The SDGOP party leaders didn’t get their wish to strip precinct committeepeople of their convention voting rights. But Republican poobahs have found another way to take a subtle shot at the radical party crashers who run for precinct seats to hijack the convention but then don’t put in the hard work of organizing local campaigns for candidates.
Senator Jim Stalzer (R-11/Sioux Falls) proposes Senate Bill 86, which would require any candidate for precinct committeeperson to include an email address and phone number in the statement the candidate files with the county auditor. I’m actually surprised we don’t require that information already. Candidates for state, Legislative, and county offices have to submit their contact information in their campaign finance reports (although e-mail addresses are optional). Precinct committeepeople are not required to file campaign finance reports, and current practice only requires those candidates submit their mailing address. Requiring phone numbers and emails of these candidates may give the SDGOP leaders one more way to get hold of those candidates before convention to turn the screws against any insurgent candidates like Monae Johnson, Steven Haugaard, and David Natvig. It will also make it easier for party leaders to follow up after convention and make sure precinct committeepeople are taking care of their more important post-convention duties of working for the party’s candidates.
New SDGOP chairman Senator John Wiik (R-4/Big Stone City) is a co-sponsor of this simple candidate-accountability proposal. SB 86 awaits its first hearing from Senate Local Government.
Local government? But political parties are not government. They are private special interest entities.
There was a time when precinct officers walked or drove the precinct to register newcomers and assure people could get an absentee ballot, if needed. My mother did this for a time for the Republican Party in Sioux Falls She didn’t care if the people she registered or assisted to vote were Democrats. She just wanted people to vote. That was useful work, but there came a point in most places that fewer people wanted to do that work on a volunteer basis. Candidates’ campaigns and the county or state parties took over that job, or the League of Women Voters filled in where it could, or it didn’t get done.
But Richard is correct. Precinct committee persons were and are not government. They did provide a public service, somewhat along the lines of the lowest level of the Chinese Communist Party cadres today, but they weren’t government.
You know, I have a former colleague who’s also a terrific painter. He never has had a cell phone and rarely uses a computer. He’s hard to get a hold of but he’s carefree.
Why should the State dictate how to run a political Party.
The big winners with a dumb requirement like this would be telemarketers, internet thieves, advertisers needing new email and phone contacts and, of course, the Crowned Prince of Nigeria who is searching for bank accounts to divide up his $35 million of surplus money.
I’m with Barth on this. Why does state government need to meddle in political party matters? Don’t they have interns who can get this precinct level information if it isn’t already on a county party’s database? How about all these Republican legislators, don’t they already have this information? Talk about a solution searching for a problem.
One more thing. Isn’t the Republican governor’s newest pity party the hacking of her family members’ personal cell numbers and her social security number? Why does she need to sign this bill?
Blame Obama – Heh HEH ho