We have begun what may be the longest presidential election season in our nation’s history. At this point in 2016, there were still 16 candidates in the Republican field, six in the Democrat Party field along with a handful of tertiary party candidates. It was a chaotic time. Many questioned why so many candidates who clearly did not have a path to the nomination stayed in the field. The field was pared considerably by this time in 2020. Thirty weeks out from the November election, there were two Democrat Party candidates remaining and only President Trump in the Republican field.
Did you know? According to Ballotpedia citing Federal Election Commission records, there were 1,212 candidates who filed to run for President in 2020.
Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it. The field appears to be set for the 2024 Presidential election. So, we start the long march to November. The major questions that remain are:
Will Joe Biden make it to November 5th?
Will Donald Trump avoid stepping on rakes and win over enough independent voters?
What role will Robert Kennedy Jr. play in the election?
The citizen’s role in this process officially began in Missouri on March 2nd with the Republican Party caucus. The Democrat Party will hold their caucus on March 23rd. The Missouri Libertarian Party held their caucus on February 24th.
This was a change from the presidential preference primary we have had previously. This was the first caucus I had participated in. The doors opened at 8 a.m. for registration. They closed at 10 a.m. and nobody else was admitted. If you were in line to enter at 10 you were still able to enter. Voters who wanted to participate but were unable to attend in person were able to submit a ballot by mail.
The process of voting operated much like the General Election in November. The President is not directly elected by a popular vote of the people. The November General Election is to select electors for your state who will then cast votes in the Electoral College to select our next President.
The event began by electing officers to preside over the operation of the caucus. Nominations for President were taken from the floor and seconded. After nominations closed, those supporting each candidate were asked to congregate in separate areas of the room. Candidates had to have at least 15% of the total number of participants present to advance in the process. If necessary, this was repeated until one candidate received majority support of the caucus.
Slates of electors are selected to represent their county in the Party’s District Convention in April. In the Greene County Caucus, slates of 42 delegates and 42 alternates were organized in advance of the caucus. One slate was more representative of the party establishment. The other slate was more representative of the grassroots. Both slates lobbied the caucus attendees to support their chosen candidate and planks they wanted to insert into the party platform. A vote was conducted where the caucus members selected the slate of delegates they approved of. In the Greene County Caucus, the grassroots slate defeated the establishment slate by nearly a two to one margin.
At that point some attendees decided to leave the caucus prior to debate and voting on changes to the party platform. The GOP Caucus in Greene County adjourned a little after 12 noon.
The change from a presidential preference primary to a caucus system is the result of the passage of House Bill 1878 in 2022 in the Missouri Legislature. Political parties are private organizations. Proponents of this change reasoned taxpayer money should not fund the activities of private organizations. It was projected the move to a caucus system would save the State of Missouri at least $10 million.
Responses to the caucus were mixed. Some complained there was not sufficient notification of the change and dates of the caucus. The caucus did require more time than simply voting at a polling location in the August primary. Many entered the caucus venue unsure of the rules or how the process would be conducted. Notification could have been better than it was. Several groups conducted caucus training sessions across the state to prepare those attending.
At the end of the day, it is up to each of us to keep up with political events. We try to inform our Convention of States supporters through our weekly email blasts, social media posts and blogs like this. Benjamin Franklin said our government is, “A republic. If you can keep it.” We do our best to make sure you are informed, educated and prepared to be a self-governing citizen.
If there are subjects you would like to see covered in a future Brett’s Blog, e-mail me at brett.sterley@cosaction.com. Watch for our weekly emails. Check out www.conventionofstates.com regularly to stay informed of COS news and other helpful information. It takes time and effort to be a self-governing citizen. If we lose our republic, it will take far more sacrifice to regain our freedom. History demonstrates that a restoration of liberty rarely occurs. Let us make the effort now so we do not find out.
In liberty,
Brett
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