Since you’ve reached this page, you have likely heard about this national effort started by attorney Dan Schulz through a conservative media outlet. The good news at that you will find information about how precinct level positions work in Tennessee for the Republican Party, the bad news is that Tennessee does not have an official precinct committeeman structure which is common in many other states. So here are some key ways that the GOP precinct structure is different in Tennessee.

Precinct Level Positions Can Only Vote on Behalf of the Party at Reorganization

In many states the precinct committeeman and woman are the most local positions within your local GOP. These positions are elected or appointed, and they have voting rights on behalf of the local Republican party when it comes to nominating candidates and adopting platforms. The Tennessee GOP does not have a structure that includes precinct level positions. For each county the only people who vote on behalf of the county party are the five member executive committee. The power at the precinct level happens during the biannual reorganization when the executive committee members are voted on by Republicans representing their precinct.

Biannual Reorganization in Tennessee

Reorganization of the Republican Party happens during odd number years in every county accross the state. During reorganization, the five member county executive committee is voted in. Some counties will call the reorganization a convention, while other will just label it a meeting; but either way, the steps for voting in the executive committee are essentially the same as the ones shown below.

Steps for Voting in the County GOP Executive Committee

• Attendees are seated by voting precinct
• A set number of people in each precinct (average is 10) can request to be delegates for their precinct
• The delegates of the precinct will then choose two people from among themselves to cast votes for the county executive committee (These 2 delegates are technically precinct captains in that they will vote for GOP leadership on behalf of their precinct, but unlike areas with a true precinct committeeman structure, this is the only time they will cast a vote on behalf of their precinct)
• A representative for the GOP will announce the people who are running for one of the executive board positions and the 2 captains from each precinct will vote for the person to fill that position. Voting may be written or verbal depending on the rules that have been set up for that county’s reorganization.
• This process continues until all 5 executive committee positions are filled.

Once the new executive committee has been voted in, reorganization is complete. The executive committee will then be the only members who vote on behalf of the party to endorse candidates or adopt a platform. Despite not being able to vote on behalf of your precinct outside of reorganization, there are still many chances to be involved politically in your community whether it is by attending your local GOP meetings and supporting candidates and causes that they support, or getting involved with other conservative groups that are not connected to the GOP. Click Find Your Local GOP for a full list of the county Republican Parties in Tennessee as well as the contact information for the current GOP county chairman.

Next Steps

Read: Preparing for Reorganization in TN to understand how to plan if you would like to run for a seat on your county GOP executive committee of if you would simply like to replace some or all of your executive committee members during the next reorganization.