Don't like the candidates that the Republican Party puts forward for general election? Do you think that the party is missing the boat on the platform it puts forward? Are you frustrated that the party is too conservative or not conservative enough? Do you wonder how all these things come to be and, more importantly, WHO are "they" (the people who put candidates and issues into play)?

Wonder no more! The answer is simple and fundamentally explained in this article presented by the Otero County Republican Central Committee. It all starts at the GRASS ROOTS level - with people who care enough to be involved in the process from the beginning.

The list below outlines the basic steps that the Republican Party will go through in the process of naming candidates and determining what their "platform" will be. As you will see, it all starts with registering to vote and declaring a party.

Change or declare a party by filing a change with your County Clerk or the Colorado Secretary of State.

Unaffiliated voters may declare a party by going to the polls in a primary election and declaring at party at that time. (Members of other political parties cannot change their affiliation at the primary election polls. They may change their affiliation by filing a change at least 29 days prior to the election.). If you don't register and get involved, you are giving the right to select candidates and to influence platform issues to someone else - someone who might not share your views. In fact, unaffiliated voters come into play only during the very last step - in the general election (held in November). They get to vote only on the candidates that voters who have declared with a party have selected for them throughout the process! They have missed out on the "grass roots" part of the process where all the real decisions are made, and only get to vote on the "results" of that process.

We have supplied a Glossary of Political & Election Terms, some of which are used in this article.

In the Republican Party, all things begin at the grass roots level. Any registered voter is eligible to join the Republican Party. All of these registered Republican voters are eligible to attend their Republican Precinct Caucus which is held in even-numbered years at a place, in or close to the precinct, as determined by the County Central Committee and posted in accordance with state law.

By State of Colorado law, in order to vote at any caucus, assembly or convention of a political party, the elector shall:

 

Precinct Caucus

A precinct is the smallest political geographic area – an election district with fixed boundaries. The Otero County Clerk and Recorder’s office determine precincts and the precincts boundaries, which are usually comprised of around 1,500 people. Otero County currently has 17 precincts. The Republican Precinct Caucus is truly neighbors, who are declared Republicans, having a meeting (caucus) to discuss candidates and policies for the upcoming election. The Precinct Caucus is Hosted by the Otero County Republican Central Committee, and is run by elected Precinct Committee People.

The Precinct Caucuses are the fundamental, and in many ways the most powerful, organizations within the Republican Party. They are truly the gateway to the Republican Party. Voters who attend the Precinct Caucus do the following:

 

County Assembly

The next step in the process is the County Assembly.* Delegates and/or Alternates elected during the Caucus/District Assemblies become the voting members of this body. County Assembly is held at a time and place determined by the County Central Committee. State senatorial or house districts that lie wholly within the county usually hold their assemblies in conjunction with County Assembly.

The precinct delegates (or alternates in the absence of delegates) vote on candidates and party business. At this meeting:

 

District Assemblies

District Assembly refers to State House, State Senate, Judicial, or Congressional Districts. Delegates and/or Alternates elected during the Caucus/District Assemblies become the voting members of this body. Otero County residents are part of the following Districts:

Delegates elected at the Caucus/District Meetings will participate in one or the other of these assemblies, depending on location. At this meeting:

 

 

State Convention/Assembly

The State Assembly is often referred to as the State Convention. Delegates and/or Alternates elected during the County/District Assemblies become the voting members of this body. At this meeting:

 

National Convention

The National Assembly is often referred to as the National Convention. Delegates and/or Alternates elected during the Congressional District and State Assemblies become the voting members of this body. At this meeting:

 

Clearly, there are many opportunities to influence who our candidates will be and what issues we will focus on besides just showing up to vote on Election Day. The choice to become involved and at what level is entirely up to you!

 

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*District Meeting

The precincts that the Clerk and Recorder determine are grouped together into the next larger political geographic unit, called a District. Districts are determined by the Otero County Republican Party By-Laws rather than by the county as was the case of the precinct determination. In Otero County, the 17 precincts are grouped into only one District. Therefore, processes that would normally occur at a District Assembly are referenced here only for the benefit of understanding the election process as it exists in Counties that do have districts. Districts are named alphabetically whereas Precincts are usually numerical. Each district has a District Captain who is elected at the County's Republican Central Committee Meeting.

District meetings are held on the same day and time in each district and are run in each district by the District Captain. Only the elected delegates from the precincts may vote.