Why shouldn’t every County have, as its own possession, a local statement of principles, values, and proposed actions which are answerable to the grassroots, that is, the Republican residents of every County Precinct? Such a statement—effectively a County Platform—may then be amended by the County’s Precinct representatives (that is, Precinct Committeepersons, or PCPs) when convenient.
You see, the State Platform is determined by Delegates and Bonus Delegates at a distant State Platform Convention only once every two years. Whereas, our County’s Delegates gain valuable practical experience in shaping a local working Platform whenever they want (that is, when events or circumstances offer opportunity or excite deliberation). Thus, our County Platform stays fresh and remains immediately relevant to our local residents. All the while, the County Party demonstrates the amendment process to potential Bonus-Delegate candidates, to those who are interested in attending the State Convention later.
County Platforms are more than just busy work. They serve as a vital conduit of attention and energy by focusing Delegates’ participation at the State Convention. Instead of arriving at a Convention ill-prepared and empty-handed, Delegates offer statements and positions already refined and hammered out through their own Counties’ amendment processes, as expressed in their adopted County Platforms. In turn, their familiarity with amendments eases the flow of business at the State Convention.
These local Platforms further coordinate County Delegates and organizers of the State Convention when the State Party suggests recommendations for amending the State Platform. Instead of starting from scratch, or instead of wasting valuable time fielding and amending proposals from the Convention floor, the efforts of State organizers may be more profitably spent synthesizing fewer than thirty-six County Platforms (most of which say mostly the same thing) and extracting recommendations already familiar to at least some of the Convention’s participants. After all, proposed changes that have already merited adoption once are easier to adopt more widely.
For smaller Counties (that is, for Counties with relatively few residents), a County Platform must feel completely unnecessary, as their Delegates to the State Convention are so few and their views more generally known within their own communities. But if such a County were to adopt, as their own local Platform, a pre-existing State Platform as a template, such a document could easily serve as a placeholder for filling in local concerns and agenda to be brought up at the next State Convention. Better yet, through the publication and maintenance of such a document, County concerns could be anticipated by the State organizers, who then prepare acceptable recommendations in advance of the State Convention.
Further, a County Platform can serve the integrity of the County membership by raising a standard that the body collectively affirms. PCPs who voluntarily subscribe to the County Platform pledge their constructive support and are upheld in the opinions of their peers. Non-signing members are suspect and may lose local credibility. Since the bar to entry is so low for elected PCPs—a six-month party affiliation and residence and just three votes—an uncoerced signature may be the best that larger Counties can hope for to vet local participants or hold them accountable.
Finally, County Platforms serve the unity of the State Party in three ways. As mentioned before, publishing these documents serves to coordinate County Delegates and State organizers. Second, the documents gather, organize, and focus County Delegates’ specific concerns before they arrive at State Conventions, leading to smooth and efficient meetings. Third, they also serve to identify outlying local concerns within the State. Unaddressed concerns result in lackadaisical engagement. But if the State Party demonstrates concern for matters relevant to the Counties—particularly those indicated in County Platforms—the State can be sure of getting those Counties’ participation and support.
