Resolution Appointing the Primary Committee for the 2024 Republican Primary in Harris County, Texas
WHEREAS, the Texas Election Code states that a Primary Committee may be established in each county having a County Executive Committee and that the County Chair serves as chair of the primary committee, to perform certain primary election duties; therefore, be it
- A)RESOLVED that, the Primary Committee shall:
- Consider resolutions for statutory Primary business to be held at the Harris County Republican Party Executive Committee Meetings;
- Conduct the drawing for the general Primary ballot order by December 21, 2023; no later than 10 days after the filing closes, pending resolution of any potential legal matters.
- Review and approve the Primary and Primary Runoff ballot format and order;
- Conduct the local canvass of the primary election on March 14, 2024; the second Thursday after the primary election, pending resolution of any potential legal matters,
- Conduct the local canvass of the runoff election on June 6, 2024; the second Thursday after the runoff day, pending resolution of any potential legal matters, and
- Handle any other Primary matters that arise between Harris County Republican Party Executive Committee Meetings; it is, further,
- B)RESOLVED that the following persons are hereby appointed to the 2024 Primary Committee of the Harris County Republican Party
- Cindy Siegel, County Chair and Chairman of the 2024 Primary Committee
- Gail Stolzenburg, Precinct Chair 0509,
Vizi Lange-Caldwell, Precinct Chair 0199,
- Marga Matthews, Precinct Chair 0249,
- Vergel Cruz, Jr., Precinct Chair 0578
- Ralph Fite, Precinct Chair 0499
- Rufus Estis, Precinct Chair 0448
and it is, further,
- C)RESOLVED, that all eight HCRP Senatorial District Chairmen are also ex-officio voting members to the Primary Committee whose absence does not count against the quorum.
Resolution Designating the Method of Voting for the 2024 Harris County Republican Primary
WHEREAS, the Texas Election Code requires a political party’s county Executive Committee to adopt voting systems to be use in that party’s primary; therefore, be it
- A)RESOLVED that, the following voting systems shall be used for the 2024 Republican Primary and Primary Runoff elections in Harris County, Texas:
- The Hart InterCivic Verity voting system will be used for all in-person voting, including:
- a)Early Voting and Election Day voting;
- b)Election Day voting by space flight personnel except as provided herein; and
- The Hart Verity Duo voting system will be used for:
- a)Early voting by mail for eligible voters;
- b)Late voting by eligible disabled voters;
- c)Late voting made eligible due to death in the immediate family;
- d)Electronic transmissions from eligible military or overseas voters; and
- Voting via Federal Postcard Application will be used for eligible voters; and
- For combined polling locations in which any precinct has a contested precinct chair race, a unique ballot style must be provided so that each voter may not vote for a precinct chair for other than that voter’s precinct and as prescribed by the Texas Secretary of State; and it is, further,
- The Hart InterCivic Verity voting system will be used for all in-person voting, including:
- B)RESOLVED that the County Chair may contract for services with the Harris County Clerk Chief or Elections Officer of Harris County to carry out the purpose and intent of this resolution, and that other matters related to the method of voting and the administration of the Primary Election not covered by this resolution shall be determined by the County Chair or his designee in cooperation with the authority contracted for election services.
Resolution Designating the Method of Appointing Election Judges for the 2024 Harris County Republican Primary
WHEREAS, the Texas Election Code provides that the Republican County Chair shall appoint for each primary, with the approval of the Republican County Executive Committee, election judges for each voting precinct in which the election will be held in the County; and,
WHEREAS, a candidate in an election for a contested party office (other than a precinct chair already declared elected) is ineligible to serve in an election to be held on the same day as that election, as an election judge or clerk in any precinct in which the office sought is to be voted on; therefore, be it
- A)RESOLVED, That the Executive Committee of the Harris County Republican Party adopts the following procedures for the appointment of election judges for the 2024 Republican Primary election, if such persons agree to serve and are not otherwise precluded from serving for another reason, such as stated in the Texas Election Code:
- 1)Those who are incumbent Republican Precinct Chairs immediately after the last quarterly Executive Committee meeting in the year before the Primary Election year, and remain uncontested after the filing deadline set for December 11, 2023, pending resolution of any potential legal matters, may be appointed as Presiding Election Judges for the 2024 Republican Primary Election; and
- 2)Those who are incumbent precinct chairs, but are precluded from serving as election judge by law, who choose not to serve, or who cannot serve for any reason, shall recommend a person to serve as Presiding Election Judge representing their precinct for the 2024 Republican Primary Election; and
- 3)If those persons described above are not able to serve, then those persons who are not Precinct Chairs immediately after the last quarterly Executive Committee meeting in the year before the Primary Election year, but have filed for said office and remain uncontested after the filing deadline set for December 11, 2023, pending resolution of any potential legal matters, shall be appointed election judges for the 2024 Republican Primary Election; and
- 4)That the Alternate Election Judge shall be appointed by the Presiding Election Judge, and in the event of his or her failure to do so, the County Chair may appoint the Alternate Election Judge after February 13, 2024, in order to give required notice to election judges; and
- 5)The County Chair or her designee may appoint all other election judges and election personnel not included in this resolution; and it is, further,
- B)RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be provided to each Election Judge along with the notice of appointment.
Resolution Designating the Method of Drawing Ballot Positions for the 2024 Harris County Republican Primary
WHEREAS, the Texas Election Code provides that the Executive Committee of a county political party may delegate drawing for ballot positions on Primary elections to a Party Primary Committee; and
WHEREAS, rules for drawing ballot positions will help ensure equal opportunity for candidates to draw a preferred position and accuracy in recording the ballot positions as drawn; therefore, it is
- A)RESOLVED, the 2024 Harris County Republican Primary ballot draw will be conducted as follows:
- 1)Drawing for ballot position shall be from a container with numbered ping pong balls;
- 2)The number of ping pong balls to be drawn will equal the number of candidates for any respective office on the ballot;
- 3)The ping pong balls shall be marked twice, once on each side, with easy-to-read numbers and underscored as needed (e.g., 6 & 9) to be distinguishable;
- 4)The container from which the drawing occurs, shall be constructed, suspended, or held so that the numbered balls are not visible to anyone drawing or observing the drawing;
- 5)Each candidate affected by the drawing is entitled to be present or have a representative present at the drawing;
- 6)If a candidate is not present and does not have a representative present at the drawing, a member of the Primary Committee will draw on behalf of that candidate;
- 7)The order of drawing will be as follows:
- a)Ballot order of office (President to Precinct Chairman), then by
- b)Alpha-numeric order within office (e.g.., District, Place, or Precinct Numbers), then by
- c)Filing order (First to file and accepted, to most recent to file and accepted), or by alphabetical order of candidates’ last name only if filing order is unknown
- d)Notwithstanding the foregoing, a candidate or a candidate’s representative who is present shall draw before the drawing by a Primary Committee member on behalf of a candidate for that same office who is absent and not represented at the ballot draw;
- 8)The number drawn as indicated on the ping pong ball shall correspond with the ballot position for a particular candidate in a given contested race on the 2024 Primary Ballot;
- 9)Three persons named by the Primary Committee will independently record the drawing results and, if their records conflict but two recorders agree, that agreed number shall govern;
- 10)The drawing for ballot positions and recording of the results shall be continuously supervised by one or more members of the Primary Committee;
- 11)After drawing, each candidate shall be provided a form showing how the candidate’s name is to appear on the ballot and the corresponding ballot position, to be signed by the candidate to confirm the accuracy of the ballot name and ballot position; and
- 12)In the event there is a runoff, the order of the candidates’ names on the runoff primary election ballot for each county shall be in the same order as on the general primary election ballot.
Resolution Fixing the Compensation of Primary Election Personnel for the 2024 Harris County Republican Primary
WHEREAS, Texas law requires a County Party Executive Committee to fix compensation for election judges and clerks for the Party’s primary election; therefore, it is
- A)RESOLVED, compensation for election judges and clerks for the 2024 Harris County Republican Primary is as follows:
- 1)Presiding Election Judges, Alternate Judges, and Election Clerks shall be paid at an hourly rate and for times not to exceed the rates and times allowed by the Texas Secretary of State per hour and Alternate Election Judges and/or Election Clerks shall be paid an hourly rate not to exceed the amount allowed by the Secretary of State per hour;
- 2)Per Texas regulations, an Election Judge, Alternate Judge, or Election Clerk should attend a Secretary of State-approved training class without compensation;;
Per Texas law:
- The Election Judge or Clerk who delivers precinct election records or other election equipment and unused election supplies after an election will be compensated for that service in an amount not to exceed $25.
- ii.If more than one election officer delivers records and unused supplies, the Presiding Judge shall determine how the amount fixed for the service is be allocated among the officers;
- iii.Harris County Central Counting Station technical support personnel may be paid an hourly rate determined by the pay scale established by the Harris County Clerk’s office; and
- iv.An Election Judge or Clerk may not be paid for more than one hour of work before the polls open. In a precinct in which voting machines are used, an Election Judge or Clerk may not be paid for more than two hours of work after the time for closing the polls or after the last voter has voted, whichever is later.
RESOLUTION
HARRIS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SUPPORTS THE ORANGE COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY CENSURING SPEAKER DADE PHELAN
WHEREAS, on July 13, 2023, the Orange County Republican Party Executive Committee met and voted on a Resolution to Censure Speaker Dade Phelan, Texas House Rep. District 21. The vote was 14 yeas, and only 6 nays; therefore, a number greater than two-thirds of the votes cast.
WHEREAS, State Representative Dade Phelan, as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, has abused the power of his office and his authority as Speaker by taking more than three actions during this current biennium that are either in opposition to the core principles of the Republican Party of Texas, in opposition to the Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priorities, or both; and
WHEREAS, on February 8, 2023, in disregard of Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priority Number Five (No. 5), “Ban Democrat Chairs,” Speaker Phelan appointed nine (9) Texas Democratic Party state representative to committee chairmanship position within the Texas House of Representatives; the Democrats assigned to committee chairs included: Oscar Longoria – Business and Industry, Able Herrero – Corrections, Victoria Neave Criado – County Affairs, Joseph Moody – Criminal Jurisprudence, Harold V. Dutton – Juvenile Justice & Family Issues, Tracy King – Natural Resources, R. D. “Bobby” Guerra – Resolutions Calendars, Terry Canales – Transportation, and Senfronia Thompson – Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, Republican Primary Ballot Proposition Number 6 voter results show that a vast majority of Republican voters (81.24%) statewide, and a higher percentage of Harris County Republican voters, demanded that the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature end the practice of awarding committee chairmanships to Democrats; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, a number of prominent Harris County Republicans, including members of the Harris County Executive Committee, elected officials, and concerned voters sent letters and/or emails to State Representative Dade Phelan urging him, “to prohibit and refrain from appointing any Democrat House members as chair of any House committee; and
WHEREAS, in House Speaker Phelan’s conscious decision to appoint multiple Democrat chairs to important House committees in direct opposition to both the Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priorities and the express position of well over 80% of the most recent statewide Texas Republican Party Primary election voters, the consequence of Phelan’s appointments thereby also places Speaker Phelan in violation of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth and ninth core principles of the RPT 2022 Platform, and
WHEREAS, Speaker Phelan appointed pro–abortion Democrat State Representative Joseph Moody (Texas Right to Life, Pro-Life score of 0) to chair the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and assigned HB 2709, “The Abolish Abortion in Texas Act,” which fulfilled Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priority Number Six (No. 6) “Abolish Abortion in Texas,” to the House Criminal
Jurisprudence Committee chaired by Representative Moody, thereby ensuring the Bill would die in committee, and never receive a hearing; and
WHEREAS, on February 28, 2023, Speaker Phelan promoted HR 85, a resolution honoring the religious liberty–intolerant LGBT (LGBTQQIP2SAA) community, by allowing the resolution to be referred to the House Resolution Calendars Committee in violation of the first and sixth core principles of the Republican Party of Texas; and
WHEREAS, on May 9, 2023 Speaker Phelan allowed HB 202 die by sustaining a spurious point of order, in violation of RPT Legislative Priority Number Two (No. 2): “Secure the Border and Protect Texans.” HB 20 would have created a Border Protection Unit under the control of the State of Texas to “arrest, apprehend, or detain persons crossing the Texas–Mexico border unlawfully,” and invoke Section 10, Article 1, of the United States Constitution to authorize this unit to return aliens to Mexico who have been observed crossing the border unlawfully and to use force to repel, arrest, and detain known transnational cartel operatives in the border region, among other duties. HB 20 was identified as a priority by the Speaker himself, but at his sole discretion, he accepted a point of order raised by Democrat Representative on a matter of opinion regarding the caption of the Bill, and thus, preventing the Bill from ever being voted on in the Texas House.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Harris County Republican Party Executive Committee supports the necessary action taken by the Orange County Republican Party Executive Committee, and the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Harris County, a quorum being present, hereby applaud the demand by the Orange County Republican Party Executive Committee to seek the censure of Speaker Dade Phalen, a public office holder representing all of Harris County as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives; and be it further
RESOLVED, we request the state Republican executive committee and the delegates to the next state convention of the Republican Party of Texas concur with the Orange County Republican Party Executive Committee’s resolution of censure and hereby implore the Republican Party of Texas to initiate the process triggered by the censure vote to impose upon Rep. Dade Phelan any and all remedies provided in the Rules the Republican Party of Texas; and be it further
RESOLVED, that an official copy of this resolution be prepared and transmitted to the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, the Governor of Texas, the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, the House Speaker of Texas, and the SREC Representatives of Senatorial Districts 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, & 18. Last, a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the various Texas news organizations.
Adopted this 18th day of September, 2023, Harris County, Texas.
Respectfully Submitted,
Thomas A. Bazan
Harris County Precinct 661, Chairman
Resolution of the Harris County Republican Party Regarding the Personal Attacks on Former President Donald J. Trump
Whereas, on March 30, 2023, the New York County Grand Jury indicted the 45th President of the United States, Donald John Trump, on 34 felony counts as indicated by the indictment unsealed on April 4, 2023, despite the non-specification of the alleged felonies as required by the Criminal Procedure Law of the State of New York, and whereas on June 9, 2023, the Grand Jury for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida indicted Donald John Trump for 38 counts of violating various national security and process crimes under Title 18 USC, and whereas on August 1, 2023, the Grand Jury for the United States District Court in the District of Columbia indicted Donald John Trump for 4 counts of violating various sections of Title 18 United States Coded related to events that occurred on or about January 6, 2021, and whereas on August 14, 2023 the Grand Jury of Fulton County, Georgia indicted Donald John Trump and 18 other defendants including many of his attorneys for various racketeering and other crimes relating to alleged interference in the 2022 election in Georgia, and whereas the continuing court proceedings resulting from these indictments will occur throughout the 2024 election year in an apparently coordinated and conspiratorial attempt to weaponize the legal system to interfere with the 2024 Presidential election, the Harris County Republican Party resolves that:
1) The Harris County Republican Party condemns any use of the legal system to interfere with the election of candidates for public office and
2) The Harris County Republican Party condemns the use of the legal system as a tool to inflict a prosecutorial de facto Bill of Attainder against a former President of the United States and
3) The Harris County Republican Party warns that both major parties can proceed in a similar manner against their opponents and that the Republican Party will not allow the use of the legal system by government officials to establish a dictatorship in the United States without recourse to opposing legal action and
4) The Harris County Republican Party urges the United States Congress to investigate the attempted use of lies, false dossiers, and attempted blackmail by government officials against the former President of the United States to interfere with his conduct of the office of President during his term of office and
5) That this resolution be transmitted to both United States Senators from the State of Texas and every Republican member of the Texas Congressional delegation,
and also to the Texas State Republican Executive Committee, and the elected statewide officers of Texas, and every elected Republican Representative and Senator in the Texas Legislature, and individually to all nine members of the Supreme Court of the United States.
I, a member of the Harris County Republican Party Executive Committee do hereby attest that I wish this resolution to be approved at the September 18th meeting of said committee.
George Brian Vachris, Precinct Chairman 885
Linda Zachary, Precinct Chairman 50
David Earl Barker, Precinct Chairman 126
James A. Buntrock, Precinct Chairman 726
William Scott Ely, Precinct Chairman 844
Howard Gray Barker, SREC SD 18, Precinct Chairman 675
Jeffrey Lee MacGeorge, Precinct Chairman 548
Tara Hephzibah Beulah, Precinct Chairman 909
Nikki N. Fagan, Precinct Chairman 663
Theodore LeBlanc, Precinct Chairman 670
Louise V. Lange-Caldwell, Precinct Chairman 199
Richard Frank Stoisits, Precinct Chairman 758
Ralph H. Fite, Precinct Chairman 499
Deborah Kelting Fite, SREC SD 7
Resolution Condemning the Impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton
WHEREAS, Texas Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton, Jr. was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives on May 27, 2023, after a report was issued by the House Committee on General Investigating (GIC), which contained 20 articles of impeachment. The GIC submission, which consisted solely of a transcript of the GIC hearing, was considered by the House for approximately 48 hours before the impeachment vote was called and taken; and
WHEREAS, no testimony was taken in the House, and Attorney General Paxton was not allowed to speak to the House or to offer any rebuttal evidence or testimony despite his offer to do so, which was refused; and
WHEREAS, the impeachment occurred under illegal circumstances, for example:
1. The GIC admitted that none of the witnesses who provided information to that committee were placed under oath before giving their statements as required by Texas Government Code §301.022;
2. The GIC included in its consideration and in the Articles of Impeachment at least six articles based on events alleged to have taken place before January 1, 2023, the first day of Attorney General Paxton’s current term. Such events may not serve to support impeachment per Texas Government Code §665.081 and nearly one hundred years of Supreme Court precedent beginning with Reeves v. State, 267 S.W. 666 (Tex. 1924);
3. Neither the GIC nor the House of Representatives allowed Attorney General Paxton the opportunity to present evidence in his defense or to cross-examine witnesses, which is contrary to the spirit of the U.S. Constitution Amendments V and VI and to the precedent established by the Texas House of Representatives in the 1975-76 Carrillo impeachment proceeding; and
WHEREAS, due process and the rule of law are the very foundation of our republic and necessary to the proper functioning of a free society, without which we become nothing more than a banana republic; and
WHEREAS, the articles of impeachment are unsupported by competent and admissible evidence and are an affront to the presumption of innocence; now
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Harris County Republican Party of Texas CONDEMNS the politically motivated impeachment of Attorney General Paxton by the Texas House of Representatives that failed to satisfy due process, to comply with applicable Texas law, and to adhere to precedent.
Respectfully Submitted
Patricia Moore
Harris County 0483 Precinct Chair
Rules Committee Amendment Proposal
Adding Additional Vice Chairs
Article IV – Officers
Section 1 – Officers Named:
The officers of the HCRP Executive Committee shall be a Chairman, one or more Vice Chairmen, Secretary, Treasurer, Legal Counsel, Sergeant-at-Arms, Parliamentarian and Chaplain and three (3) Special Assistants to the Chairman.
Section 2 – Method of Election and/or Appointment:
The Chairman shall appoint a First Vice Chairman and up to three (3) additional Vice Chairmen with specific designated areas of responsibility as determined by the Chairman. All Vice Chairmen shall be non-voting members of the Advisory Board and, unless they are also precinct chairmen, non-voting members of the Executive Committee. Additionally, the Chairman shall appoint the Sergeant-at-Arms and Legal Counsel. The Vice Chairmen, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Legal Counsel shall be subject to approval by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Section 3 – Succession of Officers:
The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee.
In the absence of the Chairman, the First Vice Chairman shall preside.
In the absence of the First Vice Chairman, the Secretary, or any member in the absence of the Secretary, shall preside over the election of a chairman pro tempore.
Section 4 – Duties and Responsibilities:
B. The Vice-chairman
The Vice Chairmen shall assist the Chairman, as requested, in the execution of his/her duties.
In the event the office of the County Chairman becomes vacant, except as provided for in TEC Sec. 171.025, the First Vice Chairman shall act in that place until a new County Chairman is elected.
Biological Sex Resolution
WHEREAS, the sex binary is an objective fact;
WHEREAS, biological sex is an immutable characteristic observed, not assigned, at birth and it cannot be altered or modified;
WHEREAS, males and females are in distinct and separate protected sex classes based on their unique physical capabilities and biological differences;
WHEREAS, gender is merely an expression of variable personality traits, and therefore has no legal definition or protection;
WHEREAS, though not all women get pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed, only women
can;
WHEREAS, the determinate norm of physiological and social differences between the sexes leave women more vulnerable to specific types of violence, including and bangid (o especially sexual violence;
WHEREAS, policies which allow for Texans to self-identify out of their biological sex either socially or on government documentation disproportionately harm women and girls;
WHEREAS, such policies have infiltrated primary and secondary schools, sororities and other sex-segregated organizations, medical associations and institutions, and other vital bedrocks of our society;
WHEREAS, the State of Texas values the right of each sex class to freely and bougie ( exclusively associate in a manner which protects the safety, dignity, privacy and consent of its members, including by protecting the sanctity of spaces in which women are in a state of undress or otherwise vulnerable; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Harris County Republican Party IMPLORES Texas Governor Greg Abbott to convene an extraordinary session of the 88th Legislature, to consider and act upon the following: clarifying statutory definitions of “sex”, “man”, “woman”, “boy”, “girl”, “mother” and “father”; ensuring that no governmental entity in Texas participates in affirming “gender identity” as a fact reflected on government-issued identification or as a protected class; and protecting sex-segregated spaces, such as bathrooms, changing rooms, locker rooms, and dressing areas.
Resolution to Support the Efforts of Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Others to Stop the Prosecutions of Donald J. Trump
Whereas, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has vowed to draft legislation defunding Special Counsel Jack Smith, who intends to use his bad faith and fabricated prosecutions of the 45th President to prevent Donald J. Trump from running for the Presidency in 2024; and,
Whereas, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has indicated his willingness to open impeachment proceedings concerning Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, who has led the rogue prosecutions and injustices perpetrated against Donald Trump and his supporters nationally while protecting the Biden family from prosecution and instituting a regime of surveillance, censorship, and media manipulation replicating that practiced in totalitarian societies; and,
Whereas, District Attorneys Fani T. Willis of Atlanta, Georgia and Alvin Bragg of New York, New York have instituted equally bad faith and spurious prosecutions of Donald J. Trump which are being coordinated through Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice; and,
Whereas, Donald J. Trump is the sole major candidate for President in 2024 who has vowed to end the genocidal Ukraine War and clean out the military industrial complex which has led this country into ignoble and dishonorable forever wars; and,
Whereas, Donald J. Trump is the sole major presidential candidate who has endorsed the American system of political economy—an economy whose advanced manufacturing, advanced energy sourcing, and modern infrastructure platform ensure the pursuit of happiness for every American and his or her posterity;
Now, therefore, we the Harris County Texas Republican Party call upon our representatives in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to approve the legislation put forward by Rep. Matt Gaetz and any similar measures aimed at halting the prosecution of Donald J. Trump and we call upon Speaker McCarthy to ensure the impeachment of Merrick Garland; and,
We call upon the citizens of Georgia and New York to defund and halt the planned prosecutions of Donald J. Trump in New York and in Georgia.
Submitted by Peter Bowen,
Harris County #0425 Precinct Chair