Tuesday, December 30, 2014

New Mexico 2015 Precinct and Ward Caucuses and County Conventions

New Mexico 2015 Precinct and Ward Caucuses and County Conventions

New Mexicans will elect precinct committee officers in more than 1400 precincts across the state at the New Mexico Primary Meetings between January 5 and January 31, 2015.

Well, that's not totally true, because as many as half of those precinct committee positions will remain vacant for lack of interest or lack of awareness.

Do you like the way your party is run in your county? In New Mexico? Well, you can change that. But you have to get up off the couch and put yourself to the caucus.

This is another opportunity to achieve a center of power and it won't come around again for another two years.

Qualifications

Most importantly, you have to get on the ballot.

You must live within the precinct boundary.

You must be registered to vote (or 18 years old by the general election in November) and indicate a party affiliation for the party you want to represent. You can change party affiliation at the time you file.

I challenge you. Do you have what it takes to actually accomplish something of lasting effect? Or will you use one of your pat excuses? I've heard them all. (See The Power Is There for the Taking.)

To answer questions so that you can get yourself elected at your primary election, Project City Hall will produce a live teleconference on May 8th (see below) to discuss strategy and answer your questions.

What:New Mexico Precinct Committee Officer Election Teleconference 2014
When:Wednesday, May 8, 2014 at 8:00 pm (PDT)
Where:Your home or mobile telephone
Details:To receive teleconference call details, Sign up or text New Mexico PC, {your name}, {your e-mail address} to (973)498-8066

How to Determine Your Precinct

  1. Go to the My Vote - New Mexico State Voter Information page.

Getting on the Ballot

When you have a plan, you don't have to guess what to do next. Written plans are always better than winging it. With that in mind, we've put together the Precinct Committee Candidate Checklist to give you a starting point for your plan.

For information about running for party positions, see How to Become a Candidate in New Mexico State.

A precinct committee candidate must file a single form, a Precinct Committee Officer Declaration of Candidacy.

The filing period is only one week long beginning on May 12, 2014 and ending on May 16, 2014. Several counties, including those with the most precincts provide for filing on-line. Where this is available, in most cases, the links to on-line filing will only appear on the county elections office web site during the filing period, so no one can file on-line either early or late.

  1. Call your county elections office and ask how many committee positions are available for your precinct.
  2. Ask for the names of each of the current committee officers and their contact information (e-mail address and telephone number).
  3. Ask how many people from the county voted at the previous primary election, and how many votes were cast for each committee officer on the ballot.
  4. Join other New Mexicans on the live teleconference call (see above) where you can ask questions.
  5. Prepare printed information about yourself so that you can quickly communicate the information to everyone you meet from your precinct.

Winning the Election

Winning a precinct committee position is not very challenging, especially if no one is running against you. You can do it if you prepare in advance and have a plan. Many people are looking for leaders and will accept almost anyone who simply steps up to lead. Just look at your current set of elected officials for proof of that.

After the Election

  1. Get a current copy of your state party central committee by-laws and of your county party central committee by-laws along with the rules of the convention you are elected to.
  2. Keep in touch, because we'll be producing training teleconferences about all the aspects of being an effective caucus participant.

Who Should Attend?

  • Anyone who wants to take their country back.
  • Anyone who values freedom and liberty.
  • If you're already a precinct committee officer, attend to encourage others and to relate your own experience.

What You'll Learn

  • The power of the convention delegate.
  • What happens at a caucus.
  • Why you need to connect with like-minded individuals before the caucus.
  • Why you should bring your posse.
  • How to win in a competitive election.

Reference Material

County Party Information

If you have corrections or additions to this information, please let us know.

 

County Convention Information

The county convention, where the new chairman and other officers are elected, occurs just a few days after the primary election in September. This is the meeting at which the newly elected members of the county committee first exercise their power.

If you have corrections or additions to this information, please let us know.

 

You've Got A Friend

If this is your first meeting, it helps to get together with others who may be a little more organized. The party insiders already know the other insiders, so incumbents, as usual, always have an advantage. Here are a list of contacts, by county, who are willing to take you under their wing, so to speak. You may not agree with them on everything, but they are not insiders, so they, like you, are probably in the minority.

All politics is local. We cannot reach the goal alone. We need your help. These people are actively recruiting precinct committeemen in their county. If you'd like to recruit for your county, add your comment to this article and a way to contact you.

 

County Rules Analysis

Below you will find an analysis of county organization rules that differ from the norm.

 


 

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