Showing posts with label precinct. Show all posts
Showing posts with label precinct. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Election Filing Starts TODAY!!

If you are thinking of running for office this year in the GOP Primary or serving as a member for the county Executive Committee then here are some important dates for the upcoming March 2018 Primary Election.

September 12, 2017 – First day to file for office for the positions of Precinct Chair.

November 11, 2017 – First day to file for a place on the 2018 Primary Ballot.

December 11, 2017 at 6:00 pm – Last day to file for a place on the 2018 Primary Ballot.

January 1, 2018 – First day to apply for a ballot by mail.

February 5, 2018 – Last day to register to vote in the 2018 Primary Election.

February 20-March 2, 2018 – Early Voting for the 2018 Primary Election.

February 23, 2018 – Last day to apply for a ballot by mail (received, not postmarked).

March 6, 2018 – Primary Election Day.

Along with the state and federal elections, this years slate of local Milam County Offices up for elections are as follows:

County Judge
Commissioner, Pct. 2
Commissioner, Pct. 4
County Clerk
District Clerk
County Treasurer
Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1
Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2
Justice of the Peace, Pct. 3
Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4

If you have any questions or concerns just contact me at williamwhitmire@yahoo.com

Thanks,

Bill

Friday, April 1, 2016

Milam County Resolutions for the State Party Platform

Every two years, county political parties conduct Precinct Conventions and a County Convention in preparation for the State Convention held every two years. During the Precinct Conventions, Resolutions are considered and if passed, are forwarded to the County Convention.

During the March 19th County Convention, the Resolutions Committee considers the resolutions passed from the Precinct Conventions and they are presented to the Convention for passage. Those resolutions that are passed are then sent on to the Texas State Convention for consideration and possible inclusion in the State Platform.

This is why the Precinct and County Conventions are so important if you really want to be a part of the process of how the parties work. Below I have included the resolutions that were passed out of the most recent Republican Milam County Convention.

Thanks,
Bill

1.       Resolution One - Delegates to the RNC National Convention
be it resolved THAT for the Republican Party, no delegates having voting power within the nomination framework shall exist without being selected by or bound to a vote from the primaries or caucuses of the States which they represent; that no unpledged “super Delegates” currently exist or will ever be created to interfere with the states intent of the people.

2.       Resolution Two – Campaign Finance Account Limitations
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Campaign accounts of candidates, whether elected or not, should only be allowed to be opened for a finite period of time rather than the current system which allows candidates to keep their campaign accounts open for an unlimited time period. Accounts may be open and funds may only be raised from a time period of four (4) months prior to the filing period for an election and that all accounts must be closed out in a timely manner following the end of a candidate’s campaign, regardless of the outcome.

3.       Resolution Three – Total Delegates to the State Convention
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Convention of the Republican Party of Texas has become too cumbersome to manage properly with the current number of delegates allowed to the convention; therefore, the number of Delegates should be reduced to a more controllable number of delegates from the state with a system being similarly based on the number of gubernatorial votes from the counties; however, the numbers should then be reduced on a curve where the county with the largest number GOP Gubernatorial votes would receive fifty (50) delegates and the remainder of the counties would have their delegation determined based on a percentage of that same calculation with no county receiving less than three (3) delegates.  This process would, reduce confusion and disruption at the convention, lower the cost of the convention, provide a wider variety of venues for the convention to be held, and increase productivity of the event.

4.       Resolution Four – Congressional Term Limits
BE IT RESOLVED THAT service in the Texas State Legislature and the United States Congress should be controlled and restricted by a set of term limits. The terms of service would be limited to the length of time as laid out below.
Texas State Legislature – Total Service of eight (8) years.
Examples:
            Four (4) terms in the State House;
or Two (2) terms in the State Senate;
or Two (2) terms in the State House and one (1) term in the State Senate.

United States Congress – Total Service of twelve (12) years.
            Examples:
Six (6) terms in the U.S. House;
or Two (2) terms in the U.S. Senate;
            or Three (3) terms in the U.S. House and one (1) term in the U.S. Senate.

5.       Resolution Five – The Reorganization of the Texas House of Representatives
Be it Resolved that we urge the Texas Legislature to enact legislation amending the Texas State Constitution to allow the Texas Senate to continue to be districted based on populations, but require each member of the Texas State House of Representatives to represent two (and only two) geographically-attached counties defined by a like rural or urban population size, thus reducing the size of the House from 150 members to a total of 127 Members while presenting a geographically based house of the legislature.



Friday, January 8, 2016

Convention Delegate Numbers Released

Got word today that we will have 11 delegate positions for the 2016 State GOP Convention this May 12-14 in Dallas. This means that we will have spots for 11 Delegates and 11 Alternates to go to the convention.

This year's convention is during a Presidential election so we will be selecting the delegates for the National Convention to be held in Cleveland, Ohio. This convention will be held July 18-21, 2016 and we will have the opportunity to send folks from here in Milam County is you wish to put you name in for consideration.

But first off it is important to remember that it all starts off with the Local Precinct and County Conventions to be help March 19th. Site of the convention has yet to be determined. That information is in work and should be announced in the next week.

This is the process so get involved!!

Thanks,
Bill

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

2016 Republican General Primary Ballot Propositions

Below are the Ballot propositions that will appear on the 2016 GOP Primary Ballot on the March 1st Primary Election. These propositions were proposed by various parties and worked their way through the process to be approved for the ballot by the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC).

Out of the 52 propositions presented, 48 did not make it. It is important to remember that these propositions are not laws, but are propositions the party will use to set policy for future elected officials to use as a guideline while in office.

As always there are some folks who were incredibly upset at some of the propositions that were or were not included; however, the one that definitely generated the most controversy was the following:

 “If the Federal Government continues to disregard the Constitution and the sovereignty of the State of Texas, the State of Texas should reassert its prior status as an independent nation.”

In the end, this proposition only garnered 16 of 62 votes, so in reality it wasn’t very well received by the SREC. What’s your opinion?


Below are the four ballot propositions that will appear on the March 1st Primary Ballot:

1. Texas should replace the property tax with an alternative other than an income tax, and require voter approval to increase the overall tax burden. YES/NO

2. Texas cities and counties should be required to comply with federal immigration laws or be penalized by loss of state funds. YES/NO

3. Texas should prohibit governmental entities from collecting dues for labor unions through deductions from public employee paychecks. YES/NO

4. Texas and its citizens should strongly assert 10th Amendment Rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution which states “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States Respectively, or to the people.” YES/NO

Well, there are the four issues the SREC felt warranted a place on the ballot. If you have any ideas, propositions, or resolutions you would like to add to the process, then please come to your precinct convention and the County Convention and present your ideas.

The convention is where resolutions and propositions are received and forwarded to the state. IT’s also where delegates are elected to go to Dallas for the State Convention in May. This year’s state convention will elect delegates the national convention in July held in Cleveland, Ohio. Current plans are to hold both of the Precinct and County Conventions on March 19th at a time and place to be determined.

If you haven’t been to the conventions, then you are truly missing out on one of the most important parts of the election and governing process.

One last note, tonight is the ballot drawing for a place on the March 1st Primary Ballot. If you are interested to see the process work, then come on by. It will be held at 411 E. First Street in Cameron.

Until Next Time!!

Bill

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

GOP General Info and happenings.

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone is well into their Thanksgiving preparations and as always, if you need any help disposing of your desserts please let me know and I will be happy to come by and help out in that department. Remember, there are no calories during the Thanksgiving week!!!

To date the following have filed for office.

District Judge
John W. Youngblood (Incumbent)

District Attorney
Bill Torrey (Incumbent)

Sheriff
David E. Greene (Incumbent)

County Tax Assessor
Sherry Mueck

County Commissioner, Precinct 1
Richard "Opey" Watkins

County Commissioner, Precinct 3
John L. Fisher

Constable, Precinct 1
John Anderle

Constable, Precinct 2
Charles L. “Charlie” West

Constable, Precinct 3
Jay Beathard

I have been contacted by a couple others, Including Kollette Morgan about filing in the next few days.

We also are looking for a candidate to run for Constable in Precinct 4 (Thorndale and the West Rockdale area). We thought there was a young man who wanted to run for this; however, he says he was told by several members of the Thorndale VFD that if he ran as a Republican then he wouldn’t get their support.

I guess he forgot about the other 3/4ths of the folks in Precinct 4 who vote GOP or the more the 50% who voted straight ticket GOP last election cycle.

Anyway, we have a couple of individuals who have shown interest in this office we are currently discussing this with them. If you have anyone who might like to be run in Precinct 4 please give them my contact information. Also, if you know of anyone interested in running as a Republican, please have them get in touch with me and we can set them up.

The Republican Women will be having their Christmas Reception on December 3rd, at 6:00 in Cameron at the Milam County Museum. The event is free so come out and meet the women and the candidates.

Also mark your calendars now for February 4th, 2016 for the Annual Reagan Day/Texas Independence Day Dinner. All of the local candidates will be there and many state candidates as well. Come out and enjoy this special evening as the Republican Women of Milam County put on the finest dinner and fund raiser of the year. More information to follow on this.

That’s about it for today. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and keep me in mind on those desserts!!

Thanks,
Bill


Bill Whitmire
Chairman,
Milam GOP

254-482-0354

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Getting Ready for the 2016 Election

I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s time to start getting ready for the 2016 Primary Election leading up to the 2016 General Election. I have been pretty quiet and for most 2015 as the Presidential field has more than made up for anything I could come up with.

This will be an exciting time for the country as we have a wide open Presidential race and lots of things to think about as we move towards 2016 and the upcoming elections.

But right now it’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Primary election here in Milam County. Filing for Party and Precinct Chair for the Republican Party of Milam County is already available. If you are interested, please feel free to call me at 254-482-0354, or email me at williamwhitmire@yahoo.com and I will be happy to get you the application. Filing for a Chair position will close on December 14th.

Filing for county office will begin on November 14th. We will have Opening Day Filing on November 14th at a place to be determined. Filing for county office will continue until December 14th and the specifics will be upcoming here and on the Milam County GOP website once we have it updated sometime this week.

If you are interested in running for county office, contact me and I will get you the Application for a place on the Ballot. Also, prior to filing for office you need to pick up a Treasurer’s Packet at the County Clerk’s Office in Cameron.

County Offices up for election in the campaign cycle are:
District Judge
County Sheriff
County Attorney
County Tax Assessor
County Commissioner, Precincts 1 and 3
Constable, Precincts 1, 2, 3, and 4

There will be more information to come. If you have any questions please feel free to call or email and I will do my best to answer your questions.

Thanks,
Bill