Dear John,

We thought you may be interested to receive this CONSERVATIVE NEWS ALERT from Illinois Review.
 

By Thomas McCullagh, Publisher

The Illinois State Republican Convention is fast approaching, set to take place on Friday, May 24, and Saturday, May 25, at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, IL. This event will gather Republicans from across the state for networking, socializing, training, and learning opportunities. However, beyond these activities, the convention holds significant importance as it offers delegates a unique opportunity to influence the direction of the party for the next four years. The main tasks will include adopting a new platform and electing Illinois representatives to the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Understanding the rules and mechanics of the convention is vital for those attending. The opportunity for grassroots participants and delegates to impact the party’s direction is scheduled for only 3.5 hours on Saturday afternoon. This brief window makes it essential for delegates to be well-versed in the rules. Without this knowledge, decisions about the platform and the selection of RNC members could be dominated by those who wrote the rules, rather than by the delegates themselves.

The first order of business at the convention will be adopting the Rules of Order. These rules are crucial as they determine how officers are nominated and elected, how the platform is approved and adopted, and much more. Essentially, the adopted rules will decide who gets their voices heard and who has the power to influence key decisions.

For delegates who wish to challenge the proposed rules, the time to act is when the convention is called to order. According to the current bylaws of the Illinois Republican Party, specifically Articles VI and VII, the convention itself has the authority to set its own rules. This means that unless delegates propose and adopt alternate rules at the opening of the convention, the rules proposed by the Rules and Procedures committee will be enacted. These rules will then govern the adoption of the platform and the nomination and election of members to the RNC.

Per Article VII (H) of the bylaws, the proposed convention rules must be published on the Illinois Republican Party website and made available in printed form to each delegation chair forty-eight hours before the convention opens.

With the general business session starting at 11:30 AM on Saturday, the rules should be published by 11:30 AM TODAY.