“Who will govern the governors?” This is a question that every society must contend with, and one that Thomas Jefferson asked at the dawn of our nation. He replies to his question, stating:
There is only one force in the nation that can be depended upon to keep the government pure and the governors honest, and that is the people themselves. They alone, if well informed, are capable of preventing the corruption of power, and of restoring the nation to its rightful course if it should go astray. They alone are the safest depository of the ultimate powers of government.
We the people, the safeguards against tyranny and corruption, must govern our governors. Active grassroots organizations, like Convention of States Action, and widely-circulated petitions like theirs,* put pressure on current federal and state governments to act fairly, honestly, and transparently. These powerful tools, however, are largely for after the election. In Michigan, we the people have another governing tool at our disposal: precinct delegates. But what ARE "precinct delegates" exactly?
*NOTE: If you haven’t already, please consider signing the Convention of States petition and donating your time and talent to our state team to support 1) reining in congressional spending, 2) imposing term limits, and 3) restoring autonomy to the states.
Precinct delegates are the most important elected officials you've never heard of. Have you ever noticed that the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State candidates aren't included on the August primary ballot? If you, the voter, don't decide on these candidates, who does?
In Michigan, there are over 4,800 precincts, the smallest political districts, and each political party has a certain number of precinct delegates. Elected by the party-affiliated voters within the precinct, the delegates are the eyes and ears on the ground, informing the county and state party executives exactly what their community expects and needs from the party. The delegates also attend district and/or county meetings on behalf of their precinct, where they elect party leadership (chair, co-chair, and vice chairs).
Critically, crucially, and significantly, the precinct delegates also decide who will represent their party in the state races for Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State. These three positions are indisputably integral to the direction the state takes over each governance cycle, but there are no primaries—the precinct delegates alone decide who gets to run.
Obviously, the precinct delegate position is incredibly important, yet more than half of the positions in both parties sit vacant each election cycle. How can we be properly represented in government if representatives from our communities aren’t involved in choosing key candidates? If you would like to learn more about becoming a precinct delegate,join a FREE precinct delegate information and training session on Thursday, February 3 at 6:30 pm.
- When: Thursday, February 3, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
- Where: 39099 Garfield Rd., Clinton Twp, MI 48038
Government has many responsibilities entrusted to it by the people. On the state level, the Secretary of State and the Attorney General have perhaps the most important: the Secretary of State runs elections—the best recourse we have against corruption and tyranny—and the Attorney General prosecutes officials who infringe on the rights of citizens. If those positions are occupied by bad actors—someone who owes their career to global entities, for example—we the people are not governing our governors. Instead, our governors are beholden to murky and dishonest organizations, abusing us as they desperately horde as much power as they can. Now more than ever, we must fulfill the role credited to us by Jefferson: we the people are the safest depository against governmental corruption, greed, and tyranny. We must restrain our governors by every means possible; occupying each and every precinct delegate position in the state is a good start.
For more information on how to become a precinct delegate, visit the website for your county party and contact your county party executives.
