The Republican Party was born out of the antislavery movement of the mid-1800’s. The Saint Joseph County chapter of the Party was founded shortly thereafter and continues to promote the values of Freedom, Equality and Justice for all.
Our party is truly a grassroots organization. From the national level to the township level, it all starts with YOU!
Here is a brief summary of how it works:
Precinct committeemen are the heart and soul of our organization. These are your friends and neighbors who are either elected during a primary or appointed by the county chairman. They go door-to-door in their neighborhoods rallying support for the party and our candidates. However, and perhaps most importantly, every four years, precinct committeemen and vice-committeemen are able to vote for a county chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and treasurer.
The county chairman, along with the executive committee, makes decisions on the direction of the party on the local level. They recruit and support candidates to run for county, city and township offices. The county chairman is able to vote for a district chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and treasurer.
Each Congressional district has a Republican committee whose purpose is to aid in the election of a Republican Congressman from that particular district. The district chairman and vice-chairman sit on the state committee which is the state party’s governing body. These committeemen are able to vote for for a national committeeman and a committeewoman as well as for the state chairman.
The state chairman is the head of the Republican party in his/her state. It is their job to support Republican candidates for statewide office. The state chairman is able to vote for the chairman of the Republican National Committee if their state voted Republican in the preceding presidential election, have a Republican majority in their congressional delegation (U.S. representatives and senators), or have Republican governors.
National committeemen, regardless of which party is in control of their state, are able to vote for a chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The RNC chairman serves a two-year term and guides the party’s national effort to elect a Republican President and Republican members of Congress.