By Mike Wood, YRFV Representative to the RPV State Central Committee
As a member of the State Central Committee, and as someone who initially supported the Statement of Affiliation, I now regret it and call upon Chairman John Whitbeck to withdraw the statement of affiliation from the 1 March Primary.
First, I have learned that the State Board of Elections (SBE) has dramatically changed the text of the statement of affiliation we passed in September. Though the operative nine words are unchanged, the rest is substantially different than that adopted by the State Central Committee.
Second, I have learned that the SBE will deny us access to the Republican voter contact information that will voluntarily be supplied on these statement forms. Thus, we won’t get the data we were promised when this statement concept was sold to us. To have any chance of acquiring this data, I understand it will take a legal fight on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) grounds. Who knows if that will work?
But third and most disturbing, this statement now violates the Rules of the Republican National Committee. Rule 16(d)(2) says RPV must have published the statement of affiliation qualification in a newspaper of general circulation 90-days before the Primary. I have learned that our Chairman, John Whitbeck, failed to do so. So, if RPV proceeds with the statement requirement with SBE, it is violating RNC rules and Virginia’s delegation will become a prime target for removal by the RNC’s credentials committee, especially if we have a contested convention.
For these reasons, I have come to believe this statement of affiliation is a horrible mistake.
We all know that some Republicans on Capitol Hill have recently hurt our brand, voting for more deficit spending, funding of executive amnesty, funding for ObamaCare, funding of planned parenthood, etc. As a result, so many conservatives we know tell us they no longer consider themselves Republicans.
We need them back—not turned away by a statement.
Primaries are taxpayer-funded. People instinctively believe they have a right to participate. If we wanted a statement of affiliation and to have only Republicans vote, we shouldn’t have picked a Primary in the first place.
It’s time to rescind the statement of affiliation so we can get back the conservatives we’ve lost and win back the White House.
Mike Wood is a conservative activist from Spotsylvania County. He represents the Young Republican Federation of Virginia on the Republican Party of Virginia’s State Central Committee.
