What is a Precinct Chair?

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The Republican Precinct Chair is expected to work their precinct to promote and grow the party, to elect Republicans to office, and to maximize the Republican vote in the precinct.  The Precinct chair needs to be in contact with voters to encourage them to get to the polls any time the polls are open, including arranging transportation if someone needs it.  Often the Precinct Chair is a volunteer deputy registrar who can help get people registered to vote.  

As a member of the County Executive Committee, the Precinct Chair helps the County Chair to find volunteers to work elections (did you know in Bowie County volunteers get paid to work elections?)  These volunteers include Presiding Judges and clerks for polling places, as well as poll watchers who can help find any problems that may arise in our elections.  Working elections is the first way to be involved in politics more than just by voting.

The CEC also gets to decide how voters will vote in Republican primaries and runoffs.  Do you prefer hand counted paper ballots?  Or do you prefer electronic voting machines?

The Precinct Chair also helps promote Republican candidates in the General elections in November of even numbered years by putting signs out at polling locations around the county.

The Precinct Chair should always keep an eye out for candidates to chair other precincts where there are vacancies.  

The Precinct Chair is the preferred person to conduct the Precinct Convention following primary elections.  The word convention may sound intimidating, but in Bowie County, we have small precincts with low populations, and that makes for small precinct conventions.

But what do we do at a convention?  We VOTE!  One of the coolest ways to get involved in politics is to write resolutions that can establish beliefs and concerns the Republican Party holds.  For instance, in 2022, someone offered a resolution to abolish property taxes at his precinct convention, and that specific resolution (and probably not the only such resolution) made it's way all the way into the Republican Party of Texas Platform.  The platform should guide elected officials in how they represent Texas voters.  The precinct convention appoints delegates to the county convention, and the county convention appoints delegates to the state convention.  By attending as many conventions as possible, you have the opportunity to have your say in what the party believes and what priorities we should take up.  It's a fun way to be involved. While it is possible, it can be difficult to become a delegate to state convention if you do not attend county and precinct conventions first.  

The Precinct Chair is the voter's representative to the Republican party.  The chairs gets to represent the voters in at least two ways.  

First, the Precinct Chair has the privilege of voting in special elections when an elected position becomes vacant.  This is how Pat Fallon became US Congressman for Congressional District 4.  Congressman John Ratcliffe was nominated for and became the Director of National Intelligence.  The County Executive Committees in that congressional district came together to hear several candidates speak and then Pat Fallon won the vote that followed.  It is important for the Precinct Chair to know where the voters stand on issues so they can properly represent them in this sort of election.

Second, sometimes elected officials fail to follow  Republican ideas established in the platform and legislative priorities.  Sometimes, this situation gets bad enough that a County Executive Committee will censure that elected official.   The power to censure is important because in Texas we cannot recall elected officials.  At the 2024 RPT State Convention, the rules were changed to increase the power of censure in the party.  To be clear, censure is a serious power not to be taken lightly.

As a Republican, I want my representation to follow the ideas that the Republican party has laid out in the platform.  I hope you believe the same.