Many people in the Commonwealth are aware that we have a primary coming up. Very few realize that we actually have two primaries coming up – both scheduled for the same day – Tuesday, June 13, 2017.

The Code of Virginia sets the dates on which we hold primary elections. However, political parties determine whether or not to use a primary to select their respective nominees for the November general election.

And the parties don’t have to choose the same method for every office in a given year. For example, in Lynchburg the Democratic Party selected their candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney by a caucus. Their chairman told me that with the cost of the venue and the printing of ballots, they spent about $100 to select their candidate. Republicans on the other hand decided on a primary. This costs each candidate for a contested nomination a filing fee of about two percent (2%) of the annual salary for that office. For constitutional officers such as Treasurer, Sheriff, and Commonwealth’s Attorney, the fee to have your name on a primary ballot is in the $1500-$2000 range. (That’s money that would be better spent defeating Democrats in November – but that’s a different story.)

Regardless of the nomination method for local offices, both major parties have chosen to use a primary to nominate candidates for statewide offices. Both Republicans and Democrats will (at least they have an obligation to) go to the polls in June to select their parties’ candidates. But to be more accurate, there will be TWO primaries on Tuesday, June 13^th, and voters can legally only vote in one, not both.

We call it a “Dual Primary.” That means the Democrats have a primary and the Republicans have a primary. Both primaries happen at the same time and in the same place, i.e. your regular precinct polling location. That seems simple enough, but it does often cause a problem. As an example, here in Lynchburg several of the Republican candidates have friends who are Democrats, and those Democrats want to vote for their Republican friends. Those same Democrats also want to have a say in whether Tom Perriello or Ralph Northam is their party’s nominee for governor. If past history is any indication, a number of voters will be very unhappy when they find out that they can’t do both.

By law, a voter can vote in either the Democratic primary or the Republican primary, but not both. Our local Democratic Party chairman doesn’t want Democrats voting in our primary because it messes with her database. We don’t want them voting in our primary because our nominees should be decided by Republicans, not by Democrats. (That’s one of my major reasons for opposing primaries.)

At the training sessions that each Registrar’s Office in the Commonwealth is required by law to hold prior to a dual primary, we are instructed to ask, “In which primary would you like to vote?” We can’t use phrases like “Do you want a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot?” because some will think we are trying to tell them how to vote and will file complaints.

The best thing we can do is carefully explain to voters that there are two primaries, and that they can only vote in one. Some voters will still be quite angry, but I’d rather deal with an angry voter than with a criminal charge for violating election law.

There are two things you can do to help. First, understand the “dual primary” concept yourself. Second, since every jurisdiction is having a dual primary, make sure your precinct workers understand the information in this email. They don’t want to waste resources on people who are voting in the Democratic primary. Help them be prepared to answer questions that voters might ask on primary day about why they can only vote for some races and not others. It will help make the primary go more smoothly for everyone.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

P.S. Call your favorite candidates and see what you can do to help them win. With only three weeks left until the primary, they can use all the help you can provide.

The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) has provided a series of classes that will teach you how to do fundraising, work with media, move legislation forward in the General Assembly or Congress, develop your messaging, and make connections with Republicans around the Commonwealth who can help you achieve your goals. Interested?

The RPV has designed the Ambassador Program “to increase the number of effective Republican men and women from diverse backgrounds in public service and party leadership by providing extensive training and support as they pursue their political and/or professional goals.”

Classes are generally held in Richmond on the 3^rd Saturday of the month. The first class will be in two weeks on May 20^th. The other classes are tentatively set for June 17, July 15, and August 19, with graduation on either September 9 or 16. As you can see, dates are still a little bit in flux so if you apply you will need to be a little flexible. If you are accepted into the program, they ask that you commit to attend except for cases of personal illness or death in the family.

You will also note that the first class is May 20^th so get your application in quickly. At the same time, over half of the 25 spots in the program remain to be filled. You have a good chance of getting in if you hurry.

The Ambassador Program is designed to prepare “qualified Republican men and women from diverse backgrounds to serve in government and as leaders in our Party.” If you were thinking about running for office or about taking on a leadership role in the Party, how would you go about it? To whom would you speak? How do you develop a message that encourages people to select you as their representative in the government or in the Party? You can get answers several ways and over varied amounts of time, but this program allows you to get a vast store of knowledge over the course of one summer. Or even if you just want to know what is going on in the government and the Party, this can be of significant help to you.

The application is rather detailed so be prepared to take some time to fill it out.

The program is for people who are retired, fresh out of high school, or anywhere in between. It is for all races, creeds, and genders, so long as you hold to Republican principles and will work to support them.

And let me be very candid for a minute. If you read last week’s email, you know that there are just not enough of us doing the work that needs to be done. The people who graduate from this program will be able to help carry the load because you will know what you are doing and how to go about doing it. We need the help. We need you. We need committed voices trained to stand up for our conservative goals and principles. I hope you will take up the challenge and join us as we try to do what’s right for the country.

Some people see a problem and complain about it. Other’s see the same problem and get energized to fix it. I hope you are energized and will apply to be part of the solution.

I’ve posted both the information sheet and the application form to the 6^th District website to make them easy to find.

I hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity and apply to the RPV’s 2017 Ambassador Program.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

P.S. The other topic I could have chosen to write about this week is the new health care proposal that is before Congress. Instead, I will direct you to comments provided by 5^th District Congressman Tom Garrett and 7^th District Congressman Dave Brat. They have a first-hand view of the situation.

I’m tired.

I’m not tired just because it’s late at night (early in the morning) as I write this at the end of a full day – at the end of a demanding week – at the end of a very busy month – with another week like this one looming ahead.

I’m tired because my income tax filing was complicated and the tax laws are complicated and because I had to file an amended return to get back (sometime in the next two months – maybe) the several hundred dollars I overpaid.

I’m tired of the 16^th Amendment to the Constitution that let the Federal Government create an income tax in the first place. It was only supposed to be on the top 3% of the richest Americans. But you know the story about the camel that only wanted to put its nose in the tent to get out of the sand storm. The next thing it wanted in was its head, then its neck. After a while the camel was all the way in the tent and the tent owner was out in the storm. Sound familiar?

I’m tired of us letting the government do this type of nonsense to us over and over again.

I’m tired of all the legislators in Washington – including Republicans – who instead of cutting the federal budget, pitch a fit when someone suggests cutting taxes so that we Americans can keep more of our own money. Trust me – we can do a much better job of building America than the federal bureaucracy can.

I’m tired of having to fight stupid battles with certain Virginia Republicans who are more worried about their own position, power, and prestige than they are about defeating the Democrats. If they would just get over themselves, then we could turn this Commonwealth red again.

I’m tired of hunting for people to help do all the things that need to be done in the months leading up to elections. “Many hands make light work.” And frankly, it takes more than the ones who are already fighting the fight. There just aren’t enough of us to go around. We have families and jobs and the details of living to deal with, too. And we don’t have any more hours in a day than any one else.

I’m tired of losing close contests because too many people can’t be bothered.

I’m tired of people forgetting to tend to our government – which is a bigger threat to our liberties than any outside force.

As Edmund Burke is credited with saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” That’s why my wife lets me take so much time away from home – because she and I are both concerned about the evil that is trying to engulf our country.

I’m tired of politicians saying one thing to the voters in order to get elected yet voting in ways that favor the lobbyists who fill their campaign coffers so that they can keep their position, power, and prestige. I’m tired of voters not noticing or doing anything about it.

I’m tired of the mainstream media supporting the Democrat’s claim that Democratic policies represent the “normal way” that things are done and that Republican’s are the ones who are trying to change things for the worse. I’m tired of Republicans letting Democrats control the narrative.

I’m tired because there just isn’t enough of me to go around and because not enough Republicans understand how important it is that each of us invests as little as 90 minutes a month to do the work of preserving our liberties. You understand how important it is to invest 90 minutes a month into preserving your liberty and your way of life. Recruit some friends to help fight the fight. Many hands make light work.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

P.S. Our next Sixth District Committee meeting will be Saturday, May 6 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Stonebridge Center east of Natural Bridge just off Hwy 130. You are welcome to come.

 

 

Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution defines the duties of and election to the Legislative Branch of the Federal Government. It was placed first in the Constitution because our founding fathers considered the Legislative Branch to be the most important function of a republic. The PEOPLE determine who represents them, and those representatives make the laws by which the people live.

Delegates to the Constitutional Convention fought long and hard over how representation would be determined. If representatives were elected based on population – the “Virginia Plan” – large states would dominate smaller states. If each state were given an equal number of votes – the “New Jersey Plan” – then each state, regardless of size or population, would have equal weight. The solution – the “Great Compromise” – was ingenious. The Constitution provides us with two legislative bodies. Members of the House of Representatives were to be elected by the people with one representative (Congressman) for every 30,000 citizens. [As the population grew, they ran out of room in the meeting chamber, so now the House of Representatives is limited to 435 members divided among the states by size of population. (Virginia has 11 Congressmen.) You can see why the census taken every 10 years – as provided in Article I, Section 2 – is so important. It literally determines how many Congressmen each state has.]

While the Congress was to be elected by the people, members of the U.S. Senate were to be elected by the governments of each state – two per state. This way they could serve as ambassadors from the states to the federal government, and the states would have a say in what the U.S. Government did. It was, after all, supposed to be the united voice of all of the states. That is why so many of the actions of the President have to be ratified by the Senate. In effect, the President has to get approval from the majority of the states via their governmental representatives, their senators.

Under the original wording of the Constitution, Virginia would currently have two Republican senators because our Republican controlled General Assembly would certainly choose senators other than Warner and Kaine. However, in 1913 the U.S. adopted the 17^th Amendment, which took election of Senators away from the state governments and made it a popular election, the same as we have for Congressmen. The amendment passed because the legislatures of the various states would sometimes deadlock in a fight over whom to elect. There were charges of corrupt political organizations (“NO! Say it isn’t so.”) influencing the selections, and special interest groups purchasing votes by donating to legislators. (You can see how effective the 17^th Amendment has been at stopping that.)

The 17^th Amendment has created several problems of its own. For example, all of the influence buying and “corrupt political organization” issues have now moved from the state legislatures to the Senators themselves. If you don’t have a lot of money – and how can you get it if you aren’t independently wealthy, like Donald Trump – you can’t get your message to the people who are supposed to elect you. And if you can’t get your message to the people, you can’t get elected. So too many senators vote how they have to in order to get donations that allow them to maintain their coveted position, power, and prestige. Under the old system, almost anyone could afford to talk to the 140 members of the Virginia General Assembly (or any state’s legislature) with the money they carry in their own pocket.

Additionally, when you have to spend money to get elected then your loyalty goes to the people who keep you in power. When you had to be elected by the state legislature, then you had to be loyal to your state government, whom you were supposed to be representing in Washington. Because that loyalty is no longer required, senators can vote for laws that are not in the best interests of their states, but the states have no power to call their senators to task.

That’s why you hear people calling for the repeal of the 17^th Amendment. It resolves half of the problems with campaign finance, and it resolves most of the problems with an out of control federal government running roughshod over the states. The 17^th Amendment made Article 1 of the Constitution worse, not better. Think about it.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

P.S. Our gala last Saturday was an absolute success conducted in an atmosphere of cordiality and celebration. I hope you were able to make it, but if not, plan now (save your pennies) for our next one. It was a wonderful time, shared by wonderful people, in a wonderful setting. What a great way to spend an evening!