MD Republicans In Action
By Stacey Sauter
By any measure, the GOP spirit is alive and well in Maryland as witnessed at the recent Republican State Convention held in Anne Arundel Mills June 9th-10th! Special guest and presidential candidate Governor Chris Christie kicked off the events with a personal appearance on Friday night. This was followed the next day with video appearances by Tim Scott and Donald Trump speaking to a packed convention hall of county chairmen and Central Committee members. (It should be noted that Montgomery County representation beat out all other counties in attendance with 41 of our members present – not including the two elected members from MOCO who serve as State Party leaders.)
State Party Chairwoman, Nicole Harris, discussed multiple efforts now afoot to boost Republican participation in the next election, especially since Congressional District Six is now open with Democrat Rep. David Trone stepping down. The state party and the RNC are preparing serious measures to reclaim this once reliably red district, and we’ll need your participation as a volunteer and/or donor to ensure success.
Here are some ways you can get involved:
- Educate, Activate, & Motivate Voters Campaign. Successful mail-in balloting campaigns allowed the Democrats to dilute the anticipated “Red Wave” in the last election, so we’re gearing up for a more aggressive fight in 2024. The RNC, the State Party, and Montgomery County GOP are all engaged in serious efforts to boost mail-in balloting in the next election. This is a nationwide effort to encourage all registered Republican and unaffiliated (UNA) voters to “Bank Their Vote” with the RNC. This allows the RNC to make sure that voters are on track to receive, complete, and mail-in their official ballot ahead of Election Day. For more information go to: https://bankyourvote.com/
- Voter Registration: Last month a large group of Republicans attended a Voter Registrar session at the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Over 25 of us became official registrars. It’s an easy process, but critical in helping us to get more citizens registered to vote. The RNC, the State Party, and the MCGOP are all pushing this as a critical step toward enforcing the Educate, Activate, and Motivate Campaign. For more information on how to do this visit: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Elections/registration/Registrar.html
Republicans gathered at the Board of Elections for Voter Registration Training and Certification, 6/3/23
- Election and Ballot Integrity. Nicolee Ambrose, our MD National Committeewoman, reported that she is presently organizing a meeting of Republican Board of Election members from each Maryland county to share best practices regarding early voting and ballot collection. In addition, the State is working on providing county parties with more detailed specifics about mail-in voting laws and regulations. Closer to home, Election Day, and the week of early voting, here in Montgomery County remain a very integral part of the process. We did not have enough Republican poll workers at the last election, and it’s critical moving forward to have well-trained folks on-site at the polls who can spot and report violations as they occur. This is more than just signing voters in as they enter the polling site. It’s knowing the rules and being able to effectively speak up on behalf of the Republican Party. The County will pay you for your time on Election Day. But the real value is in being able to protect the integrity of the process for all of us. If you are interested in becoming a trained poll worker, it is not too early to sign up. Go to https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Elections/ElectionJudge/Overview.html. Or please contact Central Committee Member Stacey Sauter at [email protected] for more information.
- Appointments to State Boards and Commissions. Senator Mike McKay (LD-1) spoke about the multiple openings on Maryland state boards and commissions, and strongly encouraged Republicans to apply for a position on one of the 600 boards. Our voice is essential to prevent the far-left from completely monopolizing board recommendations to the legislature and governor. Your service is invaluable. For more information go to: https://govappointments.maryland.gov/ or contact Senator McKay at [email protected].
- Republican Party Advisory Council. The RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has formed a “new Republican Party Advisory Council to inform the Republican Party’s 2024 vision and beyond. These individuals will meet regularly with Chairwoman McDaniel to advise on continuing the success we saw in 2022, such as growing the party with Hispanic, Asian, and Black voters. In addition, the council will also advise on engaging with suburban women, winning the youth vote, holding Big Tech accountable, supporting law enforcement, and delivering for Americans of faith.” (RNC Press Release 11/29/22)
- Grassroots Efforts. There are multiple grassroots campaigns going on across the country and here in Montgomery County. We have growing participation from The Latino, Asian, Muslim, and Jewish communities here who are fed up with business as usual in MOCO. In addition, there’s a strong and vocal group of parents who are fed up with the school board, as well. If you’d like more information on the leadership in those communities, please reach out to Central Committee Member Stacey Sauter at [email protected].
Other highlights of the convention included rousing speeches by U.S. Representative Andy Harris (MD-1), and State Delegate Jess Pippy (LD-4) who both spoke about the outrageous laws being promoted by Democrats requiring evermore vigilance on the part of Republicans to prevent them from passing. As citizens, we must all remain vigilant and help our elected officials by getting involved and speaking up.
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Stacey Sauter is a Republican former candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates, a REALTOR and member of the Montgomery County Republican Party Central Committee. She can be reached at [email protected]
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