Plan to Attend Mass Meetings on February 18th

This spring, Republicans will have their county, district and state conventions, along with precinct mass meetings. This post is a guide on what to expect.

Precinct Mass Meetings

Precinct mass meetings will be held on February 18th, 2012, beginning at 10 AM, sharp. Registration opens at 9 AM, and prospective attendees are encouraged to arrive early in order to be seated by the beginning of the mass meetings. In Gwinnett County, we’ll hold combined mass meetings for all precincts at Collins Hill High School, 50 Taylor Road in Suwanee.

Precinct mass meetings in Presidential election years are held to select delegates and alternates to the County Convention in March. Each precinct is assigned a number of delegates to the County Convention, based on the percentage of the vote in that precinct for the Republican presidential candidate in the previous election. An equal number of alternates may be selected. Only those delegates selected at the mass meeting are eligible to vote at the County Convention. In addition, county convention delegates are the only ones eligible to attend the district and state conventions.

Mass Meetings FAQ

What should I bring to the Mass Meeting?

To speed registration, please bring photo ID. If you registered to vote or changed your registration after January 1, 2012, bring your voter registration card showing the precinct in which you are registered. If you don’t have your voter registration card, bring a printout of the information from the Secretary of State’s website showing your precinct.

What if I can’t attend the Mass Meeting but still want to be a delegate at the convention?

You may have someone else who is attending your precinct’s Mass Meeting nominate you as a delegate, however those attending the meeting have first priority over those not in attendance. If someone else will be representing you at your precinct’s mass meeting, make sure that person brings your contact information to the meeting so you will be properly registered.

What happens if no one shows up from my precinct?

In that case, no one representing that precinct will be eligible to vote at the convention.

My precinct has more delegate and alternate seats at the convention than attended the mass meeting. What should I do?

In many cases, there will not be enough people attending from your precinct to completely fill the number of delegate and alternate openings. If someone from your precinct has asked to be a delegate, you can add them to the list. In the past, mass meeting attendees have added additional names to the delegate list who they think ‘might’ want to attend the county convention. However, past experience shows that many of these added names are not qualified to attend the county convention because the person is not registered to vote, or does not live in the same precinct. In general, it’s probably better not to add someone as a delegate unless they have indicated a desire to attend the convention.

We used to have Mass Meetings by School Board Districts. What happened this year?

Following the 2010 census, new election districts are being established for Congressional, State House and Senate, County Commission and School Board. Because of State Party rules, we will use these new district maps to allocate delegates to the District and State conventions this spring. Due to filing deadlines and uncertainty about the new district boundaries, we elected to consolidate all mass meetings at a single location.

I’ve moved recently. Which precinct should I go to?

You must attend the mass meeting of the precinct in which you are registered to vote, even if you no longer live there. If you sign up with a different precinct, you will not be permitted to be a delegate at the convention.

Are there any other requirements in order to become a delegate?

You must be a registered voter in Gwinnett County.

I heard Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich will be speaking at the Mass Meetings. What if I want to see Newt, but don’t want to participate in the Meetings?

Speaker Gingrich is planning to speak around 11:30 AM. We have also invited representatives from the other Presidential campaigns. We expect to finish Mass Meeting business shortly after 11 AM, and people not attending the Mass Meetings are welcome to attend the candidate speeches.

The County Convention

The County Convention will be held on Saturday, March 10th, 2012, beginning at 10 AM, sharp. Delegates should plan on arriving at the convention location early enough to register and be in their seat by 10 AM. At the County Convention, delegates will select delegates to the District and State Conventions and consider any other business that may be proposed.

County Convention FAQ

Where will the County Convention be held?

The county convention will be at Central Gwinnett High School, 564 West Crogan Street in Lawrenceville.

Is there a charge to attend the convention?

Each delegate and alternate will be charged a $20 facilities fee to help defray the cost of renting the convention hall.

If I’m not a delegate, can I still attend the convention?

The convention is open to the public, however only delegates selected at the mass meetings are eligible to vote.

How will delegates to the District and State conventions be selected?

The Georgia GOP has determined the number of delegates the Gwinnett GOP can send to the 4th, 7th and 10th District Conventions based on the number of votes for John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election. The Gwinnett GOP has determined the number of delegates each School Board district can send to the State Convention based on the same criteria. If the number of people from a school board or congressional district wanting to attend a convention is greater than the number of delegates, members of that district will caucus at the County Convention to select delegates and alternates.

How will delegates to the National Convention in Tampa be selected?

Attendees at each Congressional District Convention will select three delegates to the National Convention. State Convention delegates will select additional National Convention delegates. Those selected as delegates will be pledged to vote for one of the candidates based on the outcome of the Georgia Presidential Primary on March 6th. For a much more detailed explanation, please refer to 7th District GOP Chair Jason Thompson’s excellent letter on delegate allocation.

Whom do I call if I have a question about the Mass Meetings or County Convention?

Call Chairman Bruce LeVell at 404-409-5400, or chairman@GwinnettRepublicans.com.