The Vote" phone calling and meeting neighbors. Essentially it's very similar to what you would think a precinct captain would do, but not quite.

This is where my reluctance kicks in. I'm joining the Republican Party not because it's great, but because I think it's broken. I don't mind saying nice things about a candidate, as long as they reflect my views. I've been anything but nice to Senator McCain.

Then again, maybe it's time I knocked on a few of those doors and introduce myself. I have until 4 p.m. May 13 to get in my form. I guess it can't hurt to drop a line on a couple Ron Paul MeetUp groups and ask them to make a few phone calls for me to their friends in the fourth ward. It may not take that many. The Ron Paul yard signs are still up, three months after the primary election passed here.

My last bit of reluctance, which I got over last night, has to do with family. My wife and many of her family have been life-long Democrats. Many in my parents' family have been life-long Republicans. When I talked it over with my wife, she was surprisingly enthusiastic. She was glad that I was getting involved in something that I have passion about. She thought it would be a wonderful educational experience for me. She's been involved with the county juvenile restorative justice board for years. Although we came to the same conclusion from different starting points, we both agree that the most effective politics starts in our own neighborhood.

It looks like I'll have a busy lunch hour.

Did you like this article?
If you did, Thumb It!
10 thumbs so far

2008 DigitalBob, all rights reserved.
Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Last modified: Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The views expressed in this article are those of DigitalBob only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. DigitalBob is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.

Report violation by DigitalBob of Nolan Chart LLC's terms of use policy.