What’s Happening in the County, State, and National Republican Party
What to expect for December, January, and February
A Three-Part Series
With the General Election over, it’s time to elect officers for the County and State Central Committees, as well as national party leadership and committee officers. This article will focus on the election of the County Central Committee officers. This is an excellent opportunity to get involved in your local Republican Party, helping to establish Republican principles, policies, and values and giving assistance in local, state, and national elections. If you live in an unorganized county and would like to organize your county, don't hesitate to contact me at hegop@nvc.net .
The County Central Committee officers consist of the county chairman and a vice chairman, who shall be of the opposite sex, a county secretary, a county treasurer, a state committeeman, and a state committeewoman. The election of these officers shall be held between November 15th and January 31st. This meeting needs to be held within the county seat.
The local county chairman shall give a five-day notice of this county meeting, excluding weekends. The notice may be sent out either by mail or email.
Those who can vote at this meeting are the precinct committeemen and women from each county precinct, the current County Central Committee officers, Republican state legislators residing in the county, and Republican county elected officials limited to the county auditor, county treasurer, register of deeds, sheriff, state’s attorney, county coroner, and county commissioners. The Republican legislators and Republican-elected county officials should be duly elected and certified in the most recent general election regardless of whether they have been sworn in or are filling vacancies for these positions. With County Central Committee meetings, it is one vote for one person. If you serve in two different positions on the County Central Committee, for example, someone who is possibly a state legislator and a precinct committeeperson, that person is allowed only one vote, not two. There are no proxies given on the county level.
Serving on the County Central Committee can be a rewarding way to support your local Republican Party, learn how things work within the party, and meet some outstanding Republicans who reside in your county. Please
get in touch with your county chairman if you would like to get involved in your local County Central Committee. The South Dakota Republican Bylaws (link) are under the Resource tab on the Voice of the Plains Substack page.
In another article, we will cover the election of officers at the State Central Committee meeting, which is held at the call of the state chairman in either January or February.