County Convention Details

The Bastrop County Republican Party will hold its County Convention as follows:

Date: Saturday, April 21, 2012

Time: 8:00 am – registration opens
8:45 am – convention begins
11:30 am to 1pm – lunch
1:00 pm – convention debate on nominations and resolutions begins
The concluding time depends on the appetite of the convention for debate;
allow until 4-5pm to be safe

Location: Jerry Fay Wilhelm Center for the Performing Arts
1401 Cedar St, Bastrop, TX 78602
(Subject to BISD approval)

Cost: $10.00 per participant; children and guests of participants are free

A few explanations are in order:

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Precinct Conventions
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Usually, precinct conventions are held the night of the primary election. At precinct conventions, we consider resolutions to pass on to County Convention, and elect our delegates and alternates to go to County Convention. As a result of the redistricting dispute, the Federal Court scheduled the primary election for May 29. State Convention is scheduled for June 7-9 and cannot move due to its sheer size. Therefore we are forced to do things differently with our convention process this year to accommodate the compressed schedule.

The executive committee of the Bastrop County Republican Party has voted at its March 26 meeting to go straight to County Convention, bypassing precinct conventions. Therefore, there will be NO precinct conventions as a qualification process to participate in County Convention, and there will be NO precinct conventions the night of the primary election.

The substitute procedure should allow wider participation than ever. That process is described below.

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County Participation Requirements
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To be eligible to participate in the County Convention as a voting delegate, you need fulfill only two requirements:

- Be a registered voter of Bastrop County no later than March 21 (or eligible to vote a limited ballot); and
- Sign an oath of party affiliation affiliating yourself to the Republican Party (disqualifying you from participating in the conventions or primaries of any other party).

ANYONE satisfying those two requirements is free to participate in the Republican County Convention as a voting delegate. There is no position of “alternate” at County Convention this cycle. There is no limit to the number of people who can participate as voting delegates.

Volunteers need not satisfy these requirements. Anyone can volunteer to assist with set up, tear down, and page duties during convention. Those wanting to volunteer should contact Marilyn Etzel at 512-784-4921. Young people 13 and up who want to learn the process first hand should volunteer.

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What County Convention is All About
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At County Convention there are two main items of business: electing our County’s delegates and alternates to State Convention, and considering resolutions. Resolutions are issue statements that define what the party stands for. Anyone who wants to be engaged in defining what our Party is should participate in County Convention and consider going on to State Convention.

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Submitting Input Early
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If you want to be considered as a delegate or alternate to State Convention, you need to fill out and submit a nominations application. That form is attached. If you want a resolution considered, it needs to be submitted in writing.

Because we don’t have the advantage of precinct conventions this year, it is important that you submit any input you want considered early, be it a resolution or a nomination application. Early submission will help keep committees on schedule the day of the County Convention. The more we throw at the committees the day of convention, the longer it will take them to do their work, and the longer the delegation will have to wait on them.

Submitting a nomination application or a resolution is considered a form of participation in the convention itself, even if you do not attend the County Convention. Therefore you will be required to sign the oath of affiliation as part of your submission. Unfortunately, the oath must be administered in person, just like a notary. Resolutions and completed nominations applications can be submitted Monday thru Friday from 10am to 5pm at our GOP Headquarters, which is located at 1109 Main Street in Bastrop. We will have the oath form there for you to sign as you make your submission.

You may also arrange with any of the following to submit your input in person:

Doug Kelsay, Resolutions chairman, dougk@keltecsystems.com, 512-308-0073
Sue Long, Nominations chairman, carolsuzi@aol.com, 512-303-0810
Christine Fox, Credentials chairman, Bcrw.pres@gmail.com, 512-988-9177
Albert L. Ellison, County chairman, bastropgop@austin.rr.com, 512-796-4560

The goal is participation. Don’t stand disengaged while the Country heads in the wrong direction. Submit your resolution statements stating what the party ought to be standing for, then engage the convention process to ensure those ideas become part of your party.

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State Convention
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The State Convention of the Republican Party of Texas is the largest political convention in the world. It will be held June 7-9 in Fort Worth, Texas at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Bastrop County is allotted 32 delegates and 32 alternates to the convention. There are also opportunities for volunteers to participate as Pages or Sergeants at Arms.

The business of the convention is to elect a State Party chairman and vice chairman. We will elect a man and woman to represent us on both the State and national Republican executive committees. We will adopt a state platform. We will consider changes to our party rules. We will elect the electoral college who in turn elects the President of the United States after the popular vote is taken. We will also elect delegates and alternates to the National Convention.

As part of the event you will be directly interacting with those who make our party run in this State. The program will include speeches from office holders all over the State.

When conservatives participate in their party convention process, they are rewarded by gaining a conservative party structure and mission statement. If you choose to sit out, then you must be content with the result you allowed. Consider applying to go to State Convention. More information on the State Convention is available at http://texasgop.org/2012-state-convention.

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Spreading the Word
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Our County Convention is open to any Bastrop County registered voter who is willing to affiliate with our party. Due to the schedule disruption and compressed schedule, we will have limited opportunity to advertise it. It is therefore up to you, the concerned conservative, to spread the word. Forward this e-mail to your entire local list of contacts and any community distribution lists you may be part of. This is a civic opportunity open to all conservatives, and it is the inception of all politics. Invite the public one and all, and let’s stand together to build a party to be proud of.

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Sponsorships Available
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There will be a $10 charge for all voting participants in the County Convention to help us with expenses of hosting the Convention itself. Sponsorships are also available for any person, candidate or business wanting to make a minimum donation of $100.00 to the Bastrop County Republican Party. Convention sponsors will be advertised at the County Convention. You may make sponsorship donations payable to BCRP and send them to PO Box 375, Bastrop, TX 78602. Please put “Convention Sponsorship” on the memo line of your check so we understand your intent. If you need to discuss sponsorship details, you may contact County Chairman Albert Ellison at 512-796-4560.


We hope to see everyone at County Convention – This is your event!

Albert L. Ellison, Chairman
Bastrop County Republican Party

"If Voters are unhappy with results, then that's what elections are for."
-- President Obama, February 25, 2010, at the Healthcare Summit