I apologize in advance: this is a complicated process. If elected to State Central, one of my goals will be to make participation in party conventions such as these less confusing, less time-consuming, and more inviting to concerned citizens who are not party insiders. But this is the process we have now, and you have to follow it to the T or you won't be allowed to vote by the powers that be.
Determine your precinct and magisterial district.
If you have your voter registration card handy, just check the card for your Precinct, and your Magisterial District (which called "Local District" on the card).
If you have your voter registration card handy, just check the card for your Precinct, and your Magisterial District (which called "Local District" on the card).
You also can look this up this online:
- Go to http://www.wherevavotes.com/ and enter your address.
- Expand the District information section by clicking the + button next to the Districts header.
- Note the Precinct, and your Magisterial District (which is labeled "Election" on this website).
Determine which Congressional District you live in now.
The lines were redrawn in January 2012, so you may very well be in a different district than last year. The voter registration cards and the online information have not been updated yet, so don't rely on that!
If you live in Fairfax City (proper), you're still in the 11th District. If you live in Fairfax County or Prince William County, please click here for a map.
If you live near the border and you're not sure, you can look up your precinct name in the precinct list.
(If you don't live in the 11th District, you can still register for your Congressional district convention and choose your State Central representatives -- you just won't be able to vote for me, and your convention will have a different time and location.)
Register by the correct deadline to participate in the convention.
Print, complete, and submit the correct form below by the stated deadline with a $15 filing fee per person (couples must complete separate forms and checks). Note that the form and filing fee must be received by the deadline time; postmarks are irrelevant. If it's getting close to the deadline, you should hand-deliver the form and filing fee to your district chairman.
| Jurisdiction | Deadline | Official form | Form completion guide |
| Fairfax City | Saturday, March 31, 6:00 p.m. | Download here |  |
| Fairfax County | Saturday, March 10, 12:00 noon (Passed) | Download here (only FCRC membership applications still accepted) |  |
| Prince William County | Saturday, March 31, midnight | Download here |  |
These forms can be pretty perplexing. The color filing guides above will help you understand what lines to complete and what you're signing up for. If you still have questions, feel free to email me for additional help.
Come to Oakton High School by 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 19 to cast your votes.
Registration opens at 9:00 am but the convention doesn't actually start until 11:00 am. When the convention opens there will be speeches from candidates, and balloting will begin no earlier than 11:45.
There are 3 seats for the 11th District on the State Central Committee, so you'll be allowed to vote for up to 3 people for State Central on the first ballot. Anyone who gets a majority (i.e., if there are 100 people voting, at least 51 people choose that person as one of their votes) will be seated in the position. If the first ballot does not determine the winners for all three seats, there will be additional rounds of balloting until all the positions are filled. Note: under this procedure, "bullet voting" (for only 1 or 2 candidates) will NOT be helpful for those candidates. It will only ensure multiple rounds of ballots.
My goal is to have broad enough support to win a seat on the first ballot, and your vote can make that happen even if you can't stay for long. But in case multiple ballots are required to decide these elections, if you can, please be prepared to stay at or near Oakton HS throughout the afternoon. If you have a mobile device for checking email, we'll also set up an instant notification list, so you can do other things nearby and we'll inform you when the next round of votes is starting.
State Central won't be the only position on the ballot. Participation in the 11th District Convention will also allow you to vote for:
- 1 Chairman of the 11th District Committee (helps federal candidate campaigns by leading the 11th District Committee, which also consists of the three State Central representatives and representatives of the local Young Republicans, College Republicans, and Virginia Federation of Republican Women; also serves on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia)
- 3 Delegates and 3 Alternate Delegates to the National Republican Convention in Tampa, FL (our district's representatives to the convention where the national Republican party will formally nominate our Presidential candidate. And you know all that talk about a possible brokered convention? If that actually happens, these folks could play a much more important role than waiving signs for the cameras.)
- 1 Presidential Elector (if the Republican Presidential nominee wins Virginia, this person will cast a vote for him in the Electoral College; basically an honorary position)
Hold your State Central representatives accountable!
I find this whole process needlessly complicated and time-consuming, and I suspect many of you agree. It seems to be designed to discourage people with busy lives from understanding and participating in the process.
State Central can change that - if you elect representatives who are committed to reforming the process to invite more people to be active participants in the Virginia Republican Party. The representatives serve 4 year terms, which makes it harder to hold them accountable if they are not doing a good job of leading RPV. So it is really important to choose carefully on May 19!
Whoever is elected to State Central, we can't let them operate as an exclusive club that makes decisions without listening to voters. When you see them recognized at Republican events, please make sure you ask them what they have been doing to grow the party and elect Republican candidates, and let them know where you would like to see changes.
