We the People of Johnson County Missouri, Friday, January 19, 2024 📢 Detailed Info About the Upcoming Presidential Caucus March 2
Hi Folks!
Brandon Phelps, Chair for RCC (Republican Central Committee) gave most of the information below at our last RCC meeting here in Johnson County, Tuesday, 16, 2024. I thought it would help all of us to have the information in writing.
Cyndia Haggard, RCC Chair for Vernon County, has written all this out for us, and included links where there is more information.
I encourage you to read through the information and understand it to the best of your ability. Be aware some of the info is specifically for RCC Chairs, and won’t apply to you, so don’t be confused by that.
If you have questions, contact Miles or Chandler at the Missouri GOP directly. Cyndia has put their email in the body of the info below.
TO: County Chairs & Support Groups
There is seemingly a lot of confusion surrounding the upcoming March 2nd caucus. There's even been at least one news article published that was loaded with inaccurate statements, such as party affiliation being required to attend the caucus. (Sadly, it is not being required, although Rep Dan Stacy made a valiant effort to get it included. We thank him for his efforts, along with MRSC members who supported it as well.)
I asked Miles Ross, GOP Executive Director, for an official response to some of the most prevalent questions and rumors, so that you who are reading this would have answers directly from the Executive Director. My questions and his official responses are posted below.Â
If you have other questions, feel free to contact Miles directly at miles@mogop.org or chandler@mogop.org. Please share any answers with us (chair@repaccmo.com) so that we can also distribute that information to all chairs and support groups. Remember, it will take all of us working together and helping each other to make the caucus a success.
Included in this email are the following materials and links:Â
1. A link to the "final" copy of the caucus instructions pamphlet that was handed out during caucus training. (The document still says "draft" on the pages, but the title says it's the final copy.) This should be especially helpful to those of you who weren't able to attend any of the sessions conducted by Chris Howard and the MO GOP. Click HERE for the pamphlet and related documents. Click HERE for the Republican Pledge that is required to be signed by all attending the caucus.
2. Links to training videos. These were taped compliments of David LIghtner, former Jackson County Chair and current member of the MRSC. He filmed the KC training session, and we thank him for making this video available. Click HERE to go to the training videos.
3. A numbered "bullet list" of important caucus items, slides from the training videos, and deadlines put together by REPACCMO. That document is attached to this email.  It represents "highlights" from the pamphlet. There are page references for each item that will take you to that page in the attached pamphlet*. This is a good "bullet list" of important items, but do read the pamphlet for detailed information. The LOCAL CAUCUS information begins on page 15 of the online version (page 14 if you have a copy from a training session), and the required Republican Pledge is on page 28 of the training session handout.Â
* The numbered list is from the paper version of the handout that was distributed during training. If you are using the online version, the page numbers may be off by one page.
4. The Q&A below. Miles' answers to my questions.
Q&A with Miles Ross
1. Can we require party affiliation at a local level even though the state GOP doesn't require it?
MIles: " Please be advised that Affiliation cannot be required to attend the caucus. A motion to require affiliation was soundly defeated at the state committee on 9-9-23 when the rules were adopted. We also clearly state the same at all caucus training sessions being conducted throughout the state."
"All participants of Caucuses and Conventions DO HAVE to complete theÂ
Missouri Republican Party Pledge."
2. Can we refuse admittance to people in our communities who we know are strong Democrats?
Miles: " A PERSON CAN BE REMOVED, OR NOT LET IN TO A CAUCUS, IF THEY ARE KNOWN TO BELONG TO ANOTHER PARTY (SUCH AS BEING A DEMOCRAT ELECTED OFFICIAL, OR ON ANOTHER PARTY'S CENTRAL COMMITTEE). Please use an abundance of common sense when enacting these measures as they could lead to unforeseen negative issues."
3. What are the consequences of doing either of the above if it violates the stated rules approved by the RNC?
Miles: " FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE RULES AS ADOPTED BY THE MISSOURI REPUBLICAN STATE COMMITTEE ON 9-9-23 COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF ALL DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES."
4. How will we access the pre-registration information for our counties?
Miles did not answer this question, so we do not yet have information to share. We do know pre-registers will receive an email confirmation they are to bring with them for faster admittance, and the instructions say they will also still need to show a picture ID. The confirmation email after registering includes the following lines: "Check the email you provided for your pass for entry. Bring this with you to the Caucus for expedited entry. Without this pass, you will have to confirm your registration upon arrival. In both cases, remember to bring with you a valid photo ID."
5. How will we receive pre-register information?
Miles Ross responded to fellow chair and REPACCMO board member, Melissa Thomas, with this comment: "The user will get a page to show they registered, and you will get info at a later date as well" ....At the moment we have no idea when that later date is or what format this information will be in. Stay tuned....
Pre-Registration Form Issues
For those of you having trouble with pre-registration, the information must match your voter ID card. (Example: Mine was missing the "W"Â - for West - in my address so I had to omit it on the pre-registration form as well.), The mogop.org website provides a link on the form page to check exactly how your ID card really reads. Use it if you're having problems! Also, the information must be entered in all CAPS.
More From Miles:
The Missouri Republican Party Presidential Caucus will be held in every county in Missouri March 2, 2024, at 10:00A.M.
The caucus will be the only way Republicans can vote in the presidential primary. The Presidential Preference Primary that most voters are used to did not pass out of the Missouri Senate last session, so we have been working hard to roll out tools to make it easier for people to participate.
The first tool is the pre-registration link where caucus attendees can register early to make the check-in process on the day of the caucus quicker.Â
NOTE: IT IS VERY CRITICAL TO ENTER ALL INFORMATION EXACTLY AS IT IS LISTED ON YOUR VOTER ID CARD IN ALL CAPS!!
THIS INFORMATION IS BEING PULLED FROM THE MISSOURI SECRETARY OF STATE'S WEBSITE AND MUST MATCH EXACTLY (LEGAL NAME, ADDRESS, ETC). IF IT IS NOT CORRECT, YOU WILL GET AN ERROR MESSAGE AND YOU WILL HAVE TO RESUBMIT THE FORM CORRECTLY.
The second tool will help you affiliate by party with the state of Missouri.Â
 (Affiliation is not required to participate in the caucus)
Please go or direct people to the MOGOP.org website to utilize these tools, and to find more resources about the caucus process. At the top of the MOGOP.org main page there is a page titled "2024 Caucus" pictured above. Please go to that page to find the links and resources for your successful caucus experience.
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I hope this information has been helpful. I know at first it seems daunting, but for most small counties, it really shouldn't be. Read the LOCAL caucus portion of the pamphlet, look at the numbered list of important items, and ask questions if you are confused about anything. If you're confused, chances are others are as well. Together we'll get through this!Â
IF YOUR COUNTY CANNOT AFFORD TO HOLD A CAUCUS, OR DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO HELP, BE SURE TO CONTACT MILES IMMEDIATELY SO THE STATE GOP CAN HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM. SIMPLY NOT HOLDING THE CAUCUS IS NOT THE SOLUTION!
Okay, this is me again now. If you have any questions, put them in the Comments Section below - or - contact Miles or Chandler at the emails in the earlier part of Cyndia’s message.
None of us is happy about the Caucus taking the place of the Presidential Preference Primary, but we’ll get through this. For the future, we need to email/call our MO Representatives and Senators and let them know we want the PPP back.
OR…we can vote Denny Hoskins in as Secretary of State this year and send him bazillions of emails requesting our PPP back to replace the caucus completely!!