From the Vice Chair:

I want to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the first installment of our monthly Newsletter. My first article will more specifically resonate with new and prospective members. One of the most rewarding aspect of Chairing Precinct Organization is teaching the monthly class.  For over seven years, I've had the pleasure to meet a couple of hundred Republicans, several of whom are now elected officials.  Most revealing to me was a recurring misconception regarding the main function of Republican Executive Committee so I will take a few minutes to clarify this issue. 

Many fired up Republican activists join in under the false impression that they will acquire a way to have a direct influence on policies.  That is simply not so.  The REC is  structured to help local Republican candidates get elected but not designed to micro-manage politicians.  The Republican Party is the ultimate grassroots organization.  As such it provides powerful tools for any engaged REC members.  And it all begins with you at the precinct level.

Here's how  the REC works:

The state of Florida is divided into 67 counties.  Each county is subdivided into Commission/School Board districts. Seminole County counts 5 districts.  Our county is also subdivided into precincts, that is the smallest political division in the political process. It is simply a geographic area that contains anywhere between 1,000 and 5,000 registered voters served by a polling place.  At this time, Seminole County has 126 precincts.

Once a month, members of the Republican Party of Seminole County (SCREC) elect qualified prospective Republicans candidates to the Office of Precinct Committeeman.  To qualify, a registered Republican must live in the precinct in which he or she is running, must attend three consecutive meetings and one mandatory precinct organization class. The number of Precinct Committeemen and Committeewomen allowed in each precinct is determined by the number of registered voters in that precinct.  For every 1,000 voters, SCREC members elect up to one Committeeman, one Committeewoman, and one set of alternates.  So, for instance if your precinct contains 4,000 registered voters, REC members can elect up to 4 Committeemen, 4 Committeewomen and 4 Alternates.  These individuals, elected at the precinct level, become members of the Seminole County Republican Executive Committee (SCREC) and serve for a period of four years. During a quadrennial year (Presidential election year), the entire membership is up for reelection.

Each county also elects an at-large (Countywide election) State Committeeman and State Committeewoman, who must be also a precinct committeeman or committeewoman.

Committee members elect officers to serve for a two year period, including a Chairman, Vice-chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The Chairman, State Committeeman and State Committeewoman automatically become members of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), which is the statewide arm of the party.  With the exception of a handful of State Party members selected by the Governor (10) and the Republican members of the State Legislature (10+10), the state party organization is composed of the three above mentioned delegates from each Florida County. The RPOF then selects a Chairperson, a National Committeeman and a National Committeewoman, who joins three similarly elected persons from each State to make up the Republican National Committee (RNC), which is the Party's governing body. In this fashion, power in the Republican Party moves from the bottom up, and not the other way around.

For multiple reasons (current member resigns or moves to a different precinct, etc.) many county precincts have vacancies that may be filled by the Executive Committee by way of election.  Once elected, the candidate becomes a member for the remaining of the term in which the vacancy occurred.

Under the County Chairman's leadership, the primary objective of the REC is to find qualified Republican candidates and help them  run against Democratic incumbents or candidates. Committeemen and Committeewomen become Party representatives who work to ensure a high Republican turn out on elections day.

Once a candidate is in Office, the REC does not involve itself with the policies or political decisions made by the newly elected official. While the Party structure helped candidates during their campaign, politicians ultimately answer to "We the People". Because politics is about people, accountability starts at the ballot box and via any extensions as provided by the Constitution.