Official Call to 2009 State Convention
STATE CONVENTION
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF VIRGINIA
MAY 29-30, 2009 AT THE RICHMOND CONVENTION CENTER
As Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia and pursuant to the Plan of Organization and as recommended and directed by the State Central Committee, I, Jeffrey M. Frederick, do hereby issue this call for a State Convention of the Republican Party of Virginia to be held on May 29-30, 2009 at the Richmond Convention Center, in the City of Richmond, Virginia, or its alternate site, starting at 2:00 p.m. local time on Friday, May 29, 2009 for the following purposes:
a) Nominating a Republican candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General
b) And for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the convention.
All legal and qualified voters under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, regardless of race, religion, national origin or sex, who are in accord with the principles of the Republican Party and who, if requested, express in open meeting either orally or in writing as may be required, their intent to support all of its nominees for public office in the ensuing election, may participate as members of the Republican Party of Virginia in its mass meetings, party canvasses, conventions or primaries encompassing their respective election districts.
In addition to the foregoing, to be in accord with the principles of the Republican Party, unless otherwise stipulated by the appropriate Official Committee, a person otherwise qualified hereunder shall not have participated in Virginia in the nomination process of a party other than the Republican Party after March 1, 2004, or in the last five years, whichever is more recent.
A single exception to the above paragraph shall be approved for a voter that renounces affiliation with any other party in writing, and who expresses in writing that he/she is in accord with the principles of the Republican Party and intends, at the time of the writing, to support the nominees of the Republican Party in the future. Any voter that utilizes the foregoing exception, and thereafter participates in the nomination process of a party other than the Republican Party, shall not have the benefit of this exception thereafter.
A person who has made application for registration and meets all other requirements of the Qualifications for Participation, but whose name does not appear on the local registration books solely because of the books having been closed in connection with a local election, will nevertheless be deemed a legal and qualified voter.
The State Convention shall be composed of delegates and alternate delegates of the respective units they represent. Representation shall be based on a percentage of the total number of Republican votes cast in each county and city in the last gubernatorial and presidential election combined. Each unit is allowed one (1) Delegate Vote for each two hundred and fifty (250) Republican votes cast or major portion thereof. Each unit shall be entitled to a least one (1) Delegate Vote. The delegates and alternates shall be elected in county and city mass meetings, party canvasses or conventions that shall be called for this purpose in conformity with the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party of Virginia by each unit Committee. The mass meetings, party canvasses or conventions shall be held no earlier than February 1, 2009 and no later than April 1, 2009.
Each unit chairman shall submit a copy of his unit’s approved Call for mass meeting, party canvass, or convention to the Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia and the unit’s respective District Chairman no later than seven (7) days following unit committee approval.
Each unit chairman shall provide to each candidate for statewide office a copy of the list of delegates and alternates, including name, address, telephone number and e-mail address (where collected) within ten (10) days of their election.
Delegates and alternate delegates to the State Convention shall be certified in writing with their respective names and addresses including zip codes over the signatures of the permanent chairman and permanent secretary of the unit mass meeting or convention or of the unit chairman of the unit committee which may have conducted a party canvass to select the delegates and alternate delegates.
ALL CERTIFICATIONS, REGARDLESS OF THE DATE OF LOCAL MASS MEETING, PARTY CANVASS OR CONVENTION must be postmarked not later than May 13, 2009 or delivered in person by May 15, 2009, to the addresses below. After the filing deadline of the certification, no change may be made except a certified alternate delegate may be made a delegate. A copy of the published call of the convention, mass meeting or party canvass called for the purpose of selecting delegates and alternate delegates to said convention, must accompany the certification with the date of publication included. Certification should be mailed or delivered as follows:
Original—State Party Chairman, 115 East Grace Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219;
Second Copy—The Unit’s Respective Congressional District Chair (or Chairs)
Third Copy—For the Unit’s records
A delegate or alternate delegate is not certified until his name, address and phone number has been provided on the certification.
All candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General must state his or her intention to seek the office or nomination by filing a written statement to the State Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, 115 East Grace Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, to be received no later than 5 p.m. November 5, 2008. Postmarks do not govern. There will be no nominees from the floor unless no candidate has prefiled for the office. In addition, candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General must include with the statement of intent a nonrefundable filing fee equal to 2% of the salary for said office.
Each candidate for any office shall be further required to submit petitions, on a form prescribed by the Republican Party of Virginia, signed by a minimum of 4,000 qualified voters, listing the residence address, Unit and Congressional District of each such voter. A minimum of 200 signatures must be collected from qualified voters in each Congressional District. Each signature on the petition shall have been witnessed by a person who is himself a qualified voter for the office for which he is circulating the petition and whose affidavit to that effect is made before a Notary Public on each page of the petition.
More than one candidate may be listed on a single form with a voter only having to sign once. In these cases, a qualified voter's signature will count toward the total number needed by each candidate listed on the form. Each candidate listed must separately file a copy of the petition form in order for the signatures to count for that candidate.
The official petition form shall be posted on the Republican Party of Virginia website. Completed petitions bearing a sufficient number of signatures must be returned by each campaign to the State Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia at the above address no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1. Petitions may be signed no earlier than 7:00 p.m. (EST) on November 4, 2008 and no later than December 1, 2008 to be valid.
The RPV Executive Committee shall determine which candidates have met all prefiling requirements and certify such candidates to the State Central Committee by December 6, 2008.
If not more than one candidate meets the prefiling requirements to run for an office, that candidate shall be declared the nominee of the Republican Party of Virginia.
The State Central Committee shall establish committees for the State Convention. The State Chairman shall appoint the Chairman and one member of each committee. The Congressional District Chairmen shall additionally appoint one member to each committee. Appointments must be made no later than February 15, 2009 and are not subject to approval by the State Convention.
A voluntary fee of $35.00 is requested of each Delegate and Alternate to the State Republican Convention.
Unless I missed the boat, I assume there was a call to convention last year, much like this one. This convention was properly called for in the public arena. Please read further into the document. The Call calls for the proper election and credentialing of the said delegates to Convention. All of this is done in accordance with party rules. This convention will be seated to conduct official RPV business, to include other such business as may properly come before it. This is to include election of party leaders. The SCC be danged. Let Jeff Frederick state his case at the convention and in front of both "accusers" and supporters alike. I have read the summary of "charges" against Jeff Frederick, have weighed them in the balance, and found them lacking. These charges appear to me to be nothing more than an attempt at a power grab. The charges are vague and do NOT, in my estimation, rise to the standard requiring removal of Jeff Frederick from his rightfully and legally elected position as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. Unless Jeff Frederick stays in office until the convention to present his case, this is nothing more than a railroading, and a particularly petty one. I will not participate in it and I emplore Bob McDonnell to back off his call for removal of Mr. Frederick.
I have said it before, I don't want a floor fight at the Convention, but rather that, than to railroad a man without the opportunity for his reponse and rebuttal.
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