The election of 2022 led to sweeping changes in the Michigan Republican Party (MIGOP). At both the state and county level there was a nearly complete change in leadership which was attributed largely to the number of citizens newly engaged in politics that ran to be precinct delegates. Before the 2022 election only about 50% of precinct delegate seats were filled across the state. After the election, closer to 75% were filled. Ottawa county went from 43.1% to 73.8% of Republican precinct delegate seats filled.
Precinct delegates are the link between the two major American political parties and community residents. They spend time door knocking, passing out flyers, and working in party offices during election season. The main job of a precinct delegate is to talk to friends and neighbors about candidates and happenings within the party. They attend local conventions to elect local-level party leadership and nominate fellow precinct delegates to attend state conventions where state-level party leadership is elected. In addition, candidates for attorney general, secretary of state, lieutenant governor, and university regents are chosen at state conventions by precinct delegates to appear on the ballot. In Ottawa County there are roughly four delegates per precinct, depending on size.
The voters elect precinct delegates, who elect party leadership, who elect candidates that appear on the ballot. The job of selecting candidates for the ballot starts from the bottom, but when citizens do not engage in the political process and allow precinct delegate seats to go unfilled, the party leadership ends up making the decisions.
Citizens with a desire to get involved in politics tend to look for guidance as to how to get engaged. Contacting Republican party leadership is a natural place to go, but it is not the responsibility of the Republican party to determine who appears on the ballot for precinct delegate. While they may be helpful and provide assistance to candidates that represent Republican party values, they have no official control regarding who runs for precinct delegate office. It is important to understand that precinct delegates do not work for party leadership. Rather, just like all elected officials, they work for the friends and neighbors they represent, and it is their obligation to represent those friends and neighbors through their actions and votes.
The purpose of the political parties is to support and endorse candidates that exemplify the party’s values. Unfortunately, all too often personal ambition along with the desire for power and wealth clouds the judgement of party leadership and elected officials. When this happens and party power and influence flips from the lower precinct delegate level to the higher levels of elected official and party leadership, that’s when backroom deals end up determining which candidates end up on the ballot.
Fortunately, we as citizens have the power to step forward and place our name on the ballot. Becoming a precinct delegate is one way we can get involved.