Fairfax City • Fairfax County • Prince William County

District Convention 2008

Mark your calendar!

11th District GOP Convention Date: Saturday, May 17, 2008 Registration: 9-11 am Convention begins: 11 am Location: West Springfield High School 6100 Rolling Rd., Springfield (1 mi. north of Old Keene Mill Rd. - see map)

More information

• Official convention call, including rules for filing by candidates and the agenda at the convention. (PDF document, ~20 kb.)

The 11th Congressional District Republican Convention for 2008 is scheduled for Saturday morning, May 17, at West Springfield High School.

The District Convention will elect the following offices:

• the District Chairman (for 2008-10)
• 3 members of the State Central Committee (for 2008-12)
• 3 delegates to the National Convention (in Sept. 2008)
• 3 alternate delegates to the National Convention
• 1 Presidential elector

See list of candidates for those offices.

The convention will also feature guest speakers (to be announced), including Republican candidates for Congress in the 11th. (If more than one candidate files for Congress, the GOP nominee will be selected in a party primary on Tue., June 10.) The convention also provides an excellent opportunity for Republicans from across the 11th District to meet one another.

BACKGROUND:
The District Convention is part of the biennial reorganization of local GOP organizations around Virginia. Every two years, Republicans in each city and county elect a new local committee and party chairman. They also select delegates to a Convention for that Congressional District, which elects a District GOP Chairman. During Presidential election years, the District Convention also elects other party officers and delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Convention delegates:
Any registered voter in the 11th District, who is in accord with the principles of the Republican party, may file to become a delegate to the District Convention, a delegate to the State Convention, or both, as well as a member of the local unit committee. There are many delegate and committee positions available for each locality.

Filing: To attend the District Convention as a voting delegate, or to join a local Committee, you must sign up through your local Republican Committee by the local filing deadline. Each unit committee will adopt a filing schedule in early 2008. Filing forms will be available from the local committees (follow links below). There is a $20 filing fee, which helps to cover the costs of the District Convention. The fee is mandatory for those wishing to vote for District Chairman and State Central Committee members; it is voluntary for those wishing to vote only for Delegate/Alternate Delegate to the National Convention and Presidential elector. Some units may also request a small processing fee for convention delegates, to help cover their costs.

Filing deadlines, fees, slots and selection for 11th District Convention delegates
Unit	Filing deadline	Filing fee 1/	Delegate votes 2/	Selection process
Fairfax City (more info) Download: Filing form	Thu., Mar. 27 6 pm	$20	16 votes [80 delegates]	Mass meeting [Thu., Apr. 17]
Fairfax County (more info) Download: Filing form	Sat., Mar. 29 12 noon	$20	315 votes [1575 delegates]	District canvasses3/ [Sat., Apr. 5]
Prince William County (more info) Download: Filing form	Sat., Mar. 29 7 pm	$20	152 votes [760 delegates]	District mass meetings3 [Thu., Apr. 10]
TOTAL			483 votes [2415 delegates]
1/ - Filing fee is mandatory, unless the delegate wishes to vote only for National Convention delegate/alternate and Presidential elector. This fee goes to the District Committee for Convention costs. 2/ - Each unit may send up to 5 delegates per vote. 3/ - Held only if number filing exceeds spots available.

NOTE: In the unlikely event that the number of persons filing in any unit exceeds the number of delegate slots, the local committee will hold a party canvass or mass meeting to determine who will fill those positions.

Convention candidates:
Prospective candidates for any office to be elected at the 11th District Repbulican Convention must file a written statement with the District Committee, along with the appropriate filing fee, by Sat., Mar. 1, 2008, at 6 pm. All filings must be received by that time (postmarks do not count).

Filing fees are $250 for District Chairman; $100 for other positions (member of the State Central Committee, delegate or alternate delegate to the National Convention, and Presidential elector). Filings must be mailed or delivered to: 11th District Committee, c/o Jim Kaplan, 10696 Sessions Ct., Fairfax, VA 22030.

More convention-related items:

• Past conventions: The 11th District Convention in May 2004 elected a District Chairman, members of the State Central Committee, delegates and alternates to the National Convention, and a Presidential elector, (Read more about the 2004 convention.) The Convention for 2006 was cancelled, since the only position to be elected (District Chairman) was uncontested. (See more on the 2006 convention).
• Other districts: Republican Conventions will be held in each of Virginia's 11 Congressional Districts this May. Each will elect a District Chairman, members of the State Central Committee, and delegates/alternates to the national convention.
• Local conventions and meetings: County GOP Conventions will be held in Fairfax County and Prince William County this April, to elect the Republican County Chairman. A mass meeting will be held in Fairfax City to elect the City GOP Chairman.
• State convention: The Virginia Republican State Convention will be held May 30-31 in Richmond. That convention will nominate a U.S. Senate candidate, and elect party officers (state chairman, national committeeman and committeewoman).
• National convention: The GOP National Convention will be held Sep. 1-4 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. That convention will nominate the Republican candidates for President and Vice President. Read more about the GOP National Convention.