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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

On to convention!

One of the reasons I made my blog private was so that I'd have the ability to be a little more open about my job and politics without fear of it being picked up by someone else.  It's better to be safe than sorry in this kind of a situation.

Last night neighborhood caucus meetings were held all over the state to elect delegates to attend the state and county conventions later this Spring.  Basically, this is how it works.  Each city/town/neighborhood in the state is divided into precincts. Each precinct has about 1,000 families in it.  Each precinct elects a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, one State Delegate, two County Delegates, and a Secretary/Treasurer.  The chairperson is an automatic State and County Delegate. The Vice Chairperson is an automatic County Delegate.

So, what does a delegate do? Basically, they are responsible for nominating the person from their political party that will go on the ballot in November.  For instance, this year Bob Bennett is up for reelection.  He has 5 challengers within the Republican Party that want his seat.  Only one person can be on the ballot for the Republican Party in November. So, they go to State Convention to determine who will be on the ballot. Delegates from all over the state representing their neighborhoods vote to determine who would best represent the party.  If one candidate gets over 60% of the vote in convention, they automatically get the nomination.  If no one candidate gets over 60% of the vote, then a primary election is held to determine who will get the nomination. The top two candidates from convention participate in the primary election.

Clear as mud?

So, I kind of decided last minute yesterday that I wanted to run as a state delegate.  My dad has been a precinct chairman for the last 10 years or so, and I've always had a desire to go to State Convention. It's kind of like a big party for all the political junkies.  So, with a little encouragement from friends and my dad, I decided to go ahead and run for the position of state delegate. But, in order to run, you have to have someone nominate you.  So, I had to bring Daniel. Which means that Abigail had to come too.  Daniel really isn't into politics, but because he's such a good sport, he decided to come along.

Well, the evening went well. I was elected as a state delegate even though I knew like no one at the meeting.  I'm so excited to go to convention! (That makes me sound like a Trekkie or something, doesn't it?)  And, in an unexpected turn of events, Daniel was elected as a county delegate.  Even though he joked about it last night, I think he's excited to get involved in a part of politics that isn't mud-slinging.

So, what's next? Basically, Daniel and I will be bombarded with emails, phone calls, and mail from the prospective candidates wanting our votes. I will also be instrumental in handing out literature, signs, and other stuff to my neighbors about the candidates I'm supporting. The county convention is on April 24, and the state convention is on May 8. The state convention is right after my maternity leave is up, which is really convenient. I won't have to worry about mixing my work with the campaign related stuff.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering who I'm supporting for Senate....

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