Home School Political Action Needed = You Become a Delegate

In order to advance home school freedom in North Dakota, people who want home school freedom need to be elected to state offices. Home educating families that use the Bible as their guide to what is righteous and good in politics, government, law, and economics are in the best position to significantly impact politics in North Dakota by their participation in the delegate process. The delegate process is where candidates get selected at Republican and Democrat conventions by the delegates. It is an easy process, but God-fearing Bible-doing candidates won't get their names on the ballet without God-fearing Bible-doing people present as delegates.

Please pray about involving all your family members ages 18 and over as delegates and see what a great impact you can have on your district and state. Younger family members could consider helping at the conventions also.

I plan to be a delegate again this year. There are 2012 candidates who will improve the home school climate in North Dakota and they need your help by being a delegate. I don't know of anything that the NDHSA can do to promote home education freedom more than to help home school families become delegates and support likeminded candidates. Call me at home to discuss the details if you like at 701-263-4574. The following article includes the details.

Jim Bartlett

How do you defend liberty and control government? Become a Delegate!

How do you ensure the right people are elected to office?

How do you secure your rights, those of your children and protect our nation from an ever growing and powerful government which is controlled more and more by officials that don’t share your beliefs, don’t represent your values and are working against the will of the people?

By voting in the November election? NO, by then it’s too late!

By the time you go to the polls to vote, the deciding has been done and all that’s left is for you to ratify the decision with your vote or to simply not vote. The person who will be elected has already been selected. The choices of who you can vote for have already been made. If you wait until November to get involved, to influence who will represent you in elected office – it’s too late.

If you want your vote to have the biggest impact; if you want to actually have a part in determining your choice of candidates – you need to be involved in your legislative district and become a delegate to your party’s convention. It is the delegates that determine who you will have the opportunity to vote for in November.

At the district level:
The party (Democratic or Republican) chooses who will have input on the party platform and thus what the platform will be. (In North Dakota the platform is composed of “resolutions” presented by each legislative district at the party’s convention).
The candidates for the state legislature are chosen.
The delegates to the state convention are chosen. And it is these delegates that determine who will represent the party on the Election Day ballot.

What does a Delegate do?

A Delegate to the State Convention represents (in fact, determines) the will of the party, and carries the voice of the grass roots. The Delegate helps direct the path the party takes by deciding who will be the party’s candidates in state and federal races. Delegates to the State Conventions choose the Delegates to the National Conventions where the presidential candidates are chosen. All the debates about who is the best candidate and how much support will go to each candidate are all really decided at the district level and then at the State Convention. After that, voting on Election Day is little more than as a rubber stamp for what others have already decided.

How to become a Delegate in 5 easy steps
1. Find out what Legislative District you live in and who Chairman is for your Legislative District.Here is the interactive map of North Dakota’s legislative districts: http://web.apps.state.nd.us/hubexplorer/legislativedist/viewer.html

For the ND Republican Party:

http://www.northdakotagop.org/about/district-chairs/

Note: This fall district boundaries will be redrawn to adjust for population changes since the last US Census. This will likely only affect those who live in larger cities, especially Fargo and perhaps Grand Forks. But to be certain, check the map again in late December or early January.

2. Attend your Districts Reorganization and Nominating Convention.

Contact the Chairman of your Legislative District. Ask them when they will be holding their Reorganization Meeting and their Nominating Convention. Mark these dates on your calendar and attend. Some districts may hold both the Reorganization Meeting and the Nominating Convention at the same time. The Reorganization Meeting is where party members elect the leadership of your Legislative District. This is important because a District Chairman has a lot of say in deciding who becomes a delegate or candidate and how the party rules are applied to party business. Reorganization meetings are normally held in the spring of odd-numbered years. However, where new district boundaries are created, there will be a new reorganization meeting held sometime between November of 2011 and early March of 2012. The Nominating Convention is where candidates for State Legislature are nominated and Delegates for the State Convention are chosen. Even-numbered districts select their legislative candidates in the years of the presidential campaign. Odd-numbered districts elect their legislative candidates in the off-presidential years. For the 2012 election even numbered districts will be nominating their candidates for the state legislature.

3. Read and understand your State Party and Legislative District by-laws.

The ND Republican Party by-laws are here: http://www.northdakotagop.org/rules-and-mode/ Your Legislative Districts will also have their own version of these by-laws. You need to get a copy of your Legislative District’s by-laws from your district chair.

4. Actively participate in your District Nominating Convention.

It cannot be emphasized enough: Attendance at these meetings is vital! There is no substitute for your attendance. There is no other opportunity to have your voice heard. Once decisions are made at the District Convention, it’s final. Get to know the candidates seeking your party’s nomination to represent your district in Bismarck. If you are not able to find out about the candidates before the Nominating Convention come prepared to ask the candidates questions. Do not allow the nominating process to proceed if there are things you are uncertain about or that don’t make sense to you.

Ask questions: Understand what is being considered and why before casting your nominating vote. You are not there to rubber stamp the party’s agenda but to ensure that the candidates and agenda that emerge are ones that represent your beliefs and philosophy of how your government should function.

Choosing Delegates to the State Convention: It is only at your district nominating convention that delegates to the State Convention are chosen. The process for choosing Delegates depends on:
The District’s bylaws
The number of people who attend this meeting
The number of delegates your district is allowed
The leadership style of the District Chairman.

If your district is allowed a large delegation—say 70 delegates—and only a handful of people show up for the meeting, then it is likely that everyone who attends the meeting who wants to be a Delegate will be. Delegate positions that are not filled at the convention may then be appointed by the District Chairman. That’s why it is important to have good district leadership. You may vote at the meeting to send 20 liberty-minded people as Delegates to the State Convention, but if the Chairman fills the remaining 50 delegate seats with those who support the status-quo, then your efforts to steer the party towards liberty will be thwarted. On the other hand, if the district is only allowed a small number of delegates — say 20 and 30 people show up for the meeting, then it is likely that all the Delegates will be voted on at that meeting.

Since the majority rules at these meetings, you want to be sure that you have brought plenty of liberty-minded people with you to this meeting, otherwise those few Delegate seats might go to people who will not necessarily be working for a pro-freedom platform or will not support pro-freedom candidates. The only way to ensure the District meeting moves the party towards small constitutional government and nominates like minded candidates is for you to attend and participate in your District’s Nominating Convention.

It is also important you make sure to bring other like-minded people with you to the meeting. You want to ensure that whatever voting takes place moves the party towards an agenda of smaller government and personal liberty. If you think you and your friends constitute a majority at the meeting, you might consider presenting a slate of delegates. If, for example, the District is allowed 70 delegates, you might present a slate of 40-50 delegates that you know will all work to move the State Convention towards a pro-freedom agenda. That would leave the District Chairman with 20-30 other seats that s/he can fill to his/her liking, but it ensures that the majority of the Delegates who represent your District will work for a small government, pro-liberty agenda at the State Convention. It also means that you don’t necessarily have to have all 40-50 of those people attend the meeting. But you do need to make sure that you have a majority of the voters at that meeting committed to pass that pro-liberty Delegate slate at the meeting. To successfully present a “slate of Delegates” be familiar with the District’s by-laws to ensure your nominations are within the bounds of the District by-laws. Before presenting a “slate of Delegates” know you have a majority of those attending that will support the slate you present. If you don’t have a majority, an alternate slate could be presented made up of individuals with a liberal/progressive mindset.

5. Attend the State Convention

The state GOP Convention will be held on March 31 – April 1 in Bismarck, ND. The likely cost $75-100 plus the cost of travel. Stay in touch with other political groups, such as Campaign for Liberty. Many of these groups will help people defray the costs of the convention (especially hotel and transportation expenses).

** Go to http://www.campaignforliberty.com/

Click on ND for updates. Here you will be kept informed about issues as well as provided additional training, insights and information on the convention process. Be fully informed. Be fully prepared. This will make you an effective Delegate