Maine
Republican
Caucuses
Update from Ron Paul 2012 PCC
May 7, 2012 press
release / Maine Democratic Party reaction
Updated results reported Feb. 17
Mitt
Romney 2,373
(37.97%) Ron Paul 2,258 (36.13%)
Rick Santorum 1,136 (18.18%) Newt Gingrich 405
(6.48%) Undec. 60 (0.96%) Others 18
Total 6,250
Results as initially reported Feb.
11
Mitt
Romney
2,190
(39.21%) Ron Paul 1,996 (35.74%)
Rick Santorum 989 (17.71%) Newt Gingrich 349
(6.25%) Others 61 (1.09%) Total 5,585
February 11, 2012
Maine Republican Party
MITT
ROMNEY
Winner of the Maine GOP Caucuses
Portland, ME Feb 11, 2012 – Maine Republican Chairman Charles M.
Webster and Vice Chair Ruth Summers issued the following statements
announcing Mitt Romney as the winner of this year’s caucus process and
thanking our volunteers and Maine voters for participating in the
process. Romney wins Maine caucuses with 39.2 percent of the vote.
“We would like to congratulate Governor Romney on his win in the
Maine caucuses, and thank Ron Paul and Mitt Romney for making stops in
Maine over the past several weeks. Maine People were excited to cast
their first vote against the Obama agenda and we look forward to
working with our Republican presidential nominee to defeat Barack Obama
in Maine,” said Maine GOP Chairman Charlie Webster.
Maine GOP Vice Chair Ruth Summers said, “We owe many thanks and
congratulations to our volunteers across the state who worked so
diligently organizing these caucuses. These caucuses would not have
been possible without our State Committee who promoted this concept. It
was wonderful to see so many Maine people turn out to vote in the
presidential straw poll and participate in the caucus business. We are
truly a grassroots party and the work they started is critical to
moving our Party forward and winning in November.”
Maine is considered a ‘beauty contest’ state when it comes to
caucuses. That is to say, there are no national delegates ‘won’ or
‘bound’ to any Presidential candidate in our caucus process. At the
caucuses, we elect state delegates, election clerks, and in some cases
town officers. What we also do is ask those participating in the
caucus, to take a poll on which Presidential candidate they prefer.
This is an unofficial, non-binding poll, that just simply show’s a
‘snapshot’, or takes the current ‘pulse’, of which Presidential
candidate has the most support at the participating caucuses throughout
the state. Some caucuses decided to not participate in the Presidential
poll, and will caucus after this announcement. Their results WILL NOT
be factored into this announcement after the fact. Again, this is an
unofficial, non-binding poll, and we will elect our actual national
delegation, from the floor of the state convention on May 5TH and 6TH.
Mitt Romney has 39.2 percent of the vote with 2190 votes, Ron Paul
has 35.7 percent with 1996 votes, Rick Santorum has 17.7percent with
989 votes, and Newt Gingrich has 6.25 percent with 349 votes.
Romney
for
President
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
|
CONTACT: Romney Press Office
|
February 11, 2012
|
MITT ROMNEY: IT IS TIME
TO SEND A CONSERVATIVE OUTSIDER TO WASHINGTON
Boston, MA – Mitt Romney today
made the following statement on the results of the Maine caucuses:
“I
thank the voters of Maine for their support. I’m committed to turning
around America. And I’m heartened to have the support of so many good
people in this great state.
“We
stand for conservative principles, liberty and prosperity. All of these
are under threat. I’m in this race because I believe that America can
be turned around, that we don’t have to accept unemployment over 8
percent, a national debt that is as large as our entire economy, and a
President who, even as his own policies fail, apologizes for America’s
past successes. We’ve had enough. It’s time to reverse Barack Obama’s
legacy of domestic disarray and foreign-policy weakness.
“I
congratulate my fellow Republicans on a campaign well fought. We may
have our differences, but we’re united in our determination to bring
Barack Obama’s reign of failure to an end. I am the only candidate in
the race who has never served a day in our broken federal government.
The voters of Maine have sent a clear message that it is past time to
send an outsider to the White House, a conservative with a lifetime of
experience in the private sector, who can uproot Washington’s culture
of taxing and spending and borrowing and endless bureaucracy.”
###
Ron Paul 2012 Presidential Campaign Committee
For Immediate Release: February 11, 2012
Contact: Gary Howard
Ron
Paul
Campaign
Comments
on
Maine
Caucus
Results
“Ron
Paul
will
win
the
most
delegates
out of Maine tonight”
LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Tonight
the campaign of 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul sent an
email to supporters regarding today’s caucus results from the state of
Maine. See below for a portion of comments from Ron Paul 2012 Campaign
Manager John Tate.
“Ron Paul will win the most delegates out of Maine tonight.
“In fact, he will probably even win the ‘beauty contest’ straw poll the
media has already called for Mitt Romney – even before all the votes
have been tallied.
“In Washington County – where Ron Paul was incredibly strong – the
caucus was delayed until next week just so the votes wouldn’t be
reported by the national media today.
“Of course, their excuse for the delay was ‘snow.’
“That’s right. A prediction of 3-4 inches – that turned into
nothing
more than a dusting - was enough for a local GOP official to postpone
the caucuses just so the results wouldn’t be reported tonight.
“This is MAINE we’re talking about. The GIRL SCOUTS had an event today
in Washington County that wasn’t cancelled!
“And just the votes of Washington County would have been enough to put
us over the top.
“This is an outrage. But our campaign is in this race to win, and will
stay in it to the very end.
“Congressman Paul’s message of liberty and Constitutional principles is
resonating with Americans everywhere who are sick and tired of the
status quo establishment, and we plan to take this campaign on to
‘Super Tuesday’ and beyond.”
###
For Immediate Release: February 11, 2012
Contact: Gary Howard
Ron Paul Victory in
Maine!
“We are confident
we will control the Maine delegation for the convention in August”
FALMOUTH, Maine – 2012 Republican
Presidential candidate Ron Paul has scored a strong finish in the Maine
presidential caucuses. Paul gained over 36 percent of the vote in the
‘Pine Tree’ state, being barely nudged out by eventual winner Gov. Mitt
Romney who pulled in a little over 38 percent.
Paul performed well throughout the state, although his campaign’s
stronghold of Washington County did not report today for inexplicable
reasons. Congressman Paul was barely bested by Gov. Romney by about 194
votes, a margin the campaign is confident it will make up with the 200
plus votes expected to come out of Washington County’s caucus.
“Today’s results show once again that Congressman Paul’s campaign
for liberty and a return to Constitutional principles is strong and
growing,” said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.
“We are confident that we will control the Maine delegation for the
convention in August. Our campaign is so thankful to all of our
supporters in Maine, and all over the nation, and we want them to know
that we plan to take this message all the way to the White House.”
###
Team
LePage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Saturday, February 11, 2012
CONTACT: Brent Littlefield – LePage Senior Political Advisor
Governor
LePage
Statement
on
Maine
Republican
Presidential Caucus Results
Statement by Governor Paul LePage, R-Maine:
“Republicans from throughout Maine
have made their choice known in the GOP Presidential nominating
contest. It is clear our most pressing problem is the continued need to
grow our economy. I am proud that under my Governorship the
unemployment rate has dropped, but we must do more. Maine is
interconnected with other states in our nation and we must tackle this
problem at all levels of government. That is why I am confident, when
this nominating contest is over and a nominee is chosen, that
Maine Republicans will join independents in putting new policies in
place in Washington that advance economic growth.” – Governor Paul
LePage
# # #
Maine Democratic Party
February 11, 2012
Maine
Democratic Party
Chair Ben Grant’s Statement on the Maine GOP Caucus
Washington –
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Ben Grant released the following
statement following the Maine GOP Caucus:
“Tonight
was
another
bad
night
for
Mitt
Romney.
Following
a string of losses
this week in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota, the Republicans lack of
enthusiasm for their front runner continued tonight in Maine – where we
saw staggeringly low turnout. In 2008 Romney won Maine easily with over
50% of the vote but today he wasn’t even able to break 40% despite
living in the neighboring state, deploying top surrogates and
campaigning aggressively in the closing days of the race.
“In
state after state, turnout among Republican voters is low and GOP
voters continue to be increasingly dissatisfied with their choice of
candidates. Even more alarming for Mitt Romney is his collapsing
support among moderate and independent voters who continue to be turned
off by his hypocrisy and flip flops. It’s no wonder that the more
voters learn about Mitt Romney, the less they like him.”
“As
Mitt Romney campaigned across Maine ahead of today’s caucus, he got a
chance to hear from some hard working middle class people looking for
answers as to how he would lead our nation as President.
“Mainers
are
looking
for
straightforward
answers
and
leadership,
particularly
when
it comes to those hurting the most as our economy recovers.
When
it comes to our economic security, the contrast between Mitt Romney and
President Obama couldn’t be any clearer. While Mitt Romney was a
corporate buyout specialist before leading Massachusetts to a 47th out
of
50
ranking
in
job
creation
as
Governor,
President Obama has invested
in the middle class and led our nation to 23 straight months of job
creation and 3.6 million jobs.”
###
Press Release from Maine Republican Party
February 16, 2012
Chairman
Webster
meets
with
Maine
Republican Party Executive Committee
AUGUSTA, ME -Today the
Executive Committee of the Maine State Republican Party met to discuss
the Presidential Preference Poll results and have approved the
following statement from Chairman Charlie Webster.
“We have worked diligently to contact town chairmen throughout
Maine to reconfirm the results of their individual caucuses. These
totals once confirmed will be posted on the Maine Republican Party Web
site.
All Republicans are keenly aware of the intense interest in the
results of the Maine Republican Party Presidential Preference Poll. In
fact, I have had numerous conversations with Senate President Kevin
Raye and Washington County Commissioner Chris Gardner regarding their
concerns that the Washington County poll results be included in our
final tally. As a result of these conversations I called a meeting of
the Executive Committee to discuss this matter.
The results of the Washington County caucus will be reviewed at the
March 10 Republican State Committee Meeting. The Executive Committee
voted unanimously to recommend to the State Committee that they include
the results in the final tally for the Presidential Preference Poll as
their caucus had been scheduled to occur by the February 11 deadline,
however it was postponed due to inclement weather. ”
-End-
###
Important Information
Relating to Municipal Caucuses
• Each qualified political party (Democratic, Green Independent and
Republican)* must hold a biennial municipal caucus in at least one
municipality in a minimum of 14 counties for the purpose of electing
delegates to a state convention and for any other business. (Title
21-A, §301)
• All caucuses must be held by March 20, 2012.
o The Maine Democratic Party will hold all municipal caucuses on
Sunday, February 26th.
o The Maine Republican Party is encouraging all municipal committees to
hold their caucuses between February 4th and 11th.
(The Maine Republican Party will post the time, date and location of
municipal caucuses as soon as they are known). Please refer to the
Maine Republican party web site for further information in your area:
http://www.mainegop.com/
o The Maine Green Independent Party has not provided our office with
information regarding its caucus as of the time of this mailing.
• At the request of the committee calling the caucus, the municipal
officers shall provide available space in a public building for the
caucus at no cost. If the party requests a specific space or room that
is not available for the date or time requested, the municipality may
provide a suitable alternate location. Municipalities are not allowed
to charge janitorial or other fees. If the municipality chooses to
offer space owned by another entity (i.e. school RSU) that charges a
fee for the use of space, then the fee must be paid by the
municipality, rather than passing it onto the party committee.
• The secretary of the municipal party committee must file a copy of
the notice of the caucus with the Municipal Clerk, who shall record it.
*Certification of the Americans Elect party formation petition is
still pending. If this party is determined to be qualified, we will
notify you.
Registrar’s Requirements
Review Title 21-A and Chapter 1, pages 9-12, of your training
manual: Voter Registration & Elections: The Guide for Maine
Election Administrators, for qualification, selection and duties of
Registrars and Deputy Registrars.
Provide Free Caucus List
• The chair or secretary of the municipal committee or the person or
persons calling a biennial municipal caucus may request a certified
copy of the voter list (21-A, §312), designated as the Caucus List
in CVR.
• The Caucus List must include all voters – not just voters enrolled
in the party requesting the list.
• Title 21-A, §312 specifies that the Caucus List may include
only the following information for each voter: name, residence address,
mailing address, enrollment status, electoral district, voter status as
active or inactive, voter record number and any special designation
indicating the voter is a uniformed service voter, overseas voter or
township voter. By law, the caucus list may not include the date of
birth.
• The Caucus List disk file is designed to include only these items.
All clerks must provide the Caucus List only in the disk file format.
• One free Caucus List must be provided for use by the municipal
committee each biennial election cycle (beginning January 1st of a
general election year) upon request. The requester must complete and
sign the “Request for Obtaining Data from Maine CVR” form. The
requester is not eligible to receive updates to a caucus list.
• The Registrar has 5 business days to prepare and provide the
Caucus List to the requester; however, please ensure it is available
before the caucus.
• A county committee may call the caucus if the municipal committee
fails to do so (or there is no municipal committee). If the municipal
clerk provides a Caucus List to the county committee, this fulfills the
requirement in Title 21-A, section 312 – should a municipal committee
member request a voting list at a later date, the municipal committee
would not be eligible for a free list.
Attend Party Caucus
• Because this is a Presidential election year, the Registrar must
attend the official party caucus for at least 1 hour before the start
of the caucus, at the location where the caucus is being held to accept
registrations and enrollments.
NOTE: The Registrar is required to remain at the caucus to allow all
persons to register and enroll who are present at the caucus at the end
of the 1 hour period.
• In addition to blank voter registration applications for use by
voters who need to register or enroll, the registrar must print an
Alpha Voter List (which includes 17 year olds) from the CVR. The Alpha
Voter List is for use by the Registrar – do not give a copy of the
Alpha Voter List to the party. A requestor of the caucus list will
receive only the caucus list in electronic format.
• When processing enrollments at the caucus, the Registrar must note
the requirements for changing enrollments outlined in Title 21-A,
section 145:
o A voter may not vote at a caucus for 15 days after filing an
application to change enrollment.
o An unenrolled voter may enroll in a party at the caucus and is
eligible to participate immediately.
o The CVR was designed to track this restriction on party enrollment
changes. When a voter changes from one party to another, the voter will
be identified on the caucus disk file and the alpha voter list as an
“X”, during the 15 day period when the voter is ineligible to
participate in party caucuses or other party activities.
NOTE: Any voter who withdrew enrollment to sign the Americans Elect
petition must complete a new application to enroll in a party and
participate in a caucus. If the voter enrolled in the Americans Elect
Party, the voter must remain in the party for 3 months before the voter
can withdraw or change their party again.
• A caucus may be held outside the municipality if several
municipalities elect to meet on a consolidated basis. If a political
party chooses to hold a regional caucus (two or more municipalities
from a certain area caucusing together in a central location), the
Registrar of Voters for each municipality participating in the caucus
must attend the regional caucus, even if the caucus is held outside of
the Registrar’s municipality.
o The Registrar may appoint a Deputy Registrar to attend a caucus and
accept new registrations and enrollments. A Deputy Registrar performs
any of the duties prescribed by the appointing authority; any
registrations and enrollments accepted by the Deputy Registrar at the
caucus must be added to the voter list.
Maine Republican Party
Caucus Dates/Times and Locations
Androscoggin County
All towns, unless otherwise listed, will be participating at the
countywide caucus in Lewiston.
February 11th, 9:00 A.M.
Geiger Elementary School, 601 College Street, Lewiston
Caucus Contact Person: Rosemarie Butler
E-Mail : cotebutler@myfairpoint.net
Phone #: 782-6373
Cumberland County
Brunswick
February 11th, 8:30 A.M.
Curtis Memorial Library
Caucus Contact Person: Jonathon Crimmins
E-Mail: j_crimmins@hotmail.com
Phone #: 720-0203
Cape Elizabeth
February 11th, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Middle school Cafeterium
Falmouth
February 11th, 9:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Town Hall
Harpswell
February 11th, 9:00 A.M.
Old Orr’s Island Schoolhouse
Orr’s Island
Caucus Contact Person: Jean Appleby Johnson
E-Mail: johnsonjean@myfairpoint.net
Phone #: 833-0056
Harrison
Feb. 11th 9:00am to 12:00pm
Harrison Fire Station Community Room
34 School St.
Naples
February 11th, 10:00 A.M.
Naples Town Office Gym
Caucus Contact Person: Rich Cross
E-Mail: rich06@roadrunner.com
Phone #: 693-7945
New Gloucester
February 11th, 1:00 P.M.
Community Building
North Yarmouth
February 11th, All Day
North Yarmouth Fire Station
Portland
February 11th, 9:30 A.M.
Riverton School
1600 Forest Avenue, Portland
Raymond
February 9th, 7:00 P.M.
Raymond Town Office
South Portland
February 11th, 8:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
South Portland Community Center
Standish
February 9th, 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Town Hall
Windham
February 11th, 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Town Hall
Yarmouth
February 11th, 10:00 A.M.
American Legion Log Cabin
Main Street
Caucus Contact Person: Jeff Weinstein
Phone #: 846-1212
Hancock County
Hancock County will hold their caucuses in 6 different ‘districts’.
Each district will have the list of towns participating in that
location.
District 1
Bucksport, Orland, Verona
February 11th, 10:00 A.M.
G. Herbert Jewett School
66 Bridge Street, Bucksport
Caucus Contact Person: Sandi Blanchette
Phone #: 944-8444
District 2
Dedham, Ellsworth, Otis, Trenton
February 11th, 12:00 P.M.
Ellsworth City Hall
Caucus Contact Person: Janice Eldridge
Phone #: 667-2163
District 5
Gouldsboro, Hancock, Lamoine, Waltham, Sorrento, Sullivan,
Winter Harbor, Fletcher’s Landing
February 18th, 10:00 A.M.
Hancock Grammar School (off Route 1)
Caucus Contact Person: Kathy Birdsall
Phone #: 460-1021
District 6
Aurora/Amherst, Eastbrook, Franklin, Mariaville, Osborn
February 18th, 1:00 P.M.
Eastbrook Municipal Office
959 Eastbrook Road, Eastbrook
Caucus Contact Person: Debbie Lockman
Phone #: 584-5900
Castine
March 3rd, 9:30 A.M.
Emerson Hall
Caucus Contact Person: Jinny Comiciotto
Phone #: 326-8340
Kennebec County
Clinton
Saturday, February 18
10:00 A.M.
Clinton Town Office
Contact: Steve Trask 660-1942
E-Mail : roofwarrior@hotmail.com
Rome
February 16th, 6:30 P.M.
The home of Alan & Lynn Labelle (256 Jamaican Point Road)
Oxford County
Oxford County’s towns will hold their caucuses in five different
‘consolidated caucuses’. Please contact the caucus organizer to find
out the location in which your town will hold it’s caucus.
Fryeburg Consolidated Caucus
February 11th, 10:00 A.M.
Mollyockett Middle School
Fryeburg
Brownfield
Bob Walstrom
February 11th, 10:00AM
Mollyockett Mid School – Fryeburg
Fryeburg
Kimberly Clarke
February 11th, 10:00AM
Mollyockett Mid School – Fryeburg
Hiram
Beth Wadsworth
February 11th, 10:00AM
Mollyockett Mid School – Fryeburg
Lovell
Robert Steller
February 11th, 10:00AM
Mollyockett Mid School – Fryeburg
Porter
Peg Hughes
February 11th, 10:00AM
Mollyockett Mid School – Fryeburg
Individual Towns Caucusing
Please contact caucus organizers for more information.
Denmark
Caucus Contact Person: Michael Lee
Phone #: 512- 2928
Woodstock
Caucus Contact Person: George Hooper
Phone #: 665-2970
Penobscot County
Charleston
The Town of Charleston will hold its caucus at the Charleston Community
Center, on School Road, on Wednesday, February 8 at 6:30pm.
For further information, contact Alan Gray, Town Chairman, at 285-7986.
Newport
February 11th, 10:00 A.M.
Newport Town Office
Caucus Contact Person: Shawn Roderick
E-Mail: shawnroderick@hotmail.com
Waldo County
Individual Caucuses
Montville
February 11th, 10:00 A.M.
Montville Town Office
Stockton Springs
February 11th 10:00 A.M.
Stockton Springs Town Office.
Washington County
POSTPONED TO THE 18TH
All towns, unless otherwise listed, will be participating at the
countywide caucus in East Machias.
February 18th, 1:30 P.M.
Washington Academy
East Machias
York County
All towns, unless otherwise listed, will be participating at the
countywide caucus in Sanford.
York County Caucus:
Acton, *Alfred, Arundel, Berwick, *Buxton, Cornish, Dayton, Hollis,
*Kennebunk, Kittery, Lebanon, Limerick, Limington, Lyman, Newfield,
North Berwick, Parsonsfield, *Sanford, Shapleigh, South Berwick,
Waterboro and Wells.
Date: Saturday, February 11, 2012
Location: The Veterans Memorial Gymnasium, 678 Main Street, Sanford,
Maine.
Time: Doors will open at 8am, 9am County Caucus program begins
11:15 am All towns will break out into individual caucuses. The towns
listed above that have an Astrix will be caucusing at the Veterans
Memorial Gymnasium. All other towns listed above will be caucusing at
the Sanford High School which is directly behind the Veterans Memorial
Gymnasium.
Sanford Junior High Students and the Boy Scouts of America will be
selling breakfast and lunch items as fund raisers.
If you need more information, please contact York County Caucus
Coordinator, Judee Meyer at (207) 459-0683 or email:
familyhistoryphotography@yahoo.com
Judee Meyer
York County Caucus Coordinator
familyhistoryphotography@yahoo.com
Caucus information for towns not caucusing in Countywide caucus in
Sanford is:
Biddeford
Saturday, February 11, 2:00 pm
J.R. Martin Community Center
Contact: Marc Worrell, 590-5630 mgworrell@gmail.com
Kennebunkport
Saturday, February 11, 1:00 pm
Rhumb Line Resort
Contact: Roger Seavey, 831-6615 rogseavey@roadrunner.com
Ogunquit
Friday, February 10, 1:00 pm
Dunaway Community Center
Contact: Stillman Bradish, 646-3292 sbradish@maine.rr.com
Election/Caucus Laws and Legal Guidelines
Legal Guidelines
NOTE: All information below is shown as it appears in Title 21A of
Maine Revised Statutes.
MUNICIPAL CAUCUS (Section 158)
During the gubernatorial election year, the registrar shall attend the
biennial municipal caucus of each qualified party for at least 30
minutes preceding the commencement of the caucus at the location where
the caucus is being held. During the presidential election year, the
registrar shall attend the biennial municipal caucus of each qualified
party for at least one hour preceding the commencement of the caucus at
the location where the caucus is being held. The registrar shall accept
the registrations and enrollments of all qualified voters who attempt
to register and enroll, and all persons so registered and enrolled may
participate in their party caucus. The registrar shall allow all
persons to register or enroll who are present at the caucus at the end
of the 30-minute or one-hour registration period.
RULES GOVERNING (Section 311)
Call. The caucus may be called by the chair or a majority of the
members of the municipal committee of a political party. If the
municipal committee fails to call a caucus, the county committee may
call the caucus. At the request of that committee municipal officers
shall provide available space in a public building for a caucus. This
means that each town must provide a space free of charge for this
event. A municipality may hold its caucus outside the municipality if
several municipalities elect to meet on a consolidated basis or if the
committee calling the caucus determines that a facility outside the
municipality is more suitable.
Time. A biennial municipal caucus of any party must be held during
the general election year before March 20th.
Notice. The secretary of the committee shall have a notice of the
caucus published in a newspaper having general circulation in the
municipality at least 3 and not more than 7 days before it is to be
held, or shall post a notice in a conspicuous, public place in each
voting district in the municipality at least 7 days before the caucus.
The notice must contain the name of the party, the time and place of
the caucus and the name of the person calling it.
A. If the notice is not published as required by this subsection,
the caucus is void if challenged by any voter eligible to participate
in the caucus who was prejudiced by the failure to publish notice.
B. The secretary of the committee shall file a copy of the notice with
the clerk who shall record it.
Procedure. The chair of the municipal committee shall open the
caucus. In the chair’s absence, the secretary or any resident voter
enrolled in the party may open the caucus. The caucus shall elect a
secretary and a chair in that order. The chair of the caucus shall then
preside over the caucus and the secretary shall record the proceeding
of the caucus. The caucus shall determine its own parliamentary
procedure.
If no municipal committee. If there is no municipal committee, any
resident voter enrolled in the party may call a special caucus for the
purpose of electing the committee following the notice procedure of
subsection 3.
MUNICIPAL CAUCUS LIST (Section 312)
The chair or secretary of the municipal committee or the person or
persons calling a biennial municipal caucus, including any resident
voter pursuant to section 311, subsection 5, may request a list of
registered voters pursuant to section 196-A, subsection 1 for use by
the municipal committee once each biennial election cycle beginning
January 1st in an election year.
VOTING PROCEDURE (Section 313)
Vote by list. The caucus may order voting to be done by checking each
voter’s name on the municipal caucus list of registered voters from the
central voter registration system pursuant to section 312.
Secret ballot. The caucus may order voting to be done by secret
ballot which may be printed, or written on plain paper.
CHALLENGES (Section 314)
An enrolled voter of a municipality may challenge the right of another
to vote at a municipal caucus. The person challenged may vote at the
caucus after he has taken the following oath administered by the
chairman of the caucus.
Oath. “I, (name of challenged person), swear that I am a registered
and enrolled voter in this voting district, that I am a member of the
party holding this caucus, and that I have not been enrolled in any
other party in this municipality within the last 15 days.”
Oath recorded and copy sent to registrar. The secretary of the
caucus shall record the administration of the oath and shall send a
copy of the record to the registrar.
Registrar to compare records. On receipt of the copy of the record,
the registrar shall compare it with the voting and enrollment records.
If the oath is false, the person who swore to it is guilty of a Class E
crime.
ELECTION CLERKS (Section 503)
Qualifications; appointment; compensation. Election clerks must be at
least 18 years of age, registered to vote and residents of the
municipality, except that, if the municipal officers, after providing
timely notice to state and local chairs of political parties of the
lack of available election clerks, are unable to appoint a sufficient
number of election clerks who are residents of the municipality, the
municipal clerk may appoint election clerks who are not residents of
the municipality but who are residents of the county and are otherwise
qualified to fill the vacancies. The municipal officers of each
municipality shall appoint election clerks no later than May 1st of
each general election year to serve at each voting place during the
time the polls are open and as counters after the polls close. A list
of the election clerks appointed under this subsection must be posted
at each voting place. Election clerks are entitled to a reasonable
compensation as determined by the municipal officers.
Representation of parties. The municipal officers shall consider the
following for appointment as election clerks.
A. The municipal officers shall consider persons nominated by the
municipal, county or state committees of the major parties to serve as
election clerks. The municipal officers shall appoint at least one
election clerk from each of the major parties to serve at each voting
place during the time the polls are open. The municipal officers shall
also appoint a sufficient number of election clerks to serve as
counters after the polls close. The election clerks must be selected so
that the number of election clerks from one major party does not exceed
the number of election clerks from another major party by more than
one.
B. The municipal officers shall appoint at least one election clerk
nominated by the municipal committee of a qualified minor party
represented on the last general election ballot for each voting place
at the committee’s request.
C. Notwithstanding subsection 1, the municipal officers may also
consider persons who are 17 years of age to serve as student election
clerks for a specific election. A student election clerk may perform
all the functions of an election clerk as prescribed by this Title.
CONVENTION DELEGATE (AND CONVENTION ALTERNATE) JOB DESCRIPTION
Convention Delegates play an important role in setting the direction
of the Maine Republican Party. The primary responsibilities of
Convention Delegates are to conduct the general business of the State
Convention and nominate and/or elect representatives to the National,
State and County Committees.
The duties of a Convention Delegate include, but are not limited to:
Discuss and vote on the General Rules of the Maine Republican Party;
Discuss and vote on the Rules of the next biennial Republican State
Convention;
Discuss and vote on the Maine Republican Party Platform including any
amendments presented from the floor;
Elect a National Committeeman and National Committeewoman;
Elect Delegates and Alternates to the National Republican Convention;
Ratify Municipal Delegate nominees to County Committees and elect
representatives from municipalities that did not nominate a sufficient
number of Municipal Delegates to the County Committee;
Nominate State Committee Members (State Committeeman, State
Committeewoman and State Committee Member At-Large) from each county
those who will represent you on the Republican State Committee.
Convention Alternates are responsible for performing the
responsibilities and duties of Convention Delegates in the absence of a
Delegate and having been appointed as such by the Delegation Chair.
NOTE: Delegates and Alternates are responsible for all of their
expenses.
There is a fee of $25 to attend the Convention as a Delegate or
Alternate.
You must pay for all meals (Convention sponsored meals will range
from $15 to $40).
You must make your own housing arrangements.
You should receive Convention information by March 16th. If you have
not heard from us by then, please contact Michelle at 622-6247 or
michelle@mainegop.com.
MUNICIPAL DELEGATION CHAIRMAN JOB DESCRIPTION
The Municipal Delegation Chairman is the leader of the Municipal
Delegation (Delegates and Alternates) to the State Convention.
It is the responsibility of the Delegation Chairman to:
Confirm that all Delegates are planning to attend the Convention.
Appoint a replacement if a Delegate is unable to attend the Convention
o the Delegation Chairman must appoint a replacement from the list of
elected Alternates.
Appoint a replacement if a Delegate is unable to be present at any
time during the Convention for votes.
o the Delegation Chairman must appoint a replacement from the list of
elected Alternates.
Call a meeting of the Municipal Delegation to elect a replacement
Delegation Chairman if you are unable to fulfill your duties.
Communicate with the Maine Republican Party when appropriate.
o Notify the MRP HQ in writing of any changes in the status of
Delegates and/or Alternates (e-mail to Michelle@mainegop.com if prior
to the Convention or via the Delegate Replacement Form if the
Convention has already commenced.)
Monitor the Municipal Delegation during voting sessions to insure
that only Delegates vote on each issue.
Assist County Chairmen in the distribution and collection of ballots,
when required.
COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBER JOB DESCRIPTION
Municipal delegates to the County Committee, commonly referred to as
County Committee Members, represent enrolled Republicans in their
municipality when conducting County Committee business and specific
activities related to the election of local officers and elected state
legislators. Duties include, but are not limited to:
Representing municipal interests on the County Committee;
Attending County Committee meetings and casting votes on routine
County Committee business;
Working closely with the Municipal Committee to promote local
Republican activism;
Supporting municipal and county organizational activities including:
o Fundraising
o Communications
o Promoting special events
Supporting election related activities including:
o Recruiting candidates for County Offices
o Providing campaign assistance within the municipality to local, state
and federal candidates
o Providing assistance on referendum issue campaigns
o Poll watching
Performing other duties and responsibilities defined in individual
County By-Laws
Additionally, municipal delegates to the County Committee may be
called upon to participate in filling untimely vacancies left in County
and State offices.
What do ELECTION CLERKS do?
Municipalities are required to have Election Clerks working at the
polls on Election Day.
Political committees can nominate people to work at the polls.
Nominations must be submitted to the municipal clerk no later than
April 1, 2012.
Election Clerks must represent the political parties equally within
one; i.e., there can be 7 Republicans and 6 Democrats.
Election Clerks perform a vital role in our election process. Their
responsibilities include:
check in voters;
provide voters with appropriate ballot(s);
tally votes at the end of the day; and
ensure that all election related materials are secured according to
State Law.
Many municipalities have a difficult time finding the necessary
number of people to work at the polls. Here is how you can help:
Ask your Clerk for the names of those who have served as Republican
Election Clerks in the past.
Tell your clerk that your Republican Committee will be making
nominations in accordance with State Law.
Take the time to find people who are willing to work at your Polls.
The goal is to have every Republican Committee submit names this
year. Please help with this task. This is an important part of our
process.
Please read Legal Guidelines, Election Clerks (Section 503 at top of
this page) for requirements.