Delegation
I went to the Republican precinct caucus tonight in Washington. Only three people showed up in my precinct, and one was the daughter of the other guy, there for research for a homeschool project. Because of the low turnout expected, a few dozen precincts all met in the same room, and most precincts had no one show up at all.
My precinct gets three delegates (and three alternates) the county convention in April. Of the approximately 1,500 delegates to the district caucuses (presuming all the precincts send the maximum number of delegates, I presume), 129 will be chosen to go to the state convention. There, the party nominee will likely be chosen (WA has been having issues with primaries this year; it's unclear how the nominee will be selected right now), and the 11 delegates to the national election will be chosen.
The delegates to the district caucuses are also delegates to the county convention, which happens on the same day and adopts the county platform. At the state convention, the state platform is adopted.
At 8 p.m., the woman leading the night explained most of this to us. We filled out questionnaires (mostly regarding the party platform) and waited until 8:30 p.m., when we could begin electing delegates. At 8:31 p.m., I wrote down my name, and asked the other eligible candidate if we wanted to be a delegate too. He declined.
And thusly I elected myself to the county convention and legislative district caucuses.
I also nominated myself as a candidate for delegate to the state convention. I don't expect to be selected, but on the other hand, if the other precincts are like the ones I saw tonight, it is quite likely that it will be closer to 150 than 1500 actual delegates who show up at the county level.
My precinct gets three delegates (and three alternates) the county convention in April. Of the approximately 1,500 delegates to the district caucuses (presuming all the precincts send the maximum number of delegates, I presume), 129 will be chosen to go to the state convention. There, the party nominee will likely be chosen (WA has been having issues with primaries this year; it's unclear how the nominee will be selected right now), and the 11 delegates to the national election will be chosen.
The delegates to the district caucuses are also delegates to the county convention, which happens on the same day and adopts the county platform. At the state convention, the state platform is adopted.
At 8 p.m., the woman leading the night explained most of this to us. We filled out questionnaires (mostly regarding the party platform) and waited until 8:30 p.m., when we could begin electing delegates. At 8:31 p.m., I wrote down my name, and asked the other eligible candidate if we wanted to be a delegate too. He declined.
And thusly I elected myself to the county convention and legislative district caucuses.
I also nominated myself as a candidate for delegate to the state convention. I don't expect to be selected, but on the other hand, if the other precincts are like the ones I saw tonight, it is quite likely that it will be closer to 150 than 1500 actual delegates who show up at the county level.
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
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