Fort Bend County
Precinct Conventions
Fort Bend County GOP
Precinct/Senate District Conventions
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Safari Texas Ranch
11627 FM 1464
Richmond, TX 77407
Registration 8:00 AM
Conventions 9:00 AM
What is a Precinct Convention?
The Precinct Convention is the first and one of the most crucial steps in the political process. It is your chance, as a voter at the grassroots level, to voice your opinion with the submission of resolutions to be considered as a delegate or alternate to other Conventions.
More Info on Precinct Conventions
The purpose of a Precinct Convention is twofold: the attendees select delegates and alternates to their Senate District Convention, and they pass resolutions to suggest alterations or affirm aspects of the Republican Party of Texas Platform which are forwarded to the Senate District Convention.
NOTE:
To participate in your Precinct Convention, you must be a registered voter of that precinct and have either voted in the Republican Primary or taken an ‘Oath of Affiliation’ with the Republican Party.
ALL FORT BEND COUNTY PRECINCTS:
Registration will begin at 8:00 AM
Precinct Conventions will start at 9:00AM.
Each precinct will have a different number of delegates and alternates who can be elected. Those are based on the population of your precinct.
Fort Bend GOP headquarters if you are unsure of your delegate strength.
What is the Precinct Convention Process?
- Call to order at the appointed hour by the Precinct Chair or other participant if the Precinct Chair is not present.
- Preparation of a list of and announcement of number of qualified participants present.
- Announcement of agenda and basic rules of procedure.
- Election of the permanent officers of the convention by majority vote.
- Election of delegates and alternates to Senate District Convention and certification of eligibility of each delegate and alternate by the Precinct Convention Secretary, where the primary voters list is available.
- Resolutions (have 3 copies)
- Other business.
- Adjourn
What is Precinct Convention Resolution?
A Resolution is a statement of something you want to be recognized or achieved. They traditionally begin with a WHEREAS statement(s) that provides information followed, but these are not necessary, by a RESOLVED which is the focus of your resolution. An example is provided below to demonstrate just how easy it is. Anyone can write one and submit it for consideration at your Precinct Convention. If approved, it will then go to the Resolutions Committee of your SD Convention.
How to format a Resolution:
(optional) WHEREAS Fort Bend County is the most diverse county in the great state of Texas.
WHEREAS Fort Bend County is one of the fastest growing counties in Texas.
RESOLVED that Fort Bend County needs principled Republican leadership to guide it to even great heights.
(optional) PASSED on this day (date) at the (location).
You only need to submit 1 physical copy of your resolution at your Precinct Convention. These can be submitted in any form, but to ensure the Resolutions Committee for your Senate District Convention can evaluate your resolution, it is best to have them typed in a legible font.
Something to consider when crafting a resolution:
You’ll be reading these aloud during your Precinct Convention proceedings. If you include WHEREAS statements in your submission, be clear, convincing, and concise in your statements. Only the RESOLVED is considered for inclusion in the platform. You might craft your submitted resolution to be only the RESOLVED statement, and passing around WHEREAS statements as a separate document for discussions purposes. You will have the opportunity to discuss your specific resolution with the Resolutions Committee during their public hearing times.
The Precinct Convention in more detail
The incumbent Precinct Chair, or if absent a Republican voter in the precinct, calls the Precinct Convention to order as the Temporary Convention Chair. After appointing a Temporary Secretary, the list of attendees is compared to the list of voters in the Republican Primary to verify eligibility to participate in the Precinct Convention. Once this has been done, the Temporary Chair announces the number of participants present.
The first order of business is to elect the Permanent Officers of the Precinct Convention. Nominations are made by the participants and elections, if needed, are held. The Convention elects a Permanent Chair and a Permanent Secretary, and once elected the Chair may appoint other officers if needed.
At this point the Chair announces the number of delegates and alternates to the Senate District Convention (SD 13, SD 17, or SD 18), to also be held on Saturday, March 26 . Usually this number will exceed the number of participants who are present. Citizens who voted in the Primary but are not present for the Precinct Convention can still be elected delegates provided they inform anyone present of their wish to attend the Senate District Convention. Nominations are made from the floor and the delegates and alternates are elected by the Convention. Delegates and alternates can be elected individually, or a slate of delegates and/or alternates can be elected on one vote.
Following the election of delegates and alternates, the Convention now considers resolutions. Resolutions may cover any topic such as supporting or not supporting a candidate, an issue, asking for passage or repeal of a law, etc. Each resolution is voted on separately by the Convention. Those that pass are forwarded on to the Senate District Convention for consideration at the next level. See above for details on how to craft a resolution, and to download our template.
Note: This is the first step in building the National Republican Party Platform. A resolution passed at a Precinct Convention could work its way through the Senate District, State, and National Conventions to become part of the Republican Party Platform.
The Chair collects all of the Convention paperwork (list of attendees, elected delegates and alternates, resolutions that passed, resolutions that failed and all other forms) and turns them in to the County Party, who uses this information to plan for the Senate District Conventions.
After the business of the Precinct Conventions has been conducted, those chosen as delegates will represent their precincts at the Senate District Conventions to also be held on Saturday, March 26.