By Frank Napolitano -
I believe in the Republican Party Platform, but believe we need to do a better job delivering the message and recruiting strong candidates. I believe the Precinct Committeeman role is pivotal in delivering the message, recruiting candidates and increasing republican voter turnout.
Some people believe we need to move to the center and become democrat light. I don’t’ agree with them. I believe we need to be boldly different than the liberals, as Ronald Reagan believed. "Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people" Ronald Reagan to CPAC 1975
I believe in the RNC platform and the Illinois GOP platform. I believe we need to be proud of our conservative values and let the voters know there is a clear alternative to the liberal Democratic Party. There is a party that will defend their individual liberties and freedoms and a party that will bring an end to the nanny state and return us to a state and nation of personal responsibility, that is the Republican Party and with the RIGHT Precinct Committeemen and the RIGHT leadership, we can show the voters the Republican Party is the RIGHT Party for them.
With the upcoming Republican Primary, the Republican Party will also hold elections for Precinct Committeeman. Precinct maps are drawn based on registered voters, and sizes of precincts can vary, but are usually somewhere in the 500- 1,000 registered voter range. DuPage County just redrew their precinct maps and you can find the updated maps here. https://www.dupageco.org/Election/Election_Commission_News/2015/50519/
If you are curious what your precinct map is or who your current Precinct Committeeman is, you can look that info up on your County Election Board website. Regardless of who your committeeman is, I would suggest you consider running. They may in fact, have been redrawn into a new precinct for 2016, or they may choose not to run for reelection. Two years ago, nearly half of the precincts in DuPage County, were without a candidate for Precinct Committeeman. http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2013/11/nearly-half-of-dupage-countys-gop-precincts-could-be-without-committeemen-in-2014.html
Some of the things Precinct Committeemen do, will have a direct impact on who our representatives are. For example, they can deliver literature in their neighborhood, by getting out and walking for the most conservative candidates in the primary election. For example, in recent Republican Primaries, the candidates I walked for in my precinct got 5% to 10% more votes than they did in neighboring precincts. I walked for the most conservative candidates I could find, and although some won their primary, some did not. If more Precinct Committeeman are conservatives, and walking for conservatives we will have more conservatives running in the General Election.
You will also have the opportunity to elect the township party leaders and the county party leaders. Those leaders will have the opportunity to elect the State Party Chairperson, and so on. If you want to make sure the Republican Party Leaders are conservatives, this is the best way to do so.
The time has come to start to circulating petitions for Precinct Committeeman. Starting September 1st, 2015 interested candidates can circulate petitions for Precinct Committeeman. Only 10 signatures are required, but I would recommend getting at least 20 in case any signatures are challenged.
Regardless of whether or not you have a committeeman in your precinct today, I would highly recommend running. The only way to fix the party is from the inside, and this is the best way to get inside of the party. Don't let anyone from within the party talk you out of it either. Even if someone else is running for Precinct Committeeman.
There is no one better at making sure the best and most conservative candidate wins within the precinct than the Precinct Committeeman, and there is no one better for that role than you.
More information on election rules, sample petitions and more can be found at the following link. http://www.elections.state.il.us/Downloads/ElectionInformation/PDF/2016Canguide.pdf
