FAQ: Can I Register or Pay Online for the Convention?

Here's another common question from the campaign trail: can I register for the convention online, or send a credit card payment for my registration fee online?

And again, the answer is NO.

Is this 2012 or 1992? The party plan of the Republican Party of Virginia still does not allow electronic signatures, so we're still stuck with paper forms and paper checks. Not only is this inconvenient for voters who want to register, but it's enormously time consuming for the staff and volunteers who have to enter the information from these forms by hand into databases.

If elected to State Central Committee, one key, common sense reform I will work hard to see adopted is a single, online registration form for all of Virginia. Put in your address, the system automatically figures out which districts you're in, check the boxes for what you want to participate in, enter a credit card, and that's it, you're done. The data and payments automatically get transmitted to the right district chairmen, in electronic form to add to their lists, and that's it, they're done.

Such a simple, cost-effective and time-saving solution. I think we have a right to ask our State Central representatives, "why hasn't the RPV done this yet?"

Until they do, please see the registration guide to make sure you have the opportunity to vote for more forward-looking leadership for our party. There's only about a week left to get the registration forms in the mail, so don't delay!

FAQ: Can I Vote in a Convention by Proxy?

Over the past couple of weeks that I've been running for State Central Committee, I have gotten this question several times: "I will be out of town on May 19. Can I vote by proxy?"

The short answer is, NO. But I don't think the discussion should stop there!

Why can't you vote by proxy? Because the Republican Party of Virginia Plan doesn't permit proxies for participation in conventions or mass meetings.

Who does this impact? A lot of people! First, and most egregiously, it means our servicemen and women who are required to be away from home on the day of a convention are denied the opportunity to have a vote because they are serving our country! It also disenfranchises people who are required to work on the day of the primary (usually a Saturday) or who have religious restrictions on that day. Family obligations also prevent many people from participating, whether it is kids' athletic schedules, the difficulty of bringing young children to a long convention, or out-of-town travel. Health conditions keep yet other people from participating - for instance, I didn't participate in the 2008 state convention in Richmond to select our Senate nominee because I was 39 weeks pregnant. So many of the people who are busy being patriotic Americans, serving our country, raising children, working for a living, etc. are not able to have a voice in these conventions.

Why does RPV not allow proxies? Goodness knows! It may be as simple as inertia, but we should ask State Central to justify (or change!) this rule. It is particularly ironic that the State Central Committee members, who have the power to change the Plan, give themselves the right to vote by proxy at State Central Committee meetings.

What can I do about this? If you don't have a conflict on May 19, please register for the 11th District Convention ASAP using the proper form (remember, Fairfax County forms must be received by March 10, so there isn't much time left to mail it in). Then please vote for me on May 19, because I will be a tireless advocate to reform the RPV to make participation in the party easier, not harder, and that includes pressing to allow proxies at conventions.

If you have a conflict, you can't have an official proxy, but you can urge a Republican friend or two or three to register for the convention and vote for change on May 19. As a matter of fact, you can encourage as many Republican friends as you like to register and participate in this process together. Let's make this Party our party!

Help! How to Complete the Fairfax Convention Filing Forms

Fairfax City and Fairfax County registered voters can start filing now to participate in the upcoming Republican committee and congressional district conventions. But gosh those forms can be confusing!

So here are the Fairfax form completion guides to help you through the process. (Please don't complete the color-coded guide; it won't be accepted as a valid form. Download and print the official form and then use the guide as a reference.)

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	Download here	(for help looking up your districts see steps 1 & 2 here)

* NOTE: the form and payment must be received by this time. Postmarks do not count! Mail it in now and you won't have to worry about hand delivery to meet the deadline.

Prince William County voters, we're still waiting to get a copy of your form. As soon as I can I'll provide a guide for you too.

What Reagan Teaches Us As We Celebrate His 101st Birthday

From Lillian Vogl's announcement speech to the Fairfax Country Republican Committee:

Today is Ronald Reagan's 101st birthday. Everyone loves Reagan, myself included. Let us never forget why Reagan was so successful--he won over the "Reagan Democrats." He didn't compromise his principles, but he communicated conservative values in terms that were understandable and attractive to people who didn't already identify themselves as Republicans. That's what we still need from our party leaders today.

It's not about compromise, but it is about communication.

And that is what I do for a living. Every day I'm on Capitol Hill, fighting the good fight against tax increases and burdensome regulations on things that are fundamental to your economic security, like your health insurance and 401k.

I do this by listening. Listening to Congress, to the press, to conservative groups, to talk radio, and listening to liberal groups too. I synthesize all this to figure out what messages are going to convince enough people to get the job done.

This is also how we win elections, folks. Not by compromising our principles, and neither by ignoring the other side, but by communicating our principles in a way that will win over the other side.

In short, we must be Great Communicators.

Announcing My Candidacy

Please join me at the Fairfax County Republican Committee meeting this evening, February 6, at West Springfield HS. Social hour at 7, meeting begins at 8 pm.