The process for political caucuses and conventions is relatively unknown, even by party activists. Therefore, ignorance (lack of knowledge or information) has been evident.
As the Snohomish County Republican Party chair, I certainly accept my share of responsibility for not realizing the level of interest this year’s presidential primary would raise. After all, when was the last presidential election that had this many candidates, thereby arousing this level of interest? We all understand the news media is limited to sound bites, and one sentence taken out of context will have different meanings to different people. Thus, my effort here to explain:
The purpose of the caucus is for party activists to select delegates who will represent the precinct voters at the county convention, where delegates are elected to proceed to the state convention, where delegates are further narrowed to attend the national convention. Finally, at the national convention, the delegates will vote on the presidential candidate of their choice. With viable candidates in both political parties, there is much at stake this year — thus the higher level of interest.
In 1988, the presidential primary was established by our Legislature. This adds another “face” to the selection of the presidential candidate. The Republican Party decided that delegates to the national convention would be chosen based on the votes from the caucus and the primary — 50 percent plus one being chosen based on the results of the presidential primary.
The right of association is another facet of this discussion. Should the caucuses and primary election be open to people of all persuasions? I believe not. Republicans should select the person who will best represent their interests, as should Democrats. The independents need to wait until the field is narrowed or choose to get involved with one of the political parties and let their opinions be voiced.
In the Republican Party office, our phones have been ringing almost incessantly, from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. We simply do not have the staff (all volunteers, by the way) to respond to the number of calls, though we did little else during these past three weeks — and that does not include the number of e-mail messages many of us received. What impressed me the most was how very courteous almost every caller was so long as you followed basic communication rules — let the caller explain his/her concern, and then calmly explain what the purpose of the caucus and presidential primary is. With only a few exceptions, people understood and ended the conversation pleasantly. That did not indicate approval of the process, just understanding.
Personally, I would certainly change parts of the process, and that message has already been delivered to our party activists. Our county party leaders will be putting together a proposal for our next state-level meeting, but our proposals will undoubtedly still support the concepts of the right of association.
For each of you concerned about this process, I urge you to get involved with the party of your choice (www.snocogop.com or www.snohomishdemocrats.org). Whether it is an hour a week, a month, or daily, there is something you can do to further the cause of freedom from government in this great nation of ours!
Geri Modrell chairs the Snohomish County Republican Party.
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