Engagement has become the watchword of Convention of States Texas.
The team has become increasingly aware that restoring self-governance to America involves more than passing a single piece of legislation, even one as significant as an Article V application. It means everyday citizens embracing their responsiblity to, in Ben Franklin's words, keep the republic.
to advocate for Article V.
This understanding was in evidence on Saturday, March 24 when the main political parties held Senate district and county conventions all around the state. Sporting COS buttons and shirts, volunteers showed up at their party conventions and participated in the political process at a local level.
For many, this was the first time they had attended such an event, and the volunteers played a key role in building support for the COS resolution as well as advocating for other legislation they deemed important to Texans.
Senate District 8 was a focal point of activity, because there was an outspoken COS opponent actively seeking to remove the COS plank from the Republican state platform.
Regional Captain Shelby Williams and other volunteers were successful in retaining support in the district. Unexpected and welcome testimony came from Collin County GOP chairman George Flint (shown in photo above).
Johnson County, on the other hand, demonstrated overwhelming support for COS, even choosing to recommend it as a ongoing legislative priority.
Sharon Correll from Dallas was pleased to hear a resolution in support of Convention of States brought forward by someone in Senate District 23 who is not even a COS volunteer. She had the opportunity to improve on the wording of the resolution. The prospect of an Article V convention has strong support in the district.
Senate District 11 is divided among several counties. District Captain Sammi Hammers represented COS at the meeting in Harris Country, while several other COS volunteers showed up to man a booth in Galveston County.
District Captain Edna Krueger found opportunities to recruit volunteers during her interactions at the Ector County convention held in Odessa. Joel Robinson, a fellow volunteer, took the chance to speak up to skeptics with regard to the scope and impact of our Article V resolution.
Not to be outdone, Brent Dunklau brought his computer to the Rockwall County convention and signed up new supporters on the spot.
poses with GOP candidate Jeffrey Lane.
Out at Texas' far western tip, COS supporters such as Tom Reynolds and Wally Thompson were spreading the word at the El Paso County GOP convention. Tom, the Regional Captain for the area, connected with Jeffrey Lane, a candidate for the Texas House of Representatives in District 78, and discovered a fellow COS supporter.
A large number of attendees at these local conventions are also expecting to participate in state party conventions later on this year.
Stay tuned for the latest news from the front lines!
